On Thursday, the Nigerian Army confirmed the presence of the Lakurawas, a new terrorist sect, in northwest Nigeria.

Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, stated that the new group migrated from Niger Republic, before infiltrating Nigeria through the northern parts of Kebbi and Sokoto, two neighbouring states.

Buba claimed that the terrorist sect was formed following the overthrowing of the democratic government in Niger and the disruption of the military operation between the country and Nigeria.

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“The terrorists took advantage of the gaps in cooperation between both countries and exploited difficult terrains to make incursions into remote areas in some north-western states to spread their ideology,” Buba said.

He said that this group, whose presence was first spotted in Nigeria two years, is affiliated with terror groups in the Sahel, especially Mali and Niger Republic.

The presence of these terrorists has been perceived in Gudu, Tangaza, Binji, Illela and Silame local government areas of Sokoto State.

WHO ARE THE LAKURAWAS AND HOW DO THEY OPERATE?

The Lakurawas are said to have migrated from Niger Republic and Mali and are currently operating in five local government areas in Sokoto State.

While the ideology of the Lakurawas is yet to be clearly defined, the group has been reported to be preaching and imposing Islamic beliefs on residents of the areas they contacted. This includes instructing them to shun ‘Western education’.

They are known to communicate their beliefs in Hausa, Fulfulde, Abzinanci, and English, and have grown from about 50 members to over 200.

The group has also been reported to impose Zakat and taxes on villagers, forcing them to marry off their daughters and punishing anyone who disobeys them.

The Lakurawas carry sophisticated weapons while telling the villagers to avoid any form of relationship with the army, police, politicians and government officials.

They have also been known to engage in gun duels with other terrorist groups operating in the region.

Meanwhile, according to HumAngle, a media outlet covering terrorism in Africa, the presence of the group was first reported in 2018, but at the time, they were a group of herders who had visited from Niger Republic.

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Lakurawa operated around the Marake and Tsauni forests of Sokoto at the time and were regarded as ‘harmless herders’ until they began to impose levies on villagers under the guise of Zakat, preaching in public places and flogging villagers for playing music, dancing or exhibiting activities they deemed un-Islamic.

The army has now declared nine members of the Lakurawa group wanted. They are Abu Khadijah, Abdurrahman, Dadi Gumba also known as Abu Muhammed, Usman Shehu, Abu Yusuf, Musa Wa’a, Ibrahim Suyeka, Ba Sulhu and Idris Taklakse.

Nigeria has yet to completely rid itself of other terror groups such as the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram. These terror groups have directly contributed to large-scale, heinous crimes in Nigeria for over a decade.