Nigeria's newest armed group has been declared a terrorist organization

Authorities in Nigeria have officially declared the Lakurawa armed group, which whips people for listening to music, a terrorist organization and banned it across the country.

Lakurawa is a new armed group that has been carrying out attacks targeting local communities in northwestern Nigeria and across the border with Niger.

Nigerian officials say Lakurawa is linked to jihadist factions in Mali and Niger, and its fighters have for years settled in communities along the Nigeria-Niger border, marrying local women and recruiting youths.

This adds to Nigeria's security concerns, as it is already battling several armed groups, from the Islamist militant group Boko Haram to kidnapping gangs.

The Nigerian government presented a document to the High Court in the capital Abuja on Thursday detailing the group's activities.

It said Lakurava was involved in acts of terrorism, including cattle drives, kidnapping for ransom, hostage-taking and attacks on senior government officials.

The group was also accused of spreading harmful ideology in local communities and encouraging locals to defy authorities, “resulting in injury and loss of life and property to innocent Nigerian citizens”.

The group appeared some years ago in some villages in Sokoto and Kebbi states and people had informed the authorities about its existence but nothing was done.

Lakurawa members initially promised to deal with banditry and help protect local people from cattle rustlers.

“But things escalated when they started wanting to check people's phones and beat those who had music on them before deleting them,” the man said.

In court documents, Nigeria's attorney general and justice minister Latif Fagbemi said the group's activities posed a serious threat to national security.

Last year, military spokesman Major General Edward Buba said the emergence of Lacourawa was directly linked to political instability in neighboring Mali and Niger.

The military seized power in both countries, in part due to pressure from Islamist insurgents.

In a swift ruling, Justice James Omotosho declared the group a “terrorist organization and extended the ban to similar groups across Nigeria, with special focus on the North West and North Central regions”.

The move will give the Nigerian government broad powers to take decisive action against the group.

Security agencies now have broad powers to disrupt and dismantle the group's operations, including arrests, prosecutions, asset freezes and increased surveillance.

It can also lead to social stigma and isolation for individuals associated with the particular group.

Across the country, especially in northern Nigeria, people fear another scenario similar to when Boko Haram emerged in the late 2000s.

Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden” and has repeatedly attacked secular schools as part of its attempts to establish its version of Islamic rule in the region.

The group gained international notoriety when it kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls from the northeastern city of Chibok in 2014.