Pro-Government Militias
Lagos State Vigilante Group (Nigeria)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | yes |
| PGM ID Number: | 474 |
| Country: | Nigeria |
| Date formed: | Sept. 30, 1996 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | day |
| Details of Formation: | The group was formed by state government in September and received legal backing in November 1996. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | noinf |
| Former Group? | no information |
| Former Armed Group? | no information |
| Former Rebel Group? | no information |
| 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: | semi-official (type 2) |
| Created by the Government?: | no information | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | sub-national government |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; plunder and loot |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | no information |
| Primary Membership: | no information |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Lagos State, city of Offa |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 3000] |
| Target(s): | civilians; criminals; students |
| Purpose(s): | protect property and investment; self-defense and security; anti crime |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | Other states in Nigeria may possess similar vigilante groups, but evidence on whether those groups are armed is missing: Delta State Vigilante Groups, Kaduna State Vigilante Group, Kano State Vigilante Group, Osun State Vigilante Group and Yobe State Vigilante Group (see evidences). See also similar federal state-sponsored State Vigilante Groups in the databank. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The vigilantes were created by the state government of Lagos to reduce crime and to act as local neighborhood watches. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | Militiamen have targeted criminals and robbers during attacks which led to multiple deaths. Furthermore, deadly clashes with students were reported. The militia has extorted money from civilians as a means to gain income. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | No information. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | The militia had about 3,000 members. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The militia received payments and weapons from the state government to fulfil their tasks which included tear gas and handcuffs. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The PGM received payments from the state government, in particular from the Ministry of Rural Development, but was locally organized. It carried out joint operations with the police. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.