Nigeria, Chad, and Niger have launched a coordinated military operation to combat the growing threat posed by the Lakurawa terrorist group.
The joint effort includes cross-border patrols aimed at addressing security challenges and curbing the group’s activities in the region.
The Lakurawa group, linked to terrorist networks in the Sahel, particularly in Mali and Niger, has been implicated in numerous violent crimes across northern Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
Their operations escalated following the recent coup in Niger, with attacks including a deadly explosion in Zamfara State.
Identified as Jama’atu Muslimina in the Sahel, the group originates from Mali and is led by Ahmadu Kofa, whose Nigerian heritage traces back to the Kebbi Empire.
The group has reportedly pursued its ambition of establishing a caliphate for over 25 years, according to Dr. Murtala Rufa’i, a scholar from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
Before gaining public attention, the Lakurawa group operated covertly, attacking villages to enforce taxes and establishing camps in ten local government areas across Sokoto and Bauchi states.
In November, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters officially acknowledged the emergence of the sect, noting its primary strongholds in Sokoto and Kebbi states.