Over the past few months, the people of the Sokoto State have expressed their increasing worry over the actions of a disturbing group of men called the Lakurawa sect.
This group, which has become a formidable force in the region, is said to have been coercing local citizens, enforcing strict Islamic laws in the region, and carrying out acts of v!olence against people who do not accept to bow to their authority. The situation has been aggravated to the extent that many people do not feel secure in their houses, hence necessitating government intervention.
The Lakurawa sect is considered a jihadist group that occupies several local government areas of Sokoto state, including Tangaza, Gudu, Ilela, Silame, and Binji. Hired by the people to deal with band!ts, the group has now become a cause of worry to the people due to acts of terror!sm it has been displaying. A Sokoto resident, Malam Muhammadu Bauni, said,
“They tell us they are defending us from band!ts and simultaneously want to enforce certain Sharia laws on the region”
The practices of the Lakurawa group are most devastating to the community in that they force the people to adhere to fundamental Islamic practices and laws. Local people mention that devotees of the sect are believed to use physical force concerning minor misdeeds, for example, shaving a beard or listening to music. “Recently, they caned some of our youths for shaving their beards,” Bauni said, stressing that while the community is mainly Muslims, their laws are perceived as oppressive.
They have also established the process of receiving the religious taxes, or better still, zakat, from the members of the society. A failure to meet any of this demand may lead to one of the severe repercussions, which is the confiscation of the animals. “If people do not pay, the group takes their livestock and releases the animals after the monetary amount has been paid,” the local source said. The Lakurawa sect has become tyrann!cal and has had to use force to stay in power.
According to reports, they have k!dnapped people that they felt were informants for the government and have interrogated other inhabitants who had been away for a while. “If they encounter an unfamiliar individual in our area, they would capture him and drag him to their base to question him,” Bauni affirmed to provide an example of how the culture of t€rror has prevailed.
The military has said that the group is fully armed and is a major security risk to the stability of the region. According to Major-General Edward Buba, Director of Defense Media Operations, the group has been involved in numerous operations targeting its security operatives, which recently claimed the lives of four soldiers.
This has escalated the v!olence and resulted in making people feel that they have no other way of protecting themselves against the actions of this group.
As much as this is a very worrying situation, people continue to complain that governments are not willing to come to their aid adequately. Reports have been made to local police several times, but nothing is done to eliminate the problem. In an interview, Bauni said, “Of course there was a time that soldiers raided our community, k!lling two of them but have not been seen again,” meaning that intermittent military operations have not firmly captured the group.
Government authorities have also expressed concern regarding the activities of the Lakurawa sect. On this note, the Chairman of Tangaza Local Government Area, Alhaji Isa Salihu Kalenjeni, disclosed that the group recruits the youths and offers some of them as much as one million naira to join their fellowship.
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According to one of the residents, “We are all Muslims; we are not against Sharia law, but there cannot be a government within a government.”
This feeling sums up the conditions of many people and organizations in Sokoto State where life-threatening conflict is going on.
