The Defence Headquarters has confirmed the emergence of a new terrorist group called ‘Lukarawas’ operating in the northwestern region of Nigeria.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, made the announcement during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, detailing the group’s origins and activities.
Buba explained that the Lukarawas group first appeared in the Republic of Niger following a recent coup that disrupted military cooperation between Nigeria and Niger.
Since then, the group has begun infiltrating northern areas of Sokoto and Kebbi States, with militants entering from Niger and Mali.
According to him, joint border operations previously conducted with Nigerien forces had effectively kept such threats at bay. However, the current lack of coordination allowed the terrorists to exploit challenging terrains to penetrate remote areas of northwestern Nigeria, where they have been spreading their ideology.
“At first, the terrorists were welcomed by locals who believed they had good intentions, but the movement was not reported to the military and security agencies,” Buba said.
He assured that military forces are intensifying their Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations to combat the group.
Despite the terrorists’ use of ungoverned areas to evade capture and harass local communities, Buba emphasized that troops are actively tracking and eliminating the threat.