Witnesses said the militants arrived on motorbikes and tried to steal the cattle.
At least 15 people have been killed and several injured after an attack by gunmen in Nigeria. The newly formed Lakurawas militant group attacked a rural community in Kebbi state in the northwest of the country. The attack was preceded by the theft of cattle by the armed men. TASR reports according to a report by the Reuters agency and the Voice of America portal.
The attack took place in Kebbi state
Witnesses said the militants arrived in Mera village in Kebbi state on Friday on motorbikes and tried to steal the villagers’ cattle.
Residents resisted, and a shootout ensued, killing fifteen people, including the two attackers. A local community elder, Samaila Mera, disclosed that this was the first attack by the militant group in this part of Nigeria.
Nigeria has long been plagued by an insurgency in the northeast of the country, led primarily by the Islamist armed group Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
However, the Lakurawas are a new group that emerged after a coup in neighboring Niger in July 2023. Its members come from pastoralist communities living along the Niger-Niger border, which gradually began to arm themselves as regular military border patrols were suspended.
According to local media, the group uses arson tactics to finance its operations and takes livestock from local farmers in exchange for “protection”. What are the goals and ideology of this group is not yet clear.
A spokesman for the Nigerian Ministry of Defense said that the authorities and security forces are working to solve the problem and protect citizens from the new armed group. They also cooperate with local authorities in this matter.
