Reprisal Killings: Sokoto government bans vigilante groups

The Sokoto State government has banned “self-styled vigilante groups” whose alleged targeted killings in rural markets have been blamed for sparking reprisal attacks by bandits in some local government areas in the state.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how such attacks in Illela and Goronyo Local Government Areas of Sokoto State led to the death of 45 people.

Following the incidents, Governor Aminu Tambuwal condemned the activities of self-styled vigilante groups in the areas, warning that the government would not tolerate their lawlessness.

On Tuesday, Mr Tambuwal’s spokesperson, Muhammad Bello, in a statement, said the government banned the groups in an effort to check the activities of the non-state actors responsible for killings in the eastern part of the state.

Below is the full statement from the government:

In order to drive the efforts to curb the proliferation of banditry and sundry crimes bedeviling the eastern flank and other parts of Sokoto State, the state government has banned self-styled vigilante groups from operating in the state.

Instead, citizens desirous of contributing their quota to the fight against criminals and criminalities have been advised to join legitimately constituted vigilante groups that would from now on operate under the supervision and direction of the state Police Command and other security outfits in the state.

Already the state Police Command has commenced the training of legitimately constituted vigilante groups in the state preparatory to signing of the law.

Gov. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state made this known on Monday while signing into law the “Yan Sa Kai [Self-Styled Vanguards] (Prohibition] Order 2021” at a stakeholders security meeting held at the Sultan Maccido Institute for Qur’anic and General Studies, Sokoto.

The order while outlawing “the organization, operation, and activities of ‘Yan Sa Kai’,” stipulates that any contravention shall be “punished in accordance with the provisions of the Penal Code Law 2019.”

Consequently, any convicted offender of section 4 (a,b,c and d) shall be guilty and liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of 14 years or to both such fine and imprisonment.

Section 5 also provides that “any person who while in public has with him offensive weapons or missiles, otherwise than in pursuance of lawful authority, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of N200,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of 7 years or to both such fine and imprisonment.”

Prior to signing the law Gov. Tambuwal had told participants at the gathering that it was convened “to see how best we can support the vigilante groups in Sokoto.

“We know the history of banditry and what happened in Zamfara and the role of ‘Yan Sa Kai, which they are still playing in Zamfara state; and, how that exacerbated the security situation in Zamfara state.

“We have noticed that this practice is creeping into Sokoto state and is causing a lot of harm. The most recent one is what happened in Illela local government area; and, we believe that we have to be very proactive in training, re-training and empowering the vigilante; and, making sure that they work hand-in-hand with the established security agencies as recognized by law.

“It is only that way that we can have the full benefit of their knowledge of the terrain and experiences in helping to curb and nip in the bud the current security challenges in the state,” explained the governor.

The meeting was attended by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, members of the Sokoto Sultanate Council, heads of security outfits in the state, local government Chairmen, district heads and leadership of the legitimate vigilante groups in the State.