Victor Ezeja
Former lawmaker, Shehu Sani, has said that to effectively combat and exterminate Lakurawa terrorist group requires joint action between Nigeria, Niger and Benin Republic.
Prime Business Africa reports that the the Nigerian military recently announced the emergence a new terrorist group operating in the Northern region of the country including Sokoto and Kebbi States.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe Nigerian Defence Headquarters spokesperson, Major General Edward Buba, claimed that the Lakurawa group emerged from Mali and Niger Republic after the coup last year in Niger that led to a breakdown of military cooperation between the two countries. The military vowed to fight and crush the group.
However, Sani said the terrorist group is not a new one. According to him, the group is part of terrorist forces operating in the Sahel region, adding that the major difference between the group and bandits is their chain of command.
“Lakurawa is not a new terrorist group. Its part of the chain of terrorist forces unleashing evil along the length of the Sahel,” Sani stated via a post on his X handle on Tuesday.
According to reports, the group which was formed six years ago, has launched deadly attacks in some parts of the region, killing unsuspecting citizens.
“The major difference between the Lakurawa & the Nigerian based bandits and terror groups is that the chain of command of the former are foreigners. Lakurawa are likely to engage in continuous battle of supremacy against their Nigerian counterparts.
“Combating and annihilating Lakurawa demands a multinational action, especially between Benin Republic, Niger & Nigeria,” the former lawmaker stated.
Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial district in the National Assembly, expressed concern about the group’s mode of operations, which, he said involves beheading innocent people who they consider to be in opposition to their ‘jihadist’ ideology.
While describing such an act as a despicable one that can only come from mentally deranged people, Sani, who is also an activist expressed optimism that Nigeria will never be “subjugated or conquered by such evil souls.”
He stressed that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) needs to step up efforts to unite member states and fight terrorism and other forms of criminalities that caused instability in the subregion.
Analysts have said the severance of military alliance between Nigeria and Niger after the coup in Niger last year, enabled terrorist groups operating in the region to expand their influences.
A security expert, Bulama Bukarti, said members of the Lakurawa terrorist group started coming into Nigeria in 2016 and 2017 from Nigeria Republic.
Bukarti, who appeared on Channels Television programme on Monday, claimed that security agencies including the Department of State Services (DSS) were aware of the existence of the group.
A Premium Times report quoted a terrorism historian, Mr Murtala Rufai, who said members of the group came from Mali on invitation by local leaders in Gudu and Tangaza Local Government Areas of the state in 2017 to tackle security threats by bandits from Zamfara State.
According to a 2021 study, they deviated from the original plans for the engagement and began preaching their religious ideology.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
