Stopping Lakurawa

RECENTLY, the Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, assured residents of Sokoto and Kebbi states and Nigerians in general of the readiness of the Nigerian Armed Forces to eliminate members of Lakurawa and other terrorist groups from their hideouts. The minister made this statement in Sokoto while inspecting the facilities of the air component of Operation Fansan Yamma. According to him, the military had made decisive gains against the terror outfit. Hear him: “You heard it from the chairman of the local government area attacked by the Lakurawa in Kebbi State, confirming the heavy presence of troops in the area. The Lakurawa have been driven out. This is a result of the resilience and dedication of our security operatives. You are aware of the successes recorded by our Air Force; they bombarded some of the bandits’ hideouts, and now the bandits are on the run.”

Actually, the outfit has been making efforts to carve a place for itself in Nigeria’s terror terrain. That was why its recent invasion of communities in Sokoto and Kebbi states generated heated debates in the Senate, which commended the military’s swift and decisive efforts to contain it. A motion entitled “Urgent Need for the Federal Government to Take Stringent Measures to Stop the Infiltration of Violent Terrorists Known as Lakurawa” and introduced by the senator representing Kebbi North in the Red Chamber, Yahaya Abdullahi, highlighted the group’s origins in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali. According to Abdullahi, the insurgents entered Nigeria’s territory via the Niger border, and had targeted the Illela, Tangaza, and Silame local government areas of Sokoto State. From there, he said, they launched attacks on communities in the Augie and Arewa councils of Kebbi State.

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Abdullahi referenced a harrowing incident on November 8 when the terrorists killed at least 20 residents and stole livestock valued at hundreds of millions of naira during a large-scale invasion of the village of Mera in Augie Local Government. In response to the crisis, the Kebbi State government sent a delegation with relief materials to support the affected communities and assist the victims’ families. Senators Abdullahi, Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) and Garba Musa Maidoki (Kebbi South) visited the areas to express condolences on behalf of the National Assembly. He warned that without timely and decisive action, the Lakurawa group could expand its violent campaign to other parts of the North, and beyond. Speaking on the attack referenced by Senator Abdullahi, a  resident of Mera said the terrorists launched their deadly attack as residents were preparing for Jumaat prayers. He said: “Upon receiving the news, the people of the town mobilised hundreds to pursue the group into the bush to recover the animals, leading to an exchange of gunfire between the locals and the group, resulting in the deaths of fifteen townspeople and two members of the Lakurawa group.”

We cannot help noticing that the government has been exuding calm confidence in its ability to rout and root out the latest terror outfit in the country. That is not bad in itself. If anything, the government must approach the group from a position of strength, and talking tough fits right into this method. However, it must match word with action. It must completely neutralise the recruitment sources utilised by the group and treat its members like the criminals that they are. No doubt, the terrorists are feeding off the general climate of insecurity and the widespread poverty in the country, and the government must evolve a multi-pronged strategy that addresses economic issues while visiting the repressive apparatuses of the Nigerian State on the outlaws. Already, Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen terrorism has cost the country dearly, and adding Lakurawa terrorism into the mix is not an option.

We do not make light of the efforts of the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Headquarters and the men and women on the frontlines: they are literally putting their lives at risk to enable Nigerians to, as they say, sleep with two eyes closed. We are deeply appreciative of these efforts, particularly given the constraints of funding and equipment that the military establishment has pointed attention to time and again. While calling on the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to strengthen the support architecture to the military and the other security agencies, we urge the leadership of the military high command to rededicate itself to the anti-terror war and send the terrorists to hell.

The government should not allow the Lakurawa sect to fester, calling it a rag-tag army like it did with respect to Boko Haram in its early years. It must dismantle Lakurawa with dispatch.