The Nation Newspaper

Tag: vigilantes

  • Hunting the vigilantes?

    Hunting the vigilantes?

    By: Ike Willie-Nwobu

    Sir: The brutal killing of nine members of the ‘Yan Ba Beli’ vigilante group in Bauchi points to the perilous nature of their job. Vigilantes may not have the aura or glamour of security personnel. They lack their support and funding. Yet, they are always brutally efficient, hands-on, and quick to the task.

    Nigeria’s mighty struggle to rein in insecurity has come at a staggering cost. Gallant men and women in its security forces have often met their painful end at the hands of criminals and miscreants. 

    The memory of how about 20 soldiers were killed by criminals in Niger State is still fresh for many Nigerians.

    Insecurity in Nigeria has been geographical. Its concentration in the rural areas has shattered their serenity and compounded their poverty and vulnerability. Where life used to be peaceful and quiet even if poor, it is now full of pain and uncertainty as a result of insecurity.

    As violence has mounted, Nigeria has had its hands full.

    The critical work they do is highlighted by what could happen if they are absent.

    In most parts, they are localized and always available. They take away the long response time to security emergencies in Nigeria’s ponderous ecosystem of protocols and sheer inefficiency.

    Vigilantes also provide some measure of employment for youths who would otherwise be left idle with all the harrowing possibilities.

    Nigeria’s security situation deserves to be studied. The lightning speed with which a country which used to dwell in relative safety made the descent into insecurity deserves to be investigated.

    There is hardly a day that goes by in Nigeria  without one story or the other about a terrorist attack in one place or the other.

     Children have been abducted. Women  and  girls have been taken too. Men have been slaughtered. Entire villages have been sacked and razed.

     Rural farmers have been especially terrorized, as much as their farms. They have sown, but often failed to reap. In their place, others have reaped.

    With this turn of events has come grueling food insecurity and grinding poverty to go with it.Surely, a country of hungry people is as angry as they come.

    Read Also: Kaduna recruits 7,000 vigilantes to tackle banditry

    To say that Nigeria’s security agents are underfunded is to put it mildly. Their lack of professionalism is explained by their poor training.

    As insecurity has mounted, they have also had to relearn the art of the body count. Indeed, they have lost count.

    Before insecurity became such an existential issue in Nigeria, the country was under secured. A large, populous country policed by so few policemen was always going to struggle.

    As many communities have fallen victims to rampaging criminal elements, Nigeria’s security have faced severe obstacles as they have struggled to string a response together.

    It is where vigilantes have always stepped in. Because they know the terrain and are always available, they have proven their ability to secure vulnerable communities.

    They must be supported and protected in the very crucial work they do.

    It is about legislation first. Vigilantes in Nigeria must see themselves to be backed by statute, so they can work well.

    There is a tendency for the so-called proper security agencies to thumb their noses at them. Proper legislation would fix that.

    Then there is the need for funding. Adequate funding at that. Since vigilante groups around the country have shown themselves to be extremely capable and available at the grassroots where insecurity is rife, it makes incredible sense to empower them to fight insecurity.

    There are legitimate concerns, of course, about how some of these vigilante groups can become too powerful overnight, becoming at once lawless and reckless. But proper legislation and adequate funding can fix that.

    The Nigerian experience with insecurity has been a truly sobering one. So much has been sacrificed on the altar of insecurity. So many things have been thrown at it, and somehow they have failed.

    At great personal risk, vigilantes offer a viable and sustainable option. Nigeria must know how to harness this resource properly.

    • Ike Willie-Nwobu, Ikewilly9@gmail.com

  • Vigilantes urge Buhari to sign VGN bill

    The Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the VGN Bill into law.

    The group, in a statement yesterday, thanked the National Assembly for passing the VGN Bill.

    A statement by Assistant – Commander General Community Policing, Emmanuel Ayisire,  said: “Vigilante Group of Nigeria hereby commends both arms of the government, the Legislature and the Executive for their display of maturity and cooperation in handling security challenges affecting the country by ensuring the quick passage and transmission of VGN Bill to the president for assent.

    “We are delighted by the level of commitment shown by our senators and members of the National Assembly in the passage and eventual transmission of VGN bill to the Presidency for assent.

    “We hail the unanimous support given to the Bill by members of NASS, as it by no means gives credence to the concept of Community Perspective Policing as an appropriate option towards resolving the nation’s security challenges.

    “As a national organisation in the area of public security, VGN is irrevocably committed to the promotion and application of the ideals and principles of Community Policing in furtherance of proactive policing in Nigeria.

    “It is pertinent to state here that with over 5000 Nigeria Police trained VGN officers and men in Community Policing and intelligence gathering, in each of the 36 states and FCT, VGN is well poised to deliver on its objective of assisting the Nigerian Police and other Security Agencies in crime control, prevention and the protection of lives and property.

    “The incorporation of VGN into the Security Apparatus of our nation besides mitigating the problem of under policing will afford the Nigeria Police Force the opportunity to tap into the gifts, expertise and resources of the communities and will help to relieve the Police of some of their burdens.

    “Again, the unique characteristic of VGN provided for by our recruitment and membership principle built on ‘domicility’ and ‘nativity’ gives us superior understanding of the Terrain, Topography, Demography and Culture of Nigerian communities.

    “In the light of this therefore, I strongly appeal to our dear and able President Muhammadu  Buhari (GCFR) to please sign VGN Bill into law as it will be applauded by Nigerians as an appropriate and well thought out policy response of his Government to the perennial issues of insecurity in the country.”

     

     

     

     

     

  • Govt cautions vigilantes

    Govt cautions vigilantes

    Enugu State government has urged neighbourhood watch groups to hand over suspects to the police for interrogation and prosecution.

    Capital Development and Poverty Reduction Commissioner Mr. Obinna Mbaeke told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu that vigilance groups should work with the police.

    According to him, they must remain under the supervision and guidance of divisional police officers.

    Mbaeke said: “At all times, they must apprehend and hand over any suspect to the police. They should not detain any person or operate unauthorised detention camps.’’

    He said the government established neighbourhood watch groups to complement statutorily recognised security agencies, as they were closer to the grassroots.

    The commissioner enjoined members to show integrity and operate within the ambit of the law.

    He reiterated government’s commitment to support security agencies.

    Mbaeke advised them to work with traditional institutions.

    “Vigilance group members must assist the government to achieve the set target of security and development at the grassroots.

    “Any deviation from the law establishing the programme will attract sanctions,’’ the commissioner said.

  • Ogun retrains vigilantes for effective operation

    Ogun State Government has trained some vigilantes to boost their efficient performance in the state.

    Speaking at the passing out programme at the end of a three-day training for members of the state security outfit organised in conjunction with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) at the College of Security Management, Oke- Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital, the Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, said the training would enable them to improve on the productivity in combating crimes and criminality for better security within the state.

    Adeoluwa, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Cabinet and Special Services, Mr Femi Kusimo, maintained that the training was put in place to re-equip the security personnel to effectively carry out their duties.

    He urged the trainees to imbibe lessons from the workshop to further enhance their security operations and surveillance.

    Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Jide Ojuko, appreciated the efforts of the management of NSCDC towards complementing government’s efforts at ensuring that the service becomes more proactive and responsive to security challenges especially in communities across the state.

    Ojuko, who was represented by the Director, Local Government Affairs, Mrs. Olusola Osasona, added that the government would not relent at ensuring that security of lives and property are guaranteed, as it would continue to prioritise the security of its people through security empowerment.

    Provost of the NSCDC College of Security Management, Mrs. Rachael Awosusi, advised the trainees to be more alert to their responsibilities and provide useful security tips that would assist members of the public to become security conscious.

    VSO Commander, Mr. Soji Ganzallo,  praised the state government for supporting the vigilante service since it came on board in 2011 with enabling environment to thrive, saying it  has helped in tackling various security challenges across the State.

  • Two Ogun vigilantes jailed six years for murder

    An Abeokuta High Court on Thursday sentenced two vigilantes — Lambe Yinka and Friday Gbenga — to six years imprisonment with hard labour for killing two men.

    Both are members of the Ogun State Vigilance Group and were tried for committing murder in the course of performing their duties.

    Justice Olatokunbo Olopade said the men were found guilty of killing the duo of  Raji Morufu and Akeem Usman.

    He noted that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubts by the evidence adduced.

    “With all the evidence tendered in court during trial, I found out that the two accused  persons killed the deceased while they were performing their duties and they could not provide any of the robbers they claimed shot the men on their arrival at the scene.

    “I do not find it as an accident or mistake and so the court found them guilty as charged;  I hereby sentenced the accused persons to six years imprisonment with hard labour,” Olopade said.

    The offences contravened Sections 317 and 308 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun 2006.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convicts, who had been standing trial since April 27,2015,  pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    The prosecution said the vigilantes shot and killed the two men at about 4, 30 a,m, on July 7, 2013 at Oniyorin, off Quarry Road in Abeokuta.

    The convict were said to have received a distress call from one Mrs Lawanson who live in the neighborhood that robbers had invaded her compound.

    “During investigation. the two accused persons had  made confessional statements that they shot one Raji Morufu, and Akeem Usman mistakenly when one of them was trying to struggle with them.

    Earlier, the defence counsel, Mr J.A. Apanishele, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing them.

    “I urge the court to consider the fact that they did not deceive the court by saying the truth that they shot the men.”

  • Vigilantes and Mrs Emefiele’s rescue

    Vigilantes and Mrs Emefiele’s rescue

    ON September 29, Margaret Emefiele, wife of the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin, was kidnapped on the Benin-Agbor Road. One day after, however, she was free, the fastest rescue of a kidnap victim ever. About a week later, nine suspects were arrested and some N15m ransom money recovered from them. The police confirmed the huge sum was a bait. But when they addressed the press on October 9, the police made no reference to any group or person who contributed to the rescue efforts. They basked in the glory alone.

    Apparently after waiting for weeks to be acknowledged for the role they claimed to have played in the swift rescue, a vigilance group in the Emuhun community of Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State, where the rescue took place, has spilled the beans. They were the ones who carried out the rescue, they claimed, and arrested two of the suspects whom they handed over to the police. They added that sadly one of the vigilance members, Gabriel Okorare, 64, was shot dead by the kidnappers and his family abandoned and in want.

    The police will of course need to clear the air. If the account of the vigilance group is true, it will be hard to understand why the police were eager to mislead the country over the role they played in the rescue. If they find it hard to appropriately celebrate the vigilance group’s bravery, how can they be trusted to champion efforts to reward them, let alone rehabilitate the bereaved family?

  • Seven feared killed as cultists, vigilantes clash in Ikorodu

    Seven feared killed as cultists, vigilantes clash in Ikorodu

    No fewer than seven persons have been feared killed after suspected cultists clashed with members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) at Ogijo in Ikorodu, a Lagos suburb.

    It was gathered that the fight broke out after the cultists, believed to be members of the Black Axe confraternity allegedly killed an OPC member near the Ogijo Bus Stop.

    The Nation gathered that the cultists had on Monday clashed with a rival group, Eiye, leaving about five people dead.

    It was learnt that the cult groups were battling for supremacy around 9pm, prompting OPC members to hit the streets, mistaking it for militants’ attack.

    It was gathered that sporadic gunshots forced most residents to flee their homes.

    Many residents said they returned to their homes yesterday morning only to discover that the crisis continued till about 12pm.

    According to a man who identified himself as Mike, five people were killed on Tuesday night in the cult clashes and two others died in the fight between OPC members and the gunmen.

    He said: “Everywhere was rowdy and before we knew what was happening, people were running to other parts of Ogijo. The vigilance group members and cultists were shooting and they killed a guy that was going to MRS filling station to buy fuel. The stray  bullet hit him and he died. A woman who sells local gin at the garage was also killed.

    “The police came on the night when the shootings took place. They also came this morning and shootings continued.”

    A resident, Wale, disclosed that most of the people who died were victims of stray bullets.

    He accused security agencies of not responding early to save the situation, insisting that only the OPC members braced for the challenge.

    “Six people died before dawn. I left home that night. In fact, I couldn’t do all I needed to do. This morning I thought it would have subsided, that was the reason I returned home. But from 9pm on Tuesday till about 12pm yesterday, they were still shooting.

    “No security. Where are the police in the state? It has become an everyday thing in this area. I think it is because the area is not developed yet. All shops are locked, no one could open,” he said.

    Similarly, a landlady decried the insecurity, adding that the vehicle she boarded to Ogijo could not get to the last bus stop.

    She said: “It made a U-turn with the 10 passengers. Ogijo is now a lion’s den. No one dares enter. Government has to look into this matter as quickly as possible. Even if OPC members want to face gunmen, they can’t do it alone. It was when they (OPC) members heard their member was killed that they came out to fight the criminals.

    “I built my house in Ogijo but now I hardly stay there. You can imagine moving from a four-bedroom flat to rent a room in another place just for my safety and my children.

  • Role of vigilantes’ in securing Lagos

    ir: There is no gainsaying that security is the most fundamental need of human beings. A disturbed mind results in a restless, hapless and distraught personality. Issues of security and safety have been a major migraine for Lagosians in view of increasing acts of lawlessness and social disorder exemplified by the recent invasion of militants in some communities in Ikorodu and Igando areas of the state, armed robbery, and kidnapping which was brought to limelight by the recent kidnapping of the Oniba of Iba – a Lagos suburb.

    It has become expedient to revisit the role of vigilante groups readily accessible to the populace in curbing crime in Nigeria’s commercial capital. With increasing activities of hoodlums, the motley communities comprising Lagos definitely need a commensurate increased vigilance from security agencies at this time of economic down-turn.

    Over the years, local vigilantes have helped to patrol neighbourhoods under the supervision of the police in many communities in Lagos. Thus, the Lagos State House of Assembly recently passed a bill for a law to establish the Lagos State neighbourhood safety agency tagged- Neighbourhood Safety Agency Bill, 2016 to regulate and control safety corps activities and for connected purposes. The Bill came to the fore, in a bid to ensure that emerging highbrow crimes like killings by herdsmen, kidnapping, ritual killings and terrorism do not take root in Lagos State.

    The efficacy of the philosophy and policies of any system of government in any given society depends on their faithful implementation. Hence, the vigilante system must not be turned to tools in the hands of influential community leaders to threaten and punish their adversaries. Also, a major caution note is that the security outfit to emerge should not compete with the Nigeria Police, but must complement their efforts in preventing and combating crime, since our laws do not recognize state policing.

    The fulcrum of the foregoing is that crime prevention is not achieved through isolated retaliatory actions or pre-emptive violence of policing organizations but by prompt reporting of such incidents to the law enforcement agencies in our neighbourhood. It is in the light of the above that the law is laudable.

    With the introduction of a well-structured neighbourhood watch security outfit, potential crimes will be detected early and prevented before maturing into full-blown offence.

     

    • Michael O. Ogunjobi,

     Lagos.

  • Boko Haram terrorists now disguise as vigilantes, hunters

    Boko Haram terrorists now disguise as vigilantes, hunters

    The Defence Headquarters has said members of the Boko Haram group now disguise as hunters and vigilantes to  evade arrest.

    Defence spokesman Brig-Gen Rabe Abubakar, in a statement yesterday,  said: “The fleeing terrorists now disguise as vigilantes or hunters to evade easy detection. The terrorists, after being smoked out of Sambisa forest, in their desperation to wreak havoc on innocent Nigerians and to remain relevant, devised a new tactics of dressing like vigilantes or hunters to deceive unsuspecting members of the public of their true identity”.

    “The case of Kuda-Kaya village in Madadali community of Adamawa State, where a group of Boko Haram terrorists dressed like vigilantes, opened fire on elated people during a ceremony readily comes to mind. The general public is hereby advised to be wary of unsubscribed services or presence of vigilantes or hunters in their neighbourhood in order not to ignorantly harbour killer gang in their midst”.

    He advised members of the public to be security conscious and report any suspicious persons or group of persons in their community to security agencies.

  • Five arrested as vigilantes declare war on criminals in Port Harcourt

    A security group in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State, Diobu Vigilante, has called for the support of Governor Ezenwo Wike to minimise robberies, killings and other acts of criminality in the area.

    Diobu is an area of Port Harcourt, the state capital, known for criminality. It is a high density urban township which has many communities owned by the Ikwerre but mostly occupied by indigenes and non-indigenes, especially the Igbo.

    The Secretary of Diobu Vigilante Group, Comrade Prince Amatari, spoke at the weekend, following the arrest of five “notorious thieves” in the area.

    He said the vigilance group had arrested over 48 suspected criminals since it started operation.

    Bipeledei said because of the large population of Diobu, many of the youths were joining criminal gangs, adding that with the support of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at the Mile 1 Police Station, the group was tackling criminality in the area.

    According to him, his group has identified some notorious hideouts where suspected criminals hide their ammunition and themselves after committing crimes.

    Bipeledei regretted that despite the group’s effort, which the police had hailed, the state government and the local government chairman had not shown necessary concern.

    He said: “We are ready to assist the government to minimise crime in Rivers State, if the support is given to us. But the government has continued to pay deaf ears to our efforts. The only encouragement we have received was that of the CSP Tony Odita, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), of Mile Police Station.

    “Of course, we need more support to win this war. Diobu axis of Port Harcourt is an environment where criminals hide to operate in the city. This is because almost all the streets in Diobu link to rivers or swamp; some of the hideouts are waterfronts, Gambia, jungle, Beribabo, Obidianso waterside, Echue, Abba, Wanchikwu and St. Andrew.

    “When they hit their victims, they go to these places for cover and nobody would know that they are there. Most of the members of the Diobu Vigilance Group are ex-militants. We know how the system works. That is why we are calling on the government to support us and create job.”