The Defence Headquarters has raised an alarm over the recruitment activities of a new terrorist group, Lakurawa, which recently emerged in the northern region of Nigeria, particularly targeting Sokoto and Kebbi states.
The military, aware of the group’s efforts to bolster its ranks, has assured the public it is working closely with security agencies and state governments to counter the threat.
The emergence of Lakurawa, confirmed last Thursday by the Director of Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, has heightened concerns in the northern region.
According to Buba, the terrorists began incursion into the northern parts of Sokoto and Kebbi states from the Niger Republic and Mali axis, especially following the recent coup in Niger.
The terror group made a brutal entrance last Friday when it attacked Mera town in the Augie Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
During the attack, which took place as residents were preparing for Jumaat prayers, at least 15 people were killed, and the group seized around 100 cows.
Buba criticized residents for what he described as a lack of vigilance, claiming that some locals were accommodating the terrorists and failing to report suspicious activities to security agencies.
The military also disclosed that Lakurawa is using a mix of sermons, welfare packages, and social media platforms to attract young recruits.
Buba in an interview with Punch said, “The group is employing social media platforms, showcasing sermons and enticing recruits with welfare packages.
“Nevertheless, we know of these plans and are working together with other security forces and the state government to thwart the efforts of the terrorist.”
A former Director of the Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, argued that although the group had been in existence since 2018, the country’s intelligence agencies had been monitoring their activities.
He said the sect’s members were too few to constitute a serious threat to national security.
He said, “It must be clear that this group has been there since 2018. It’s not a new group. They have been there since 2018. They were brought in there by the community leader who wanted to help them fight. This group was formed by Nassala in Niger Republic. So when he died, the Nigerien government could not control them.
“So they were invited to assist them in Sokoto. They were there, but eventually, the Sokoto State government used their non-kinetic approach to make them leave that place through negotiation.
“Some of them remained, and they’ve been operating on a very new team. So it’s not as if it’s a new terrorist group that has just emerged.
“So they’ve been there, and the intelligence agencies have been following their activities. I can’t tell you the exact number now, but they are not men that can pose a major threat to our national security.
“But that is not to say that we will leave them. The intelligence circle is also following their activities.”
Ejiofor stated that security agencies must intensify their intelligence efforts and communities must support these agencies to help eliminate the terror group.
He said, “Yes, they might be trying to recruit some people. The intelligence services are monitoring their activities with a view to putting them in check so that they don’t take root within that area.
“There’s no cause for alarm, but you cannot at the same time underplay any security threat in the country. There’s much we can do through communal support.”
He blamed the community for not reporting the activities of the bandits.
“If they report, they’ll be in trouble. If they fail to report, they’ll be in trouble. So the best thing is to support the government.
“You know, they collect taxes from these people and make them raise funds and all these things. So they are in a precarious position.
“I think the best thing for us to do is to intensify intelligence efforts and operational efforts from the security agencies to make sure they are put in check before they spread,” he said.
A security expert, Timothy Avele, said, “From open sources we gathered the group has been in existence for the past six years.
“In fact, in some Kebbi communities, they’re collecting levies and handling judicial cases and even preventing emirs from carrying out their lawful duties.
“So it means they have been existing but have not been known to the press and general public.
“If this is confirmed to be true, it, therefore, means the security agencies, especially the DSS and police intelligence department failed in their primary responsibility of gathering and analysing strategic intelligence.”
He added that with the hardship in the country, it would be difficult to stop the group’s recruitment drive.
He said, “However, if their sources of funds are targeted and blocked and their top leadership/sponsors (both local and foreign) eliminated, including carrying out specific cyber operations, only then it could be stopped.”