The Bakassi Boys were a group of Nigerian youth vigilantes[1][2][3][4] who operated majorly in the south-eastern and south-southern regions of Nigeria, between 1998 and 2006. Activities of the vigilante group included targeting perpetrators of armed robberies, ritual killings, kidnapping, such as in the case of Eddy Nawgu, an alleged prophet and occultist whom they killed and beheaded.[5]
The Bakassi Boys were usually armed with machetes and guns, and wear an array of black magic artifacts and Juju around their body.[6] They operate in the Igbo areas of Nigeria and have been accused of extrajudicial killings[7] of suspected petty thieves, armed robbers, ritual killers, murderers, corrupt persons, and generally anyone they considered evil.[8] The manner in which they determined if one was evil or not was allegedly by the use of dark magic, in which they placed a silver-colored machete[9][3] on the chest of any suspicious person, and if the machete's color changed from silver to blood red it meant the person had committed a heinous crime at some point in their life, and such a person would be killed immediately.
In the south-eastern part of Nigeria, especially Anambra State, they still enjoy popular support in the areas where they operate because certain problems in the region have greatly decreased since the inception of the vigilante group in 1998.[10] According to publications by various Nigerian media houses, they had an alleged magical immunity to gunshots.[1][11][12] This metaphysical power was referred to as Odeshi amongst the Igbo people of Nigeria.[13] Odeshi is an Igbo word that loosely translates to "it does not leak" or "it would not leak",[14] which was used to mean that they were impervious to gunshot.
The Bakassi Boys have now rebranded and are now known as Anambra Vigilante Services[15] and have reduced their activities significantly.[16]
History
editThese groups took their name from the Bakassi peninsula, an oil-rich peninsula in the Annang-Efik-Ibibio region of the coastal south-eastern Nigeria. The Bakassi Boys emerged as a vigilante group simultaneously with sharp increases in the crime rate of Abia State.[citation needed]
They originally enjoyed the support of the governor, Orji Uzor Kalu who appreciated the effectiveness of the group in combating the crimes in Aba and environs. However, as the crime rate was decreasing in Aba, other eastern Igbo cities' crime rates remained the same or were on the increase in some cases. The group then was then reportedly invited to those other cities, including Onitsha and Owerri, to help in the combatting of violent crimes.[citation needed]
In time, law enforcement agencies became regarded as ineffective in the region, and the Bakassi endeared themselves to many Igbo traders and merchants. However, political opponents of some governors accused the group of extrajudicial killings and accused governors of using the Bakassi Boys as weapons of intimidation. As a result of heightened opposition, the group has attempted to rebrand itself as Anambra State Vigilante Services.[citation needed]
In media
editA film titled Issakaba, an anagram for Bakassi, was produced in the year 2000 by Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, and it depicted the origin of the vigilante group and their encounter with Eddy Nawgu.[17][18]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Bakassi Boys voodoo is proving hard to break". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
- ^ Itiri, Nnaemka Uwakwe (2014). "The Transformation of the Bakassi Boys Vigilante Group among the Igbo Ethnic Group of Nigeria into a Community Police Force". VUNA Journal of History and International Relations.
- ^ a b Babson, Ajibade. "Anti-Bullet Charms, Lie-Detectors and Street Justice: the Nigerian Youth and the Ambiguities of Self-Remaking" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2007-11-15.
- ^ "Bakassi boys battle bandits". News24. 2002-08-10. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ "The Legitimization of Murder and Torture". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
- ^ Harnischfeger, Johannes (March 2003). "The Bakassi Boys: fighting crime in Nigeria". The Journal of Modern African Studies. 41 (1): 23–49. doi:10.1017/S0022278X02004135. ISSN 1469-7777. S2CID 145177356.
- ^ Baker, Bruce (2017-03-02). "Anambra State Vigilante Service (Nigeria) and Crime". Taking the Law into their Own Hands. doi:10.4324/9781315241883. ISBN 9781315241883.
- ^ "Refworld | Nigeria: The Bakassi Boys: The Legitimization of Murder and Torture". Refworld. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ Francis, David J. (2017-07-05). Civil Militia: Africa's Intractable Security Menace?. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-351-95123-4.
- ^ "Nigeria: Bakassi Boys; leadership, membership, activities, and treatment by authorities (January 2005 - February 2006)". Refworld. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- ^ "Traditional Bulletproof As Mainstream Technology". EveryEvery. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
- ^ "Africa story: 'Odeshi': Bullet charm fails as Ghanaian juju priest lands in hospital". Aviation News, Hotel News, Hospitality News, Destination News, Airline News, African News, Quarterly News, I love to travel, Travel News, African Tourism, Latest News, Events News, Personality News. 2017-04-11. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
- ^ "Nigeriaworld Feature Article - Odeshi!". nigeriaworld.com. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ "About". ODESHI. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
- ^ "Refworld | Nigeria: Bakassi Boys; leadership, membership, activities, and treatment by authorities (January 2005 - February 2006)". Refworld. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ "The Return Of Killer-"Generals" & Violent Market "Leaders" In Anambra State (Part 3)". www.thenigerianvoice.com. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ Issakaba (Video 2000) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-05-29
- ^ "LIVING LEGEND - Lancelot O. Imasuen; Nollywood film Producer and Director AWARD – OTEDO.COM". ihuanedo.ning.com. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
External links
edit- Osita Agbu, Ethnic Militias and the Threat to Democracy in Post-Transition Nigeria, Nordic African Institute, 2004
- BBC, Gang Rule in Nigeria
- Gamji.com, The Truth About the Bakassi Boys
- Human Rights Watch, The Bakassi Boys: The Legitimization of Murder and Torture
- Harry Nwana,Who are Bakassi Boys, Vanguard, December 28, 2000 Archived April 29, 2019, at the Wayback Machine