Living in fear of Lakurawa - di militant group Trump target inside Nigeria strikes

For long, deep fear dey ground for di dry savannah plains and highlands of north-western Nigeria.

Dis fear na even bifor di US air strikes wey land on di Islamist militants on Christmas night, wey don turn dis area to dia base.

Di heavily armed jihadists wey dey wear camouflage and turban dey live for inside camps for Tangaza, one remote area of Sokoto state near di border wit Niger, for several years.

Dem belong to one group wey di name na Lakurawa, and come from areas within di north of Nigeria for di Sahel.

Locals for Tangaza, one community wey dey made up of mainly moderate Muslims, believe say dem come from Niger and Mali - and dem dey fear dem.

Recently, both US and Nigerian authorities tok say di militants dey affiliated to Islamic State (IS) groups for di Sahel.

Although IS no confam links wit any of di group activities or announce say dem get collabo wit Lakurawa as dem don do wit oda groups for di region wey dem dey support.

Wen BBC visit Nukuru, one of several remote villages for Tangaza around 10km (six miles) from wia di US missiles strikw, most pipo for dia bin dey deeply suspicious and no wan tok about Lakurawa – as dem fear say di group fit come attack dem if dem tok.

Na only afta dem get assurance say BBC no go reveal dia identities, some men agree to do interview, and dem speak wit low voices.

We travel go di dangerous area, about 12km from di Niger border, on Saturday under police escort and wit extra security personnel for protection.

Di police normally no dey go dis region as dem say dem no get enough fire power to confront di militants should in case dem come under attack.

Our team no fit reach di site of di strikes sake of di ongoing security risks - and dem get advise say make dem no too stay long for di area, so di militants no go get time to plant mines for dia exit route.

One farmer, wey im house no too far from Nukuru, tok say shortly afta di strikes on Thursday night, some militants wey run gada for im community.

"Dem come wit about 15 motorcycles," e tell BBC. E explain say three fighters dey on each bike.

E hear dem as dem dey phone odas, and dey ask dem to quickly comot, bifor dem escape on motorbikes.

"E be like say dem dey para, and we dey fear too," e tok. "Dem no carry any deadi body, dem carry some load."

E neva dey clear if any causalities dey for di strikes on di two camps wey US President Donald Trump order.

But di residents of Nukuru – one tiny village wit around 40 mud-wall and thatch houses and clay store for crops wey dem harvest few months ago - fit vouch say di di missiles brutal.

"Di doors and roof bin dey shake, old roofs tear," one 70-year-old man tell us.

"We no fit sleep bicos everywhere dey shake. We no know wetin dey hapun, and we hear as tins dey fall from di sky, and fire begin burn."

Yet, di villagers fear say di militants go fit regroup. Dem dey strong and dey use motorbikes to move quickly cross di region rough and rugged terrain.

E no dey hard to see how di group dey able to gain ground for here as di presence of govment for di area dey very very small.

No visible schools, hospitals or beta roads. Na only motor wey fit waka on rough desert roads fit access di area.

For Nukuru, di villagers main means of transport na donkeys.

Dem say during di day, di Lakurawa militants go enta di community – as dem don establish themselves as di de facto governing authority.

Di farmers and villagers no get option but to agree to dia terms and taxes as di Islamists dey well-armed. If dem no comply, dem go attack dem and tiff dia livestock.

Di farmer wey follow BBC tok, say di fighters bin dey pass through im village most days on dia way to oda communities.

Nigeria dey face complex security issues. For di past 15 years, di north-east part of di kontri don suffer from deadly Islamist insurgency for di hands of jihadist groups like Boko Haram.

But more recently, criminal gangs, known locally as bandits dey terrorise di northeast, dem dey make money by kidnapping and holding pipo for ransom.

Wen Lakurawa move enta communities along di Niger-Nigeria border, e lead di bandits to move go elsewhere.

At first, pipo tink say di group don join body wit some locals - but e no dey for long. Pipo for Tangaza area say di religious militants bin turn oppressors and begin dey establish compulsory harsh rules and spread fear.

One resident of Nukuru bin tok about di hard-line, strict Muslim ideology di militants impose – wey include banning tins dem feel say dey against Islamic Sharia law.

"We no fit live freely," di young man tell BBC. "You no fit even play music on your phone – dem no go seize am, but dem go also punish you."

Dem see music as distraction from religious duties. Some highly conservative Muslim sect see am as say e dey encourage immoral behaviour – and offenders dey chop beating steady.

Some Lakurawa militants marry into di border communities – dem keep dia families away from di camps - and recruit young pipo.

Dem dey use some of dis recruits as informants, while odas dey help di militants trade or gada supplies from residents.

Di strikes on Thursday, na di second time di group go dey targeted on a Christmas Day.

Last Christmas, Nigeria military bin launch attack against dem near Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa, several kilometres from Nukuru. Around 10 civilians die.

One month later, several days afta Trump inauguration, di Nigerian govment bin declare di group a terrorist organisation.

Di militants dey accused in court documents of cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, hostage-taking and attacks on senior govment officials.

Di move bin give govment sweeping powers to take strong actions against di group.

Wen Trump announce im Christmas Day strikes, e say na bicos di group dey "violently kill, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels wey no dey seen for many years, and even centuries".

Nigeria Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar say di recent strikes na "joint operation" and "no get to do wit a particular religion".

Most of di villagers and farmers wey dey live for di shadow of di militants na Muslims, no be Christians.

But if di US-Nigerian operation fit scata di Lakuwara hold ova dia lives, e dey clear say dem go dey grateful to dey free of di terror.

Additional reporting by Abayomi Adisa and Gift Ufuoma