New Nigerian terror group has all-too-familiar history

Earlier this month, at least six people died when their car ran over planted explosives in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state. State Police Commissioner Muhammed Shehu Dalijan blamed the incident on Lakurawa, a previously little-known terror group that has staged more attacks in recent weeks.

In November, insurgents with the group killed at least 15 people and carted away some cattle in the northwestern state of Kebbi. Later that month, Lakurawa launched two attacks in the Dosso region of neighboring Niger. Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency analysis group, said the terrorists strangled five villagers to death before returning to kill at least two other people.

Nigerian authorities have described Lakurawa as a new insurgent group, but researchers say it has existed for years. It is the latest in a long line of local armed groups to capitalize on a security vacuum in the region and expand into a full-fledged Islamic terror organization. The Nigerian military is attempting to respond to the threat, but analysts say such groups will keep popping up until the root causes of the unrest are addressed.

Nigeria is battling several insurgent groups on different fronts. Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, still operate in the north. Criminal gangs of bandits are kidnapping civilians and targeting communities in the northwest. Last weekend, gunmen abducted at least 50 people in Zamfara after an hourslong raid. Community members have said the kidnapped victims included women and children.

Murtala Ahmed Rufa’i, a Nigerian peace and conflict expert who authored a book on militant jihadists, said Lakurawa originated in Mali before targeting communities along the Nigeria-Niger border. He identified the group’s members as herdsmen-turned-militants who were present in the region as far back as 1999. He said Lakurawa officially sprang up as an Islamic sect in Sokoto, Nigeria, in 2017 as a solution for traditional leaders in the border region seeking protection from persistent raids by bandits.

After pushing out many of the bandits, Lakurawa stayed put. Its activities included preaching, tax collections, and banning singing and dancing. Authorities said the group committed its first attack in Sokoto in 2018.

“Their primary objective was to introduce their version of the Shariah legal system,” Rufa’i noted. “The followers of the sect have a similar pattern of religious separatism [to] any other radical Islamic movement in West Africa.”

Nigeria’s federal government operates a centralized policing system, with police forces sent from the capital to states. In the Northwest of Nigeria, some communities lack any official security presence. Analysts argue the system has failed, leaving rural communities to rely on vigilantes and groups like Lakurawa.

“The recent surge [in activities] can be attributed to the growing ineffectiveness of the state in providing security and addressing violence in rural communities,” said Ezenwa Olumba, a doctoral research fellow at the Royal Holloway University of London.

The lack of official security forces has affected schools, hospitals, and other basic amenities in parts of the region. Rufa’i also noted that Lakurawa began appealing to young, unemployed youths and grew their ranks by offering stipends to boys.

Olumba agreed, explaining that the terror groups like Lakurawa are capitalizing on the state’s failures.

“Poor governance, widespread poverty, unemployment, and the absence of basic services create conditions for these groups to gain support and recruits,” he said.

In November, Nigerian Defense Minister Badaru Abubakar announced a military operation against the group’s hideouts in Sokoto and Kebbi states. This month, the Nigerian army, along with troops from Chad and Niger, confirmed joint patrols along their border areas to push back the group.

Olumba commended the military response so far but said Nigerian forces also relied on similar operations against Boko Haram’s insurgency.

“The success of these operations risks being short-lived … if the government does not address the root causes of insecurity, such as poor governance and economic hardship, poverty and unemployment,” Olumba said.