Lakurawa

Lakurawa^[a] is an armed group affiliated with the Islamic State Sahel Province^[2][3] operating in Mali, Niger, and Kebbi and Sokoto states of Nigeria. Their activities are concentrated in five LGAs of Sokoto state, namely: Tangaza, Gudu, Illela, Binji, and Silame. Initially founded as a self-defense group to fight criminals in the Nigerian bandit conflict, the group eventually became increasingly radical, oppressive, and opposed to regular state agencies.^[4][5][6] Lakurawa was described as a "terrorist" group in 2024.^[6][7]

Lakurawa
Lakurawa
Leaders	Ameer Habib Tajje
Dates of operation	c. 2016 – present
Allegiance	Islamic State
Active regions	Northern Nigeria, Mali, Niger
Ideology	Islamic Statism Salafi Jihadism Islamism
Part of	Islamic State - Sahel Province
Allies	Islamic State - Sahel Province[1] Islamic State - West Africa Province
Opponents	Niger Mali Nigeria Some Nigerian bandit groups Boko Haram
Battles and wars	Nigerian bandit conflict Boko Haram insurgency

History

Lakurawa has existed since around 2016/2017, and the Nigerian government was reportedly aware of its existence.^[8] The group initially presented itself as a self-defense force, set up to help communities in northern Nigeria to defend themselves from increasingly frequent bandit attacks.

By 2017, Lakurawa had established a base near Gudu and Tangaza LGAs, only about 60 miles from Sokoto city. Starting with fewer than 50 local youths, its ranks swelled to over 200, mainly young men aged 18 to 35, drawn in by stipends and radical teachings. Members emphasized purity, adopted heterodox and esoteric interpretations of Islam, and deliberately distanced themselves from mainstream society. They established "Darul Islam" camps in villages like Gwangwano, Mulawa, Wansaniya, and Tunigara, along the Nigeria–Niger border.^[9]

Lakurawa reportedly first emerged in the Gongono Forest, Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State, in 2018.^[10] According to other sources, Lakurawa has existed since around 2016/2017, and the Nigerian government was reportedly aware of its existence.^[11] The group initially presented itself as a self-defense force, set up to help communities in northern Nigeria to defend themselves from increasingly frequent bandit attacks. Feeling abandoned by the Nigerian security forces, many locals welcomed Lakurawa's rise at first, but the group became increasingly radical and oppressive over time. Concentrating on other targets, the Nigerian security forces also tolerated the militia during its first years.^[7] After the militiant group tried to embed itself in Sokoto, a joint Nigerian-Nigerian offensive had rooted them out.^[12]

By 2023, Lakurawa had become a greater problem to many northern Nigerian communities than the bandits, as it raised taxes, attacked security forces, imposed Islamist laws, and killed civilians.^[7] In November 2024, the militia was officially called a "terrorist" group by Nigerian authorities; by this point, it had some presence in an area covering about 500 villages. In the same month, militants of the group attacked Mera village in Augie local government area of Kebbi state where they killed 15–25 people.^[7][13]

In September 2024, UN reporting confirmed that Lakurawa, also referred to locally as Lukarawa, had re-emerged in northern Kebbi and northwest Sokoto States, with suspected affiliations to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS). The group had entered Nigeria from Mali in 2017, initially as a vigilante force. It was expelled by Nigerian forces in 2022, retreating into Niger, where it established a logistics hub near Birni-N’Konni and an operational base in Serma, Tahoua Region.^[3]

The group's fighters, estimated at over 200 include members from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. They are heavily armed with small arms, light weapons, explosives, surveillance drones, and satellite communications equipment.^[3] It has also sought to recruit criminal bandits in Zamfara State to bolster its strength and establish an Islamic state in northwestern Nigeria.^[14]

on March 11, 2025, Militants from the Lakurawa group attacked Birnin Dede and six villages near the border with Niger, Kebbi state police spokesman Nafiu Abubakar said, to avenge the killing of their commander by security forces in the area.^[15]

On 1 July, 2025, militants believed to be members of the Lakurawa group launched a raid on Kwallajiya, a village in the Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Nigeria. Many were preparing for afternoon prayers, with many victims working on their farms.^[16][17][18]

Leadership, beliefs, and organization

Ameer Habib Tajje serves as the leader of Lakurawa. He made headlines by releasing a warning to notorious bandit leader Bello Turji, urging him to relinquish his criminal activities.^[19]

Lakurawa claims to protect against bandits, but imposes strict religious laws, and youths have been beaten for shaving beards, having hairstyles, or listening to music.^[20] They enforce zakat payment, confiscating cattle from non-compliers. Similar to Boko Haram, they communicate in Azbinanci, Zabarmanci, Barbanci, and Hausa. Lakurawa recruits youths with ₦1,000,000.^[21]

The name "Lakurawa" comes from a Hausa adaptation of the French word les recrues, meaning "the recruits".^[12]