(New York, February 28, 2003) - Militia and vigilante violence continues to pose a real threat to security in Nigeria, especially in the period leading up to elections in April 2003, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. One of the more notorious groups is the O'odua People's Congress (OPC), an organization active in the southwest, which has killed or injured hundreds of people over the last few years.
The 58-page report, "The O'odua People's Congress: Fighting Violence with Violence," provides detailed accounts of killings and other abuses by the OPC since the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo came to power in 1999. An organization that promotes self determination for the Yoruba ethnic group, the OPC is also part ethnic militia and part vigilante group. It has cashed in on a growing sense of disenfranchisement among the population and has taken advantage of the inability of the police force to maintain law and order.
"Vigilante violence in many parts of Nigeria is an increasing problem," said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa division at Human Rights Watch. "The OPC is a particularly dangerous example of the phenomenon."
Some of these killings occurred in the context of ethnic conflicts, for example in the Idi-Araba area of Lagos in February 2002 when OPC members and other Yoruba clashed with members of the Hausa ethnic group and more than seventy people were killed. In one of the most serious incidents, in October 2000, more than 250 people were killed in Ajegunle (also in Lagos) as Yoruba and Hausa fought for several days; testimonies gathered by Human Rights Watch confirmed that the OPC had played a central role in the violence in Ajegunle. In other cases, OPC members publicly killed and mutilated alleged criminals in the course of their vigilante work. They have also attacked and killed policemen.
However, OPC members have been victims as well as perpetrators of human rights abuses. The report describes the brutal response of the police, which has resulted in the extrajudicial execution, arbitrary arrest, torture and prolonged pre-trial detention of hundreds of suspected OPC members. Police have frequently raided OPC meetings including in situations where there was no evidence that those present were engaged in criminal activity. Yet there have been few successful prosecutions of OPC members or their leaders responsible for the violence.
"Fighting violence with violence will not solve the problem," said Takirambudde. "On the contrary, it appears to have strengthened the resolve of the OPC to fight."
The report highlights the role of some state governments in supporting the OPC and in failing to publicly condemn the organization's use of violence. Some state governors have turned a blind eye to the OPC's acts of violence and attempted to justify using the group to fight crime on the basis that the police have been unable to do so. But whatever the weaknesses of the police force, government authorities have a responsibility to prevent the population from resorting to self-appointed vigilante groups that are known to engage in violence, Human Rights Watch said.
In 1999, President Obasanjo declared a ban on the OPC, which remains in force to this day, despite the absence of any legislation. Nevertheless, OPC members have openly provided security arrangements at public gatherings, including official events, such as the ceremony for the lying-in-state of former Minister of Justice and Attorney General Bola Ige, in January 2002, which was attended by many government officials, including President Obasanjo.
In recent months, there have been fewer reports of OPC violence, but the organization remains active and visible, and its leaders have not accepted responsibility for the serious abuses committed by their members.
"As pre-election violence is increasing across Nigeria, the OPC with its large mass membership represents a powerful force, which could be unleashed with disastrous consequences," said Takirambudde.
The report makes recommendations to the Nigerian government, including identifying and bringing to justice OPC members responsible for acts of violence, according to due process; issuing clear instructions to the police to respect the right to life and to refrain from excessive use of force; and reforming the police to ensure that it maintains law and order effectively, without carrying out systematic human rights violations.
Human Rights Watch also appealed to the leaders of the OPC to make clear to their members that acts of criminal violence will not be tolerated, and that abuses by the police, however serious, are never a justification for responding in kind. Because the OPC has a clear structure and chain of command, its leaders should be held responsible for the actions of their members, and OPC leaders should refrain from making any statements that could encourage violence.
"If the organization is claiming to fight crime, it should cooperate with the police and hand over any suspected criminal," said Takirambudde. "Under no circumstances should vigilante groups dispense their own form of justice."
