Security expert Bulama Bukarti has claimed that the Lakurawa terror group, which has recently been wreaking havoc in Sokoto and Kebbi states, is not a new threat.
Bukarti disclosed that the group has been operating in the region for the past six years, often crossing into Nigeria from neighboring Niger Republic.
This revelation comes after the Nigerian Defence Headquarters raised alarms about the emergence of Lakurawa, a violent faction reportedly responsible for a series of deadly attacks in the northwestern part of the country.
These assaults have left numerous civilians dead and heightened fears of escalating insecurity in the region.
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Reacting to the development, Bukarti, who was featured on a Channels TV programme on Monday, said the group has been “sporadically living or camping in the northwestern part of Nigeria for over six years now.
“They first started illegally entering Nigeria around 2016, 2017 but they did not stay permanently.
“What they do—and that’s what they do still today—is that they move in, stay for a few months, and then they go back to the Sahel or wherever they are coming from in Niger [Republic].”
He stated that security agencies, particularly the Department of State Services (DSS), were already aware of the group’s existence.
