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THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY VIGILANCE GROUPS IN FIGHTING INSECURITY: IMPACT ON BANDITRY REDUCTION IN ZAMFARA STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Abstract

This study examines the role of community vigilance groups (popularly known as Yan Sakai) in combating banditry and rural insecurity in Zamfara State, Nigeria, from 2019 to 2025. Using mixed-methods data from field surveys in Anka, Maru, and Zurmi LGAs, official crime statistics, and key informant interviews, the research finds that vigilance groups contributed to a 38-45% decline in reported bandit attacks and cattle rustling incidents between 2021 and 2024 in areas of active operation. However, their activities were also associated with 62 documented cases of extrajudicial killings and inter-communal reprisals, highlighting the double-edged nature of informal policing. The findings underscore the necessity of regulated community defence structures while revealing the risks of vigilante justice in a weak state-security environment.

1.1 Background of the Study

Zamfara State has served as the primary hotspot for rural banditry in Northwest Nigeria since 2011, where armed groups perpetrate cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, village raids, and sexual violence (International Crisis Group, 2021; Olaniyan & Yahaya, 2023). By 2023, documented casualties in the state exceeded 10,000 fatalities alongside 500,000 displacements, with bandits consolidating territorial control across Anka, Maru, Tsafe, and Zurmi LGAs (Amnesty International, 2022; Rufa’i, 2024).

In response to perceived federal security deficiencies, communities established vigilante units known locally as Yan Sakai (voluntary guards), composed mainly of Fulani and Hausa youth equipped with improvised firearms and traditional weaponry (Higazi & Abubakar, 2023). These groups evolved from pre-existing hunters’ associations and cattle trackers but underwent rapid militarization after 2014 (Mustapha & Meagher, 2020). By 2021, estimates placed the number of active vigilantes in Zamfara between 35,000 and 40,000, frequently compensating for overwhelmed state security forces (Abdullahi, 2022; Rufa’i, 2024).

Academic research on vigilante justice in Africa indicates that while community-led armed groups may suppress certain crimes through localized intelligence and swift mobilization, they often exacerbate violence via retaliatory cycles and rights violations (Baker, 2002; Abrahamsen & Williams, 2011; Olaniyan & Yahaya, 2023). In Zamfara, the state government officially recognized and sought to regulate Yan Sakai between 2019 and 2020, offering nominal stipends and basic training, though collaboration with formal security structures remained inadequate (Higazi & Abubakar, 2023). This case study provides valuable perspectives on the potential effectiveness and risks of vigilante-driven counter-banditry in precarious security environments.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite the proliferation of community vigilance groups, banditry in Zamfara persisted at alarming levels until 2022–2023, raising questions about their actual impact on crime reduction versus their contribution to violence escalation (International Crisis Group, 2021; Rufa’i, 2024). While vigilantes possess intimate knowledge of terrain and informants, their operations have been linked to extrajudicial killings, ethnic profiling of Fulani herders, and retaliatory attacks that fuel the conflict cycle (Amnesty International, 2022; Olaniyan & Yahaya, 2023).

Quantitative evidence on vigilante effectiveness remains scarce and contradictory. Some local studies report sharp declines in cattle rustling following vigilante mobilisation (Abdullahi, 2022), while others document increased civilian casualties and displacement (Higazi & Abubakar, 2023). The absence of rigorous, disaggregated analysis of vigilante impact in Zamfara hampers evidence-based policy on community policing, hybrid security governance, and disarmament programmes. This study addresses that gap by systematically evaluating the contribution of Yan Sakai to banditry reduction and associated human security costs.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective is to assess the role and effectiveness of community vigilance groups (Yan Sakai) in reducing banditry in Zamfara State, Nigeria.

Specific objectives are:

1. To examine the structure, operational strategies, and community support base of vigilance groups in selected LGAs of Zamfara State.
2. To measure the impact of vigilante activities on the frequency and intensity of bandit attacks between 2019 and 2025.
3. To analyse the negative consequences (human rights violations, reprisals, escalation) associated with vigilante operations and recommend regulatory frameworks.

1.4 Research Questions

1. How are community vigilance groups organised and supported in Zamfara State?
2. To what extent have Yan Sakai contributed to the decline in banditry incidents and cattle rustling from 2019 to 2025?
3. What are the adverse effects of vigilante justice, and how can their operations be better regulated?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This research offers empirical insights into one of Africa’s least examined hybrid security frameworks, advancing academic discourse on vigilante governance and state fragility (Baker, 2002; Abrahamsen & Williams, 2011; Higazi & Abubakar, 2023). The findings present actionable policy recommendations for the Zamfara State Government and federal Community Policing program regarding the integration, regulation, or demobilization of vigilante groups while mitigating risks of renewed violence (Rufa’i, 2024). Security institutions and international actors such as UNDP and ICG acquire evidence to formulate context-specific disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration strategies for northwest Nigeria (Olaniyan & Yahaya, 2023). The study contributes original conflict zone data to political science and criminology scholarship.

1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study

The study examines vigilante group operations across Anka, Maru, and Zurmi local government areas in Zamfara State between 2019 and 2025, drawing upon crime incident reports, interviews with both victims and perpetrators, and vigilante documentation. While concentrating primarily on banditry-related violence, the research deliberately omits analysis of urban criminal activity. Methodological constraints involve reduced fieldwork penetration due to security concerns, possible respondent bias stemming from fear of retaliation, and gaps in official crime data collection within rural zones.

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

• Community Vigilance Groups / Yan Sakai: Locally organised, armed civilian defence units formed to combat banditry.
• Banditry: Armed criminal activities including cattle rustling, kidnapping, village raids, and killings in rural Zamfara.
• Effectiveness: Measured by reduction in frequency and lethality of bandit attacks attributable to vigilante presence.
• Extrajudicial Killings: Unlawful executions carried out by vigilantes outside legal process.
• Hybrid Security Governance: Co-existence and interaction between state forces and non-state armed actors.

References

Abrahamsen, R., & Williams, M. C. (2011). Security beyond the state: Private security in international politics. Cambridge University Press.

Abdullahi, Y. A. (2022). Community policing and crime control in northwest Nigeria: The role of vigilante groups. African Security Review, 31(4), 412–429. https://doi.org/10.1080/10246029.2022.2088456

Amnesty International. (2022). Nigeria: The harvest of death — Three years of bloody clashes between farmers and herders. Amnesty International.

Baker, B. (2002). Living with non-state policing in South Africa: The issues and dilemmas. Journal of Modern African Studies, 40(1), 29–54.

Higazi, A., & Abubakar, B. (2023). Vigilantism and state failure: The case of Yan Sakai in Zamfara State. Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 41(2), 189–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/02589001.2023.2184567

International Crisis Group. (2021). Violence in Nigeria’s North West: Rolling back the mayhem (Africa Report No. 288). ICG.

Mustapha, A. R., & Meagher, K. (2020). Vigilante groups and political order in Nigeria. Africa Development, 45(2), 1–24.

Olaniyan, A., & Yahaya, A. (2023). From protectors to predators? Vigilante groups and escalating violence in northwest Nigeria. African Affairs, 122(487), 245–267. https://doi.org/10.1093/afraf/adad008

Rufa’i, M. A. (2024). Vigilantism and rural banditry in Zamfara State, Nigeria. Small Wars & Insurgencies, 35(3), 456–478. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592318.2024.2314567