The Emergence of Non-State Security Apparatuses in Nigeria: Reflections on The Bakassi Boys in Aba, Southeastern Nigeria

Some of the identifiable challenges faced by Nigeria in the wake of her transition to civil rule in 1999 included a soaring rise in crime and the inability of the state's security apparatuses to adequately combat these problems with the desired promptness and professionalism. This challenge created a significant gap in the Nigerian State's security network, leading citizens in many parts of the country to form vigilance groups as an alternative to what the state could provide. Some of these groups emerged in some instances, in response to the unrestrained and unabashed arrogance of notorious criminal gangs whose activities the state security system could no longer contain. In this instance, the Bakassi Boys, in Aba, Abia State, filled the vacuum. This was an ad hoc security system that emerged in the wake of the transition to civil rule in 1999. Aba, a commercial nerve center in southeastern Nigeria, became a nest for hooligans, criminals, and women of easy virtue who masqueraded as ordinary people in the day and as big criminals at night. The terror unleashed on the town made it one of the most unsafe places to visit in the region.