On December 25, 2025, coinciding with Christmas celebrations worldwide, the United States President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that American forces had launched a major operation against camps of terrorists linked to al-Qaeda in northwest Nigeria. The strikes targeted security threats posed by the group in West Africa’s Sahel region.
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, quickly confirmed the government’s awareness of the joint operation. Subsequent reports clarified that the strikes hit camps of a group called Lakurawa in Tangaza District, Sokoto State, near the Niger border. Intelligence confirmed severe damage to the camps, with survivors fleeing alongside their families.
Contrary to initial speculation that the US aimed to counter militants attacking Christians in central Nigeria, the operation focused on the remote northwest, where Lakurawa activities threaten the US interests in West Africa, particularly Nigeria. Few in the country were aware of this group’s emergence or the risks it posed to national and American security.
Lakurawa is no newcomer; it has operated for nearly a decade across Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. The name derives from the French “Les recrutés” (meaning “the recruits”), shortened to Lakurawa, signaling ties to former French colonial spheres in West Africa and a paramilitary or security focus.
Research from various sources reveals its original name as “Jama’atu Muslimun” (Muslim Community), advocating strict adherence to Islamic Sharia law. Members hail from diverse ethnic groups and nationalities, including Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire. It began with preaching in markets and mosques, calling for Sharia compliance under their leader, Ameer Habib Tajje.
Lakurawa fighters resemble nomadic Fulani herders (Bororo), moving in armed convoys on motorcycles — like those seen in Sokoto and Zamfara attacks. They travel with livestock for food, mimicking Fulani lifestyles despite not all being Fulani. No fixed camps exist, as noted by Dr Mustapha Ahmed Rufa’i of Usmanu Danfodiyo University’s History Department in Sokoto, though they have camps in forests like Tsauni, Illela, and Marake in Zamfara.
Early estimates pegged membership below 200, but it has since grown significantly, mostly young men aged 18-35. Critics accuse them of luring youth with cash, though jihadist experts argue ideology, promising better lives and salvation, matters more amid poverty and insecurity. Communities grew alarmed as Lakurawa imposed Sharia: halting games, banning alcohol and smoking, enforcing women’s veiling, and extracting zakat (tithes), especially livestock, which they consume. Accusations include theft, shootings, and attacks on security forces with heavy weapons and drones for surveillance, a major threat.
Early security reports dismissed them as herders with families and animals, posing no risk. Yet residents of Gudu and Tangaza in Sokoto pleaded for action seven years ago, citing threats to livelihoods. No major steps followed until Sokoto State’s 2025 alert on their damaging activities.
Reports link them to clashes in Mera, Augie LGA, Kebbi State, killing at least 15. They allegedly rustled livestock, sparking a resident’s alarm that led to retaliation and deaths. Such incidents fuel fear, especially their taxation in villages across Sokoto (Binji, Gudu, Illela, Tangaza, and Silame) and Zamfara/Kebbi border areas like Gwangwano, Mulawa, Wassaniya, and Tunigara.
The Federal Government’s elimination order has reduced their presence. Still, it has not eased Nigerian and US security concerns. However, Nigerians welcomed the US-Nigeria joint strike, but continuity is needed to prevent regrouping. Nigerian and Nigerien forces collaborate to curb the group, seeking community support. Politics and bias must be set aside to avoid past Boko Haram errors.
As Dr Rufa’i noted, Lakurawa joins 13+ jihadist groups in northern Nigeria, like Ansaru, JASS, JASWA, and ISWA, with hundreds of fighters, arms, and ties to kidnappers in Kaduna, Niger, Kogi, and Kwara. Security must leverage intelligence for decisive action amid Nigeria’s manpower shortages. Waiting for overt violence risks escalation.
Abba Abubakar Yakubu is a Jos-based multimedia journalist and public affairs analyst.
