NIGERIA-CRIME: Watching Your Neighbour’s Back

By Toye Olori Reprint | | Print |

Toye Olori

LAGOS, Nov 12 1996 (IPS) - It’s midnight and the clang of a metal gong causes women, children and some men to get off the streets of Bariga suburb here.

They are replaced by young men, who move out onto the streets in response to the gong’s call. Each is armed with a cutlass, club or iron bar. Some also carry tyres — collected dua was hit by a spate of armed robberies. The police have been unaimes in this West African nation, partly because they are ill equipped. As a result, communities have been setting up neighbourhood watches.

“Since the police cannot cope, we have to organise ourselves,” says Tayo Afolabi (34), head of the O”We have succeeded in scaring away would- be robbers as they are not sure what weapons we cas own guns but in our group we don’t have a gun.”

But while such groups have had s detaining, torturing or even killing innocent citiinfiltration by miscreants.

The programme is backed by a law, a copy of whiS.

It states that members of each watch are to ta have arrested any person who commits an offence or who, they suspect, intends to commit one.

The governmentarwa said at the programme’s launch last week.

“The task of ridding the state of criminals i armed robberies have also been taking other measures to involve ci the police by providing them with vehicles and other equipment starting from the first quarter of 1997.mes Danbaba explained that wealthy individuals and corporate bodies should assist the Police more actively in protecting lives and property.

In iminals, they can easily be given out if the people so desired,” says Ogun state administrator, Navy Commander Sam Ewang. “My admi the cooperation of members of the public, is poise However, past experience has made some people sceptical about cooperating with the police.

“People have lost confidence in the police be to them by civilians is usually passed on to the criminals with dire consequences for such informan/ips/to/kb/96)