Terrorists

The new terror group, Lukarawa, set up camps in 10 local government areas of Sokoto and Bauchi states before its operations became known to the public three weeks ago.

According to sources, members of the terror group initially established camps in some villages bordering Nigeria and Niger Republic, including Gwanaguano, Mulawa, Wassinya, and Turigaic communities.

They eventually infiltrated Nigeria and set up camps in different communities, especially in Gudu and Tangaza LGAs of Sokoto in 2018.

Some leaders of the group, according to credible sources, include Abu Khadijah, Abdulrahaman (Idi), Dadi Gumba, Muhammed Abu, Usman Shehu, Abu Yusuf, Musa Walia, Ibrahim Suyaka, Ba Sulhu, and Idris Taklakse.

It was learnt that they use Hausa, Fulfulde, and Arabic languages in their preaching while they name their camp, Darul Islam.

A source said, “Their ages are between 18 and 50 years. They have been attacking villages in Gudu, Tangaza, Illela, and other local governments to collect taxes, though they did not kill anyone until the recent Mera attack.

“They will count the number of cattle in their custody and calculate the tax based on the percentage which they will take from the cattle,” a community leader in Tangaza LG said.

A researcher with the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Dr Murtala Rufa’i, told Sunday PUNCH that the group had been planning to establish its caliphate for over 25 years.

He said though members of the group had camps in different communities in about 10 LGAs in Sokoto and Kebbi states, they did not stay in a particular place as they were always on the move.

“They are always on the move using their motorcycles. You can see them today in Bachaka or Kangiwa and see them tomorrow at Bachaka Tambo and the next day at Bachaka in Gudu. This makes it very difficult for our security operatives to locate them unless their paths cross,” the don added.

He disclosed that the group had between 1,500 and 1,800 followers, including clerics and youths in the Tangaza and Gudu axis, the ancestral home of the Lukarawa leaders.

Rufa’i said the group was dislodged by combined security agents around 2020, but later regrouped in December 2023.

“Since then, Lukarawa’s activities have spread to about 10 local government areas which include Tangaza, Gudu, Illela, Gwadabawa, Kware, Silame, Binji in Sokoto State and Augie and Kangiwa, Argungu, in Kebbi State,” he stated.

Lukarawa, according to the don, is a Malian-based group known in the Sahel as Jama’atu Muslimina with members cutting across different tribes and sects.

He identified the leader of the group as Ahmadu Kofa, whose ancestors were originally Nigerians from a community called Kofa under the old Kebbi empire.

Rufa’i said, “He is from Kofa. He has siblings like Ibrahim Kofa, Umar Kofa. They are presently in Mali, but their ancestors were Nigerians, from the Kebbi empire.

“Their parents and grandparents like Umar Kofa and Sa’idu Kofa had all acquired their religious knowledge in a place called Balle, the present headquarters of Gudu LGA of Sokoto.”

He noted that the group was luring locals with money, farm inputs, and pumping machines, adding that some of the people joined Lukarawa because of hunger.

Rufa’i described members of the group as criminals hiding under religion.

The don said some of the residents of the affected communities were afraid to report members of the Lukarawa because they threatened them.

“When they came back, they assembled the people of those areas and told them they were using drones to monitor them and their activities. They threatened to kill anyone who tried to report them. So, the locals are in perpetual fear. They don’t discuss their issue,” he stated.

Narrating his experience, a resident of Gongono in Tangaza LGA, who identified himself as Mainasara, confirmed the presence of Lukarawa in the area.

He said, “The Lukarawa people, a few days ago, abducted and killed one of our youths whom they accused of having a link with security operatives.”

Counter-terrorism centre allays fear

However, the National Counter-Terrorism Centre has estimated that Lukarawa had about 150 fighters, describing the group as insignificant.

The Centre attributed the group’s current recruitment drive to efforts aimed at increasing their numbers.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the National Coordinator of the centre, Major General Adamu Laka, downplayed fears surrounding the group’s presence, stating that the threat was not as severe as perceived.

Laka assured Nigerians that, with ongoing counter-terrorism efforts, the Lukarawa group would soon be eliminated as a security concern.

He also cautioned Nigerians against spreading fears in the minds of the populace about the group.

Laka said, “Their total number is not more than 150 to 200. However, they are looking for more people to join them, and Nigeria is resilient, that’s why the issue came up. They are looking for people to recruit.”

He also doused fears that the group might expand its activities beyond its current location, insisting they lacked the numerical strength.

Laka added that intelligence agencies were working tirelessly to deliver timely and actionable intelligence to prevent and counter threats the group poses.

Security experts call for decisive step

A security expert, Kabir Adamu, attributed the emergence of Lukarawa to a lack of intelligence and coordination by the security agencies.

He said security agencies should have taken note of the activities of the group and crushed it before now.

“This group, a couple of years ago, killed a member of our security forces. They attacked the Tangaza LGA of Sokoto State several times. So, they are not new. We should have taken note of developments in the Sahel region where we have seen terrorist groups taking strongholds across the Sahel.

“If we had taken note of that, we would have seen the steady progress and incursion of this group into what has been described as the littoral states, the states that share borders with the ocean,” he stated.

Adamu noted that security agencies should have planned to prevent the incursion of the terror group into Nigeria, warning that other new terror groups might have infiltrated the country as well.

He called on security agencies to implement the provisions of the national counterterrorism strategy.

What is missing in Nigeria’s security system, according to Adamu, is intelligence and coordination, stating that the agencies are more interested in operations.

Adamu added, “They’ve forgotten their role as coordinators. They should have galvanised us and made sure that every Nigerian understands the provisions of that national counterterrorism strategy and supports it.

“But the coordinators are more interested in operations than actually doing their work, which is the coordination of our national counterterrorism strategy.”

Also, a former director of the Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, advised security agencies to take decisive steps and prevent the new group from forming alliances with bandits in the region.

He said, “The government should take decisive action to uproot them before they take root now that they are only in Sokoto and Bauchi states. They should not be allowed to ally with any bandit groups, because if that happens, it becomes a greater security challenge for the northwest and the country at large.

“The government should also call for support from the local populace and the society for necessary information, which is converted to intelligence to get the group uprooted.”

A retired brigadier general in the Nigerian Army, Bashir Adewinbi, attributed the presence of the terror group to the country’s porous borders and the compromise of some people.

Adewinbi said the porosity of Nigerian borders made it possible for criminals to infiltrate border communities to perpetrate evil.

He said, “Our borders are too porous; anybody can come from outside and do anything they like in Nigeria. It’s not supposed to be like that. They should fortify our borders, seriously. Any criminal can come in and organise whatever they like.

“The security agencies should first of all flush the terrorists out and make sure they don’t have freedom to operate. They should also monitor our borders.”