A new terror group, “Lakurawas,” also known as Mujahidin, has seized control over five local government areas in Sokoto State, Nigeria, where they are extorting communities through forced collection of zakat and other levies. Local authorities have identified the affected areas as Tangaza, Gada, Illela, Silame, and Binji. The heavily armed group communicates in various languages, including Hausa, Fulani, Tuareg, Kanuri, Tuba, and English, and often arrives in large numbers on motorcycles.
Residents report that the group forces people to harvest crops and supply food, confiscating animals and goods from those who refuse to comply. A local official from Tangaza, Alhaji Isa Salihu Kalenjeni, revealed that the group recently robbed a shop owner of ₦2 million, seizing his vehicle until he paid a ₦350,000 ransom.
According to Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, the Lakurawas group has exploited the instability following a coup in neighboring Niger Republic. The security vacuum created by the breakdown of cross-border cooperation with Niger has allowed the group to infiltrate remote parts of Sokoto and Kebbi states from the Niger-Mali corridor. Buba warned that the group has links to ISIS and has been taking advantage of Northwest Nigeria’s under-governed territories to expand operations and evade military detection.
The Nigerian military has increased Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) activities to locate and neutralize the group. Buba also called on communities to report any suspicious activity, saying, “This is the same thing that happened when Boko Haram started. But this time, we are prepared and acting early.”
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