At least 15 villagers died when members of Lakurawas, a newly emerged militant group, attacked a rural community in Nigeria’s northwestern Kebbi state during an attempted livestock theft, according to local residents and officials.
The militants, who emerged from herding communities along the Nigeria-Niger border following Niger’s July 2023 coup, arrived on motorcycles in the village of Mera on Friday. When residents resisted the cattle raid, gunfire erupted, leaving 15 villagers and two insurgents dead while forcing others to flee, witnesses said.
“This was the first attack by the group in the area,” local traditional ruler Samaila Mera told reporters. State Deputy Governor Abubakar Tafida, attending victims’ funerals Saturday, said authorities are working with security agencies to prevent future attacks.
The incident marks another security challenge for Nigeria, which has long battled the Islamist armed group Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the country’s northeast region.
