Kano state women vigilante unit wey ready to face any man wey commit crime

“Some pipo dey look at us as wayward women because we choose to join vigilante but e no get security work wey no need women to succeed.”

Dat na how Aisha Abubakar wey be member of di female unit of one vigilante group for Kano state (northern Nigeria) begin tori of how dia unit dey contribute to stopping crime.

“Wetin attract me to vigilante na because of di many crimes wey dey happun for our society, I feel say women also get big role to play to stop some of di tins wey dey happun. Our work just be like military in di sense dat nothn like say dis na man or dis na woman, we all get same goals and targets.

We no dey fear to arrest man wey commit crime infact male offenders dey fear us because bad pesin dey always get fear for pesin on di side of di law irrespective of weda na man or woman.” She tok.

Anoda member Hadiza Tanko on her part tell BBC Pidgin say, wetin attract her to join di female vigilante unit na sake of how drug abuse hook many pipo for her area.

“Many of our younger ones dey into drug trafficking and abuse and e dey pain me wella na why I feel say if I join vigilante, I go fit contribute to stopping many of di tins wey dey happun.”

She add say as women, e dey easier for dem to go undercover to investigate some crimes as pipo dey more likely to dey open with woman compared to man.

“Some times as women wey go undercover to get to di bottom of crimes, for example if na drugs case, we fit even use our hands to buy from di dealer so as to know wia di problem dey come from. Also if na market issue, we go go dia like normal customers without our uniforms so as to use our eyes and interaction see wetin dey happun before we come back to arrest di offenders.” She tok.

Di final member of di unit wey BBC News Pidgin sidon wit Zuwaira Abdullahi say, wetin dey always motivate her be say na her husband encourage and support her to join vigilante.

“All of us wey dey here get support from our family to join and do dis work, in my own case, my husband na im be my biggest fan and na im encourage me to join dis work.”

She also tok about her unforgettable day since she begin di work.

“Di day wey I no go ever forget na wen I go catch one man inside one uncompleted building with one small girl wey dey hawk food.

Wetin happun be say dat girl dey fear to go house because say her mama go beat her onto say she no sell di food wey she dey hawk na why dis man invite her to di uncompleted building with promise say afta e do wetin im wan do, e go buy di whole food, na dia we arrest di man go.”

Shehu Rabiu na im be commander for Kano state vigilante group and e tok say di reason dem form dis female unit na because dem feel say women get a lot to contribute to stopping crimes wey dey happun.

“Dis female unit dey very important and na why we form am, because e get areas wia na dem dey take di lead, for example for our culture here, e dey wrong for men to enta married women homes but our female officers fit enta without any issue.”

“We don give dem all di necessary trainings and dem fit do wetin man go do and we believe say many women go continue to show interest to join dis work.”

Vigilante group for Nigeria

According to security expert Isa Hashidu, vigilante group for Nigeria start over 20 years ago and unlike wen dem first start dem, don really grow for recent years.

Dem dey involve in community policing and most times sabi dia local areas pass conventional security operatives like police and military.

Vigilante for Nigeria na registered group wey get backing of Nigerian law and dia officers na from di communities dem dey operate in.

Dem get members across di 36 states of Nigeria and almost all di 774 local goments, dem get dia headquarters for Kaduna state and command office for Abuja wey be capital of Nigeria.

Dem dey liaise with Nigeria Police to carry out dia community policing work and as e be say dem no get power to prosecute, any arrest wey dem make dem dey forward to Nigeria police for prosecution.

According to di vigilante laws, na pipo wey dey 18 years and above fit join and di pesin must get secondary school leaving certificate.