TheCitizen - It's all about you
  • Home
  • Headlines
  • Latest News
  • Governance
  • Business
  • Financial Crimes
  • Opinion
  • Editorials
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Headlines
  • Latest News
  • Governance
  • Business
  • Financial Crimes
  • Opinion
  • Editorials
No Result
View All Result
TheCitizen - It's all about you
No Result
View All Result

Ending widespread vigilante killings – Punch

The Editor by The Editor
August 9 2023
in Public Affairs
A A
0
Ending widespread vigilante killings – Punch
22
SHARES
734
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The rise in vigilante killings across the country is an alarming trend and adds to the abuse Nigerians are subjected to by state and non-state actors. In a recent case, a resident of the Ajah area of Lagos State, identified only as Ezekiel, was tortured to death by a local group, styling itself Digbolukolu Local Security Outfit. In June, vigilantes summarily killed an innocent man in Emuoha, Rivers State. The authorities must stop the killings and exercise effective oversight over local vigilance and neighbourhood watch groups nationwide.

Like the mobs that regularly lynch suspects on flimsy grounds, any vigilante, or night guard that tortures, assaults or kills anyone except in provable self-defence, must be apprehended and subjected to the full wrath of the law.

While local vigilante initiatives and private night guards are necessary, given the epidemic of criminality across the land and the helplessness of the existing security system, the misapplication of deadly force is illegal and counterproductive. It gives ammunition to those who oppose devolved policing.

Volunteers that take the law into their own hands by torturing and summarily executing suspects sabotage their own existence and advertise themselves as no better than the criminals.

According to reports, Ezekiel was accused of stealing a phone at a social gathering. His membership of the vigilante group did not save him; he was beaten, locked up in a guardroom, and starved for two days before he died. Everybody indicted in that incident must be prosecuted.

Some tyrannical vigilantes are exploiting Nigeria’s institutional and security lapses. They detain people illegally, and employ torture to extract forced confessions from their victims. Members of the Emuoha Local Government Vigilante Service, Rivers State, allegedly shot dead a resident, Justice Ogbuehi, while he was assisting his mother in processing cassava at their home.

Around that time, the commander of the Ojoto Community Vigilance Group and two others were arrested by the police in Anambra State over the kidnap and murder of a tricycle operator, Christian Onah. In the same state, a vigilante shot dead a middle-aged man in the Idemili North LGA in March 2023 who was mistaken for a suspected cultist.

In July, two brothers, Abdulmalik Abubakar, and Ibrahim Abdullahi, were shot by some vigilantes in the Bobota/Dabi Kwali area of the Federal Capital Territory because they refused to release their phones for a search.

In March, an official of the Abia State Vigilante Group killed a 27-year-old eatery worker, Izuchuwku Mbakwe, in Umuahia, Abia State. The vigilantes had been invited by an official of the company after accusing the victim of stealing a phone.

Some youths in Bachure, Yola North LGA, Adamawa State, in October 2021, burnt the vigilante office in the community following the extrajudicial killing of a 33-year-old resident, Michael Amoris.

Every Nigerian has the right to life, and to freedom of movement as enshrined in the constitution. No vigilante can declare or enforce a curfew.  No one has the right to take another’s life under any pretext. Vigilante justice, says Britannica, occurs in many countries “whenever informally organised groups have attempted to supplement or replace legal procedure or to fill the void.” In Nigeria, they exist primarily because formal state institutions have failed.

Vigilantes, except when repelling an armed attack, legally can only make a “citizen’s arrest” and hand over the suspect to the police. When strangers arrive in a community late, the duty of these guards is to lead them to their destinations safely, not to kill them before daybreak as some have been known to do.

A 2021 study on vigilantism in Nigeria commissioned by the United Nations University’s Center for Policy Research, found that the vigilante groups and anti-crime militias’ ability to suppress violent crime involves “intense brutality, including extra-judicial killings, torture, illegal detention, and sometimes public executions.”

It noted that the vigilantes are “characterised by a profound lack of accountability.”  Vigilantes everywhere should be under the strict supervision of local and state government authorities. Errant vigilantes should be swiftly prosecuted.

A self-appointed vigilante, James Fairbanks, who killed a sex offender, Mattieo Condoluci, was sentenced to 70 years imprisonment in 2021 by the Douglas County District Court, Colorado, United States. After killing the victim who was convicted of sex crimes towards children, Fairbanks emailed media stations to say he did not want Condoluci to harm other children. The authorities rejected this.

There must therefore be a well-structured system of accountability in vigilantism. State governments should exercise effective regulation. Vigilantes should be adequately trained to understand their duties and boundaries. They should collaborate closely with the police, who must be immediately informed of any arrest and take custody of suspects.

Any vigilance group not duly registered must be shut down, and any found culpable of human rights violations promptly disbanded. They should not become breeding grounds for criminals. Police in Rivers recently declared members of the Onelga Security Peace Advisory Committee, a vigilance group, as criminals. One of them recently shot a man dead over a girlfriend rivalry, it said.

Vigilantes are necessary because Nigeria’s single policing system has broken down. The 371,000-person Nigeria Police Force is not only insufficient for a population of over 200 million, but over two-thirds of them have been appropriated for private guard duties, while it is under-funded, ill-equipped, rife with indiscipline, oppression, and corruption.

Landlord and resident associations, communities and LGS therefore hire vigilantes. Without effective oversight, some of them perpetrate abuses. Regulation is therefore crucial.

Apart from passing regulatory laws and byelaws at the state and LG levels respectively, poor, complicit policing that pushes people to self-help should be addressed. Suspects handed over to the police are sometimes freed without charges and they return to hunt those behind their arrest. While this does not justify jungle justice, the police must stamp out such habits.

The state governments should form state-wide vigilance agencies, well-funded and equipped state and regional security agencies, and exercise very strict oversight over them. Overzealous vigilantes meting out jungle justice should no longer be tolerated.

 

Share9Tweet6
Previous Post

Lagos trader uses 10-year-old niece as drug courier

Next Post

Lagos govt announces temporary closure of CMD road, others

Related Posts

End female genital mutilation – Punch
Public Affairs

End female genital mutilation – Punch

October 17 2025
Nnaji: Nigeria’s dodgy vetting processes – Punch
Public Affairs

Nnaji: Nigeria’s dodgy vetting processes – Punch

October 16 2025
Vacations and governance: Why President Tinubu’s trip matters -Guardian
Public Affairs

Tinubu, honour promise to ASUU – Punch

October 15 2025
The killings in the South East – Thisday
Public Affairs

The killings in the South East – Thisday

October 14 2025
IOCs: Implement host communities’ projects – Punch
Public Affairs

IOCs: Implement host communities’ projects – Punch

October 13 2025
Don’t arm FRSC – Punch
Public Affairs

Don’t arm FRSC – Punch

October 10 2025
Next Post
Lagos govt announces temporary closure of CMD road, others

Lagos govt announces temporary closure of CMD road, others

How I got into acting after losing my broadcasting job – Pete Edochie

How I got into acting after losing my broadcasting job - Pete Edochie

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

FROM THE GRASSROOTS

Olubadan unveils legal committee to tackle land grabbing

Olubadan unveils legal committee to tackle land grabbing

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

...

Birnin Gwari needs urgent federal intervention – Emir tells Tinubu

Birnin Gwari needs urgent federal intervention – Emir tells Tinubu

by The Editor
October 13 2025
0

...

Rivers court adjourns hearing on LG poll legitimacy

Rivers court adjourns hearing on LG poll legitimacy

by The Editor
September 16 2025
0

...

Osun households get free food items

Osun League of Imams & Alfas urges Tinubu to intervene in LG withheld funds

by The Editor
August 27 2025
0

...

APPOINTMENTS

Tinubu seeks Omidiran, 28 others’ confirmation as FCC members

Tinubu seeks Omidiran, 28 others’ confirmation as FCC members

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

...

Okpebholo swears in 19 commissioners, warns against corruption

Okpebholo swears in 19 commissioners, warns against corruption

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

...

Fubara drops Danagogo, appoints Anabraba as Rivers SSG

Fubara drops Danagogo, appoints Anabraba as Rivers SSG

by The Editor
October 13 2025
0

...

Savannah Energy signs agreement with Chadian govt for new renewable energy projects

Savannah Energy announces board changes, appoints two Nigerians as Independent Non-Executive Directors

by The Editor
October 9 2025
0

...

ODDITIES

Lagos to probe school over alleged sodomy

Father impregnates 15-year-old daughter in Ondo

by The Editor
October 17 2025
0

Court orders exhumation, autopsy of Afriland Towers fire victims

Court orders exhumation, autopsy of Afriland Towers fire victims

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

Slain husband’s dad forgives Maryam Sanda, backs Tinubu’s pardon

Slain husband’s dad forgives Maryam Sanda, backs Tinubu’s pardon

by The Editor
October 14 2025
0

GLOBAL NEWS

Trump, Putin to meet in Budapest over Ukraine war

Trump, Putin to meet in Budapest over Ukraine war

by The Editor
October 17 2025
0

...

2026 Hajj: Saudi govt approves 66,910 slots for Nigeria

2026 Hajj: Saudi govt approves 66,910 slots for Nigeria

by The Editor
October 17 2025
0

...

Trump persuades India to stop buying Russian oil

Trump persuades India to stop buying Russian oil

by The Editor
October 16 2025
0

...

Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga dies in India

Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga dies in India

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

...

US revokes visas of six foreigners for celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination

US revokes visas of six foreigners for celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

...

State of the States

21.8% North-East residents HIV positive – NBS …as 16,000 die from HIV complications in Borno

Adamawa records 8,850 new HIV infections in four years

by The Editor
October 17 2025
0

...

Zamfara APC condemns state govt’s mass sacking of civil servants

Zamfara APC condemns state govt’s mass sacking of civil servants

by The Editor
October 14 2025
0

...

Gov. Otti set to build modern fire station in Umuahia

Gov. Otti set to build modern fire station in Umuahia

by The Editor
October 7 2025
0

...

Senator denies bill to rename Kaduna to Zazzau State

Kaduna State pays ₦72,000 minimum wage

by The Editor
September 18 2025
0

...

Plugin Install : Widget Tab Post needs JNews - View Counter to be installed
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
End female genital mutilation – Punch

End female genital mutilation – Punch

October 17 2025
WAFCON: Gov. Otu gifts Super Falcons star, Miracle Usani, ₦50m, land

WAFCON: Gov. Otu gifts Super Falcons star, Miracle Usani, ₦50m, land

October 17 2025
Nigeria at critical juncture – Vanguard

Nigeria ranks 115th out of 125 countries on Global Hunger Index

October 17 2025
Trump, Putin to meet in Budapest over Ukraine war

Trump, Putin to meet in Budapest over Ukraine war

October 17 2025

EDITORIAL REVIEW

End female genital mutilation – Punch

End female genital mutilation – Punch

by The Editor
October 17 2025
0

Nnaji: Nigeria’s dodgy vetting processes – Punch

Nnaji: Nigeria’s dodgy vetting processes – Punch

by The Editor
October 16 2025
0

Vacations and governance: Why President Tinubu’s trip matters -Guardian

Tinubu, honour promise to ASUU – Punch

by The Editor
October 15 2025
0

The killings in the South East – Thisday

The killings in the South East – Thisday

by The Editor
October 14 2025
0

IOCs: Implement host communities’ projects – Punch

IOCs: Implement host communities’ projects – Punch

by The Editor
October 13 2025
0

Opinion

Tinubu finds his own demons

Next time, Umahi should go to NTA

by The Editor
October 16 2025
0

...

Objections over presidential pardon for grave offenders

Objections over presidential pardon for grave offenders

by The Editor
October 13 2025
0

...

1975 public service purge: What have we learnt?

1975 public service purge: What have we learnt?

by The Editor
September 30 2025
0

...

Tinubu finds his own demons

Nigeria’s state of weakness

by The Editor
September 18 2025
0

...

Plugin Install : Popular Post Widget need JNews - View Counter to be installed
  • Home
  • Headlines
  • Latest News
  • Governance
  • Business
  • Financial Crimes
  • Opinion
  • Editorials

© 2024 TheCitizen Ng. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Headlines
  • Latest News
  • Governance
  • Business
  • Financial Crimes
  • Opinion
  • Editorials

© 2024 TheCitizen Ng. All Rights Reserved.