i was able to figure it out. For anyone else wondering…
// To get field groups:
$fieldgroups = apply_filters('acf/get_field_groups');
// To get rules:
$location = apply_filters('acf/field_group/get_location', [], $fieldgroup['id']);
// To get fields of group:
$groupFields = apply_filters('acf/field_group/get_fields', [], $fieldgroup['id']);