ABSTRACT
Since the late 2010s, a new radical Islamic group called Lakurawa has established a base at Gudu and Tangaza Local Government Areas, in North-West Nigeria near the Niger border, just about 60 miles away from Sokoto. Based on original interviews and documentary research, this article describes the origins and development of this group, focusing on the role of traditional and other community leaders in their growth. It shows that, surprisingly, the Lakurawa came to the Nigerian border region from Niger and Mali at the invitation of local leadership, as traditional and Islamic leaders were seeking help against the threat of the Nigeria-based Zamfarawa bandits. Even as the Lakurawa reduced this threat of armed banditry, however, they became a security threat in their own right, intimidating local residents and pushing an extremist radical Islamic ideology against the wishes of many citizens and authorities. As a result, the traditional and Islamic authorities have now started taking action against the Lakurawa. The chapter identifies the importance of fragility at the root of extremism like that of the Lakurawa and highlights the long-term risks of private, self-organised security solutions. It also highlights the limits to the power of traditional authorities in the context of a complex, large-scale security threat like armed banditry in a poorly governed and ungoverned border region.
