…Over 15 Vigilantes, Others Killed as Militant Group Emerges from Kainji Park, Imposing Sharia-like Rule.
A chilling wave of terror is engulfing North-Central Nigeria with the emergence of a new and brutal militant group known as Mahmuda. SaharaReporters investigations reveal that this heavily armed group has established a stronghold within and around the ungoverned Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP), unleashing a reign of fear on rural communities spanning Kwara and Niger States. In a brazen display of power, the Mahmuda group ambushed and massacred over 15 vigilantes and villagers in Kemanji on Wednesday, signaling a dangerous escalation of insecurity in the region.
The affected communities bear witness to the group’s growing audacity, with residents in Kaiama Local Government Area (Kemaanji, Tenebo, Baabete, Nuku, Nanu) and Barutein Local Government Area (villages in Yashikira District) in Kwara, alongside Babana and Wawa Districts in Borgu Local Government of Niger State, now living under the Mahmuda’s menacing shadow. Sources indicate that the group’s leader has issued chilling threats in voice notes, vowing further violence, killings, and kidnappings, accompanied by demands for ransom.
The emergence of Mahmuda underscores the alarming proliferation of militant groups exploiting Nigeria’s vast ungoverned spaces. The Kainji Lake National Park, a sprawling 3970.29 sq km national asset, has become the group’s operational hub, a consequence of alleged neglect and lack of effective security presence. Initially, a conflict reportedly erupted between loggers, vigilantes, and the militants vying for control of the park’s resources. However, a disturbing alliance allegedly formed between loggers and Mahmuda, granting the former access to the forest in exchange for financial gain, further bolstering the militant group’s coffers.
Disturbingly, Mahmuda appears to be imposing a de facto Islamist rule over the communities under its control. Residents are reportedly subjected to a levy system, with herders paying “zakah” for grazing rights and farmers forced to pay “farming levies” for allocated land within the forest. Shockingly, community members are also compelled to work on the militants’ farms as “sadaka” (charity). Kidnappings for ransom, illegal roadblocks, and the regulation of social activities, including a ban on alcohol and smoking, are now grim realities for the affected populations. Even herbalists, perceived as aiding community vigilantes, face threats from the group. Unconfirmed reports suggest the Mahmuda group is also involved in illegal mining within the park.
Adding a sinister layer to their operations, the militants reportedly gather community members for religious preaching, disseminating their interpretation of Islamic ethics and urging disloyalty to the Nigerian state. They have also established themselves as the ultimate arbiters of disputes within the communities, further eroding the authority of state institutions.
The failure of state security agencies to effectively counter the Mahmuda threat has led to a paradoxical situation where local vigilantes, initially formed to protect their communities, now reportedly collaborate with the militant group to rescue kidnap victims from other bandit factions. This uneasy alliance highlights the desperate measures taken by communities abandoned by formal security structures.
The sophisticated weaponry possessed by the Mahmuda group has fueled suspicions among locals that their presence within the National Park is known, and perhaps even tolerated, by higher authorities. The group’s claim, revealed in a recent audiotape, to be a “moderate Islamist” faction, reportedly a breakaway from the Shekau-led Boko Haram, adds a dangerous ideological dimension to their territorial control. Tragically, the group is also reportedly recruiting locals as informants, further entrenching their influence.
The rise of the Mahmuda group signifies a grave escalation of the security crisis in North-Central Nigeria, transforming a national park into a terror enclave and leaving vulnerable communities at the mercy of non-state actors imposing their own brutal and unorthodox rule. The question of their true identity, their sources of arms, and the reasons behind the apparent inability of security forces to dislodge them remain critical and unanswered, casting a dark shadow over the region.
