Steven Kefas, founder of the Community Development and Rights Advocacy Foundation, has alleged that about three trailer-loads of Lakurawa fighters entered Sokoto State from the Sahel region through Niger in August last year without any intervention by authorities.
Kefas made the allegation on Thursday while speaking on Channels Television’s The Brief. He said the influx of foreign fighters is part of a wider and deepening security challenge sustained by funds generated from kidnapping and ransom payments.
According to him, a close associate who spent about four months in captivity and was released in October last year disclosed that arms suppliers often arrive at terrorist camps on the same day ransom payments are made. He claimed the ransom money is immediately used to purchase weapons.
Kefas said the development shows that kidnapping has become a deliberate means of raising funds to acquire arms, warning that the trend suggests the insecurity could persist if urgent action is not taken.
He further alleged that fighters continue to enter Nigeria from countries such as Mali and Niger, while ransom payments provide a steady source of funding for weapons procurement, enabling terrorist groups to expand their operations.
Kefas noted that insecurity has now spread to states previously considered less affected, including Kwara and Kogi, which he said are increasingly witnessing similar criminal activities.
He also expressed concern over what he described as targeted attacks and alleged land occupation in parts of Kaduna State, particularly Kajuru Local Government Area. He cited the abduction of about 177 worshippers from churches on a Sunday, as well as previous attacks in which worshippers were killed during church services.
According to him, nearly 40 communities in the Kajuru Local Government Area have been displaced, with some reportedly occupied by terrorists. He described the situation as complex and said the government has not handled it adequately.
Kefas warned that the combination of continuous infiltration of fighters, ransom-funded arms purchases, and displacement of communities poses a serious threat to national security.
