Fighters from a new jihadist group, identified as the Lakurawa group, launched an attack over the weekend in northwest Nigeria, resulting in the deaths of 11 people and the burning of seven villages. A police spokesman, Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed the incidents to AFP on Monday. The attack occurred on Sunday in the Birnin Dede area and six nearby villages, situated close to the border with Niger.
The violence was characterized as a revenge attack for the killing of a senior commander of the Lakurawa group, known as Maigemu, by security forces in the region. Abubakar stated that the group shot dead 11 individuals and injured two others in the process, asserting that it was a clear reprisal for the commander’s death.
Northwest and central Nigeria have been plagued by banditry, where gangs driven by economic motivations conduct deadly raids on villages, kidnap residents for ransom, and destroy homes after looting. However, the recent emergence of the Lakurawa jihadists has escalated the violence, with the group reportedly responsible for the deaths of six civilians just days prior to the latest attacks.
Members of the Lakurawa group, who originated from Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, have settled in Kebbi’s Tsauni forest. They operate from their forest camps, which extend towards the Niger border, conducting attacks, rustling livestock, and extorting taxes from local communities. The group actively encourages communities to rebel against secular authorities and imposes a strict interpretation of sharia law. Additionally, they recruit young men from local villages by providing them with initial funding to start small trades.
