‘Lakurawa Terrorist Group Is Not New’ – Former DSS Director, Ejiofor Reveals Origin Of Insurgents

A former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, has given a brief history of the terrorist group, Lakurawa, causing havoc in the North-western part of the country.

Naija News recalls that last week, the Defence Headquarters announced the emergence of Lakurawa as a new terrorist group operating in Sokoto and Kebbi states.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, said the terror group has worsened the insecurity in the North-West region, but the Nigerian army is already containing them.

However, Ejiofor, during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, maintained that the group had been in existence and the government neglected them after the death of their founder.

While giving a brief history of the insurgents’ origin, the former DSS director noted that members of Lakurawa are not Nigerians but are from Niger Republic and Mali, respectively.

He said, “I was taken aback when I heard that Lakurawa was a new terrorist group. The truth is they aren’t new.

“The group was initially formed by Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, the former Nigerien military Head of State, as a vigilante group that was working with them, but after his death, the Nigerien government neglected them, and they now scattered.

“One of the district heads in Sokoto State invited them to help them with good intentions, not knowing they had their own agenda.

“In 2018, the Sokoto State government became worried when the group started showing their true colour and decided to expel them from the country through negotiations.”

According to Ejiofor, the part of the group from Mali left after the negotiation, but the other part of the group from Niger stayed behind and continued operation.

On what the government and military should do to eradicate the terrorists, Ejiofor said that since the Lakurawa group is unlike Boko Haram, the government can use the opportunity to flush them out.