The Federal High Court in Abuja has officially proscribed the Lakurawa sect, declaring it a terrorist organisation, alongside other similar groups operating in various parts of Nigeria, particularly in the North-West and North-Central regions.
The court’s ruling was delivered by Justice James Omotosho on Thursday, following a motion filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
The Attorney-General had sought four key orders, including the proscription of the Lakurawa sect and other groups with similar objectives, which the court granted.
The move comes after an ex-parte application was filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, M.B. Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF.
In the supporting affidavit, a litigation officer in the Department of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Michael Akawu, outlined the sect’s activities, including cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, and attacks on government officials and security personnel.
Akawu stated that these acts have caused significant harm to Nigerians, including loss of lives, properties, and public safety.
He further argued that the Lakurawa sect poses a significant threat to national security and peace.
“The activities of the Lakurawa sect/group and other similar groups have caused harm and loss of life, and pose a threat to the peace and security of Nigeria,” Akawu said.
Justice Omotosho’s ruling included several orders, one of which declared the activities of the Lakurawa sect and its affiliates as acts of terrorism and illegality.
The court also prohibited the existence of these groups across Nigeria, especially in the affected regions, whether they operate under the name Lakurawa or any other.
“It is hereby ordered that the Lakurawa sect, and any similar groups, be proscribed in all parts of Nigeria, particularly in the North-West and North-Central regions,” Justice Omotosho said.
“The court also proscribes any participation in activities linked to these groups, whether under the name Lakurawa or any other platform.”
In addition, the court proscribed any person or group from engaging in activities related to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, or other criminal acts, including cattle rustling, sexual violence, and mass abductions.
The Lakurawa sect, which is believed to have infiltrated Nigeria from neighbouring Niger and Mali, first emerged around 2016 or 2017 in Sokoto State as a local militia to combat escalating banditry.
However, over time, the group evolved into a radical faction that imposed strict religious laws and controlled local communities.
Their activities have spread to other states, including Kebbi, where they have been involved in violent attacks, such as the deadly raid on Mera village in November 2024, which led to several deaths and cattle rustling.
The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has identified Lakurawa as a terrorist group with ties to extremist elements from Mali and Niger, worsening insecurity in Nigeria’s North-Western region.
In the wake of the court’s ruling, the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, also called for military intervention to eradicate criminal elements hiding in notorious forests and blackspots in the North.
Speaking during a visit to Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, Ganduje stressed the need for a decisive military approach to free the region from the grip of bandits.
Ganduje, who previously oversaw the successful transformation of the Falgore forest into a military training ground during his tenure as governor of Kano State, suggested that a similar strategy could be used to flush out criminal elements from other forests in the region.
“The solution to this menace is to conquer the forests,” Ganduje said. “We need to be on the offensive, not the defensive.
When I was governor of Kano, we worked with the Federal Government to take over Falgore forest, and we turned it into a military training ground. That helped us rid the area of bandits, and Kano is now at peace.”
As the government steps up efforts to combat the growing threat of terrorist groups like Lakurawa, the ruling underscores the seriousness of the threat posed by such groups and the urgent need for coordinated action at all levels of government to restore peace and security in the affected regions.
