Vigilantes in Uromi, Edo State, have taken to the streets to protest the seizure of their firearms by the State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika.
The demonstration, which entered its second day on Monday, is in response to recent security concerns in the state.
During the protest, one of the vigilantes declared, “We are here until they answer us; I’ve been a vigilante for 21 years.”
The group stated that they had spent years working closely with Divisional Police Officers to keep the calm in difficult areas.
Many of them claim to have received formal government training in areas such as weaponry handling, tactical mobility, and other security operations and to have obtained certifications upon completion of the exercises.
However, upon taking office, Agbonika reportedly ordered the return of their guns as part of a larger revamp of the state’s security architecture.
The vigilantes said they followed the order but were astonished when the CP went on live television and boasted about recovering over 2,000 firearms.
They now fear for their lives, especially because stories of escapees from police are surfacing in the state.
“We are no longer safe, so we need our guns back,” said the spokesman for the group.
“We are yet to work until they answer us because we have suffered on this job. As a person like me, I have been a vigilante for 21 years. Now, if you check my hand, more than 15 bullets are inside my hand currently,” he added.
In a video posted on X by @NigeriaStories, another protester said the arms seizure has made it difficult for them to continue assisting law enforcement.
“We have been working with our Divisional Police Officer right from the beginning. We worked with him and any area we received calls from, we move in to make restore peace,” the protester said.
He added, “When there was a problem in Ikpoba-Okha, we came out from our houses to make sure we supported the DPO to ensure there was peace in Ikpoba-Okha. Now they have collected our arms; we cannot support the DPO again and many things have been happening around Edo State.
“That’s why we, the vigilantes, are protesting. They trained us on how to shoot, dive and do many things. After training, they gave us our certificates.
“Unfortunately, when the new CP came, he said he wanted to repair Edo State and we respect him as a good citizen of Edo State, we used our hands to give him our guns.”
The protest came weeks after vigilantes in Uromi apprehended a group of northern hunters from Kano suspected of kidnapping.
The episode resulted in the lynching of 16 persons, causing indignation and condemnation among northern groups, including the Arewa Consultative Forum.
