Residents of Dutse Alhaji in Bwari Area Council, Abuja, the Nigerian capital city have resorted to the use of local vigilantes to secure their environment as insecurity worsens.
The residents are been robbed every night without the police making real efforts to secure the people and stop the incessant robbery.
Some of the residents who spoke to MAWA FOUNDATION say the armed men carry out robbery unchallenged in a group of 15 to 20.
Miss Esse, a resident of Zone 6 area of Dutse Alhaji close to old vigilante office, narrating the incident of robbery, said armed men numbering about 20 stormed her compound at about 3:00 am last week and robbed for two hours carting away televisions, telephones, and generators belonging to tenants.
She added that the armed men came with a cart they used in loading properties stolen from tenants into their car. Esse added that they were robbed from 2 am to 4 am and the police did not show up at the crime scene until after the robbers had finished and left.
At the Zone 5 Area of Dutse Alhaji, Mr. Uche’s shop was robbed, two Televisions, a Generator, and Fridge stolen. The armed men numbering about 10 broke into his shop and made away with the equipment he uses for football matches show.
This is even as football matches show is the only means of Uche’s livelihood.
At the zone 3 Area of Dutse Alhaji, opposite New World Hotel, residents who spoke to MAWA, say they are been robbed every night without the police doing anything to stop the incessant robbery.
Residents of Sokale, Zone 1, and Zone 7 have the same narrative. Sparking to MAWA, they say they are been robbed every night. They added that virtually all the time they were robbed, they had reported to the police who never showed up but rather left them at the mercy of the armed robbers.
In attempts to address the incessant insecurity in the community, residents decided to set up different categories of vigilantes with tenants paying N1,500 to N1,000 every month, a fee that is used to pay the Vigilante members for securing the environment.
As a result of the community Vigilante efforts, the area is been secured with the hope of having crime reduction.