Nigerian authorities have officially declared the Lakulawa armed group, which whips people who listen to music, a terrorist organization and banned it nationwide.

Lakurawa is a new armed group that has been targeting local communities in northwestern Nigeria and on the border with Niger.

Nigerian officials say Lakourawa is linked to jihadist factions in Mali and Niger, and his fighters have for years settled in communities along the border between Nigeria and Niger, marrying local women and recruiting young men.

This adds to security concerns in Nigeria, which is already battling multiple armed groups, from Islamist militants Boko Haram to kidnapping gangs.

The Nigerian government submitted a document detailing the group’s activities to the high court in the capital, Abuja, on Thursday.

The report said Lakulawa was involved in acts of terrorism, including cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, hostage-taking and attacks on senior government officials.

The group is also accused of spreading harmful ideologies in local communities and encouraging locals to ignore authorities, “resulting in injuries, loss of life and property to innocent citizens of Nigeria”.

The group appeared in some villages in Sokoto and Kebbi states several years ago, and people informed authorities of its presence, but no action was taken.

Initially, Lakurawa members pledged to fight banditry and help protect locals from cattle rustlers.

“But things escalated when they started asking to check people’s phones and whip those who had music before deleting their phones,” the man said.

Nigeria’s Attorney General and Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi said in court documents that the group’s activities posed a serious threat to national security.

Last year, military spokesman Maj. Gen. Edward Bouba said La Kourawa’s emergence was directly linked to political instability in neighboring Mali and Niger.

The military seized power in both countries, driven in part by pressure from Islamist insurgencies.

In a swift decision, Judge James Omotosho declared the group a “terrorist organization and extended the ban to similar groups across Nigeria, particularly in the North-West and North-Central regions”.

The move would give the Nigerian government broad powers to take strong action against the group.

Security agencies now have a broad mandate to disrupt and disrupt the group’s operations, including arrests, prosecutions, asset freezes and increased surveillance.

It can also lead to public stigma and isolation of individuals associated with designated groups.

Across the country, especially in northern Nigeria, there are fears of another scenario similar to what happened when Boko Haram emerged in the late 2000s.

Boko Haram, which means “forbidden Western education,” has repeatedly targeted secular schools as part of its drive to establish its version of Islamic rule in the region.

The gang gained international notoriety in 2014 when they kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in the northeastern town of Chibok.