Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,207,198 members, 7,998,170 topics. Date: Saturday, 09 November 2024 at 09:03 AM

If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys - Politics - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys (596 Views)

I Shouldn't Witness 2024 If Obi Wins Election - Northerner / No Bakassi Boys In Anambra State / "BAKASSI BOYS" Return To Awka, Anambra State (Video) (2) (3) (4)

(1) (Reply) (Go Down)

If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by guysbewise: 7:02am On Jun 02
It was Obasanjo a yoruba man during his presidency that saved the Igbos from the bakassi boys imposed on them by their own South East governors.
"it is their activities in Anambra State that has caused most concern." Obi's own state!

The bakassi boys are worse than bandits and boko boys.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1998624.stm
By Dan Isaacs
BBC correspondent in Onitsha, south-eastern Nigeria


Human rights campaigners have called on the Nigerian Government to disband state-sponsored vigilantes operating in eastern Nigeria.

In a report published on Monday, the US-based Human Rights Watch says that the vigilantes, known as the Bakassi Boys, have carried out scores of extra-judicial killings as well as hundreds of cases of torture and arbitrary detention.


It is good because they catch the criminals, then kill them and burn them

Local trader
The report also warns that these groups are being used as a tool for politically-motivated violence in the run up to national elections.

Although the Bakassi Boys operate in three states across south-eastern Nigeria, it is their activities in Anambra State that has caused most concern.

There, they have been adopted by the state government as a crime fighting force - funded and officially sanctioned under a law passed by the state parliament two years ago.

They work independently from the police force in the state, and do not as a rule hand suspects over to them, a fact confirmed by the Abdul Bello, the Anambra state police commissioner.

"To the extent that they do not submit themselves to the control of Nigerian police force, they are not working with us," said Mr Bello.

And as for what they do with those they apprehend, Mr Bello said: "You had better ask them, because I don't know what they do. And that is where we part ways."

But there is no doubt that the activities of the Bakassi Boys, despite their methods, are popular among many of the traders in the sprawling town of Onitsha, home to one of the largest markets in West Africa, with an appalling reputation for armed crime.


In a world where the police had effectively abandoned law enforcement, the arrival of the vigilantes was very welcome.

"All that the police do is take bribes," one market woman tells me.

"When you tell them a crime has happened, they just run away."

These traders are people living day to day with theft and violent crime.

"Before the Bakassi Boys came, there were many problems with thieves and armed robbers. Now it is much better," says one shopkeeper.

But few have any doubts about the vigilante's tactics, and another man tells me: "It is good because they catch the criminals, then kill them and burn them".

Climate of fear

At the entrance to the headquarters of Bakassi Boys in Onitsha, two cars bear the vigilante logo on their bonnets: a skull and cross bones crudely painted in red.

By the door a young man in dark glasses sits on a bench studying his reflection in a highly polished machete.

Bakassi Boys car
The Bakassi Boys have a fearful reputation
Gun cartridge cases litter the ground.

Up a narrow staircase and into a darkened office, the local Bakassi commander, simply known as Okpompi tells me how his men work closely with the local police, how they hand over all criminals they catch, and how they possess no weapons.

Once these formalities have been dealt with, we discuss the guns I can see hidden behind the sofa, the man I saw tied up and being beaten when I had arrived unannounced the previous day and, most revealingly, the methods they use to extract confessions from the suspects they catch.

'Supernatural powers'

The Bakassi Boys have a reputation for possessing powerful magic powers.

The objects I see around the room all bear witness to the use of fetishes and juju in their daily work.

Bakassi commander Okpompi
Bakassi Boys say they work within the law
There are also crucifixes on the walls.

"Our powers come from God", Okpompi tells me.

"We are all Christians working with the power of the Almighty."

Hanging from the door is a carving of a shrunken human head, on the desk are a range of small wooden coffins containing devices to determine the guilt or innocence of suspects - but they are sacred and must not be opened in my presence.

"We don't kill anybody. If anybody tells you the Bakassi Boys kills anybody, it's not true," says Okpompi, "but we do make people confess to their crimes."

The most infamous of their techniques involves a machete, imbued with powerful magic charms.

It is held against the bare chest of a suspect.

If it turns red, the person is guilty.

But only the Bakassi Boys can see the change of colour, and it is for them alone to decide guilt or innocence.

Claims of torture

Their claims that those found guilty are then handed over to the police are not only denied by the police themselves, but also challenged by those who have witnessed the Bakassi Boys activities first hand.


People are afraid to talk, they fear for reprisals

Chief Chike Udenze, businessman
Human Rights Watch researchers have documented testimonies to scores of killings as well as hundreds of accounts of torture and detention.

"They usually use their knives to kill people", businessman, Chief Chike Udenze tells me.

"They then use tyres over their necks, fill them with fuel and shoot into the tyres to set them alight. That is their usual method".

Chief Udenze is not a neutral observer to the activities of the vigilantes.

He is a prominent local politician who accuses the ruling establishment in Anambra state of using the Bakassi Boys to silence opponents such as himself.

"People are afraid to talk, they fear for reprisals," he says.

"But the use of the Bakassi Boys against political opponents could seriously jeopardise the conduct of the upcoming elections."

Crackdown on crime

Not surprisingly this is a view strongly rejected by the government of Anambra state, particularly as the Bakassi Boys are authorised and financed by them.

Anambra state governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju
The authorities turn a blind eye to the Bakassi Boys' excesses
The staunchest supporter of their activities is the governor himself, Chinwoke Mbadinuju who tells me that crime in the state had reached such an appalling level that something had to be done.

1 Like

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by chucks185: 7:13am On Jun 02
Look how useless you have become, creating asshole thread.

3 Likes 1 Share

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by SaiOba: 7:14am On Jun 02
Very useless thread. since March 14, 2022 wey you register NL.. na so so useless topics wey no make meaning naim u dey open.
Mtcheew

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by Remman(m): 7:15am On Jun 02
Very funny post without any good reasoning and thinking. Nigeria is bigger than any cult group and can deal with any group of similar nature. Government of nigeria is not consistent and so if a group can't be maintained it will collapse.

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by PresidObi: 7:15am On Jun 02
Find food for the op, he's hungry

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by guysbewise: 7:18am On Jun 02
chucks185:
Look how useless chucks185 and Obi supporters have become, creating asshole comments.
Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by Ofunaofu: 7:19am On Jun 02
guysbewise:
I remember it was Obasanjo a yoruba man during his presidency that saved the Igbos from the bakassi boys imposed on them by their own Igbo governors.

The bakassi boys are worse than bandits and boko boys.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1998624.stm

You are irredeemable

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by SaiOba: 7:23am On Jun 02
grin grin grin he is still copying and pasting grin grin grin
Ofunaofu:


You are irredeemable

2 Likes

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by helinues: 7:26am On Jun 02
Where is it going to win?

May be as usual online sha

8 Likes 1 Share

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by STEWpid(f): 7:28am On Jun 02
Chai..





The text up there is too much to read.


This is early morning biKO!

1 Like

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by Pussycokie45: 7:29am On Jun 02
helinues:
Where is it going to win?

May be as usual online sha

So to get a job is a sin to you?

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by muykem: 7:46am On Jun 02
You don't need to bother yourself. Peter Obi can never become Nigeria president. As long as his stronghold is IPOB supporters region, forget about it. People that can't hide their hatred for the north and south west want to sponsor president to Aso rock. No be juju be that.

8 Likes 1 Share

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by guysbewise: 7:50am On Jun 02
Obi's jazz is working on all you his supporters so you will always hate the truth when you are presented will proof.

Ofunaofu:
You are irredeemable

PresidObi:
Find food for the op, he's hungry

Remman:
Very funny post without any good reasoning and thinking. Nigeria is bigger than any cult group and can deal with any group of similar nature. Government of nigeria is not consistent and so if a group can't be maintained it will collapse.

chucks185:
Look how useless you have become, creating asshole thread.

2 Likes

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by guysbewise: 7:52am On Jun 02
muykem:
You don't need to bother yourself. Peter Obi can never become Nigeria president. As long as his stronghold is IPOB supporters region, forget about it. People that can't hide their hatred for the north and south west want to sponsor president to Aso rock. No be juju be that.

They also hate the South South. The Niger Delta elders were wise to have joined the Nigerian army to defeat their Ojukwu Bia-fraud.

1 Like

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by Nzogbu2012: 8:14am On Jun 02
how can you promote the Obi-Datti ticket for 2027, and still refer to yourself as a Biafran? Are Obi-Datti campaigning to govern Biafra or Nigeria? 🤭

8 Likes 1 Share

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by EmeeNaka: 8:24am On Jun 02
There is no Bakassi boys anymore. It is a disbanded organisation

1 Like 1 Share

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by guysbewise: 8:34am On Jun 02
EmeeNaka:
There is no Bakassi boys anymore. It is a disbanded organisation

They are just waiting for Obi to become the president of Biafra for them to come out again.
"it is their activities in Anambra State that has caused most concern." Obi's own state!

1 Like

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by kedeojo(m): 9:31am On Jun 02
muykem:
You don't need to bother yourself. Peter Obi can never become Nigeria president. As long as his stronghold is IPOB supporters region, forget about it. People that can't hide their hatred for the north and south west want to sponsor president to Aso rock. No be juju be that.
let them be deceiving their self, those people will prefer to support people like Umahi, Soludo and even Uzodinma who are not tribalistic like Obi and they don't support the ipob madness. Obi will not get those vote he got last year in 2027 because those sentiment he rode on are not convincing again. Muslim Muslim ticket, he used for religious propaganda has fall flat cos Tinubu has appointed more Christians in his government. Many Nigerians are watching how he always quick to condemned other zones happenings but keep mute in his zone. Arewa youth said it some weeks ago about it.

1 Like

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by Lovelive: 9:35am On Jun 02
When Buhari won, who saved us from Boko Haram ?

And when Tinubu grabbed it and ran with it , who is saving us from ritualists and kidnappers ?


Odè, you can drink sniper if you like. But your life is so precious to humanity. Who knows tomorrow you may see the light 🕯️ , you may say the truth but don't let it to be too late.


I 💕 you sweet country man/woman



guysbewise:
It was Obasanjo a yoruba man during his presidency that saved the Igbos from the bakassi boys imposed on them by their own South East governors.
"it is their activities in Anambra State that has caused most concern." Obi's own state!

The bakassi boys are worse than bandits and boko boys.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1998624.stm
By Dan Isaacs
BBC correspondent in Onitsha, south-eastern Nigeria


Human rights campaigners have called on the Nigerian Government to disband state-sponsored vigilantes operating in eastern Nigeria.

In a report published on Monday, the US-based Human Rights Watch says that the vigilantes, known as the Bakassi Boys, have carried out scores of extra-judicial killings as well as hundreds of cases of torture and arbitrary detention.


It is good because they catch the criminals, then kill them and burn them

Local trader
The report also warns that these groups are being used as a tool for politically-motivated violence in the run up to national elections.

Although the Bakassi Boys operate in three states across south-eastern Nigeria, it is their activities in Anambra State that has caused most concern.

There, they have been adopted by the state government as a crime fighting force - funded and officially sanctioned under a law passed by the state parliament two years ago.

They work independently from the police force in the state, and do not as a rule hand suspects over to them, a fact confirmed by the Abdul Bello, the Anambra state police commissioner.

"To the extent that they do not submit themselves to the control of Nigerian police force, they are not working with us," said Mr Bello.

And as for what they do with those they apprehend, Mr Bello said: "You had better ask them, because I don't know what they do. And that is where we part ways."

But there is no doubt that the activities of the Bakassi Boys, despite their methods, are popular among many of the traders in the sprawling town of Onitsha, home to one of the largest markets in West Africa, with an appalling reputation for armed crime.


In a world where the police had effectively abandoned law enforcement, the arrival of the vigilantes was very welcome.

"All that the police do is take bribes," one market woman tells me.

"When you tell them a crime has happened, they just run away."

These traders are people living day to day with theft and violent crime.

"Before the Bakassi Boys came, there were many problems with thieves and armed robbers. Now it is much better," says one shopkeeper.

But few have any doubts about the vigilante's tactics, and another man tells me: "It is good because they catch the criminals, then kill them and burn them".

Climate of fear

At the entrance to the headquarters of Bakassi Boys in Onitsha, two cars bear the vigilante logo on their bonnets: a skull and cross bones crudely painted in red.

By the door a young man in dark glasses sits on a bench studying his reflection in a highly polished machete.

Bakassi Boys car
The Bakassi Boys have a fearful reputation
Gun cartridge cases litter the ground.

Up a narrow staircase and into a darkened office, the local Bakassi commander, simply known as Okpompi tells me how his men work closely with the local police, how they hand over all criminals they catch, and how they possess no weapons.

Once these formalities have been dealt with, we discuss the guns I can see hidden behind the sofa, the man I saw tied up and being beaten when I had arrived unannounced the previous day and, most revealingly, the methods they use to extract confessions from the suspects they catch.

'Supernatural powers'

The Bakassi Boys have a reputation for possessing powerful magic powers.

The objects I see around the room all bear witness to the use of fetishes and juju in their daily work.

Bakassi commander Okpompi
Bakassi Boys say they work within the law
There are also crucifixes on the walls.

"Our powers come from God", Okpompi tells me.

"We are all Christians working with the power of the Almighty."

Hanging from the door is a carving of a shrunken human head, on the desk are a range of small wooden coffins containing devices to determine the guilt or innocence of suspects - but they are sacred and must not be opened in my presence.

"We don't kill anybody. If anybody tells you the Bakassi Boys kills anybody, it's not true," says Okpompi, "but we do make people confess to their crimes."

The most infamous of their techniques involves a machete, imbued with powerful magic charms.

It is held against the bare chest of a suspect.

If it turns red, the person is guilty.

But only the Bakassi Boys can see the change of colour, and it is for them alone to decide guilt or innocence.

Claims of torture

Their claims that those found guilty are then handed over to the police are not only denied by the police themselves, but also challenged by those who have witnessed the Bakassi Boys activities first hand.


People are afraid to talk, they fear for reprisals

Chief Chike Udenze, businessman
Human Rights Watch researchers have documented testimonies to scores of killings as well as hundreds of accounts of torture and detention.

"They usually use their knives to kill people", businessman, Chief Chike Udenze tells me.

"They then use tyres over their necks, fill them with fuel and shoot into the tyres to set them alight. That is their usual method".

Chief Udenze is not a neutral observer to the activities of the vigilantes.

He is a prominent local politician who accuses the ruling establishment in Anambra state of using the Bakassi Boys to silence opponents such as himself.

"People are afraid to talk, they fear for reprisals," he says.

"But the use of the Bakassi Boys against political opponents could seriously jeopardise the conduct of the upcoming elections."

Crackdown on crime

Not surprisingly this is a view strongly rejected by the government of Anambra state, particularly as the Bakassi Boys are authorised and financed by them.

Anambra state governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju
The authorities turn a blind eye to the Bakassi Boys' excesses
The staunchest supporter of their activities is the governor himself, Chinwoke Mbadinuju who tells me that crime in the state had reached such an appalling level that something had to be done.
Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by guysbewise: 9:51am On Jun 02
Lovelive:
When Buhari won, who saved us from Boko Haram ?

And when Tinubu grabbed it and ran with it , who is saving us from ritualists and kidnappers ?

Odè Lovelive, Lovelive can drink sniper if you like. But your life is so precious to humanity. Who knows tomorrow you may see the light 🕯️ , you may say the truth but don't let it to be too late.

I 💕 you sweet country man/woman

Odè Lovelive. Have you asked yourself if the Northern governor were the ones that came together to officially form Boko Haram to replace the police force?
Obi's Jazz is working on all you his supporters that you now hate the truth when you are presented with proof.

1 Like

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by Lovelive: 9:56am On Jun 02
People like you thanks to Previous God we know you with your propaganda. It is not working and shall never work again.


Now vomit the sniper you have taken. We still need you.



guysbewise:


Odè Lovelive. Have you asked yourself if the Northern governor were the ones that came together to officially form Boko Haram to replace the police force?
Obi's Jazz is working on all you his supporters that you now hate the truth when you are presented with proof.
Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by Chimarto: 9:57am On Jun 02
People with sense no dey this group again
Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by guysbewise: 10:00am On Jun 02
Lovelive:
People like you thanks to Previous God we know you with your propaganda. It is not working and shall never work again.

Lovelive will keep his the sniper Lovelive have taken. Because when Obi's jazz has cleared from Lovelive head the sniper will be Lovelive only hope.

Better for you to keep your sniper, Because when Obi's jazz has cleared from your head that sniper will be your only hope.

1 Like

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by Tochi3(m): 10:01am On Jun 02
Nzogbu2012:
how can you promote the Obi-Datti ticket for 2027, and still refer to yourself as a Biafran? Are Obi-Datti campaigning to govern Biafra or Nigeria? 🤭
..

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by Lovelive: 10:15am On Jun 02
The sniper you have taken, you even forget. Please do the needful before it is too late.

guysbewise:


Better for you to keep your sniper, Because when Obi's jazz has cleared from your head that sniper will be your only hope.
Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by guysbewise: 10:18am On Jun 02
Lovelive:
The sniper Lovelive is keeping, for when Obi's jazz has cleared from Lovelive' head
Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by Lovelive: 10:20am On Jun 02
Take it easy. You will be fine.
I really care for you.

[quote author=guysbewise post=130265846][/quote]
Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by guysbewise: 10:28am On Jun 02
Lovelive:

Obi's jazz does not allow Lovelive to care for himself.
Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by tuborme: 10:31am On Jun 02
Obi abolished Bakassi in anambra state. The picture of the man carrying gun near Obi is an AVG (Anambra Vigilante Group) operative which was a community based security system that Obi used to replace the bakassi system.

Unfortunately, the subsequent governments have not done well to improve the remuneration of these agents in line with the current economic realities.
Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by guysbewise: 10:38am On Jun 02
tuborme:
Obi abolished Bakassi in anambra state. The picture of the man carrying gun near Obi is an AVG operative which

It was Obasanjo that sent the military to disband the bakassi boys after the Igbos cried for help to save them from the bakassi boys. The guy in the photo will easily join the bakassi boys again when Obi becomes the president of Biafra.
Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by Lovelive: 6:33pm On Jun 02
Yeye Agbadorians/Baterian, you have nothing serious to say.
Enjoy your Sunday in peace.


guysbewise:

Re: If Obi Wins Who Will Save Nigeria From The Bakassi Boys by guysbewise: 6:44pm On Jun 02
Lovelive:
Yeye Lovelive Baterian, Lovelive have nothing serious to say.
Lovelive will enjoy his Baterian in peace.

(1) (Reply)

Senate Passes Bill Regulating Cattle Rearing Business In Nigeria / THIS LGA AUTONOMY IS FULANI JIHAD PER EXCELLENCE! - NNAMDI ELEKWACHI / Why Northerners Protested Against Tinubu But Didn't Against Buhari

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 68
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.