Weekend Trust Page 3 Comment, November 23, 2024
As the debate over the origin of Lakurawa, who are now terrorising people in Sokoto and Kebbi states remains a matter of conjecture, serious minded Nigerians are simply calling on relevant authorities to tackle the extremist group to avoid another Boko Haram monster.
Already, they are killing hapless citizens, and replacing traditional rulers and Imams with vicious terrorists in many communities as leaders under the guise of establishing a caliphate.
Evidence abound that the Lakurawa are criminals; they are a bunch of misguided elements hiding under the garb of religion and masquerading as saviours.
One of their ignominious outings was the November 8, 2024 killing of 15 people in Mera town in Augie Local Government Area of Kebbi State. Many of their atrocities since their public reemergence in 2023 have not been reported.
Known in the Sahel as Jama’atu Muslimina, locals said members of the violent group were drawn from different tribes and sects, including Hausa, Fulani, Tuareg, Kanuri, among others, mostly from Nigeria, Niger, Mali, and Libya, and can also communicate in English. Sources said they have been planning to establish their own caliphate for over 25 years, and their level of sophistication is legendary, including using guns and drones unmatched by some of the equipment being used by our security forces.
They were reportedly dislodged in 2018 from Sokoto by the combined forces of the Nigeria military in collaboration with their Nigerien counterparts. But what happened between then and now?
Addressing a press conference recently, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba said the terrorists emerged from the Republic of Niger after the coup that led to the breakdown of military cooperation between Nigeria and Niger.
“The terrorists took advantage of the gaps in cooperation between both countries and exploited difficult terrains to make incursions in remote areas in some northwestern states to spread their ideology,” Buba said.
It is said that the terrorists now have active cells in some local government areas like Tangaza, Gudu, Illela, Gwadabawa, Kware, Silame, Binji in Sokoto State, and Augie and Kangiwa, among others in Kebbi State.
They have so far hypnotised or enticed many people with money to join the monstrous group, and the distress among the people in the affected areas is unimaginable. The Chairman of Tangaza Local Government Area, Alhaji Isa Salihu Kalenjeni, said that young people are being paid up to N1 million to join the group.
Unfortunately, our weak system has paved the way for the Lakurawa to take their luck too far, as they are now loading it over poor people who have no option than to remain subjugated.
The dream of the fanatics to establish a caliphate must not be allowed to materialise.
For those who can remember, this was exactly how the ragtag Boko Haram started in 2002 but “defeated”, only for them to re-launch themselves in 2009, and 15 years down, they are still killing civilians and security operatives.
In the case of Lakurawa, who are threading the same path, what has not been contested by Nigerian authorities is that there is absence of civil authorities like the police, civil defence and immigration in the affected communities in Sokoto and Kebbi states.
How did we get here? It was said that it was the locals, hitherto left at the mercy of bandits, who invited the Lakurawa to protect them!
Unfortunately for them, they ended up replacing evil with a bigger one because as soon as the bandits
Our governors do not seem to have the political will to address security challenges in their areas. It is equally an indictment on all the agencies responsible for securing our aerospace.
It is unthinkable that the terrorists have the audacity to use drones in their operations, thereby instilling fear in the locals and coercing them to submission were chased away, the Lakurawa also unravelled their true identity.
“They (Lakurawa) claimed they are protecting us against bandits, but they are at the same time imposing certain religious laws on our communities. Recently, they beat some of our youths for shaving their beards. The same treatment is meted to those with hairstyles or who listen to music,” one of the beleaguered locals said.
During his visit to Sokoto on Monday, November 18, the Minister of Defence, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, assured citizens and residents of Sokoto and Kebbi states of the government’s readiness to eliminate members of the terrorist groups from their hideouts.
“The Lakurawa have been driven out…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,” he said.
Unfortunately, it was the same approach about six years ago when the military chased the terrorists away and thereafter left the scene, paving the way for the criminals to launch a return.
Demystifying wayward persons who believe imposing their kind of religion as an act of worship is a herculean task; it requires more than a one-off operation as done by the Nigerian troops against the Lakurawa in 2018.
There must be a sustained operation in all the affected locations and beyond. And to achieve this, civil authority must be entrenched.
With a little over 370,000 personnel, the ratio of police to civilians in Nigeria is approximately 1:600 people. This is clearly disproportionate, highlighting the need for increased investment in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and an end to endless spat between the IGP office and the Police Service Commission to ensure effective law enforcement and public safety.
Besides, our governors do not seem to have the political will to address security challenges in their areas. It is equally an indictment on all the agencies responsible for securing our aerospace. It is unthinkable that the terrorists have the audacity to use drones in their operations, thereby instilling fear in the locals and coercing them to submission.
All the institutions created for the good of Nigeria must prove that they have not failed. This is the right moment for reassessment and action. It is time to secure Nigeria. Killings and occupation by nonstate actors must stop.