Exclusive: Police Begin Clampdown On Vigilante Groups Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

The Police in Lagos have started arresting residents who have formed vigilante groups to ward-off the robbery attacks in the state, ekohotblog can confirm.

Some residents of Lagos and Ogun States have turned to vigilantes in an effort to ward off the constant robbery attacks in their various communities.

Residents have had their nights of sleep cut short as different groups of young boys, who go by different gang names, have unleashed terror in various communities in the two states.

However, on Tuesday, around midnight, men of the Area G Police Command, led by one Inspector Jago, stormed Bamgboye street and its environs in Ojokoro LCDA area of Lagos State to arrest the young men of the community.

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Over ten people who came out to participate in the vigilante duties were arrested as others took to their heels.

When Ekohoblog visited the area on Thursday morning, residents were seen going round houses begging for money to go and bail those who were arrested.

Some of the residents who spoke to ekohotblog narrated what happened.

A resident who identified himself as Ismail said that they were outside on the fateful day when the patrol van of police suddenly stopped and they started arresting people.

“I was outside with my friends on Tuesday like we have been doing for days. We were burning tires at the beginning of the street to ward-off those robbers when suddenly we saw the patrol vans of police drove in. We thought they just wanted to address us, but suddenly, they started arresting us. That was when we took off. They even shot in the air”, he said.

Another resident of the area who spoke on condition on anonymity said that it came as a surprise that police arrested residents who were trying to protect themselves.

He said: “How do you want us to protect ourselves when they are arresting us. We didn’t break any law. Those that have been robbed, all they tell them is sorry. Is that what we should wait for? We don’t have a government in this country. Now, we are trying to raise money to bail those arrested.”

On the same night, police officers also stormed Papa Ogundimu in the Iju Ishaga area of Ifako-Ijaiye in Lagos State and arrested another batch of residents on vigilante duties.

This time, those arrested were taken to Panti police station.

It took the intervention of the Chairman of the Community Development Association (CDA) of the area and the Lagos State House of Assembly member to facilitate their release.

Ekohotblog tracked down one of those arrested, and he shared his experience with the online newspaper.

Bode (Not real name) said they were picked up by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) around 1 am on Tuesday and whisked them away to Panti.

“Around 1 am on Tuesday, SARS operatives entered our street, Papa Ogundimu and arrested those of us outside on vigilante duties. We were beaten and treated like thieves. When we got to the station, they locked us up with other criminals.

“While there, they kept bringing in other people during the night. Some of those people were also arrested while on vigilante duties,” he said.

Fear In The Land

On Wednesday night, ekohotblog went round some communities to observe the level of vigilante works following the news of arrests by police officers.

Unlike the previous three days when people turned out in their numbers, only a few people stayed out to partake in the vigilante duties.

At Anjorin street, ekohotblog counted few people and those few were sitting quietly in front of their houses.

It is the same at Fabiyi Lane, also a street in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government area of Lagos State.

One of the vigilante members who spoke with our reporter said that when people heard of the arrest stories in other communities, they have decided not to come out.

“The news of the arrest has spread like wildfire, and that discouraged a lot of people from coming out. Nobody wants to be arrested for trying to protect themselves. You can imagine running from thieves and the police at the same time.”

Another resident, who refused to share his name, shared the same sentiment.

“Before we were more than this. Now, the community leaders have warned us to stay indoor. How do we stay indoor when those bad boys are still moving around? Now, if we see any police van, we would all abandon our work and run away. We are living in fear,” he said.