THE ROLE OF VIGILANTE GROUPS IN SECURITY MANAGEMENT IN WARRI, DELTA STATE
ABSTRACT
Insecurity is a pressing concern in Nigeria, with various regions experiencing a surge in criminal activities such as armed robbery, kidnapping, and communal clashes. This has led to a lack of confidence in the ability of formal security agencies to effectively manage and prevent crime. As a result, communities have increasingly turned to self-help measures, including the formation of vigilante groups, to address their security needs. This abstract provides an overview of the role of vigilante groups in security management in Nigeria, with a specific focus on Warri, Delta State. The rise of vigilante groups in Nigeria can be attributed to the inadequacy of formal security agencies in providing sufficient protection to communities. Vigilante groups have emerged as a grassroots response to the prevailing insecurity, filling the gaps left by the government’s security apparatus. These groups typically consist of community members who voluntarily come together to safeguard their neighbourhoods and protect lives and properties. This research aims to explore the role of vigilante groups in security management in Warri, Delta State. The primary objectives of the study are to assess the reasons behind the emergence of vigilante groups, evaluate their strategies and activities in combating crime, examine their relationship with existing security agencies, investigate community members’ perceptions and attitudes towards these groups, analyse the challenges faced by vigilante groups, and explore the potential long-term implications of their existence. The findings of this research will contribute to the existing body of knowledge on security management in Nigeria, shedding light on the effectiveness, challenges, and potential concerns associated with vigilante groups. The study will provide valuable insights into the collaboration between vigilante groups and formal security agencies, offering recommendations to enhance their partnership and improve crime prevention strategies. Additionally, understanding the experiences and perceptions of community members towards vigilante groups will aid in developing community-based approaches to security.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background of the study
The provision of adequate security is a social pre-requisite for the survival of any society. Every society takes appropriate measures to protect the lives and property of people living within its boundaries. Business and social activities may not go on freely without adequate security. This fundamental essence of security may be the reason why societies from time immemorial have made efforts to police their neighbourhoods in order to secure them from criminal victimisation. Security has to do with the act of preventing and protecting in order to ensure that certain facilities, equipment, persons, or activities are safe from damage, pilferage, destruction, murder, or disruption.
The issue of insecurity in Nigeria has reached an alarming level in recent years. The existing security agencies have struggled to effectively combat criminal activities, leaving the residents vulnerable and fearful. Insecurity in Nigeria has become a pervasive and complex issue, affecting various regions of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The phenomenon of rising insecurity is multifaceted and has its roots in several underlying factors. One of the most significant contributors to insecurity in Nigeria is insurgency, particularly in the northeastern region. The emergence of the extremist group Boko Haram has led to a protracted and violent insurgency, marked by suicide bombings, attacks on villages, and abductions (Ibrahim & Gani, 2020). The group’s ideology, which opposes Western education and seeks to establish an Islamic state, has fueled ongoing violence, causing mass displacement, loss of life, and disruption of economic activities in affected areas.
Communal conflicts are another significant driver of insecurity in Nigeria, especially in the central and southern regions. These conflicts often arise from disputes over land, resources, and political power between ethnic and religious groups (Olaniyan & Ighoroje, 2019). The clashes can escalate into violent confrontations, resulting in the loss of lives and property as well as causing widespread fear and distrust among affected communities. In recent years, there has been an alarming increase in banditry and kidnapping across Nigeria, particularly in the northwestern and north-central regions (Nwanolue & Abanum, 2021). Bandits, often armed with sophisticated weaponry, target villages, schools, and highways, perpetrating violent attacks and abducting individuals for ransom. These criminal activities have created a climate of fear and insecurity, disrupting daily life and economic activities in affected areas.
In response, vigilante groups have emerged as a popular alternative security mechanism in the community. As societies became increasingly complex, social life was disrupted. Existing systems of law enforcement were inadequate to respond to the problems associated with these changes. As a result, a night watch system was introduced. This system involved bellmen who walked around the city, ringing bells, and providing policing services. The bellmen were later replaced by untrained citizens and, much later, by paid constables. However, in 1829, Sir Robert Peel established the first modern uniformed police force, the Metropolitan Police of London, whose primary responsibility was the prevention of crime. (Roberg and Kuykendall, 1993)
Vigilantism is not a recent development. Before 1900, many vigilant groups were formed in frontier areas of the United States. In 1851 and 1856, concerned citizens in San Francisco organised vigilante committees that forcibly restored peace and order. (World Book Encyclopaedia, Encyclopaedia Americana). In South Africa, vigilante activity is frequently justified as ‘filling a policing gap’ due to police inefficiency, corruption, and conspiracy with criminals—practical failings in the criminal justice system. In Sierra Leone, vigilante activities have been explained in terms of police ineffectiveness in combating crimes (Brownyn, 2001).
In Nigeria, vigilantism existed in the pre-colonial era. Human Rights Watch and the Centre for Law Enforcement and Education report (2002) noted that “vigilante and other self-defense groups currently operating in Nigeria have roots that reach deep into the country’s history. In the colonial era, some, though not all, independent local communities, especially in the southeast, maintained their own standing army to defend their territory against the threat of invasion from neighbouring communities. Although there was no equivalent modern-day structure at that time, some parallels can be drawn between these groups, which were created by local communities for their own protection, and the more recently formed self-defense groups.”.
The proliferation of vigilante groups in contemporary Nigeria, particularly in the Warri area of Delta State, is a response to crimes and criminality that have not only increased in degree, scope, and volume but also witnessed an unprecedented change in techniques, modes of operation, and sophistication between 1998 and 1999 (the wake of the Fourth Republic) and the apparent failure of the Nigerian police to rise to the occasion. Igbo (2001) has stated that “the apparent failure of Nigerian police to control the increasing wave of crime has led to unilateral public action against crime and criminals in some major cities of Nigeria, particularly in the south-east of the country.”.
However, the effectiveness, legitimacy, and long-term implications of these groups remain subjects of debate. This research aims to investigate the role of vigilante groups in security management in Warri, Delta State, to understand their impact on crime prevention and community safety.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
In recent years, many communities in Nigeria have witnessed crimes of various descriptions. The Warri area of Delta State is not an exception. Thus, crime is becoming a serious problem in contemporary Nigeria. The police, who are the primary agents in the fight against crime, are ineffective. Their ineffectiveness may be a result of the fact that they are understaffed, underequipped, corrupt, and lack public cooperation. These have created a problem of underpolicing in Nigeria, including in the Warri area of Delta State. Thus, violent and property crimes are committed on a daily basis without detection or prosecution. Many people are being dispossessed of their valuable property, and others are killed or maimed for life by armed bandits. Many people hardly sleep in their houses at night for fear of criminal victimisation. Those who sleep in their houses at night do so at their own peril.
The increase in crime waves and the inability of the Nigerian police to deal with the situation effectively have given rise to the emergence of vigilante groups in their current form. These vigilante groups are to ensure the safety of both their lives and property and that of their families. Eke (2002) noted that “from time immemorial, ordinary men and women have made several sacrifices to ensure the safety of both their lives and that of their families. That human impulse is not only common in Nigeria. The government in Western Europe, in Africa, and elsewhere was originally set up to offer protection to their subjects.”.
Thus, vigilantism seems to be gaining more prominence as an agent of crime control in the Warri area. Several vigilante groups now operate in both rural and urban areas in Nigeria. Residents see vigilante groups as an outfit they can always rely on in terms of security. Put differently, the public is sceptical about the ability of the Nigerian police to provide adequate security services alone without the involvement of the public.
This study, therefore, aimed to find out the impact of vigilante groups on crime control in Warri area of Delta State
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The primary objective of this research is to examine the role of vigilante groups in security management in Warri, Delta State. Specifically, the study aims to:
- Assess the reasons behind the emergence of vigilante groups in Warri.
- Evaluate the activities and strategies employed by vigilante groups in combating crime.
- Examine the relationship between vigilante groups and existing security agencies.
- Investigate the perceptions and attitudes of community members towards vigilante groups.
- Analyse the challenges and limitations faced by vigilante groups in their security management efforts.
- Explore the potential long-term implications of vigilante groups in Warri, Delta State.
1.4 Significance of the Study
This study is significant for several reasons. Firstly, it contributes to the existing body of knowledge on security management in Nigeria by focusing on the role of vigilante groups. Understanding the effectiveness and challenges faced by these groups can inform policy decisions and community-based approaches to security. Additionally, the findings of this research can be used to improve the collaboration between vigilante groups and formal security agencies, leading to more effective crime prevention strategies. Finally, this study can help shed light on the experiences and perceptions of community members regarding vigilante groups, providing insights into their acceptance and potential concerns.
1.5 Scope and Limitations
This research focuses specifically on the role of vigilante groups in security management in Warri, Delta State. The study will involve a comprehensive literature review, data collection through surveys, interviews, and observations, and data analysis using appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods. However, it is important to note that the findings may not be generalizable to other regions or contexts outside of Warri, Delta State. Additionally, the research may be limited by factors such as time constraints, the availability of resources, and potential biases in data collection.
1.6 Organisation of the Study
This study is organised into five chapters. Chapter One provides an introduction to the research topic, outlining the background, problem statement, objectives, significance, scope, and limitations of the study. Chapter Two presents a review of relevant literature on security management, vigilante groups, and their roles in crime prevention. Chapter Three describes the research methodology, including the research design, data collection procedures, and data analysis techniques. Chapter Four presents the findings of the study, and Chapter Five provides a summary of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations for future research and policy considerations.
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