The Clingendael Institute’s findings underscored the park’s vulnerability, with armed groups prompting its closure due to ongoing security threats affecting nearby communities and transit routes.
Jihadi militants affiliated with Al-Qaeda have reportedly settled in Nigeria’s Kainji Lake National Park after crossing from Republic of Benin’s troubled north, a report revealed on Wednesday.
The Clingendael Institute’s findings underscored the park’s vulnerability, with armed groups prompting its closure due to ongoing security threats affecting nearby communities and transit routes.
Locals living near the park informed The Associated Press that the facility, home to a dwindling lion population in West Africa, has been shuttered for over a year due to security concerns stemming from armed groups’ attacks on nearby villages and roads, posing a threat to the park’s safety.
A local resident John Yerima described how the park, once a bustling tourist destination, has now become too perilous to traverse, reflecting the escalating security crisis highlighted by Kars de Bruijne, a senior researcher at the institute.
He cautioned that the sustained presence of armed groups in the park signals a concerning nexus between Nigeria’s local insurgents and Sahelian extremists linked to Al-Qaeda.
Security experts have previously cautioned that the remote areas of northwest Nigeria, characterized by limited government presence, abundant mineral resources, and high levels of poverty, create a vulnerable environment susceptible to infiltration and expansion by jihadi groups, including those previously active in the Sahel region and the Islamic State, which has a strong foothold in the Lake Chad basin.
“A link between Lake Chad and the Sahel is a major opportunity for al-Qaida and the Islamic State to boast about their profiles as leaders of global jihad,” the report said.
Concerns abound regarding the extremists’ motives and potential collaborations with other armed factions, exacerbating illicit activities and instability across the porous border.
Security analyst James Barnett noted that while banditry remains a primary security threat in northwest Nigeria, occasional alliances between local bandits and jihadi groups have resulted in deadly consequences.
This development highlights broader concerns about the Sahel region’s deteriorating security situation, prompting international scrutiny and calls for increased regional cooperation to mitigate escalating risks.
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