Nigerian Army Teams Up With Neighbouring Countries To Fight Lakurawa Terrorists

Nigerian Army Teams Up With Neighbouring Countries To Fight Lakurawa TerroristsThe Nigerian Army, in collaboration with military forces from Chad, Niger, and other neighboring countries, has reportedly launched a joint effort to address the growing cross-border threat posed by the Lakurawa terrorist group. According to Punch, this collaborative operation aims to limit the movement of the group, which has been involved in violent criminal activities in northern Nigeria and surrounding regions.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The Lakurawa group, with ties to terrorist factions in the Sahel, particularly in Mali and Niger, became a significant security concern after their first major attack on November 4. In recent months, the group had established camps in ten Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Sokoto and Bauchi states, but their presence only came to public attention three weeks ago.

Sources indicate that the group initially set up camps in villages along the Nigeria-Niger border, including Gwanaguano, Mulawa, Wassinya, and Turigaic. They later infiltrated Nigeria, establishing additional camps in areas such as Gudu and Tangaza LGAs in Sokoto State as early as 2018. The group uses a mix of Hausa, Fulfulde, and Arabic in their activities, and they named their base “Dar-ul-Islam.”

The terrorists, aged between 18 and 50, have primarily targeted villages in Gudu, Tangaza, Illela, and other surrounding areas, imposing taxes on the local population without resorting to killings—until the recent attack in Mera. A community leader from Tangaza LGA explained that the group demands a percentage of cattle from villagers, using the number of livestock as the basis for their tax collection.

Dr. Murtala Rufa’i, a researcher at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto, revealed that the Lakurawa group has been planning to establish a caliphate for over 25 years. He estimated that the group has between 1,500 and 1,800 followers, including religious leaders and young people from the Tangaza and Gudu regions, which are the ancestral home of the group’s leadership.

In response to the growing threat, Major-General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, confirmed on Sunday that the Nigerian military, in partnership with neighboring forces, has initiated joint patrols to close the security gaps that have allowed the Lakurawa group to operate across borders. He stated, “Yes, we have commenced joint patrols with neighboring countries to block the gaps that enable their penetration.

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