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Claim: An X user claimed that the Lakurawa terror group started under the administration of President Tinubu.
Verdict: False! Evidence from research and credible media organisations show that the terrorist group has been in existence since 2018, long before Mr Tinubu took over leadership as president of Nigeria.
Full Text
For years, northern Nigeria has been a hotspot of bandit violence in the country. Its proximity with neighbouring countries where Jihadist groups have gained settlements has only exacerbated the situation.
As authorities continue to battle the decades-long crisis, an X user (@firstladyship) shared a post on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, and claimed that a new terror group named Lukarawa has sprung up under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The post reads, “Boko Haram started in 2002. Back then, Obasanjo was the president. Lukarawas started in 2024, under Asiwaju. Boko Haram was used to oust Jonathan.”
“I’m here to tell you that Lukarawas won’t oust Bola Tinubu. Asiwaju is not Jonathan. You will end up killing yourselves,” the claimant added.
As of Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, the post has generated about 244,000 views, 4,147 likes, 839 reposts, and bookmarked 149 times.
DUBAWA observed the comments made by other X users and noticed that most believed the claim’s authenticity. They further criticised Tinubu’s leadership as president.
“Bola knows the game the North is playing. He used Muslim Muslim tickets as bait, and the North fell for it. Now, he is holding the North on the blokos,” @Romotuolaniyi said.
Another X user, @Jobillz, wrote,
“Asiwaju knows what they know. The same religious code. Propaganda for propaganda, deceit for deceit, power for power, and religion for religion. T-pain will pepper them.”
Reacting, @Doncharlo_1 said, “The Northern elites don’t know or understand who they are dealing with.”
DUBAWA fact-checked the claim because of the nature of the issue and the reactions and conversations it generates.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a keyword search on the emergence of Lakurawa, which led us to a Reuters report that mentions the terrorist group started in 2018.
According to the outlet, the group used to be an Islamic organisation that helped locals fight armed gangs, commonly known as bandits, especially in the northwestern parts of the nation.
The report further explained that the group was not considered a threat until residents began accusing it of forcefully imposing Islamic law and engaging in theft.
Africa Report and HumAngle also reported similar accounts, tracing the terrorist group’s existence as far back as 2018.
According to a 2021 study by Murtala Rufa’i, an expert in regional terrorism, the Lakurawa group was initially invited by local leaders in Gudu and Tangaza Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Sokoto State in 2017 to address the growing threats of bandits from Zamfara State.
Corroborating this, we looked at another research paper published in 2022 by Mr Rufa’i, James Barnett, and Abdulaziz Abdulaziz.
In the paper, they posited that the Lakurawa militants rejected the Boko Haram label and preferred to be called Mujahideen or Ansaru, the franchise of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Nigeria.
Finally, we spoke with James Barnett, a research fellow at the Washington-based Hudson Institute, who told DUBAWA that Lukarawa was not formed under Mr Tinubu. “Lakurawa is not a group that formed this year, despite some headlines to the contrary.”
“It is a local name used in northwest Nigeria for a network of jihadists from Mali, believed to be members of the Islamic State’s Sahel Province, that have been making periodic incursions into Sokoto state since 2018 and have recently established a small presence in Kebbi state as well,” he added.
He said the group had gained significant influence in the northwest region through their preaching and harsh interpretation of the Shariah [Islamic] law.
“They have actually had (an) intermittent presence in the region for about six years, and they have even recruited Nigerians from the northwest to fight in Mali in the past,” said the University of Oxford PhD researcher.
Conclusion
Contrary to the assertion, a review of media reports, research papers, and interviews with a conflict expert shows that the terrorist group has existed since 2018 and was not formed under the Tinubu-led administration.
