New Nigerian jihadi group declared terrorist

Nigerian authorities have officially declared the Lakurawa armed group – which incites people to listen to music – a terrorist organization and banned it across the country.

Lakurawa is a new terrorist group that targets local communities in north-western Nigeria and across the border with Niger.

Nigerian officials say Lakurawa is affiliated with jihadist groups in Mali and Niger, and its militants have settled in communities along the Nigeria-Niger border, marrying local women and recruiting youth.

This adds to Nigeria’s security concerns, as it is already fighting against multiple armed groups, from Islamist militants to Boko Haram to kidnapping gangs.

The Nigerian government submitted a document to a high court in the capital Abuja on Thursday detailing the group’s activities.

It said Lakurwa was involved in acts of terrorism, including cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, hostage-taking and attacks on top government officials.

The group was also accused of spreading harmful ideology within local communities and encouraging locals to defy authorities, “causing injuries, and loss of life and property, to innocent citizens of Nigeria”.

The group emerged a few years ago in some villages in Sokoto and Kebbi states and people informed authorities of its existence but nothing was done.

At first, Lakurawa members promised to deal with banditry and help protect local people from cattle thieves.

“But things escalated when they started asking to check people’s phones and blasting people who have music on before deleting them,” the man said.

In court papers, Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi said the group’s activities posed a serious threat to national security.

Last year, military spokesman Major General Edward Buba said Lakurawa’s emergence was directly linked to political instability in neighboring Mali and Niger.

The military has seized power in both countries partly under pressure from an Islamist insurgency.

In a swift ruling, Justice James Omotosho declared the group “a terrorist organization and extended the ban on similar groups in Nigeria with a specific focus on the North West and North Central regions.”

The move will give the Nigerian government sweeping powers to take stronger action against the group.

Security agencies now have broad mandates to disrupt and dismantle the group’s operations, including arrests, prosecutions, asset freezes and increased surveillance.

This can lead to public stigma and isolation for individuals associated with the designated group.

Across the country, especially in northern Nigeria, people fear another scenario similar to when Boko Haram emerged in the late 2000s.

Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden”, and it has repeatedly targeted secular schools as part of its efforts to establish its own version of Islamic governance.

The group gained international notoriety when it abducted more than 200 school girls from the north-eastern city of Chibok in 2014.