Judge James Omotosho issued the order on Thursday, proscribing the sect and banning any individual or group from participating in its activities, Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi's office said in a statement this Friday.

Nigeria is already fighting several armed groups, including Islamist militant group Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province and several bandit gangs.

The recent emergence of the Lakurawa group, which operates mainly in the northwestern Kebbi and Sokoto states, has exacerbated insecurity in Nigeria's largely Muslim north.

--Reuters--