‘Lakurawa Not A New Terror Group; DSS, Police, Army Aware Since 2016’

A security expert and a member of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) have revealed that Lakurawa terrorist group, operating in parts of northern Nigeria, has existed for several years.

Naijaonpoint recalls that the Defence Headquarters announced the emergence of a new terrorist group, ‘Lakurawa,’ in Nigeria’s North-West.

However, security expert Bulama Bukarti and ACF Publicity Secretary Tukur Muhammad-Baba, clarified that the group has been active for some time.

“The group that is called Lakurawa today has been sporadically living or camping in the northwestern part of Nigeria for over six years now. They first started illegally entering Nigeria around 2016, 2017,” Bukarti stated on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

He explained that Lakurawa members typically cross into Nigeria, stay temporarily, and then retreat to the Sahel region or Niger.

Bukarti added that both the Nigerian Army and the police are aware of the group’s activities.

“In 2018, they (Nigerian Army) fought the same group and pushed them back to the Niger Republic and this group has been staying; camping in northwestern Nigeria since 2016-2017,” Bukarti elaborated.

Muhammad-Baba supported Bukarti’s remarks, adding that the group has been known to security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), since its initial appearance.

“This is not a new group. In fact, when they emerged about 2017 and 2018, I think, at least, the DSS is aware of it,” he said.

He recalled an instance where a journalist discussed the issue with the DSS, noting that while the group was initially expected to leave, they requested time to dispose of cattle they had acquired, potentially through zakat.