Female Vigilantes Fight Bandits In Katsina
Katsina State's female Vigilante Group members are now a significant force in the fight against criminal gangs in the area. Several adults and children in Katsina State, Nigeria, have refused to take a neutral stance as the Nigerian Army, police, and other security forces continue their fight against marauding bandits.
Vigilante Group of Nigeria, an affiliated youth group, has been working alongside law enforcement to drive out criminal gangs from some areas of the state.
Many security specialists in the state have praised the VGN's not efforts to root out bandits, but few are aware of the significant roles played by the VGN's female members in eliminating bandits in the villages, towns, and cities across the state.
Women make up 30 per cent of the 3,000-strong vigilante corps organised by the state administration to assist regular security forces in the ongoing offensive against the marauders.
They have seen firsthand how criminals across the state have made hundreds of their relatives homeless, destroyed their businesses, wreaked havoc on their neighbourhoods, and taken the lives of loved ones.
Thus, they determined to give their all in the name of establishing a lasting peace that would pave the way for progress over the entirety of the state.
The young ladies and their male counterparts received training in information collecting, community policing, armed combat, and unarmed combat from security agents at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) College of Peace and Disaster Management in Babbar-Ruga, Katsina.
Residents, particularly those in rural farming communities in Jibia, Batsari, Kankara, Faskari, Sabuwa, Safana, and other frontline local government districts of the state, face a number of security concerns that can be overcome with the help of self-defense methods and deception.
The female vigilantes are well-prepared for battle thanks to their knowledge of infiltration techniques and knowledge of how to discern hazards, including the movements of bandit informants. They are currently working to identify and apprehend potential informants and those who aid them before they can cause any real damage by reporting criminal activity to authorities.
When it comes to stopping the attacks that have become all too common in rural areas, the female squads are unwavering in their resolve. Along with working with the police and other security services to combat escalating insecurity in the state, they also act in accordance with the constitutional rules and legal needs of the country.
While the military and police are making progress in their campaign against banditry, the female fighters, who are not as effective, are still gathering knowledge that can be used to foil the bandits' and their allies' schemes.
Despite the terrible circumstances, the female vigilantes' weaponry and strength lie in their ability to operate in secret.
In separate interviews with THISDAY, they said how, despite grieving for friends, family members, and even parents who had been killed by bandits, they decided to make the ultimate sacrifice by joining the fight against the criminals themselves. In the frontline local government regions of the state, these women are the amazons waging war against the bandits.
Hauwa Usman, 30, one of the female vigilantes, said she joined the group to help restore peace in Katsina and to aid the government and security services in protecting citizens' lives and property.
According to her, “I joined the VGN in Jibia, Katsina State, during the peak of banditry in the state. My major tasks are to gather intelligence and report to security agencies. I have received training on intelligence gathering and community police as well as how to escape dangers while discharging my duty.
“But what really led me to join the Vigilante Group of Nigeria was the death of my elder sister, Fatima Usman, who was abducted and killed by bandits while returning from Batsari market. Since then I decided to join the VGN to protect female folks and contribute my quota for the return of peace in Katsina”.
She also noted that several bandits, informants, and people who provided them with food and non-food items in Daddara, Shimfida, and other communities in the Jibia Local Government Area of the state have been captured thanks to her efforts to maintain peace in those areas.
However, she complained that the lack of modern weapons made it difficult for the vigilante members to battle crime in the state. She pleaded with the authorities to provide them with guns so that they could protect their communities from criminals.
Another female vigilante, Zainab Khali Ibrahim said: “Since I have decided to sacrifice my life for this cause, I do not see any danger. I have sworn to tread this path and I will continue to do it for the rest of my life until the return of peace in our state”.
Asked why she decided to join the VGN, Zainab said: “I joined the formation when my mother, Hajju Ibrahim; a farmer and his Cousin brother, Ahmed, were abducted by some Fulani people in Bakiyawa village. They were later released after the payment of N1,000,000 ransom.
“Also, a friend and three of my neighbours were killed by the bandits. All these irked me and eventually made me resolve to work against the bandits by exposing them. And I did not face any resistance from my relatives when I decided to join the VGN”.
The 24-year-old vigilance member, said she participated in the arrest of three bandits and their informants who wanted to sneak into Batsari market to wreak havoc. “I was able to recognise them because they used to be my neighbours”, she added.
Khadija, a 28-year-old woman who refused to give her last name, is a nimble member of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria in the state whose primary goal was to provide information and intelligence reports to security agencies about the hideouts and activities of bandits.
Khadija said when she discovered that exposing the criminals was yielding results, “We courageously joined the formation. Though no member of my family was lost to banditry, the killing of my neighbour, Saminu Tanimu, by the bandits really touched me. I desire to contribute hugely to the betterment of Katsina State”.
She appealed to the state and federal governments to support them with monthly allowances, weapons and find alternative sources of livelihood for them once the banditry ended. “We have family members who are in dire need of help, so the government should be giving us allowances to enable us to assist them and sustain our daily needs”, she added.
Speaking about the activities of the women vigilantes, the State Commandant of Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Salisu Rabo, described their contributions as invaluable to the operations of the military and police against banditry and other heinous activities orchestrated by bandits in the state.
He said, “They are very important to our operations in the state. They are primarily used for intelligence gathering. They give information which we report to the military and security agencies, and this has been useful in arresting many of the bandits.
“Without adequate information, we could not have achieved the level of success we recorded in the fight against banditry. In fact, these young women perform better than some of the men we have, and they continue to show bravery at all times”.
He admonished the state government to complement the efforts of the vigilante members by paying them monthly allowances and provision operational vehicles, weapons and other humanitarian needs of members of the corps in order to win the war against the bandits.
Rabo, however, applauded the government for empowering members of the community security outfit with 600 pieces of uniforms, 600 parade caps and 600 boots, noting that the government was committed to tackling banditry and kidnapping in the state.
He says, “We are satisfied with the efforts of the state government towards ensuring peace in the state. But we are appealing to the government to assist us with operational vehicles and motorcycles. Government should also fulfil its promise of providing us with weapons so that we can do more for the state”.
When asked what the administration was doing to improve security throughout the state, he said that recruiting 3,000 vigilantes was one measure.
Meanwhile, the state administration has recruited and trained 1,100 out of 3,000 vigilantes to protect the state from potential security threats. The remaining 1,900 are scheduled to begin training in stages.
He added, “Without adequate information, we could not have achieved the level of success we recorded in the fight against banditry. In fact, these young women perform better than some of the men we have and they continue to show bravery at all times.”