Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Following an example from Mexico

These reports from Nigeria, if accurate, suggests that people there, like some in Mexico, have lost patience with a weak government.

Nigeria villagers kill dozens of suspected Boko Haram members

Vigilante villagers in northern Nigeria have killed and detained scores of people they suspected to be Boko Haram fighters planning a fresh attack, residents and a security official said, after the radical group kidnapped more than 300 schoolgirls last month and is believed to be holding more than 250 of them captive in a remote forest.

People living in the country’s northern states have been forming militia groups in various areas to resist advances by Boko Haram, an armed group that wants to establish a state in northeastern Nigeria ruled by conservative Islamic law.

Kala-Balge (N'Djamena is capital of Chad)

In Kalabalge, a village about 155 miles from the Borno state capital of Maiduguri, residents said they were taking matters into their own hands because the Nigerian military was not doing enough to stem Boko Haram attacks.

After allegedly learning about an impending attack Tuesday morning, villagers ambushed two trucks believed to be carrying members of Boko Haram, a Nigerian security official told The Associated Press.

The vigilantes detained at least 10 people and killed scores of others, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to give interviews to journalists. An Al Jazeera source said that at least 41 alleged Boko Haram fighters were killed. It was not immediately clear where the detainees were being held…

Borno is where more than 300 girls were abducted last month, and is one of three Nigerian states where President Goodluck Jonathan has imposed a state of emergency, giving the military special powers to fight Boko Haram, whose stronghold is in the northeast…

200 Insurgents Killed in Kala Balge By Villagers

Almost 200 suspected members of the Boko Haram were killed today by residents of Rann, the headquarters of Kala-Balge local government area in north eastern part of Borno State, officials and locals from the area said.

Sources said the insurgents, numbering over 300 stormed Rann and adjoining villages around 4am today but met resistance from the people who had knowledge of the impending attack…

"The people in Rann and environs used traditional fighting equipment and charms to repel the attacks...they really confronted the attackers who were equally ready for fight," a source said.

A state legislator from Central Borno, who does not want his name mentioned, confirmed the attack, pointing out that the locals had successfully repelled.

"The villagers succeeded in protecting their dwellings from the attackers. They killed about 200 members of the sect and many others escaped with serious wounds.

"Our people also recovered over 70 motorcycles that the attackers came with. They also collected 2 Hilux vehicles and an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) while some of the attackers were captured alive," he said…

Borno State police commissioner, Lawan Tanko said he was not aware of the attack…