Kebbi officials warn the emerging group may have terror-linked characteristics, while Sokoto police classify it as a cult-criminal network with ritual and intimidation elements.
By Onibiyo Segun
BIRNIN KEBBI, Nigeria — The Kebbi State Government located in Northwest Nigeria has raised concern over the emergence of a new terror group identified as “Sai Malam.” The alleged terror group was made public at the State’s June 24, 2026, stakeholders’ security briefing by the Special Adviser to the Kebbi state governor on Security and Home Affairs, Col. Hassan Riba (retd).
At the Birnin Kebbi stakeholders’ meeting, Col. Hassan Riba (retd.) told the Inspector General of Police representative, Deputy Inspector General Sulaiman Abdul, about a possible new criminal network spreading across northwest forest and riverine corridors.
Officials say the group was first detected in Zuru Emirate, Kebbi State, along the Niger Republic border before resurfacing in Argungu fishing routes and later appearing in Sokoto state including Yabo and Silame county, raising concerns over cross-county mobility patterns.
Col. Hassan Rabe (retd.), said the group’s movement reflects “avoidance behavior typical of mobile criminal cells under pressure,” during the same briefing.
While Kebbi authorities describe “Sai Malam” – ‘Except Malam’ – as a potential terror-linked sect, Sokoto police classify it as a cult-criminal network linked to fraud, intimidation, and ritual practices, with investigations ongoing.
Geo-Location And Frontier Exposure
Kebbi State sits along Nigeria’s northwest border with the Niger Republic and Sokoto State. Its terrain is defined by River Rima settlements, Zuru forest zones, and rural farming belts.
Security analysts describe the region as a corridor-based movement space, where river crossings, fishing routes, and forest paths enable discreet mobility across administrative boundaries.
According to a 2022 Center for Democracy and Development report, the northwest conflict is driven by fragmented terror groups motivated by personal gain, unlike the entrenched, ideologically driven insurgency of Boko Haram-ISWAP in Borno.
Zuru Origins and Riverine Reappearance
Security officials say “Sai Malam” first emerged in Zuru Emirate, a forested border zone with limited surveillance capacity.
Col. Rabe said, “the group was first dislodged before reappearing in Argungu”. A major fishing hub along the River Rima, Kebbi state.
The river belt is now considered a strategic mobility corridor linking Kebbi agricultural zones with Sokoto trade routes.
A security consultant based in Hong, Adamawa state, Sarki Hong, involved in tracking operations told TruthNigeria reporter in a chat that the group demonstrates “avoidance patterns typical of mobile criminal cells under pressure.”
Sokoto Arrests and Digital Coordination Probe
In Sokoto, police confirm arrests linked to the network in Yabo and Silame counties.
Suspects allegedly operated under the identity “Sai Malam,” used as both a label and recruitment identity.
Sokoto police spokesperson Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ahmad Rufa’i told national media, “Suspects were arrested for fraud, intimidation, and suspected ritual-related activity, with investigations ongoing.”
Police identified Mohammed Mukhtar, also known as “Sai Malam,” alongside Abdulrazak Salihu and Habibu Sahabi as early network figures.
Authorities are also investigating a WhatsApp-based channel known as “Red Chamber” as a possible coordination platform.
Classification Split Between States
Kebbi officials describe “Sai Malam” as a potential terror sect linked to ritual violence and coercive recruitment.
Sokoto police classify it as a “cult-criminal structure” focused on fraud and localized intimidation rather than ideological insurgency.
A Sokoto intelligence officer Kabir Kaingiwa told TruthNigeria: “There is no evidence of coordinated mass-casualty planning.”
He went on to say, “What exists is fragmented criminal activity with ritual and social control elements.”
Hybrid Threat Interpretation
Analysts who spoke to TruthNigeria say the divergence reflects an early-stage hybrid threat environment where groups evolve before formal classification.
“What emerges first is not ideology but survival networks that later adopt symbolism and digital tools to expand”,
Dr. Ibrahim Sani, a security analyst in Birnin Kebbi, said.
Networked Violence Framework
Security analysts view “Sai Malam” through a hybrid insurgency and networked violence lens combining crime, identity formation, and governance gaps.
“Failure to disrupt early recruitment channels like ‘Red Chamber’ could allow expansion into wider northwest criminal structures”. Dr. Maina Tukur, a counterterrorism researcher in Kaduna says.
Tukur linked the pattern to Boko Haram’s early formation in 2002 and later fragmentation into ISWAP and Ansaru after 2009.
Political Economy of Violence
Analysts say the emergence reflects a political economy of violence shaped by weak enforcement, survival incentives, and adaptive criminal entrepreneurship.
General Lucky Irabor (retd.), former Chief of Defence Staff, has previously described Nigeria’s insecurity as “a system driven by financing networks, governance gaps, and ideological exploitation.”
Governance Vacuum and Recruitment Space
Analysts say southern Kebbi forests and Sokoto rural counties form a governance thinness belt where state presence is inconsistent.
Dr. Ibrahim Sani said, “group identity often becomes a survival structure in such environments.”
Containment Efforts And Current Status
At the June 24 meeting in Birnin Kebbi, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sulaiman Abdul ordered intensified riverine patrols and expanded cross-border coordination.
“Handshake Patrols are being extended across Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara corridors to monitor river crossings and rural routes”, DIG Abdul explained.
Authorities confirm “Sai Malam” has not been linked to any coordinated attack as of June 2026.
Arrests remain isolated and the network remains fluid.
For now, “Sai Malam” remains under surveillance across the Kebbi-Sokoto frontier, moving through forests, river belts, and rural corridors that continue to define both livelihoods and emerging security risks.
Onibiyo Segun reports on terrorism and conflict for TruthNigeria.
