Vigilantism In Nigeria – Perilous Venture With Uncertainty

BY OGHENETEGA ONOVRE

Undeterred by the bullet scars on different parts of their bodies, the trio of Adamu Aliyu, Jide Aderemi and Samuel Bulus will still have to wake up by 11.00pm after their normal daily work to mount different positions in Sabongari district of Kano City, Kano State, Nigeria.

They are part of the vigilante that have been guarding against the Boko Haram insurgents which has killed thousand of people in Nigeria. They are the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF). Nigeria’s Civilian Joint Task Force, is a vigilante army of around 23,000 people.

These volunteers are indirectly guarding their own families who are also vulnerable to all the attacks of Boko Haram.

Since the Boko Haram’s uprising in 2009, the Nigerian government has employed various strategies as counter-terrorism measures to stem the atrocities of the terrorists.

These plan includes implementation of emergency law in the Northeasten part of the country, Amnesty negotiations, increase in security spending to the deployment of military force.

In the midst of these security measures, the civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) emerged, first as a community effort, and later as a joint effort with the security forces to help fight Boko Haram. The civilian JTF has helped recover towns and villages from Boko Haram, rescued women in the northeast and helped identify Boko Haram members shielded by some local people.

Although doubts have been expressed in some quarters that the civilian JTF could transform into ethnic militias, the Boko Haram security threat neutralized by JTF indicates an untapped security potential in Nigerian communities.

Concerns about safety and security are substantial in Nigeria where the police is considered inept and corrupt to tackle a complex and well organized terrorist group like Boko Haram.

When this reporter spoke to Adamu Aliyu, Jide Makinde and Samuel Bulus, they all had one thing in common- the zeal to protect their community and end the menace of Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Aliyu, who is 27 years old works as a farmer and has joined the volunteer group, JTF, which began in 2013 as a group of local hunters intending to protect their communities, but quickly became integrated into the government’s official counter-insurgency.

According to him: ‘These are bandits using Islam as a cover-up. How can anyone explain the logic behind killing most of the moderate Islamic clerics around here. I was born and raised in Kano State. I have never seen this kind of terrible things before. The Boko Haram are bunch of evil men’’

“With their evil deeds they have killed 4 members of my siblings. I will not wait for them to kill my wife and children. I am glad we civilians have come forward to defend ourselves. We are not chickens who will just sit down and wait for some terrorist to come slaughter us”.

When asked on what motivated Aderemi and Bulus to joint the JTF, the both affirmed that the security apparatus of the federal government cannot guarantee safety of lives and properties so the civilians also need to protect themselves.

Both have also lost family members and relations due to Boko Haram’s killings.

The Law

The structure of law enforcement does not help. The Police is run at the federal level despite long-standing calls for state forces.

Given that Nigeria has many diverse languages and cultural practices, the centralized police face many difficulties.

For vigilantes to be conducive, the primary element for the participants is that civilians must undertake their own crime control.

Although vigilantes can be effective in providing safety and security, their operation might not go along with the constitution.

With an in-depth knowledge of the local community and terrain, the Civilian Joint Task Force has been successful in identifying Boko Haram members and limiting their attacks.

The use of vigilante groups to protect lives and property, with official support, has become part of the Nigerian system for several decades. This is not the first time. The emergence of the terrorist has made it more elaborate.

International community support

In July 2019, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) trained the Civilian Joint Taskforce (CJTF) and vigilante groups in Nigeria, who are involved in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency.

The training which focused mainly on human rights and leadership held for two weeks in Jos, Plateau State and drew participants from the three states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

In the training, over 500 former fighters participated in this training that was conducted to provide a basic level of civic understanding and build capacity in critical skills that will allow members of CJTF and vigilante groups to improve their civil and social engagements and to function better in civilian life.

Addressing the participants at the closing ceremony of the programme, UNDP Officer-in-Charge, Frederick Ampiah, stated that that Boko Haram has left the region and its people with huge negative impact, adding that UNDP was not about to relent in its efforts to ensure that the region is liberated.

Ampiah, added that the training was also geared towards guaranteeing peace and stability, activating the local economy of the region as well as making the beneficiaries economically viable.

Since 2017, UNDP has, under the project, supported the Nigerian government in efforts aimed at stabilising local communities that were devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency – this has been done through the provision of support in four inter-related areas: livelihoods, security, basic services, and emerging local governance.

Volunteer’s issues

Despite the fact that the JTF is volunteering to protect their communities from the attacks of the the religious fundamentalists, they are faced with several obstacles.

Just like Adamu Aliyu, Jide Aderemi and Samuel Bulus, some volunteers have been unfortunate and to have been used as pawns by politicians and a the system of the country that does not reward hard work.

Some unfortunate vigilantes were also at the wrong place at the wrong time.

A well know JTF member, Ogunlaja Abiodun, whose parents were victims of Boko Haram’s onslaught against defenseless civilians, became a district leader due to his efforts in the activities of the JTF.

According to findings and investigations from residents in the area, Abiodun was dedicated in the protection of his community and he had led a vigilante group with the aim of securing his neighbourhood in Sabongari, Kano State between 2013 and 2014.

One night in October 2014, Abiodun’s group of volunteers consisting of about 12 men had an encounter with the Boko Haram insurgent, who usually to attack the people at night.

After the confrontation, there were casualties. Both sides lost people.

Due to the lack of proper communication and findings by the legitimate State security apparatus, Abiodun was declared wanted being the leader of the group.

The parents and families of some of the JTF members killed in the attack, also wanted Abiodun jailed because he is the leader and could not protect his followers.

Also, some of the JTF members in the group also wanted Abiodun killed.

Till date no one knows where he is-either dead or live.

Magido Aliyu, a sixty nine years old man, who had lived in Sabongari for twelve years, also corroborated the findings of this reporter.

According to Aliyu, ‘Many of these Civilian Joint Task Force members have become victims of circumstances. They always do their best to resist Boko Haram, but when they are being overwhelmed by higher ammunition they either end up dead or the law enforcement agencies will come to arrest the surviving ones to answer questions concerning their dead colleagues”

‘I know of several young men who were volunteers then end up being imprisoned for what they did not do. I know Abiodun Ogunlaja. He was a leader in this district. His wife and son were also attacked when he left this area”.

“The JTF has protected us better than the law enforcement agencies. These men leave their wives and children at home then stay awake all night to protect the community. They are doing a great job.”

He added further: “My son Usman, is also a JTF member. I am proud of him. I would have love to join also, but I am too old to stay awake all night and guard the neighborhood. I would advice the federal government to pay more attention to the jailed JTF members- several of them are innocent”

In a chat with Northern Religious Freedom, a civil society organizations (CSOs) and non-governmental in Northern Nigeria, its director-general, Agulu Uzezi affirmed that some JTF volunteers have been wrongly accused and jailed without a fair trail.

Uzezi said: “I can count over 21 cases brought to our office about JTF members being wrongly accused of a crime that thy did not commit. They are volunteers quite alright and they also can commit a crime no doubt, but the solution to an accusation against them should be based on proper investigation. The law enforcement is not investigating”.

“Once someone does not like your face he can plan to set you up easily. The next thing is that you are in jail. The person that does not like your face can start spreading a rumor that you sell guns or ammunition, this rumor can go around the neighborhood, then he can just report to the law enforcement, the next day you can be picked up and jailed.

“Tanko Bashir, a JTF member, is a man that has been suffering since 2016. He had a quarrel with his neighbour who is also a JTF member. Two weeks after the quarrel, the neighbour told a lot of people in the community that Tanko sells marijuana to the terrorist.

“The rumor had spread like wild fire within few weeks. The third week after, several youths in the community went to Tanko’s house and beat him up to the point that his left eye has gone permanently blind.”

“Tanko can hardly walk upright now. After all he went through, a thorough investigation was made by the police and the king of the community, and it was discovered that Tanko was innocent. This is so sad.”

Despite their service and dedication to protect their communities, several of the the vigilante men will still be wrongly accused and jailed with out a just cause.