Lakurawa terrorists and their Al-Qaeda connections – How the Niger Coup empowered them

The Nigerian military has identified Lakurawa as a new terror group infiltrating Sokoto and Kebbi states via the Niger Republic, following the recent coup in Nigeria’s neighboring country.

However, investigations by Premium Times reveal that Lakurawa, an al-Qaeda-linked organization, has been active since before last year’s coup in Niger.

Last week Thursday, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters acknowledged Lakurawa as a fresh threat worsening insecurity in the North-west.

“Troops are confronted with a new terrorist sect in the North-west,” said Edward Buba, a military spokesperson, at a press briefing. “This sect is known as Lakurawa, and they are affiliated with terrorists in the Sahel, particularly from Mali and Niger Republic.”

Buba, a major general, also claimed that Lakurawa emerged from Mali and Niger following the breakdown of military cooperation between Niger and Nigeria after last year’s coup.

Following the military’s recent classification of Lakurawa as a new threat, multiple narratives have emerged on social media about the group. While some link them to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahel (ISGS), past research contradicts this affiliation.

A 2022 study by Murtala Rufa’i, James Barnett, and Abdulaziz Abdulaziz notes that Lakurawa militants reject the Boko Haram label, preferring terms like Mujahideen or Ansaru—associating them with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Nigeria.

Similar to Ansaru, the Lakurawa group pledges to protect local communities but often targets military sites and civilians perceived as threats. Ansaru operatives, potentially sharing Lakurawa’s ideology, are thought to operate in parts of Kaduna, such as Birnin Gwari, indicating a spread of jihadist influence into the troubled North-west region.

The study by Rufa’i and colleagues links Lakurawa to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda branch formed in Mali in 2017 by merging four extremist groups from the region.

Rufa’i’s 2021 research details how Lakurawa was initially brought into Sokoto State in 2017 by local leaders from Gudu and Tangaza LGAs to help control escalating bandit threats from Zamfara State.

“Zamfara bandits crossed from their strongholds in Zamfara to attack locals in various communities in Tangaza and Gudu LGAs, as well as eastern Sokoto,” Rufa’i notes. He adds, “The Islamic sect [Lakurawa] began with fewer than 50 local youth in 2017 but has since grown to over 200, mainly young men aged 18–35.”

A traditional leader from Balle, a Gudu LGA village, described the Lakurawa as Malians who speak Arabic and Fulfulde, stating that they were initially invited to secure local communities.

“The District Head of Balle in Gudu Local Government, together with the District Head of Gongono in Tangaza, collaborated with Alhaji Bello Wamakko, former Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association chairman, to hire Lakurawa from Mali to counter Zamfara bandits,” the leader shared in a 2021 interview.

Community leaders who enlisted Lakurawa contributed to their expansion by providing cash, cattle, logistical support, and weaponry for their efforts, according to Magajin Balle, as documented by Rufa’i.

In 2018, when reports surfaced of armed Lakurawa presence, local police dismissed it, attributing their arrival to access to water for herding.

Cordelia Nwawe, then Sokoto State police spokesperson, reported sightings of the group in forested areas of Gudu LGA and nearby villages but downplayed their intentions.

Lakurawa’s violent turn began when its members killed a Tangaza district leader who had initially supported them, claiming the leader’s son held funds belonging to the group.

The group soon began imposing their ideology, collecting “Zakat” from herders and policing local activities, even punishing music and dancing.

Escalating attacks on military bases in border areas prompted joint military action by Nigerian and Nigerien forces in late 2018, briefly curtailing Lakurawa’s activities, though locals continued to report sightings.

Traditional and community leaders who had once supported Lakurawa ultimately turned against the group as their actions diverged from their initial purpose. Despite providing intelligence to authorities, limited media attention on these efforts impeded broader public awareness.

Nigerian authorities’ inability to fully address the Lakurawa threat allowed the group to re-emerge in 2021, this time aligned with bandits and some Fulani communities in opposition to the outlawed Yan Sakai vigilante group.

The recent coup in Niger and the breakdown of joint military operations between Nigerian and Nigerien forces appear to have emboldened Lakurawa further.