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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Deus Ex Machina or Frankenstein Monster? The Changing Roles of Bakassi Boys in Eastern Nigeria |
Author: | Ukiwo, Ukoha |
Year: | 2002 |
Periodical: | Democracy and Development: Journal of West African Affairs |
Volume: | 3 |
Issue: | 1 |
Period: | September |
Pages: | 39-51 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Nigeria |
Subjects: | organized crime crime prevention national security Labor and Employment Law, Human Rights and Violence |
Abstract: | In November 1998, the Shoemakers Industrial Union Incorporated in Ariaria Market in Aba, the commercial centre of eastern Nigeria, formed a militia, the Bakassi Boys, to rid the market of criminals. The method of the organization is unconventional in many ways. Members arrest known criminals and their patrons and not only summarily execute them, but also destroy their properties. They do not involve the police or other formal judicial agencies. The Boys are believed to carry charms that make them invincible. The fame of the Bakassi Boys spread like wild fire, and their example was followed in other towns. With their rising popularity, these vigilante groups have taken over other controversial roles in society. This article chronicles the rise and changing roles of the Bakassi Boys, examining their emergence in the context of the upsurge in the incidence of crime in Nigeria, especially after the economic recession of the 1980s. Notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract] |