Vigilantes Fight Boko Haram Back in Borno; Assist Soldiers in Their Mission

Vigilantes in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri are setting up roadblocks and conducting house-to-house searches to aid the army’s fight against Islamist militants. These groups of young men are armed with only clubs and matchetes. While the military welcomes the public’s support in the battle against the Boko Haram Islamist group, human rights activists say vigilantes’ activities may worsen violence and lead to abuses against innocent civilians.

So far the vigilantes have seized more than 100 suspected insurgents in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital that has borne the brunt of Boko Haram’s violent campaign to impose Shariah law on Nigeria, according to Abubakar Malum, a leader in a group that calls itself the Civilian Joint Task Force.

“The activities of the vigilantes is a step in the right direction,” Mohammed Modu, a fish seller in the city of about 1 million, said on June 25. “They seem to be more effective in capturing Boko Haram members than the soldiers.”

Human rights activists say that since the vigilante groups have no legal standing, abuses may occur.
“Where vigilantes exist, they aren’t part of the legally established law enforcement order,” Clement Nwankwo, executive director of Abuja-based Policy and Legal Advocacy Center, said in a June 21 interview. “So the possibility of abuse, of people being targeted and victimized, is real.”

Vigilantes burned down the house of Alhaji Mala Othman, the Borno state chairman of the opposition All Nigeria People’s Party, Inuwa Bwala, the state commissioner of home affairs and information said. The arsonists, who accused Othman of supporting Boko Haram, torched his house after failing to catch him for the second time as security forces let him out through the back door, Bwala said.

“The incident is quite unfortunate; nobody has the right to take the law into their hands to the extent of burning down people’s houses,” Bwala said from the town of Gombe, the capital of neighboring Gombe state. Borno state governor Kassim Shettima is a member of the ANPP.

Though the military’s air and ground assaults since May forced many militants to flee, large numbers have since regrouped, killing 24 people last month in three attacks on schools in Maiduguri and Damaturu, the Yobe state capital, about 130 kilometers (81 miles) southwest of Maiduguri. This is the reason while the vigilantes are particularly useful because they understand the terrain well. The military’s offensive has also hit civilians.

“As much as the youth are doing great work in fishing out the terrorists,” Majidadi said in an interview in Maiduguri, the security forces “must act fast before other youth abuse the good work currently going on.”

The combined military-police Joint Task Force in the area said in a June 30 statement that it was “monitoring, guiding and regulating the activities of the vigilant youths with a view to making them operate within the ambit of the law.”

Boko Haram has acknowledged that some residents are turning against them and has vowed to retaliate.

“We have established that youths in Borno and Yobe states are now against our cause,” a Boko Haram spokesman, who gave his name as Abu Zinnira, said in a statement e-mailed to reporters on June 18. “They have connived with security operatives and are actively supporting the government of Nigeria in its war against us. We have also resolved to fight back.”

Kidnapping of Corps Members: Rivers to Withdraw From Funding Police, Governor Attacks Jonathan

Governor Chibuike Amaechi expressed dissatisfaction over the recent kidnapping of 3 corps members in the state when the state coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps visited him to register his displeasure. The governor stated that the state is already planning to withdraw from funding the police till relevant actions are taken  to secure lives and properties.

The governor noted that the Commissioner of Police is no commissioner but a politician because he attends political party meetings actively. He said the CP lacks any concrete sense of duty and does not know the real mission of him being in the state. 

He told the state coordinator of NYSC to inform the IG who has authority over the police on how to protect corps members, especially in their lodges. He mentioned that he has no authority over him (the CP) because the police have been politicised although the constitution permits him. For security of lives and properties to be ensured in Rivers state, the CP has to be removed Amaechi revealed.

The brawl between the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan and Rivers state governor, Chibuike Amaechi got a bit complicated with the swipe the governor took at the president. The governor said 'how can we say we have a brother from Bayelsa as the President and Rivers is insecure?' The governor said is it till when Rivers turns to Borno where corps members can no longer be posted before anything tangible will be done?

He said there was a case of  kidnapping of corp members among the last batch that left the state and now, another has just occurred. Some commentators said Amaechi is not comfortable with the present commissioner of police because he is unable to use him to attack opponents like the previous commissioner.

The rift between  the president and the governor became pronounced when Governor Amaechi who was deemed to have won the Nigeria Governors' Forum election was shortchanged. The election became characterised by allegations of corruption in a 35-elders cum first citizens of states' election. The Jonah Jang faction is backed by the presidency. Jonah Jang himself was a late entrant into the election.