Leader of Lakurawa sect reportedly sends strong warning to Bello Turji

In what can best be described as a strange turn of events, the leader of the Lakurawa Islamist sect identified as Ameer Habib Tajje, has reportedly sent a strong warning to notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, asking him to denounce all acts of banditry and criminality otherwise the new terror group would take him out.

Counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, who revealed this in a post on his X handle on Monday night, said Tajje was preparing to send a delegation to Turji to warn him against continuing with his activities which include kidnaping for ransom, killing of innocent people and security personnel as well as rustling cattle.

Captioning the post as strange, Makama said:

“Ameer Habib Tajje, leader of the Lakurawa in Northwestern Sokoto, Sends Strong Message to Bandit Leader Bello Turji.

“In a strange turn of events, Ameer Habib Tajje, the influential leader of the Lakurawa group in the northwestern region of Sokoto, is reportedly preparing to send a powerful delegation to bandit leader Bello Turji, demanding his complete renouncement of criminal activities,” he stated.

The Lakurawa sect which is the newest terror group to spring up in the country, is said to be made up of renegades from countries in the Sahel region including Niger Republic, Mali, Sudan, Libya, Burkina Faso as well as Nigeria.

The group is allegedly linked to the Islamic State (IS) and has already taken over five local government areas in Sokoto State while still making incursions into neighbouring Kebbi State.

According to reports, they were initially invited by residents of the affected communities to help battle bandits but after dislodging the bandits, the Lakurawa sect decided to establish itself by imposing strict Islamic laws and with time, began a reign of terror, imposing taxes, fines and levies on the people while also spending huge amounts as incentives to recruit youths into the terror group.