Guardians or executioners?

•How unauthorised security groups are fueling violence and bloodshed nationwide

As Nigeria battles a deepening security crisis, unauthorised vigilante groups—once seen as community defenders—are increasingly turning into instruments of terror. From the brutal lynching of 16 hunters in Uromi, Delta State, to the accidental shooting of a 13-year-old in Ibadan, Oyo State, among others, this report by IFEDAYO OGUNYEMI exposes the growing danger of extrajudicial violence, the failure of law enforcement, and the chilling stories of survivors caught in the crossfire.

IN the heart of Nigeria’s escalating security crisis, a tragic incident unfolded in Uromi, Edo State, where 16 northern hunters were brutally killed by a vigilante group and armed youths. The hunters were said to be travelling to Kano State from Rivers State to celebrate Sallah, the end of the Holy month of Ramadan celebrated by Muslims around the world, when they were accosted and lynched to death in Uromi. Viral videos of the incident showed them being beaten with iron rods, machetes and axes, tied to used tyres soaked in petrol, and set ablaze.

This event, which has continued to draw nationwide criticisms and unending controversies, has cast a spotlight on the operations of unauthorised vigilante groups and their impact on the nation’s sociopolitical fabric, particularly at a time when insecurity is rearing its ugly head in many communities nationwide.

Vigilantism in Nigeria has deep historical roots, often emerging in response to perceived inadequacies of formally known state security structures. Communities, feeling vulnerable, have periodically formed self-defense groups to combat local threats. While some of these groups have operated with noble intentions, others have morphed into entities that challenge the state’s monopoly on violence, leading to complex security dynamics.

One such ugly incident that brings to the fore the needless violence that characterises the practice of vigilanteism and serves as a grim reminder of the volatility introduced by their unsanctioned activities is the recent killings in Uromi. Similar examples also abound across the country.

In January, Sunday Tribune reported how a 13-year-old boy, Olaitan Tiamiyu, narrowly escaped death after he was erroneously shot by a night guard at Wajawaja Community in the Apete area of Ibadan, Oyo State, while on his father’s motorcycle. It was gathered that the boy’s father, Alhaji Monsuru Tiamiyu, was on his way home with his son, whom he had gone to pick from his mother’s shop, when the incident occurred. The night guard, Mr Akeem Babalola, said that he thought the rider was a thief when they sped past him after he had waved at them to stop.

Also in June 2024, a clash between protesting youths in the Egbeda community, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State and a local vigilante group, ONELGA Security Planning Advisory Committee (OSPAC), led to the death of one Innocent Didia, a native of Egbeda.

A case of discipline gone wrong cost the life of Ezekiel, popularly known as Baba Malu, in July 2023, when members of the Digbolukolu Local Security Outfit, to which he also belonged tortured him to death in the Ajah area of Lagos State after he was accused of stealing a phone at an event they all attended. He was said to have been beaten and starved for two days till he became unconscious. The group was purportedly founded by the local council in the area.

In March 2023, a 27-year-old staff member of an eatery in Umuahia, Abia State, Izuchukwu Mbakwe, was tragically shot dead by an unidentified operative of the Abia State Vigilante Group after one of Mbakwe’s superiors had called the vigilante group over a missing Nokia phone.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred when Mbakwe reported for duty. The attempt to arrest him over the minor allegation quickly escalated into lethal violence. He was allegedly shot at close range in the thigh by the vigilante operative, leading to fatal blood loss.

In the Federal Capital Territory in July 2023, two brothers – Abdulmalik Abubakar and Ibrahim Abdullahi – were shot by members of a local vigilante group in the Bobota/Dabi Kwali Area Council of the FCT after vigilante members stormed the premises and began firing indiscriminately. One of the bullets struck both brothers in the legs and buttocks. In a video from the hospital, Abdulmalik explained that he was shot after refusing to hand over his phone to the vigilantes.

Similarly, in October 2021 after vigilantes clashed with some youths in the Bachure community of Yola North Local Government Area, Adamawa State, 33-year-old resident Michael Amoris, was declared missing before his remains were discovered two days later in a pond, bearing injury marks suspected to have been inflicted by the vigilantes. The discovery led to suspicions of murder, prompting the community’s youth to retaliate by burning the vigilante office.

At almost every corner of the country, stories of unjustified violence, including killings, are reported, sometimes owing to flimsy excuses that should naturally not resort to violence. Many at times, only few of the victims, who managed to escape fatal consequences, are left to tell the tale of the injustice meted out on them. Many times, their relatives and loved ones are left to pick up the ruins.

Is vigilantism legal?

Though the 1999 Constitution prohibits the establishment of any police force other than the federal entity, the glaring inadequacies of the police and other paramilitary agencies have compelled local communities and even state governments to seek alternative security measures by establishing local security outfits. The establishment of outfits like the South-West Security Network, code-named Amotekun, exemplifies this trend. Nevertheless, after wide criticisms, even some led by the Federal Government, and a series of negotiations, it was agreed that the operation would be state-based rather than regional, allowing for its continuation under state legislation.

Almost immediately, other regions took a cue and aimed towards the establishment of regional and state-based security architeture to combat the rising insecurity that takes place in their respectives domains and the orgy of violence that follows in its wake. In the South-East, governors formed Ebube Agu security outfit to combat crimes in the five states.

Those formed by local communities are regarded as vigilante or security groups. However, unexplained or unreasonable violence attributed to the highhandedness of members of the security outfits have been on the rise, with many critics accusing them of being the judge, jury and executioner.

Nigeria’s rich tapestry of ethnicities and cultures has given rise to region-specific security outfits. While these groups often claim to represent and protect their communities, their ethnocentric foundations can exacerbate inter-ethnic tensions. The recent tragedy in Uromi, where northern hunters were killed, may be indicative of these underlying ethnic frictions manifesting violently. Similarly, some local security outfits have been put together to forestall the violence perpetrated by outsiders and roving herders.

The socio-cultural and economic ramifications of unauthorised vigilante activities are multifaceted. On one hand, these groups can deter investment and encourage capital flight due to perceptions of instability and lawlessness. On the other hand, the existence of these groups reflects the dire unemployment situation in the country, as many youths, devoid of gainful employment, are drawn into vigilante activities, viewing them as avenues for livelihood, albeit fraught with danger and legal ambiguities.

 

Survivors recount harrowing ordeal

Victims and residents of communities affected by vigilante-related violence often express a mix of fear, frustration, panic, betrayal and resignation.

Dayyabu Yahya, one of the survivors of the Uromi attack, recounted how what began as a routine journey from Port Harcourt turned into a nightmare. According to him, the trip had been uneventful until they arrived in Uromi, Edo State, where they encountered a group of armed vigilantes.

He explained that the vigilantes stopped their vehicle and instructed the driver to come down. When the driver refused, they reportedly descended on him with whips. The passengers, numbering about 27, were then ordered to disembark. Yahya said that the vigilantes physically assaulted them and later grouped them for inspection.

“They inspected our belongings but found nothing suspicious—only some licensed Dane guns,” Yahya said.

“There were about 27 passengers in the vehicle. I can’t say how many of us are missing, but I know that two passengers were hospitalised.”

Another survivor, Mustafa Ali Kassim, described the terrifying moment the violence escalated. He said that as soon as passengers began stepping out of the vehicle, the beatings started.

“The vigilantes started beating us as we were stepping out of the vehicle,” he recalled. “After gathering us in one place, the locals joined in and continued the assault.”

Kassim added that the vigilantes eventually withdrew, allowing some of the local residents to continue the attack. Sensing that their lives were in danger, a few of the passengers made a run for it.

“Realising that we would likely be killed, some of us made a run for our lives—I was one of them,” he said.

During his escape, Kassim said he encountered some Hausa community members in the area who offered him assistance.

“I encountered kind-hearted Hausa people, who gave me some money, which I used to reach the Hausa community leader here,” he said.

In the January incident in Ibadan, a community member in Wajawaja Community, Apete area of Ibadan, who craved anonymity, claimed Alhaji Monsuru Tiamiyu, the father of the 13-year-old victim, believed the vigilantes were armed robbers upon seeing them with flashlights in the dark. That thought made him speed past them.

“He thought he had left them behind, but what he heard next was a loud bang from a gunshot. Then his son cried out that he had been hit,” the source said.

With his son writhing in pain, the shocked father was said to have gone back where the shooter was and held him. Two other guards with him reportedly fled when they saw that their boss recognised the rider.

The source said that the father asked his son to make a distress call to their family members and neighbours who arrived at the scene of the incident shortly after.

It was further learnt that on sighting the boy with gunshot injuries, the mob which had gathered attacked the shooter until he lost consciousness.

The boy was taken to a local doctor, who extracted 11 pellets buried in his left thigh, buttock and back. The night guard was also conveyed to a private hospital for medical treatment after his head and face were battered.

Recalling another encounter with a local vigilante group in Ibadan, a trader, Mrs Adeola Ogunleye, recounted: “They came into our market, accusing a young boy of theft. Before we knew it, they had beaten him severely. There was no trial, no evidence. We live in fear because they act as judge, jury, and executioner.”

 

Experts weigh in

To address the challenges posed by unauthorised vigilante groups, experts have argued that federal and state governments must collaborate to establish clear guidelines and regulations governing the formation and operation of vigilante groups. Such a framework, they argued, should delineate their roles, responsibilities, and limitations.

While using the Uromi killings as a pointer, Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, called on the government to go beyond mere condemnation and take concrete steps to ensure that the perpetrators of such incidents under the guise of vigilanteism face justice through a fair trial, stressing the urgent need for the Nigerian government to strengthen its efforts to prevent further mob violence and vigilante killings.

“The incident in Uromi is not an isolated case but part of a disturbing trend of vigilante violence across the country, particularly in towns and villages where highway communities are increasingly besieged by groups taking the law into their own hands.

“This culture of mob violence has been allowed to thrive due to the government’s consistent failure to hold perpetrators accountable and enforce the rule of law,” Rafsanjani said in a statement.

He added that this horrific act of mob violence underscores the alarming rise of vigilante justice and a growing disregard for human life in Nigeria, adding that “under international law, the Nigerian government has an unequivocal obligation to protect its citizens, safeguarding their right to life and protecting them from torture and other ill-treatment.

“The failure to fulfill this duty sends a dangerous message, signaling that violence and impunity will be tolerated, ultimately emboldening mobs and vigilantes to act with increasing brutality.”

In the same vein, Amnesty International, in a statement signed by the Country Director, Isa Sanusi, condemned the growing trend of vigilante groups unlawfully blocking highways and engaging in violent acts with impunity.

“The horrific mob violence that happened at Uromi is part of the rising trend of vigilante groups of towns and villages along highways blocking roads and carrying out unlawful activities with impunity.

“The fact that these killings have been happening for a long time, with few cases investigated and prosecuted, highlights the authorities’ shocking failure to uphold and fulfill their obligation to protect people from harm and violence,” Mr Sanusi said.

READ ALSO: Abductors of Abuja family members disguised as vigilantes – Police