Vigilantes in north-central Nigeria confront rising insurgent attacks

Footage from Viory showed residents of Wamba village carrying weapons and patrolling the area on motorcycles and bicycles.

Residents and volunteer fighters described an escalating security crisis, saying bandits and insurgents have been crossing in from neighbouring areas to launch raids on rural communities.

Dayabu Qulu Wamba, head of a local vigilante group, said residents were forced to organise after repeated attacks left people dead and prevented farmers from accessing their lands.

“We have a security challenge I consider a test. We couldn’t watch our people continue to die and be denied access to their lands by these bandits, and that was the motivation for us,” he said.

“We started confronting bandits with locally made guns. Many fighters have died, including my brother.” He said Wamba’s location near areas affected by banditry has made it vulnerable to incursions by armed groups. Vigilantes said they have repeatedly clashed with attackers despite limited resources.

“We heard that bandits were coming and we went to stop them,” said Ahmadu Ibrahim, a local fighter who showed wounds he said were sustained during a confrontation. “We lost three men and I was shot in my hands. It took me 12 months to heal the bullet wound, and there was no help from the government. But our commander was always by our side.”

Residents say years of violence have displaced hundreds of households and caused major economic losses.

“More than 500 households were displaced,” said local resident Sani Umar. “Many people lost millions. We then organised our own self-defence and set up a committee to support local vigilantes. Now we’re able to carry on with normal activities, even when we hear bandits may attack.”

The violence comes amid a broader wave of insecurity across Nigeria. Last week, at least 29 people were killed in an attack in Adamawa State, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility.