A group of women in Jos, central Plateau State, has set up an all-female vigilante outfit in response to worsening insecurity and what members describe as repeated failures of official security assurances.
The initiative, featured by Reuters on Tuesday, brings together women who say they were driven to act after persistent violence, theft and drug-related activity disrupted daily life in their neighbourhoods.
Operating as a grassroots effort, the group conducts nightly patrols armed with little more than whips and identification cards.
Members say their presence has helped curb petty crime and drug use in targeted areas, despite limited resources and no formal backing.
“We have been able to help reduce thefts, taking of drugs and other vices,” the group’s leader, Blessing Ngozi Emmanuel, was quoted as saying.
The vigilante team numbers about 20 women drawn from both Muslim and Christian communities, a notable collaboration in a region that has long experienced religious and communal tensions.
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Patrols typically run between 9 pm and 1 am, focusing on locations identified by residents as crime hotspots.
Members acknowledge the risks involved, revealing that some have sustained injuries during operations, while others report receiving threats linked to their activities.
One woman said she had been warned she could be made to “disappear” if she continued participating.
Despite these challenges, the group insists it does not seek to replace formal law enforcement, but to complement community safety efforts in the absence of adequate protection.
They also complain of minimal official engagement, saying that local government representatives only visited them weeks ago, after months of active patrols.