The Nation Newspaper

Tag: vigilance group

  • Vigilance group: Ondo in the throes of politics?

    Ondo State’s political leaders are now working with the police to fish out alleged cattle herders that claimed to be members of a vigilance group in Ondo even as the matter has raised the state’s political tempo, reports Assistant Editor, ‘Dare Odufowokan

    Ondo State is preparing for its next governorship election billed to take place next year. In Akure, the state capital and other towns of the southwestern state, the usual signs of political campaigns are rearing their heads as contenders and pretenders get ready to mount the daises and seek the votes of the people of the state. As a result, for every occurrence, statements and or developments in the state today, there are ready-made political meanings and motives. This explains the controversy currently trailing last weekend’s allegations that an association of herdsmen may have formed vigilance groups across the state to man the highways.

    Trouble started after human rights activist and politician, Barrister Ajulo, in a post on his social media page, claimed he saw members of a Fulani Vigilance Group mounting the checkpoints along the highway within the state, while traveling from Akoko in Ondo State to Abuja. “I was in Akure, Ondo State, from Friday, 19 July, 2019 to Sunday, 22 July, 2019 for my mother’s investiture as the Iya-Ijo (chief matron) of our home church, Christ Anglican Church, Oke-Ifira-Akoko, Ondo State. On my way back to Abuja on the 22 day of July, 2019, in the company of some security men, we saw two men at the highway around Akoko, Ondo State, carrying Dane guns.

    “On sighting them, inquiry was made as to their duty on the highway with guns in their hands, being not uniformed men. They responded that they were members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Vigilance Group whose operation is known to all the security apparatus in the area,” he explained. An identity card of an alleged member of armed herdsmen, found at a spot in Akoko, was displayed by the lawyer on his social media pages. According to the identity card, the holder is a member of the Ikare-Akoko branch of the Miyetti Allah Association.

    OUTRAGE

    Ajulo’s revelation, which is now being vociferously faulted by the Ondo State Government as untrue, drew condemnation and concern from many Nigerians who wondered why armed herdsmen could have the audacity to mount security check points on the highways without the knowledge of indigenes of such states. Not a few warned about the security implications of such development, lampooning the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu administration of failing in its duty of protecting the people of the sunshine state.

    Leading numerous other groups and individuals to express concern over the development while urging the government of Ondo State and the police to promptly see to the correction of the abnormality, if indeed it is true that vigilance groups peopled by foreigners are now manning the highways in Ondo, Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and the National Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Gani Adams, warned that his group and many other self-determination groups within the region and other Yoruba speaking parts of the country, would not tolerate herdsmen vigilantes.

    “We will not accept the use of herdsmen either for private or public security in the region. We are not threatening. It is not our style. Any member of the OPC that threatens is not a genuine member. But we are saying this is our position on the matter. A Yoruba man cannot wake up in the North to do this. There is no single Yoruba in CJTF in Maiduguri, Borno State. OPC will not tolerate the existence of herdsmen vigilantes anywhere in Yorubaland and we are asking that anything of such must be stopped wherever it is happening. The Police and the government in Ondo State must act promptly,” he said.

    NOT THE TRUTH

    But the government of the state denied claims by some groups and individuals that it had purportedly formed an armed vigilante group peopled by members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, accusing those behind the stories of premeditated mischief. In a statement signed by Donald Ojogo, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, the government said Governor Rotimi Akeredolu was swift in his reaction to the development. “Not only did he disown the move, if at all, he indeed, ordered the Police to effect the arrest of anyone or group which parades itself as Fulani Vigilante.”

    The release further read; “The Ondo State Government has witnessed with utmost dismay, an orchestrated campaign in respect of the above subject matter. The intention of the sponsors and their echoers is undoubtedly, to discredit the administration of Governor Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN and ostensibly, incite the people against the Ondo State Government. It is pertinent to recall that upon the circulation of the story in the social media about the purported formation of an armed vigilante group by the Miyetti Allah, Governor Akeredolu was swift in his reaction to the development.

    Not only did he disown the move, if at all; he indeed, ordered the Police to effect the arrest of anyone or group which parades itself as Fulani Vigilante. The Governor’s postion was decisive even as it was pointedly consequential. At the risk of repeating himself, Governor Akeredolu reaffirmed the position of government on Tuesday, July 23 when he was accosted by reporters who sought further information on the matter.

    “The leadership of the Miyetti Allah in the State has equally disowned the report and has even provided further insights into actionable steps to deal with whoever conducts self in a manner that do not conform with the position of Government.

    Succinctly therefore, the scheming media spins on the issue can only be the handiwork of divisive elements and their collaborators whose defeated desire is to demarket the Ondo State Government through unfounded claims and gross mischief. The position of Governor Akeredolu on this matter stands. Government will not allow armed Fulani Vigilante in any part of Ondo State.”

    And when asked to comment on the raging controversy, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Segun Ajiboye, said “there is nothing in all these allegations other than mischief. Both the governor and Miyyeti Allah have made it very clear that no Vigilance Group was formed here for or by Herdsmen.”

    Similarly, the Ondo State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) Mallam Gabar Garba, insisted that no herdsmen vigilante group has been formed anywhere in the state. “These are unfounded rumours. It cannot be substantiated. There was never a time the Miyetti Allah members in Ondo State came together to form a vigilante group. We wouldn’t do anything without carrying the police along. We are working with the state government to fish out the bad eggs among herdsmen. These criminals are not our members,” the Miyetti Allah leader said.

    ALL HANDS ON DECK

    To allay the fears of the public and prove that the alleged vigilance group, if in existence, does not have the backing of government, the Ondo State Government and the Police Command say all hands are now on deck to prevent any breach of security in the state. Police spokesperson, Femi Joseph, said the Police Command was not aware of any vigilante group patrolling the highways in the state. “Some local vigilantes are working with the Divisional Police Officers, DPOs, in different divisions in the state to stamp out criminal activities in the state but not Fulani herdsmen vigilante group. The command had been on the lookout for the said Fulani herdsmen posing as a vigilante group.

    “Policemen in various divisions across the 18 local government areas of the state had been working with vigilante groups in various communities but not with Fulani herdsmen and none of the members of the vigilante groups carried arms. We know we are in the area that community policing is being emphasized. What we encouraged our DPOs (Divisional Police Officers) to do is to synergize with the host communities. Now that we have heard a story of Fulani vigilantes carrying arms and identity cards, the command has begun an investigation into that. If anybody is caught violating the rules, such persons will be brought to book,” he said.

    The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) urged both the government and the Police to promptly look into the reports and ensure that nothing of such is allowed to happen anywhere in the state. According to Col. Dansaaki Agbede, the group’s President, the development is embarrassing and worrisome. “It is unimaginable how strangers would have the effrontery to form a vigilante group without the consent of the owners of the house. We believe it cannot be true. Can any Yoruba group form a local security group in far north like Sokoto or Kano? I don’t know how they got to the position of forming a vigilante group and even having an identity card in a land where they are visitors,” he lamented.

  • Vigilance group apprehends suspected herdsmen with guns

    Vigilance group apprehends suspected herdsmen with guns

    A vigilance group at Igarra in Akoko-Edo Local Government of Edo State has apprehended nine suspected herdsmen, who have been terrorising residents.

    The suspects are said to have also attacked inhabitants of neighbouring communities.

    They were reportedly caught inside a Kaduna State-bound bus.

    People have been robbed and killed in the last two weeks in the local government.

    Last Saturday, a driver employed by a private school was shot dead on Igarra– Auchi road. A farmer was robbed by the suspected herdsmen on Igarra–Okpe road and escaped into the bush.

    At Igodi, a farmer identified as Jerome Ambrose, lost his right wrist while working on his farm after four suspected herdsmen attacked him.

    The vice chairman of Arewa community in the locality is still battling for life after he suffered head injuries inflicted on him by the herdsmen.

    He was attacked by suspected herdsmen, who called him to come and buy cows in the bush. His attackers used his phone to call contacts, demanding N30 million ransom.

    Luck ran out on nine of the herdsmen, as members of a vigilance group and youths in Okpe waylaid the vehicle they were travelling in.

    The vehicle, a Volkswagen, marked Kaduna MKA 555YJ, was intercepted on Igarra– Okpe road around 7am. The suspects were handed over to the police.

    Yesterday morning, youths from neighbouring communities besieged the police station at Igarra, demanding that the herdsmen be brought out for jungle justice.

    A source said a combined team of policemen from the Area Command in Auchi and soldiers from Nigerian Army School of Mechanical Engineering (NASME) prevented them from taking the suspects away.

    The witness said the youth wanted to use jungle justice because they were afraid that the police might release the herdsmen.

    He said: “The policemen usually mount checkpoints between Ago and Igarra. When we alerted them to the presence of herdsmen, they complained that they did not have enough petrol in their vehicle.

    “It took the efforts of vigilance groups from Igarra and Okpe and other youths to pursue the herdsmen into the bush before they were apprehended yesterday in a vehicle heading for an undisclosed location.”

    The Palace Secretary of Igarra, Elder Folorunsho Dania, said: “Today is Igarra market day, but many people did not go to the market for fear of attacks. Even churches closed early because of fear. But luckily around 7am on Igarra-Okpe road, vigilance groups accosted herdsmen. They were apprehended in their vehicle with cutlasses, guns and charms. We are living in fear. A few days ago, they chopped off the hand of a farmer at Ojah. They attacked a cattle farmer, Hassan. The man died two days ago.

    “Last week, the suspected herdsmen kidnapped three people from a mining site near Igarra. Up till now, their whereabouts are unknown. We appeal to the government and security agencies to rescue us.”

    Police spokesman Chidi Nwabuzor could not be reached for comments.

  • Vigilance group to stop kidnapping in schools

    The Lagos Command of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) has unveiled plans to combat kidnapping, robberies and ritual attacks around primary and secondary schools in the state following the resumption of academic activities.

    The Command, which yesterday inaugurated seven executive members including the Deputy State Commander of Operations, said it had restrategised to achieve maximum impact in securing schools and other places.

    VGN State Commander, Mr James Udoma, who spoke at a stakeholders’ conference in Ikeja, said the rejigging would ensure that experienced individuals were fixed in the right positions to direct security affairs at the community level.

    He said stemming the increasing spate of social threats in urban areas could only be possible with the cooperation of the Police and government.

    Udoma said the group was willing to augment the efforts of critical security agencies, noting that it had leveraged on the idea of attaching members to familiar terrain to effectively unearth looming crimes and their perpetrators.

    “Community policing is a collaboration of community members and the police. With the concept of the establishment of vigilantes, they are domiciled in their area of operation and understand their terrain, topography and even speak the language. These are people who will understand security challenges in their area and call for solutions,” he said.

    Stressing the need for the National Assembly to expedite the legal recognition of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, the Director-General Institute of Security, University of Lagos (Unilag) Adebayo Akinade, said a local government law promulgated during the military regime already backed the establishment of the VGN to operate in their community.

  • Enugu community cries out over vigilance group

    Enugu community cries out over vigilance group

    The Neighbourhood Watch of an Enugu State community is under intense scrutiny following allegations of victimisation levelled against the outfit, a development that has shaken up the entire community.

    The vigilance outfit, Aji Community Neighbourhood Watch in Igboeze North Local Government Area has been accused of masterminding the killing of some innocent citizens of the Aji community “purely on the grounds of vendetta and not on grounds of commission of any crime.”

    As a result of a petition to the Inspector-General of Police by a section of the community, men from the Force Headquarters Abuja, penultimate week stormed Aji and whisked away the chairman of the Aji Community Neighbourhood Watch and two others believed to have been masterminds of the series of killings that bedevilled the community in the past three months.

    In the month of March 2014, the Aji Community witnessed the assassination of two persons named Oforma Itodo four days after he buried his mother and Obinna Onoja one week later.

    It was learnt that prior to the death of Itodo, he raised an alarm in a written petition to the Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar over a threat to his life in which the I-G, in turn, forwarded the petition to the Enugu State Police Commissioner for prompt investigation.

    Narrating to our correspondent on the alleged killings in Aji, a source from the community who pleaded anonymity for security reasons, said Obinna Onoja was gruesomely killed by the Aji Neighbourhood Watch after alleging that he stole some undisclosed items from the compound of a top Enugu State Government official.

    The source narrated:  “Before the Enugu State Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) could arrive in the scene where Obinna Onoja was killed, the Neighbourhood Watch group tortured him severely, using axe and machetes to chop off his toes.”

    While confirming that his group arrested Obinna Onoja over some criminal activities in the community for interrogation, the Chairman of Aji Neighbourhood Watch, Mr. Joseph Azegba denied their involvement in his death, adding that they only interrogated him after which he was handed over to the police for further questioning.

    “We did not kill Obinna Onoja. We only contacted the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Igbo-Eze North and the SARS and handed him over for further investigation into his case,” he said.

    In the case of Oforma Itodo who was also allegedly killed by the same Aji Neighbourhood Watch few days after burying his mother, a family member who narrated the act, said they were about 50 who stormed their compound with axe, guns and machetes and refused to listen to appeals made by those who were still mourning.

    He said: “The assailants went straight for Oforma who was carrying his little baby and started assaulting him after which they dragged him out of the compound to an undisclosed location where they butchered him and abandoned his lifeless body.

    “We are still in the dark over the barbaric act of the vigilance group. This is why we decided to petition the Inspector-General of Police to help us unravel the reason behind their actions and bring to book the killers of our brother.”

    The family source made reference to the earlier petition written by the deceased to the Inspector-General of Police where he raised an alarm that his life was no longer safe in the community.

    According to him, the matter was surprisingly charged to court and Oforma, who initially was the complainant, suddenly became the accused.

    “What we discovered in the court was a total contrast to what my brother complained in his petition. They completely twisted the matter and surprisingly my brother became the accused but to God be the glory the High Court in Enugu discovered the truth and discharged him.

    “But ever since his discharge from court, the same set of people whom we know have the backing of a top government official in the community have been terrorising the entire community hiding under Aji Neighbourhood Watch to carry out their evil acts. They kept on trailing Oforma until they finally made sure they hacked him to death.

    “We know the killers of our brother and can identify some of them because they came in the day time. They didn’t wear any mask. You know this is an era of rule of law and democracy; if actually Oforma committed any offence, what any right thinking person should do is to hand him over to the security agency for prosecution and not taking laws into their own hands.

    “What we later understood was that there has been a parallel Neighbourhood Watch group in the community and that the killing of Oforma was to permanently seal the confession made by a member of the other group which they claimed Oforma was privy to,” he said.

    Women of the community, under the aegis of Aji Women Forum (AWF) with Mrs. Amaka Uramah as leader, had cried out to relevant authorities to disband the Neighbourhood Watch before the community becomes a war zone.

    The women leader lamented bitterly on the spate of killings in the community.

    She said: “Our sons are being killed under mysterious circumstances. The killings were as a result of the dissolution of the previous vigilance group: we lost three of our young men last year and again two of them have also been killed recently.

    “Before this crisis, Aji community has been relatively peaceful to the extent that our traditional ruler, Igwe Simeon Osisi Itodo was honoured as the most security conscious traditional ruler in the entire Southeast geo-political zone.

    “As mothers, who carried these children in our wombs for nine months, we are tired of seeing horrible things and we want an end to it now,” she said.

    Uramah, a teacher and chairperson of the Catholic Women Organisation in Aji recounted how body parts of their sons were mutilated.

    According to her, last year, one Festus Idoko and Ndubuisi were slaughtered and their body parts mutilated while another, Uche Nwaossai’s decomposed body was found in his father’s water tank.