\n\nAt least 34 people have been killed in a series of coordinated raids by suspected Islamist militants on villages in northwestern Nigeria, officials have confirmed to the BBC.
The attackers launched simultaneous assaults on several communities in a remote border district of Kebbi state on Tuesday. Witnesses said the gunmen were highly organized, sweeping through villages while firing indiscriminately at residents and forcing many to flee.
Local authorities have attributed the attack to Lakurawa, a relatively new insurgent group operating in the region. The organization was previously targeted by U.S. airstrikes in neighboring Sokoto state in December.
Security forces have since been deployed to the area to protect civilians and assist survivors. Military tracking operations are also underway in an effort to block the militants’ escape routes.
While officials have yet to release an official statement, images of shrouded bodies being prepared for burial have circulated widely on social media, sparking outrage among Nigerians. Many online have renewed calls for the government to address the persistent violence plaguing parts of the country.
Lakurawa was officially designated a terrorist organization by Nigerian authorities last year. The group has roots in communities along the Nigeria-Niger border, where its members have integrated into local populations through marriage and recruitment. It is believed to have ties to jihadist factions in Mali and Niger.
The Kebbi attack mirrors previous Lakurawa operations, which often involve coordinated, multi-community assaults designed to overwhelm local security.
The group’s emergence adds another layer to Nigeria’s multifaceted security crisis, which includes ongoing conflicts with Boko Haram in the northeast, heavily armed kidnapping gangs in the northwest and central regions, and separatist violence in the southeast.
