Pro-Government Militias

Pro-Government Militia Website

Icelanders / Niger Delta Vigilante (Nigeria)

Basic Group Information

Name assigned by coder: no
PGM ID Number: 407
Country: Nigeria
Date formed: April 19, 2003
    Accuracy of date formed: day
Details of Formation: Although mainly a-political, it has allegedly been created by the Rivers state governor after elections in April 2003 to fight other militant groups and the opposition.
Date dissolved: Sept. 3, 2005
    Accuracy of date dissolved: day
Details of Termination: Since 2004, the group was in the process of disarmament. In 2005, the Rivers State Police Command had declared the leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante (NDV) wanted.
Termination Type(s): none

Former and Successor Group Information

Predecessor group(s): none
Successor group(s): none
Private Military Company? no
Former Group? yes
    Former Armed Group? no
Former Rebel Group? no
    Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: none
PGM Becomes Rebel Group? no information
    Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: none

Government Relation, Support, and Training

Government Relation: informal (type 1)
Created by the Government?: no information
    Main Creating Government Institution: none
Government Link(s): person/minister; sub-national government
    If link to party, name of party: None
Training and Equipment: yes
Shared Information and Joint Operations: no
Shared Personnel: no
Type(s) of Material Support: domestic government; crime
State Sponsor(s): none
Other Connection(s):

Group Characteristics

Membership: ethnic; religious; adolescents; party activists
Primary Membership: religious
Alternative Primary Membership: no information
Location: Rivers state, Port Harcourt
Force Strength: [6000, 10000]
Target(s): civilians; rebels, insurgents, or other armed group
Purpose(s): intimidate political opposition; fight insurgents

Ethnic Characteristics

Ethnic Target(s): none
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: not applicable
Ethnic Membership: Ijaw (Nigeria)
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: inferred
Ethnic Purpose: none
    Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: not applicable

Other Information

Other Information: Also known as Niger Delta Vigilante Force or Niger Delta Vigilante group

New Variables from Meta-Analysis

Purpose

Purpose: After local elections in 2003, the local government in Rivers set up the Icelanders to fight against the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force which was opposed to the ruling People’s Democratic Party.
Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use unknown

Treatment of Civilians

Treatment of Civilians: The militia killed and harassed alleged political opposition. The violence against civilians led to deterioration of the security situation in Rivers state. The battles between the Niger Delta Vigilante and the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force led many local residents in Rivers state to relocate. Despite growing instability in 2003, the police and regular security forces did not intervene to prevent the escalation of violence. In 2004, the security forces began to carry out operations against the militia to improve the security situation. (Human Rights Watch 2005, 2, 18)
Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: killing

Reasons for Membership

PGM Members Coerced? no information
PGM Members Paid? no information
Reasons for Membership: No information.
PGM Members Killed? sometimes

PGM Size

Size: According to different reports, the militia had 6,000 to 10,000 members.

Weapons and Training

Weapons and Training: The militia received arms from a local chief in Okrika, in addition to arms purchased through illegal oil revenues.

Organisation

Organisation: Niger Delta Vigilante is an umbrella group that also includes smaller groups such as the “Icelanders” or “Germans” (Human Rights Watch 2005, 4). These smaller groups have already existed in the 1990s and aligned with the NDV in 2003/2004 to gain more power.

Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis

Human Rights Watch. 2005. “Rivers and Blood: Guns, Oil and Power in Nigeria’s Rivers State. A Human Rights Watch Briefing Paper”. https://www.hrw.org/report/2005/02/04/rivers-and-blood/guns-oil-and-power-nigerias-rivers-state.

Wikipedia. “Niger Delta Vigilante”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger_Delta_Vigilante

Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD.

Evidence