On Thursday, November 7, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters confirmed that a new terror group named Lakurawa have emerged in Nigeria and is operating in the Northwest region of the country.
Spokesman of Defence Media Operation (DMO), Major General Edward Buba, who broke the news during a press briefing in Abuja, said the terrorists are not of Nigerian origin but have majorly been operating in Northen Sokoto and Kebbi States. He also assured Nigerians that the military has intensified its operations and will flush out the terrorists to ensure the safety of the people.
In this article, we break down some burning questions about the terrorists and their operations in Nigeria.
Where did Lukarawa come from?
As noted by Buba, the terrorists are not from Nigeria. They are a cross-border terror group whose members come from Mali, Libya, and Niger. They gained entrance into Nigeria through the borders it shared with the two mentioned countries, and this was only possible due to weakened border security, caused by the coup in Niger Niger Republic.
What does the Niger coup have to do with the entrance of the terrorists?
Before now, Niger, along with other countries in the Lake Chad Basin (Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria) were part of a Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) that worked closely to fight terrorism in the area, but a coup affected their operations. How? In July 2023, factions in Niger’s military overthrew the government of the country and suspended its constitution. To pressure the military to back down and restore democratic government, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which Niger belongs, imposed some sanctions on the country and suspended it from the regional bloc. As a result of this, Niger pulled out of the MJTF, and this led to weakened border security which gave the Lakurawa terrorists a way in.
What do the terrorists want?
Lakurawa is a fate-based terrorist group which shares similar beliefs with Boko Haram, and just like the dreadful group that has terrorised Nigeria’s Northeast for years, Lakurawa seeks to uphold the teachings of Islam wherever it is. Since they set up base, they have tried to impose Sharia law in the communities where they operate.
When did the terrorists enter Nigeria?
The terror group has been in Nigeria before now; As far back as 2018, they were reportedly invited by some communities to help with their bandit problem. Lakurawa came in, fought off the bandits and restored some calm in the communities but settled down and attempted to impose Sharia law on the locals instead of returning to their countries– things remained that way until the Nigerian military and the Department of State Services (DSS) conducted a joint operation in 2019 that sent them packing.
There is no consensus as to when Lakurawa re-entered Nigeria again, but the earliest mention of the group by the media can be traced back to July 2023 thanks to a complaint by Sani Yakubu, a lawmaker representing Tangaza/Gudu Federal Constituency of Sokoto State in the House of Representatives.
During a plenary session, Yakubu complained that both local bandits and the Lakurawa terrorist group were terrorising his constituency and that swift intervention was needed. “The Lakurawa who claimed to be jihadists from Niger, Mali and Libya and the local Bandits terrorising the area. The two used to be sworn enemies, but have now joined forces, making it more difficult for the deployed security operatives to address the insecurity in the general area,” Yakubu said.
How have they terrorised communities in Sokoto and Kebbi ?
The terrorist group has caused harm in the communities they penetrated. According to accounts given to BBC Hausa Service and Daily Trust, the Lakurawa terrorist group has done the following since they began their operations:
- They have beat up young people who shave their beards, have on a different hairstyle, or listen to music.
- They fought, defeated and indoctrinated local bandits and have become one with them
- They collect religious taxes from locals and punish those who refuse to pay by seizing their cows
- They have robbed locals of their money and some other belongings
- They have offered some young people the sum of 1 million to join their operation.
How dangerous are they?
Eyewitness accounts of locals in Sokoto suggest that they have sophisticated weapons, use drones, and conduct coordinated attacks against government officials.
The Nigerian Defence Headquarters say they were only able to gain grounds in the communities because they started off by defending communities against bandits and were, as a result, accommodated by locals who assumed the group had good intentions for them. Locals initially accommodated them, thinking they had good intentions for them, only reporting their presence when the group started terrorising the
What’s the update?
The Lakurawa terrorist group is currently hiding out in Tsauni forest, a large area spanning across Kebbi and Sokoto; however, the Nigerian military is actively conducting operations to flush the terrorists out. It has also declared nine people believed to be members of the terror group wanted. Their names are Abu Khadijah, Abdurrahman, Dadi Gumba (also known as Abu Muhammed), Usman Shehu, Abu Yusuf, Musa Wa’a, Idris Taklakse, Ibrahim Suyeka, and Ba Sulhu.
