ACF Calls for Immediate Action to Eliminate New Terror Group in Sokoto and Kebbi

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) urges swift action from security forces to dismantle a new terror group wreaking havoc in Sokoto and Kebbi states. Learn more about the group’s activities and the call for urgent intervention.

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has urged the Nigerian military to take immediate and decisive action against the Lakurawa terror group, which is causing havoc in Sokoto and Kebbi states within the North West Zone. They advocate for using all available human and material resources to swiftly suppress this threat.

ACF viewed the rise of this new terrorist group as exceedingly dangerous and concerning, signaling a worsening situation in the already critical state of insecurity in the North-West—now regarded as Nigeria’s hub for terrorism.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the Forum expressed serious concern about the emergence of the Lakurawa terror gang in the North-West Zone, noting that it poses a significant challenge to national security interests.

It cautioned that the group should neither be tolerated nor permitted to establish itself in communities through passive disregard or lenient treatment, as happened with Boko Haram insurgency and the conflicts between farmers and herders, as well as banditry in the Northeast, Northcentral, and Northwest regions.

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Additionally, ACF calls for an immediate and comprehensive reassessment of strategies and tactics to eliminate any uncertainty regarding the national commitment to firmly address threats to the country’s peace and stability posed by terror groups in any form or description.

ACF points out that the rise of the Lakurawa terror group highlights an urgent need to revitalize and strengthen the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MJTF) collaboration with neighboring countries. It is also emphasized that efforts should be made to persuade Niger Republic to rejoin this initiative.

“The statement emphasized that General Christopher Musa’s visit to the Niger Republic earlier this year, in his capacity as Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), should serve as a pivotal opportunity for revitalized international collaboration across borders to combat terrorism.”

The Federal Government and state and local authorities should utilize the strong historic, socio-cultural, economic, and political connections with Nigeria’s neighboring countries to address the shared existential security threats posed by terrorist groups.

ACF also emphasized the need to enhance intelligence gathering, processing, storage, retrieval, deployment, and utilization. Additionally, they urged security agencies to focus on the potential involvement of local informants within communities to identify and arrest those responsible for prosecution.

The statement also urged improved and more efficient collaboration between National Security Agencies, coordinated by the Office of the National Security Advisor.