Police says enough of vigilantes

The police in Nigeria’s southeastern Anambra State has said it will no longer accept the methods of a local anti-crime vigilante in dealing with criminals, ‘The Guardian’ daily reported on Wednesday.

“I wish to place it on record that the established laws and code of conduct which is a guiding instrument for proper monitoring and supervision of Anambra Vigilance Services (AVS) and other related bodies are not being adhered to,” Daniel Anyogo, the state’s commissioner of police, said.
At a meeting with leaders of the vigilante and community leaders he warned that “no deviation from the code of conduct would be entertained any longer.”

The police has been having difficulty controlling the vigilante since it was established by the Anambra State government in 2000, in an effort to curb the upsurge in violent crime and armed robberies. Of particular concern has been the vigilante’s practice of hacking suspected criminals with machetes and then setting their bodies ablaze.

Early this year, the AVS - better known as Bakassi Boys - was reconstituted by Anambra Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju, with guidelines requiring the group to hand over suspects to the police. But the vigilante ignored this on 29 May when in the city of Onitsha its members publicly executed 36 suspects, in response to a renewed wave of armed robberies.

“The crime situation in these parts has created a very peculiar situation,” Kene Anyika, an Onitsha lawyer, told IRIN. “The police is obviously overwhelmed by the crime wave. But more than that they are deeply distrusted by the public who believe many elements in the force are collaborating with criminals.”

However, he said this perception was no excuse for the “type of jungle justice” the vigilante practiced. “It is dangerous and can easily get out of hand. Besides, it’s not good for the psyche of our children to see all this blood being spilled publicly,” he added.