New Terror Group Occupies Five Governance Areas bordering Niger Republic
By Segun Onibiyo and Steven Kefas
Exclusive to TruthNigeria.
(Sokoto) In the heart of Nigeria’s storied Caliphate, a new jihadist terror group has emerged, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda that has local authorities and international observers on high alert.
Dubbed “Lakurawa” or “Lakuruji” by the locals, this transnational militant organization has quietly established a stronghold across five local government areas in Sokoto State, posing a grave threat to both national and regional stability.
The Alarming Rise of Lakurawa
According to Sokoto State Deputy Governor Idris Muhammad Gobir, the Lakurawa group is new to the state, but the group first infiltrated Nigeria in early 2023 from Mali, Libya and Niger republic, entering through the Niger-Nigeria border, TruthNigeria has learned.
Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin originating in Mali and is referred to as JNIM, according to David Otto, a defense and security expert based in London. Nigerian military sources trace the group to Islamic State of West Africa, but the linkages are currently ambiguous, Otto tells TruthNigeria.
“The bandit leader known as Ali Ngunde brought them into Sokoto as miners from Mali and Burkina Faso. They supplied weapons to bandits in exchange for illegal mining fields,” Otto told TruthNigeria. “They have been around for over a year,” he added.
JNIM is present in Local Governance Areas of Sokoto: Gudu, Tangaza, Silame, Binji and Illela, where Islamic State affiliated groups are also present, according to Otto. Islamic State of Greater Sahara has established terrorists in Tangaza and Binji LGA’s, (called “Counties” by TruthNigeria), where they recruit under the banner of Lakurawa, Otto adds. The group has a horrific reputation, having massacred more than 400 unarmed laborers in Burkina Faso on August 24 as they dug trenches for the Burkinabe army.
“Lakurawa has embarked on a forceful collection of religious taxes, known as Zakat, on cattle (moving from house to house, collecting one cow for every 30 cattle owned), according to sources reporting to Otto.
“In addition, Lakurawa reportedly has banned the activities of vigilante groups in all the villages under their control in the counties where they have established presence. The group also directed women to wear the Hijab, and men have been ordered to keep long beards and to shorten their trousers,” according to Otto.
Under the guise of assisting local communities against rampant banditry, the group quickly consolidated its presence in the border regions of Tangaza, Gwadabawa, Gudu, Illela, and Binji.
“They came in with high-caliber weapons and were able to fight off the bandits,” explained Mallam Abdullahi Binji to TruthNigeria. Binji is a resident of Binji who has followed the group’s activities since they first came into the state. “Within a short while, there were no more bandits in these areas, so the people began to like them and saw them as some heroes who did what the government could not,” Binji said.
Mallam Abdulrahman Tangaza, an Islamic cleric in the region, revealed the group’s worrying recruitment tactics, offering as much as 1 million Naira to young men willing to join their ranks. “A lot of young men are rushing to join the group because of poverty and unemployment,” he told TruthNigeria.
Nigeria’s Defense headquarters on Thursday November 7, 2024 confirmed the emergence of Lakurawa but assures that the military is keeping a close tab on the group and that “it can be degraded” says Major General Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations. Buba also said that 9 suspected members of the new terror group have been declared wanted by the military.
Ideological Underpinnings and Ties to Al-Qaeda
The Lakurawa group’s ideology is centered on a “reformed version of Islam” that rejects secularism and seeks to establish an “Islamic empire” across the Sahel region, down to the coast of Ghana. A resident of Tangaza, who identified himself as Muhammad Aliyu and has had contact with members of the group, told TruthNigeria. Aliyu said the group openly declared their affiliation with the global terror network Al-Qaeda
“They are backed by Al-Qaeda, and they want to establish an Islamic empire all over the Sahel down to the sea of Ghana,” he said. ” One of them openly boasted that “insha Allah, we will achieve this by the help of Allah, who has provided all that we need. Money or arms is not our problem right now.”
This statement underscores the group’s ambitions and the potential threat it poses not only to Nigeria but to the broader Sahel region, where various jihadist movements have gained a foothold in recent years.
Concerning Parallels to Boko Haram’s Rise
The emergence of Lakurawa has drawn concerning parallels to the early days of the Boko Haram insurgency, which also began as a seemingly “peaceful” group before spiraling into a deadly terror organization responsible for the deaths of more than 300,000 people since 2009.
Ardo Abubakar Maiguga, a Fulani leader in Sakkwai village, explained how the group negotiated its arrival in Sokoto villages. “They brought calm and peace to our communities so we could now farm and harvest our produce without the threat of banditry,” the Ardo said, noting that their demands followed. “The group now collects zakat (tithes) from the residents and has also begun to rob people of their possessions. They have changed from what we used to know when they first came.” Maiguga said to TruthNigeria.
A Troubling Regional Context
The rise of Lakurawa must be viewed within the broader context of the Sahel region, where political instability and the withdrawal of foreign military forces have fueled the growth of various jihadist movements.
The recent military coups in neighboring countries such as Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have created a power vacuum that has been exploited by extremist groups. Additionally, the withdrawal of American troops from Niger in early August 2024 has further emboldened terrorist groups operating in the region.
Dr. Walid Abdullahi, a security analyst based in Birnin-Kebbi, a neighboring state housing members of Lakurawa, emphasizes the need for a comprehensive regional approach to counter the Lakurawa threat. “The emergence of Lakurawa and the spread of its ideology calls for serious concerns and should worry Washington, as its counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel are threatened,” he said to TruthNigeria.
The Big Picture: A Looming Threat to Regional and Global Security
The rise of Lakurawa represents a worrying development in Nigeria’s long-standing struggle against Islamic insurgencies. The group’s transnational ties, advanced weaponry, and radical ideology pose a significant challenge to regional and global security.
“Nigeria has in the last 4 decades seen the rise of several Islamic insurgencies, prominent among which are Maitatsine (no longer functioning) , Boko Haram, and bandits,” noted Dr. Abdullahi. “Each of these groups have caused the death of hundreds of civilians.”
The potential for Lakurawa to grow and metastasize into a larger, more deadly organization, like Boko Haram, is a concerning prospect that requires immediate attention from Nigerian authorities and the international community.
Dr. Abdullahi stressed the importance of a multilateral approach to address the Lakurawa threat, emphasizing the need for improved intelligence-sharing, joint military operations, and targeted socioeconomic interventions to address the root causes of radicalization.
Segun Onibiyo and Steven Kefas are conflict reporters for Truth Nigeria.
