KEY POINTS
- Lakurawa is a new militant group reportedly tied to Islamic State.
- The group killed 15 in its most violent attack last Friday.
- Lakurawa is now active in Nigeria’s Kebbi and Sokoto states.
According to Nigeria’s military, a new Islamist insurgent group called Lakurawa, which has activities in the northwest of the country, is based in Niger and Mali. According to officials and locals, the organisation, which is allegedly associated with Islamic State, is said to have carried out its most severe attack to far last Friday, killing 15 people.
Lakurawa insurgent group threatens Nigeria’s northwest security
According to the military, Lakurawa, who was previously unidentified, has been active in the states of Kebbi and Sokoto in Nigeria. According to reports, the gang started appeared in 2018 in northwest Nigeria. Lakurawa initially won over some local communities by supporting their fight against armed gangs, also referred to as bandits, that terrorise rural areas. But as locals started accusing Lakurawa members of stealing animals and trying to enforce rigid interpretations of Islamic law, the relationship quickly soured. Lakurawa retaliated by withdrawing to Niger and Mali border areas, occasionally re-entering Nigeria.
Reuters stated that Edward Buba, Nigeria’s defence spokesperson, claims that the group was not previously thought to pose a serious threat. However, after a military takeover in Niger in July 2023 that resulted in the suspension of joint military patrols between the Nigerian and Nigerien borders, Lakurawa’s operations reportedly escalated.Â
Nigerian military counters Lakurawa’s growing influence in the region
According to reuters, fighting numerous armed groups, such as the Islamist militant groups Boko Haram and its spinoff, Islamic State West Africa Province, as well as numerous criminal bandit gangs, Nigeria is already dealing with a difficult security environment. Security experts warn that Lakurawa’s rise could cause more instability in the area and possibly entice Nigeria’s already overburdened military to fight a protracted and difficult war.
James Barnett, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute who has done fieldwork in northwest Nigeria, stated, “The fact that [Lakurawa members] preach and enforce strict decrees on local communities shows they are ambitious, possibly aiming to expand their influence in Nigeria.” According to Barnett, Lakurawa’s employment of local intimidation techniques and ideological stance could be a hint of a larger plan to gain territory inside Nigeria’s boundaries.
The Nigerian military has promised to launch an operation against Lakurawa in reaction to the group’s recent actions and has restarted joint patrols with Niger. Due to the group’s increasing danger, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, Nigeria’s acting chief of army staff, travelled to Sokoto to mobilise his forces and reassure the local populace of the military’s dedication to defending the area.
