By: Bayero Ade
A Federal High Court in Abuja has officially classified the Lakurawa sect as a terrorist organisation and banned its activities nationwide.
According to Afripost, Justice James Omotosho delivered the ruling on Thursday after an ex-parte application was filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
The court also extended the proscription to other similar groups operating across Nigeria, particularly in the North-West and North-Central regions. Justice Omotosho declared that:
“The activities of the Lakurawa sect and similar groups in any part of Nigeria, especially in the North-West and North-Central zones, are hereby declared acts of terrorism and illegality.”
The judgment further prohibits individuals or groups from engaging in or supporting the sect’s activities, which include banditry, kidnapping for ransom, forced marriages, mass abductions, cattle rustling, enslavement, torture, and attacks on communities.
The ruling also mandates the publication of the proscription in the Official Gazette and two national newspapers.
The AGF’s request for the proscription was submitted by David Kaswe, an Assistant Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), M. Abubakar.
An affidavit sworn by Michael Akawu detailed the sect’s involvement in terrorism, including cattle rustling, kidnapping, assaults on government officials and security personnel, and efforts to undermine local authorities.
Akawu further emphasised that these activities had caused significant harm, loss of life, and property destruction, severely threatening national security and public order.
The court granted all four orders requested in the application, marking a significant move in the fight against the sect and similar groups.
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