Terrorist Sect ‘Mahmuda Group’ Launches Fresh Assault in Kwara, Deepens Security Crisis Across North Central Nigeria
By Amanabo Ocholi | April 19, 2025 | Duruma, Baruten LGA – Kwara State
Fear and tension gripped Duruma village (Karonji) in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State on Friday evening following a violent attack by the notorious terrorist group known as the Mahmuda Group, a radical splinter cell linked to Boko Haram.
Eyewitnesses told The Bureau Newspaper that the attackers, numbering over a dozen, arrived on motorcycles and opened fire indiscriminately, sending residents fleeing for their lives. The militants also set ablaze a local vigilante patrol vehicle and several motorcycles, but were eventually repelled by the brave resistance of the community’s security volunteers.
“The Mahmuda boys came in the evening and started shooting everywhere. Thank God our vigilante men stood firm. They managed to kill two of the militants,” said a local witness who requested anonymity for safety.
A Reign of Terror Across Kwara and Niger States
This latest assault is part of a larger pattern of insurgency by the Mahmuda Group, a jihadist outfit that has entrenched itself within the Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP) and its surrounding communities, using the vast ungoverned space as a launchpad for attacks, extortion, and illegal activities.
The group’s operations span multiple rural communities in Kaiama Local Government Area (Kemaanji, Tenebo, Baabete, Nuku, Nanu) and Baruten LGA (Yashikira District) of Kwara State, as well as Babana and Wawa Districts in Borgu LGA of Niger State.
Local sources confirm that the group refers to itself as the “Mahmuda Group” or “Mallam Group,” named after its leader, who has circulated audiotapes promoting a Sunni Islamist agenda. The recordings reveal that the group sees itself as a moderate jihadist movement, but its tactics mirror those of Boko Haram, including targeted killings, kidnapping for ransom, forced conscription, and taxation of civilians.
From Displacement to Domination: A Timeline of Violence
The Mahmuda Group’s emergence in KLNP dates back five years, following their expulsion from Mokwa Local Government Area in Niger State by former Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, who publicly accused them of being Boko Haram operatives.
After their eviction, they settled briefly in Welele village in Kaiama, but pressure from local authorities forced them into the forests of Kaduna State. Eventually, they regrouped and infiltrated the Kainji National Park, where they established a base of operations and began systematically undermining local governance.
“Since their arrival, the militants have turned KLNP into a criminal empire. They extort money from herders, farmers, and traders, run illegal logging businesses, and even act as the de facto authority,” said a civil society activist familiar with the situation.
How Mahmuda Group Governs Through Fear
Reports from multiple villages indicate that the militants impose a parallel government, collecting Zakat (Islamic tax) from herders, assigning farmland to locals in exchange for farming levies, and even compelling residents to work on their farms as a form of forced labor or “Sadaqah.”
Their control goes deeper:
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Kidnapping and Ransom: Locals are regularly abducted and ransoms demanded.
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Ban on Alcohol & Smoking: All social vices, including drinking and smoking, are strictly prohibited.
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Religious Enforcement: Periodic religious sermons are delivered to indoctrinate locals and promote loyalty to their Islamist ideology.
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Dispute Resolution: The group settles conflicts between villagers, bypassing the Nigerian justice system.
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Crackdown on Traditional Herbalists: Suspected of aiding vigilantes, herbalists are intimidated or eliminated.
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Illegal Mining & Logging: The militants facilitate large-scale deforestation and possible mining operations, unchecked by the government.
“We are living under their rule,” a distressed farmer told The Bureau. “Even our own vigilantes sometimes have to negotiate with them to rescue kidnapped people.”
Failed Security Architecture and Suspected Government Silence
The militants’ grip on this region raises serious questions about the Nigerian government’s ability — or willingness — to confront terrorism in rural areas. Despite occupying such a critical ecological and strategic zone as KLNP, there has been no sustained military offensive to reclaim the area.
Some believe the group’s continued survival is made possible by internal sabotage or silent complicity from powerful actors.
“The level of weapons they possess makes it clear: someone powerful is backing them, or at least looking the other way,” a local source speculated.
In December, over 15 vigilantes and villagers were killed in Kemanji, during another attack by the Mahmuda Group — a signal that the crisis is escalating and may soon spread beyond the current territory.
A Ticking Time Bomb
The North Central region, once considered more stable than the conflict-ridden Northeast, is now facing a growing insurgency. The Mahmuda Group, empowered by local recruitment, illicit finance, and geographical advantage, poses a serious threat to regional and national security.
Without immediate, decisive action from the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), more communities may fall under terrorist rule — leaving thousands at the mercy of militants within Nigeria’s borders.