Mahmuda Terrorist Group K!lls Seven Residents, ¶bducts Several Others In Kwara Community

 

Mahmuda Terrorist Group Kills Seven Residents, Abducts Several Others In Kwara Community

The attackers also reportedly set a farm settlement in the village ablaze.

The newly emerged terrorist group known as Mahmuda invaded Kemanji Village in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State last week, killing seven people.

 

Sources told SaharaReporters that three victims were killed on Sunday, while four others were slaughtered on their farms on Friday.

 

The attackers also reportedly set a farm settlement in the village ablaze.

“The Muhmuda terrorists attacked Kemanji village on Sunday, killing three people and one woman. They also kidnapped a countless number of people,” the source said.

 

“Last Friday, they also slaughtered four people working on their various farms. Their main aim is to prevent people from accessing their farmlands.”

 

“Hence, anybody in Kemanji town who goes to their farm hardly comes back alive,” the source added.

 

In April, SaharaReporters reported the emergence of the Mahmuda terror group in parts of North Central Nigeria, where they have been wreaking havoc on rural communities across Kwara and Niger states.

 

The group operates around the expansive Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP), a vast ungoverned terrain shared by Kwara, Niger, and parts of Kebbi State. Communities affected in Kwara include Kemaanji, Tenebo, Baabete, Nuku, and Nanu in Kaiama Local Government Area, as well as several villages within the Yashikira district of Baruten Local Government Area.

 

In Niger State, Babana and Wawa districts in Borgu Local Government Area were also overtaken by the terror group.

 

In one of their deadliest recent operations, militants from the Mahmuda group attacked a local vigilante unit in Kemanji, killing over 15 members and villagers.

 

“They call themselves Mahmuda group. Their leader in a voice note is threatening all the communities. They kill and kidnap victims and also demand ransom,” a source familiar with the group’s activities had told SaharaReporters.

 

Another source said the growing insecurity across Nigeria, especially the occupation of ungoverned spaces by armed groups, poses grave threats to national security and rural livelihoods.

 

“The surge of insecurity in Nigeria has been a source of concern to the citizenry because of its destructive impact on livelihood, and unfortunately, new militant groups continue to emerge and occupy the ungoverned spaces in the country,” the source said.

 

“With the Kainji Lake National Park left unguarded, the loggers, fishermen, and hunter groups take the opportunity and start enjoying the common good of the citizens for their personal gain.”

 

He explained how economic actors like timber merchants eventually struck a deal with the militants, saying, “At the beginning, there was a clash between the loggers and the militants as well as the vigilantes, but the loggers negotiated with the militants, and the loggers gained access to the forest to harvest trees without any hitches and this as well serves as the biggest opportunity for the militants to make money through the logging activities.”