The Acting Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede has arrived Sokoto State for his first operational visit to the 8th Division Area of Responsibility as the rising threats to security gain momentum due to the emergence of new terrorist group.
Oluyede is anticipated to meet with the Sultan of Sokoto and interact with other important parties under the division’s purview while he is there.
The Army Chief will speak to soldiers taking part in Operation Fasan Yamma, the ongoing military operation aimed at stopping terrorist activity in the northwest, as part of the visit.
Three days after the Defense Headquarters acknowledged the formation of a new terror group called “Lakurawa,” which has been spreading trouble in Sokoto and Kebbi states, Oluyede arrived in Sokoto.
The activities of this group have been found to have an impact on five local government areas in Sokoto State.
Major General Edward Buba, the director of defense media operations, said that although the Lakurawa group is causing increased instability in the North-West, the Nigerian military is aggressively attempting to neutralize their threat and maintain regional stability.
“Troops are confronted with a new terrorist sect in the North-West. This sect is known as Lakuwaras, the Lakuwaras are affiliated to terrorists in the Sahel particularly from Mali and Niger Republic.
“They began incursion into Northern part of Nigeria, mainly Sokoto and Kebbi states, and like I mentioned, they came in from Niger and Mali axis,” General Buba said.
He added that the new terror group emerged from Mali and the Republic of Niger after the coup that led to the breakdown of military cooperation between Nigeria and Niger.
The military also declared nine terrorists wanted for their roles in the security challenges bedevilling the nation.