Killings: Northern Govs Rattled As Amotekun, Other States’ Security Outfits Struggle Without Guns

•Govs underfund many, some exist only on paper

Amid rising insecurity across the country, state security outfits appear overwhelmed owing to operational challenges that have held many of them down since their establishment.

The situation, which has limited their ability to respond to security threats threatening their areas, has left many existing literally on paper.

Since 2010, many states have established various security outfits, according to reports. But despite their establishment, which always heralds hope of improved security, killings, kidnappings, rape and other forms of violent crime continue to fester.

In the last four months, no fewer than 3,190 people have died violent deaths across the country, with North Central topping the chart, findings by Sunday Vanguard revealed.

Also, 2,819 abduction have taken place within the same period.

This is despite the fact that thirty-five states voted N214 billion for local security outfits, defence, and purchase of arms and equipment in their 2025 budget.

Rural dwellers
As of press time, from Sokoto to Maiduguri, Calabar to Benue, terrorism, banditry, killings by herdsmen, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, vandalism and other crimes threaten lives.

Farmers and other rural dwellers are often the victims of this orgy of violence, that has raised strong questions about the competence of Nigeria’s security architecture.

These questions are more disturbing given that many states have established several security outfits to complement efforts of conventional law-enforcement agencies. Yet checks across the states by Sunday Vanguard revealed that many lack the capacity to contain the current spate of insecurity in their localities. Many exist on paper, while others struggle to battle insecurity that has assumed monstrous proportions.

ONDO: More hands, gadgets
Speaking with Sunday Vanguard, Ondo State Commander of Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, acknowledged that communities across all 18 Local Government Areas, LGAs, are troubled by insecurity. He identified kidnapping and armed robbery as the major crimes in the area, and said the outfit needs more personnel to fight crime adequately.

Adeleye told Sunday Vanguard that Ondo currently has over 2,500 personnel deployed across the LGAs.

”With the creation of LCDAs, we definitely need more hands to be able to tackle crimes across the state. Telling you the exact number of our personnel is not possible because it’s a security matter,” he noted.

On challenges, Adeleye said: “We would like improved technology for tracking and locating criminals, as well as gadgets to enhance our operational capability, improved intelligence and better equipment. These are the major areas we want to improve upon this year. The collaboration we have with all security agencies—especially the police, the army, the DSS and the NSCDC—has greatly assisted in stabilizing the security situation in Ondo State.”

On the use of firearms, Adeleye added: “We are putting our lives on the line. What they have provided for us is what we are using, and that is what we will continue to use. Automatic weapons are on the exclusive list.

“All the commanders of Amotekun in the South-West have met to ensure our borders are not porous for miscreants to enter. As we speak, all the states have geared up action towards ensuring border safety, and I’m sure this will deter bandits from entering the South-West.”

It was also gathered that Amotekun Corps in Ondo has recruited 1,200 personnel deployed to border areas to checkmate a possible influx of bandits.

OSUN: Operational vehicles, motorcycles
In Osun State, Amotekun’s major duty is to curb kidnapping and banditry. Recruitment favours indigenes of each local government. At inception, under the Gboyega Oyetola administration, the corps started with about 800 cadets and 20 utility vehicles. This helped reduce kidnapping in Ijesaland through collaboration with local hunters and conventional security operatives.

However, with a resurgence of crime in neighbouring states and border communities, the current administration has just completed recruiting 1,150 new cadets to complement existing personnel.

Corps Commandant, Adekunle Omoyele, said cadets bear pump-action, double-barrel and locally fabricated guns, which are inferior to weapons wielded by kidnappers and bandits. “It takes ingenuity to tackle crime, especially when faced with superior weapons. Timely intervention by the police or other sister security outfits sometimes helps in difficult situations, “ Omoyele said.

He added that the major obstacles facing the corps are the non-availability of operational vehicles and motorcycles for effective patrol duties and intelligence gathering.

According to him, the logistics request has been submitted to Governor Ademola Adeleke, who has assured that vehicles, motorcycles and other equipment will be provided. “With over 1,500 personnel, if given necessary support, we would effectively tackle kidnapping and banditry in the state,” he added.

OYO: Adequate men, limited authority
Col. Bisiriyu Olayinka Olayanju (retd.), Commander of Amotekun in Oyo State, said farmer-herder clashes still occur, albeit less frequently. Despite recorded successes, Amotekun faces limited funding, which affects its ability to procure essential equipment.

On personnel strength, he explained that his men are spread across all local governments and 322 wards. “We have enough men, about 2,500. And we are firmly rooted in every ward,” Olayanju said.

He admitted that bandits carry more sophisticated weapons than his men.

”If we had better weapons, we would perform better than we are doing presently,” he said.

Olayanju is optimistic that with sophisticated weapons, they will perform optimally.

EKITI: Arms for Amotekun, Agro-Marshall
In Ekiti State, insecurity in border communities with Kogi and Kwara poses a huge task for Amotekun. Although Governor Biodun Oyebanji provides support, challenges remain logistical and operational. The inability of Amotekun to bear arms leaves it handicapped against armed herders.

The state also has Agro-Marshals who complement conventional law-enforcement efforts. Special Adviser on Security Matters Brig. Gen. Ebenezer Ogundana (retd.) said plans are ongoing to enable Amotekun and Agro-Marshals to bear arms.

He said: “Their role is to observe and gather information for major security agencies. If armed, they could deliver their mandate more effectively. They are trained in martial arts and other skills but are not yet prepared for independent operations.”

AKWA IBOM: Weak in crime-fighting
To improve security in Akwa Ibom State, Governor Umo Eno launched the Ibom Community Watch (ICW) under his ARISE agenda. A new Ministry of Internal Security and Waterways was created to coordinate the ICW.

The Commissioner for Internal Security, Gen Koko Essien (retd), said the ICW started with 550 personnel who underwent two weeks of training under the Nigerian Police Force to serve Uyo. ICW’s core vision is to provide grassroots security, supply intelligence to federal agencies, and protect government property.

The goal is to recruit 5,000 persons, 30 percent of whom will be women, with each LGA receiving a vehicle, motorcycles and communications equipment.

A security expert, on condition of anonymity, observed: “There’s a constitutional challenge and fear of abuse of power if state outfits are armed. If unarmed, they can’t tackle violent crime effectively.”

Despite an anti-open-grazing law and enforcement committee since 2021, herders’ attacks persist.

The ICW also suffers a credibility crisis driven by opposition accusations of partisan motives, and struggles with one vehicle per LGA, insufficient for effective community policing.

ZAMFARA: Poor weapons to confront bandits
In Zamfara State, former Governor Abdulaziz Yari established the armed Yan ýSakai vigilantes, but ex-Governor Bello Matawalle disarmed them, empowering unarmed vigilantes instead.

Despite these efforts, Zamfara remains one of Nigeria’s most terrorised states. Bandit leader Bello Turji continues commanding terror networks, with bandits wielding superior weapons captured from security agents or purchased with ransom funds. Scores have died in remote communities.

BENUE: Guards underequipped
Last year, Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State launched a state-owned security outfit named Benue State Civil Protection Guards, tasked with the responsibility of complementing conventional security operatives’ efforts in maintaining peace in the state.

While unveiling the 5, 000 personnel of the new security outfit, he said the initiative was born out of the desire to decisively combat criminality in the state.

100 Hilux security vans and 600 special combatant motorcycles were donated to boost the efforts of the security outfit. He added that a Joint Security Task Force named ‘Operation Anyam Nyor’ has been formed.

The governor said the Task Force will have operatives of the Nigerian Army, Navy, the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), and the DSS working together to tackle the security challenges bedeviling the state. Benue also has Community Volunteer Guards, Livestock Guards, as well as the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law.

However, Sunday Vanguard gathered that the agencies are challenged by inadequate operational equipment to respond to the widespread killings in the state, which are perpetrated by herders. This accounts for why herdsmen usually overrun villages unchallenged.

No fewer than 300 people have been killed by herders across the state since January 2025.

PLATEAU: Operation Rainbow Handicapped
In 2023, the current administration in Plateau State launched a new state security outfit codenamed Operation Rainbow.

It was saddled with the responsibility of fighting the alarming insecurity in the state. Its members are composed of conventional and non-conventional security agents.

The outfit started with 600 men, with a promise by Governor Caleb Muftwang to recruit an additional 2000 personnel to be deployed across the state.

However, given the scale of killings in the state and sacking of communities by herdsmen, there are doubts about the efficiency of the outfit.

Investigation by Sunday Vanguard showed that, apart from the usual inadequate operational equipment, the outfit is not strengthened enough to confront the scale of killings and other organised crimes in the state.

The biggest obstacle towards realising the mandate of Operation Rainbow is its inability to bear arms.

This, a source said, has made it impossible to challenge or respond appropriately to those carrying out the killings across LGAs in the state.

The source said the outfit was recently prevented from carrying arms by an agency of the Federal Government.
He explained that a cache of pump-action rifles legally acquired by the Plateau State Government for Operation Rainbow was seized.

The source said the situation has affected the state’s efforts to arm its local security operatives amid a surge in violent attacks allegedly carried out by militias targeting indigenous communities.

“This is a dangerous precedent. The state government followed due process, obtained necessary approvals, and acted within the legal framework. Yet the DSS swept in and seized weapons meant for lawful use in community defense,” the source added.

EBONYI: Handcuffs only
Ebonyi State government also established a Neighborhood Watch Group with membership drawn from the 13 local government areas of the state to complement the efforts of security agencies to control crimes and other security challenges in the state.
The group is armed with handcuffs only to arrest criminals.

There is also the Ebonyi Vigilante Corps, which performs similar functions. Nonetheless, herdsmen disturbances and other forms of violence, targeting rural farmers, are still issues of concern.

However, Ebonyi is relatively reducing the activities of herdsmen and other crimes due to community policing.
Ebonyi State Commissioner for Internal Security, Prince Etta Uka Ude, said the state is more secure now than before due to the emergence of Neighborhood Watch.

He explained that Governor Francis Nwifuru has provided security training, gadgets, and vehicles to security outfits in the state to enhance their duties.

Arms
The Internal Security Commissioner stated that despite the fact that the Neighbourhood Watch security outfit doesn’t bear arms, they discharge their job diligently and secure the state through intelligence gathering mechanisms.

He explained that every local government area in the state has 114 Neighborhood Watch members each, while 298 men are in the urban areas being paid by the state government promptly.

“Ebonyi State is more secure than any other state in the Southeast today due to the total efforts of the governor Nwifuru, who has provided the security agencies and Neighborhood Watch security outfit with vehicles and gadgets to move around to do their job.

“We have enough men of Neighborhood Watch who work closely with the members of the public and community leaders to provide security in the state through the information-gathering approach.”

KANO: Taskforce
In Kano, the state House of Assembly had passed a law, Kano State Security Neighborhood Watch Law, with the governor, Abba Yusuf, assenting to the law creating a security outfit.

In the meantime, the state put in place a committee, Kano State Joint Task Force Committee on Peace Restoration and Youth Rehabilitation, to check some forms of insecurity in the state. The joint task force comprises the Police, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps.

SOKOTO: 150 guards per LGA
Sokoto is one of the states in the North-West bedeviled by challenges of insecurity.

The state, in 2024, established a local vigilante group of 2000 able-bodied men to help complement the efforts of conventional security outfits in the fight against banditry and kidnapping. Named the Community Guards, it is a grassroots security initiative.

The formation of the community guards by the Sokoto State government was aimed at bringing succour to troubled rural communities in the state. Sokoto, like other states in the northwest, has witnessed a surge in attacks from heavily armed bandits who raid villages and abduct residents for ransom and displace many communities.

Numbering 2,000, Sokoto Community Guards members are spread across the state’s 13 local government areas.

These places are highly volatile with an average of 150 guards per LGA; their task is more difficult and challenging. Unlike conventional military or police units, the guards rely mostly on basic weaponry, primarily pump-action guns that hardly match the assailants wielding AK-47 rifles, machine guns, and other sophisticated weapons.

According to a local source, the challenges in the fight are enormous. “Guards are doing their best, but their numbers and equipment are nowhere near a match for the strength or firepower of the so-called bandits,” he stated.

The reality on the ground is that many of the volunteers lack aggressive basic military training and lack protective gear. Sometimes, they operate in extreme harsh conditions for weeks without backup or enough logistics.

“One of the biggest challenges we face as Sokoto Community Guards is not just the superior weaponry of our enemies but the silent sabotage from within, as many communities harbour informants – individuals who secretly dish out information to criminals, alerting them of security plans or our troop movements,” a member of the outfit, who pleaded anonymity, said.

KEBBI: Lakurawa threat
Findings revealed that Lakurawa poses the greatest threat to rural communities in Kebbi State.

The worst hit are villages near Nigeria’s border with the Niger Republic.

The terrorists infiltrate Kebbi through Sokoto State and the border with the Niger Republic.

Apart from vigilante groups that support conventional security forces, Kebbi has no armed security outfit.

BORNO, YOBE: Vulnerable
Since its formation nearly two decades ago as a response to Boko Haram killings, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CivJTF) has been on the frontline. The outfit, which comprises civilians dedicated to the fight against insurgency, has recovered lives and property from terrorists.

With over 26,000 men in Borno and Yobe states, CivJTF boasts the highest number of men among other state outfits.
Although not fully armed, they have braved the odds to confront a more sophisticated and brutal enemy.

Scores of its members have also died in the line of duty, highlighting the dangers they face. Chairman of CJTF, Babashehu Abdulganiu, said 1,773 members of the Civilian Joint Task Force were killed between 2012 and 2022 while fighting Boko Haram.

Logistic difficulties and occasional conflicts with the military over coordination and operational control are some of the challenges its men face. Sunday Vanguard further learned that inadequate funding hampers the activities of CJTF.

It was gathered that its operations often rely on informal funding and logistic support, making them vulnerable to shortages and affecting their ability to sustain long-term operations.

KATSINA: Over 1, 000 men
As one of the states highly ravaged by insecurity in the North-West, Katsina State launched the Community Watch Corps (CWC) in 2023.

The personnel were drawn from the banditry-ravaged local government areas and communities across the state. It is saddled with the responsibility of combating the activities of terrorists and other criminal elements operating in the area.

With over 1, 000 men, the CWC is struggling to fight banditry in the state.

EDO: Disarmed
The Edo State Security Corps (ESSC), which had the duty of maintaining local security in the state, succeeded the 11, 089 defunct Edo State Security Network.

With its men deployed across all the local governments, the ESSC is currently battling herdsmen who attack rural communities in rural areas.

Although not fully armed, men of ESSC carry small arms like pump-action guns. However, since the coming of the Okpebholo administration, they have all been disarmed given what the government called a profiling exercise.

ENUGU, IMO: Intelligence challenge
Sunday Vanguard observed that activities of herdsmen have drastically reduced in some of the states in the region, especially in Abia, Anambra, and Imo, due to the manner in which they tackled their destructive activities, especially kidnappings and killings.

Their activities are, however, presently still noticeable mainly in Enugu and Ebonyi states.

In Enugu, they are still very active in Uzo-Uwani, Isi-Uzo, Igbo-North, and Igbo-Eze South, part of Udenu and Nsukka Council areas. In Ebonyi State, Nkalagu and other communities around still witness intermittent attacks from herdsmen.

The state police command, perhaps on the instructions of government, always ignores inquiries about these kidnappings.
But when published by any news medium, the same police would be the first to swiftly deny such reports.

Enugu has set up good security architecture with a state-of-the-art command and control center, but how the intelligence being generated is processed is entirely another thing. Enugu State also has forest guards, but their effectiveness is not felt in the communities.

ANAMBRA: High-profile arrests
Before 2025, when Governor Chukwuma Soludo launched the Agunechemba Security outfit, Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG) was the security outfit used to ensure local security.

The AVG was employed by the leadership of communities, which majorly include traditional rulers and presidents-general.
This leadership oversees the recruitment, arming, and payment of the operatives.

However, following the rate of armed robbery, killings, and kidnapping for ransom in the state, Soludo launched the latest outfit.

He signed into law the Homeland Security Act, which is a wide range of laws that seek to tackle the root cause of insecurity in the state.

The law, among other things, criminalizes native doctors who prepare protective charms for kidnappers or get-rich-quick charms, also known as Oke Ite.

It provides that any property found to have been used for harboring kidnap suspects or housing kidnappers without the owner revealing same to security agencies will be forfeited to the state government.

Through several high-profile arrests of suspected criminals, including native doctors, the outfit is complementing the efforts of conventional security agents.