Chidinma Iroegbu
The Nigeria Police Force has vowed to intensify its fight against banditry and other violent crimes after 10 police officers were killed during an encounter with suspected bandits in Makuku Sakaba Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The 23rd Indigenous Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, said the officers paid the supreme price while protecting lives and national security during the August 10, 2026 encounter.
Disu said two civilians were also killed while two other civilians sustained injuries in the attack, adding that the fallen officers fought with courage and determination.
According to him, at least 17 suspected bandits were neutralised during the operation, with additional bodies reportedly recovered from surrounding forest areas.
“These gallant officers died doing what they swore on oath to do: to serve, to protect, and to defend lives and properties,” Disu said.
The IGP assured the families of the deceased officers that the police would continue to support them, saying, “We grieve with you. We stand with you, and we will not abandon you.”
Commissioner of Police, Special Intervention Squad, CP Abayomi Shogunle, FSI, PhD, also paid tribute to the officers, saying they stood their ground during the encounter and fought with courage.
Shogunle said subsequent battle-damage assessments indicated that several suspected terrorists were killed, while villagers continued to alert the police to bodies discovered in the area.
He urged the police leadership to sustain the morale of the Special Intervention Squad and support the families of the fallen personnel, stressing that “we shouldn’t allow the morale of these men to go down.”
Disu, meanwhile, pledged that the police would work with the Armed Forces, other security agencies, state governments and communities to disrupt criminal networks, saying, “We shall not be intimidated. We shall not relent, and we shall not allow the sacrifice of our fallen officers to be in vain.”