In light of the emergence of a new terrorist group known as LAKURAWA, former DSS Operative, Seyi Adetayo said that Nigerians need to declare that they are at war.
The former DSS Operative made it known on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday that Lakurawa, despite being a new face is the same as the ISWAP, Boko Haram and splinter bandit cells ravaging most parts of the North East..
“Lakurawa will be another name that will dominate our public space in terms of terror for a long time until we decide to declare that Nigeria is at war and as such, there are certain measures to be put in place to allow the military and intelligence service to be able to do their work better’,’ Adetayo said.
In November, the Director of Defense Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba disclosed that “Troops are confronted with Lakurawa in the Northwestern states of Sokoto and Kebbi respectively.”
Lakurawa according to Buba are affiliated with terrorists from the Sahel region in the Republics of Mali and Niger that have moved to the North-West in Nigeria as a result of instability in the area.
Their base of operation is said to be in Kebbi and Sokoto states.
Security experts have blamed the indigenes of the two states for welcoming them rather than reporting them. They settled in until they gained a stronghold and began terrorizing the states.
On what the military and government should do to resolve the situation, Adetayo said that massive recruitment into the army should be done because the current number of soldiers in Nigeria is not enough.
“If we do not do anything about extinguishing this fire, lots of young boys will continue to join these terror groups and soon, Nigeria will be a country where you can’t move around anymore.”
Also speaking on the show was the military strategist, Maj. Gen. Pat Akem (Rtd.) shared that there was no need to fret over the emergence of the terror group as President Tinubu was putting in place proactive measures to mitigate the situation.
Akem said, “I do not think war should be declared. The president has already given a broad mandate to the armed forces to execute the bandits.”
He stated that declaring war will be futile if the resources were not in place, laying emphasis on the demystification of the military in the country.
He further stated that the armed forces should not be seen the way they are seen in Nigeria as they do things they aren’t supposed to do like policing work, anti-kidnapping and banditry operations and as such, it diminishes them.