How serious is the banditry crisis across NigeriaHow serious is the banditry crisis across Nigeria+ ↺ − 16 pxAt least 10 police officers and two civilians were killed during a major armed confrontation between Nigerian security forces and suspected bandits in Sakaba Local Government Area of Kebbi State, highlighting the continuing security threat posed by heavily armed criminal groups across northwestern Nigeria. The scale of casualties among both the security forces and the suspected bandits indicates that this was considerably more serious than a routine police operation. Instead, the banditry problem involves numerous armed groups with different commanders, territories, alliances and economic interests. For communities across northwestern Nigeria, the security crisis is not an abstract struggle between the government and armed groups. Security forces succeeded in confronting the suspected bandits and reportedly inflicted heavy casualties, but Nigeria also lost 10 police officers and two civilians.