Following an emergency security meeting chaired by Governor Abdullahi Sule on Monday, the Nasarawa State government has officially outlawed all ethnic vigilante groups operating within the state.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the state government instructed all affected ethnic vigilante groups to surrender their uniforms and weapons to the state commissioner of police within a two-week period.
Governor Sule, acting under the authority vested in him by Section 97A of the Penal Code and other relevant statutes, announced the ban after receiving counsel from the state security council. Among the groups banned are the Fulani ethnic vigilante group known as the Kungiyar Zaman Lafiya, the Bassa vigilante group, and the Eggon vigilante group.
Furthermore, Executive Order No. 1 of 2024, issued by the governor, proscribes any associations, movements, organizations, or societies associated with these groups operating under the guise of ethnic vigilantes.
The statement read, “Similar Organisations includes any association, movement or group of persons or society in whatever name called or form, with the aim and objectives of providing security amongst particular ethnic groups within Nasarawa State through the use of force or arms etc,” part of the Executive Order No. 1 of 2024 reads.
“Accordingly, the Kungiyar Zaman Lafiya nomad vigilante, Bassa vigilante, Eggon vigilante and other similar organisations are henceforth proscribed, and declared unlawful societies that are inimical to good governance in the state”.
The State Government then directed, that members of the Kungiwar Zaman Lafiya nomad Vigilante, Bassa Vigilante, Eggon Vigilante and other similar organisations, hand over all weapons or arms in their possession, along with uniforms to the commissioner of police Nasarawa State, within two weeks from the date of issuance of the order.
