THE STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN NIGERIA 2005 - UNDP Nigeria ...

Known touts who also double as NARTO officials were seenwith police orderlies while the governor and chief executive of thestate does not even have one. ” 4The apparently close relationship between MASSOB and the Ngige government coupled withMASSOB’s growing profile, led to several groups, politicians and armed gangs to align with MASSOB.Police or MASSOB did not confirm this allegation, though corroborated by several sources includingjournalists and politicians.Following the annulment of Ngige’s election as Governor by the Court of Appeal, Enugu in March 2007and the subsequent swearing in of Mr. Peter Obi of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) asgovernor, the political equation in the state changed. With the Peoples Democratic Party striving toregain power in 2007, the rising profile of ex Governor Chris Ngige who has defected to another partyand Peter Obi’s APGA which was now in power, the stage was set for further crisis. Several armedgroups began to emerge with most of them actively funded and loyal to known political figures andparties in the State. Among the identified armed groups in the states are:· High Tension or Ota boys· Biafran Commandos (BCOMS)· Awada Vigilante group (NTU boys)· Emma Nnewi Boys· Asoanya Boys· Ikuku Boys· NARTO· OBJ/Atuegwu Boys· NURTW· ASMATA BoysMost of the names widely peddled as leaders or promoters of these group were people variously linkedwith past vigilante activities in the state such as the Bakassi boys. The groups are mainly made up ofunemployed youths ready to do anything to survive the harsh economic situation.Meanwhile the removal of Chief Ngige deprived the BCOMS (erroneously called MASSOB) of theirsource of livelihood. The group diverted to other activities including criminal practices to sustainthemselves. They succeeded in gaining control of some motor parks. They began to dabble into civildisputes, imposing themselves as judges and deciding disagreements or misunderstandings arisingfrom business or contractual relationships. The party adjudged to be at fault would be compelled tomake certain payments at the risk of being tortured or killed. Their operational bases include, ApakaForest Reserve in 33 Area of Onitsha, Mkpor Area, Silas Works in Silas Street, Mkpikpa Layout,Okpoko, a suburb of Onitsha.The June CrisisThe struggle for control of the economic potentials of the motor parks and the bitter struggle for thepolitical control of Anambra State set the stage for the June crisis. The immediate cause however wasan attempt by MASSOB militants to dislodge NARTO from the lucrative Upper Iweka Motor park onJune 15.Following several bloody clashes between militant MASSOB activists and NARTO boys in severalmotor parks in Onitsha and its environs such as in January 2006 and between April 26­28 2006, which4Interview with an Onitsha based Journalist September 13, 200668