The recently surfaced terror group, Lakurawa, is reportedly offering up to one million naira to young men in exchange for their loyalty.
The information was revealed on Saturday by Zagazola Makama, a counterterrorism and insurgency analyst focused on the Lake Chad Basin, in a post on his X account.
According to Makama, a reliable source informed him that Lakurawa, believed to consist of members from Mali, Chad, Libya, Niger, and Burkina Faso, is actively recruiting local youth in Sokoto with significant financial incentives.
He noted that witnesses indicate this financial allure is part of a vigorous recruitment strategy aimed at drawing supporters to their cause.
The security expert emphasized that, unlike typical criminal gangs, Lakurawa is said to adhere to extremist ideologies associated with the Khawarij sect, akin to the beliefs held by Boko Haram.
Makama stated, “Local sources suggest they leverage a mix of financial incentives and ideological appeal to gain support from vulnerable communities.
“In addition to recruitment efforts, Lakurawa is reportedly engaging in confrontations with bandits, expelling them and seizing their cattle in the regions they control.
“To date, the Lakurawa extremists have not launched any attacks in the North West.”
