Army Denies Withdrawal As Residents Raise Alarm Over Lakurawa Return To Sokoto Forest

The Nigerian Army has denied reports that its troops have vacated Waria Forest in Tangaza local government area of Sokoto State, following alarm by residents that Lakurawa terrorists are regrouping to reclaim the forest.

Residents of border communities in Tangaza on Friday raised the alarm that remnants of the Lakurawa group have been sighted regrouping around settlements fringing the forest, barely two weeks after the military bombed and sacked their enclaves.

A youth leader in the area, Malam Safullahi Bello, who spoke exclusively with LEADERSHIP Sunday, said residents are living in fear that the Sahelian jihadist group is perfecting plans to reoccupy the forest corridor.

“The residents around the forest area are panicking. This forest was overtaken by troops recently. Now, Lakurawa terrorists are attempting to regroup in Waria Forest. If troops relax, they will return stronger,” Bello warned.

He urged the Federal Government and the military high command to establish a permanent Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Waria Forest to forestall re-occupation.

But when contacted on Saturday afternoon, the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 8 Division, Nigerian Army, Sokoto, Lt. Col. Olaniyi Osoba, dismissed the fears, insisting that troops were still holding ground and dominating the area.

Osoba said, “I spoke with our men conducting operations there. They have not seen anything like that. They have not gotten any complaints from the surrounding villages. We have a unit stationed at Waria Forest and it is still there. Operation is continuous. We are with the villages, protecting them. If there were complaints, it would have been routine for us.”

He assured that Operation FANSAN YAMMA is ongoing and the Army will not allow the terrorists to regroup.

Waria Forest is considered strategic as it serves as headquarters of the Lakurawa group, a heavily armed jihadist cell that infiltrated Sokoto from Niger and Mali axis and has established enclaves in Tangaza, Gudu, Illela LGAs of Sokoto and Augie in Kebbi State.

Before the October 15, 2026 bombardment under Operation FANSAN YAMMA, the group had imposed levies, rustled cattle and sacked farming communities in the axis.