A recent security study has confirmed the existence of a logistics hub operated by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Sokoto State, raising fresh questions about the geographic scope and strategic focus of United States air strikes carried out against the group early on Friday.
ISWAP, the Nigerian affiliate of the so-called Islamic State, has long been known to operate mainly in the North-East, particularly across Borno State and the wider Lake Chad Basin. The reported strikes in Sokoto, located in Nigeria’s North-West, therefore mark a notable shift from the group’s traditional theatre of operations and suggest a possible expansion of its logistical footprint beyond the North-East.
According to the study, ISWAP has established support and transit structures in parts of Sokoto that enable the movement of fighters, weapons, and supplies across Nigeria’s porous borders with Niger and other Sahelian states. These facilities are believed to function less as active battle zones and more as staging points that sustain operations in core insurgent areas.
The report highlights the growing role of “Lakurawa,” a local Hausa term used to describe armed militants believed to originate from neighbouring Sahel countries. These fighters, the study said, have been making repeated incursions into border communities in Sokoto since late 2017, embedding themselves within remote settlements and exploiting weak state presence to build networks for smuggling, recruitment, and intelligence gathering.
Security analysts note that the Lakurawa phenomenon reflects the broader regionalisation of jihadist violence in West Africa, where militant groups move fluidly across borders linking Nigeria, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. This mobility has allowed ISWAP and allied elements to diversify their supply routes and reduce pressure on their traditional strongholds in the North-East.
The confirmation of an ISWAP logistics hub in Sokoto provides a possible explanation for the US decision to strike targets in the North-West. However, it has also triggered debate among observers over whether the operation signals a new phase in international counterterrorism efforts in Nigeria, one that recognises the spread of insurgent infrastructure beyond the Lake Chad axis.
Critics argue that without clear public details on the targets and outcomes of the strikes, it remains uncertain whether the action was aimed at disrupting a concrete threat or was based on broader intelligence assessments of ISWAP’s evolving networks. Others contend that the strikes underscore growing concern within US and allied security circles about the Sahel-to-Nigeria corridor becoming a major artery for extremist logistics.
The study warns that Sokoto’s location, bordering Niger and lying close to long-standing trans-Sahel trade routes, makes it a strategic node for militant groups seeking to move men and materiel with minimal detection. It adds that continued neglect of border communities and limited security presence could further entrench such networks.
As Nigeria grapples with insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, and cross-border militant flows from the Sahel, the emergence of ISWAP-linked logistics structures in Sokoto highlights the increasingly complex and interconnected nature of the country’s security challenges. The US strikes, whether symbolic or strategic, have brought renewed attention to this shifting landscape and the urgent need for a coordinated regional response.
