Restraint
The minimum force necessary, and not one degree more. A member who enjoys the use of force does not belong in this organisation.
Who we are
Neighbours who volunteered to keep watch.
The Vigilante Group of Nigeria is a voluntary community security organisation. Its members live in the communities they serve, are known to those communities, and answer to them.
We exist because security is local before it is anything else. A stranger loitering behind a compound at 2am, a motorcycle without plates circling a market, a farm gate left open — these are things neighbours notice and outsiders do not. Our role is to organise that awareness into something disciplined, documented and lawful, and to put it at the disposal of the agencies with the statutory power to act on it.
We are non-partisan. We do not campaign, we do not endorse candidates, and membership confers no political office. We are not a militia, and we are not a private guard company for hire.
Mandate
What we do — and what we do not do
Clarity on this point protects the public, protects our members, and protects the relationship with the statutory agencies we support.
Within our mandate
- Observing and reporting suspicious activity to the Nigeria Police Force.
- Conducting rostered neighbourhood and market patrols in visible identification.
- Assisting the police with crowd control and traffic marshalling at their request.
- Detaining a person caught in the act of a crime only for the minimum time needed to hand them to the police.
- Supporting search-and-rescue, fire response and disaster relief under civil authority.
- Community sensitisation on crime prevention and reporting channels.
Outside our mandate
- Investigating, prosecuting, trying or punishing any person. That is for the courts.
- Holding any person in custody beyond immediate handover to the police.
- Using force other than the minimum reasonably necessary for self-defence or the defence of another.
- Carrying any firearm or weapon not expressly licensed and authorised by law.
- Entering or searching private premises without lawful authority.
- Collecting levies, fines or “settlements” from members of the public.
- Any political, ethnic or religious partisanship while identifiable as a member.
If a member breaks these rules
Report it. Misconduct by a member is a disciplinary matter for the Group and, where a crime has been committed, a matter for the police. Use the incident report form or call the hotline on 0803 347 2665. Complaints are recorded and are not disclosed to the member complained about without the complainant’s knowledge.
Legal basis — to be completed before launch
This section should cite the specific statutory or state-level instrument under which your command operates — for example a state Vigilance Service law, a Community Protection Guards edict, or a memorandum of understanding with the state government or the Nigeria Police Force. Do not publish a legal claim that has not been verified against the actual instrument. Send me the document and I will write this section against it.
Structure
From national headquarters to your street
Five tiers, each answerable to the one above it and to the community around it.
| Tier | Led by | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| National Headquarters Abuja |
Commander General & National Executive Council | Policy, discipline, national partnerships, standards of training, external representation. |
| Zonal Office 6 geopolitical zones |
Zonal Coordinator | Coordination between state commands, deployment of shared resources, inspection. |
| State Command 36 states + FCT |
State Commandant | Liaison with the State Police Command and state government, registration of members, welfare. |
| Local Government Unit 774 LGAs |
LGA Commander | Patrol rosters, equipment, liaison with divisional police officers, first-line discipline. |
| Ward / Community Unit | Ward Leader | The actual patrols. Known to residents by name, accountable at community meetings. |
Every member is registered
No person may operate as a member without a registration number, a photograph on file at the state command, and visible identification while on duty. If someone claims to be a member and cannot produce identification, treat the claim as false and report it.
History
Our history
Content needed
This page has a full layout ready for the organisation’s history — founding, formal recognition, major milestones, and the current national administration. Send me the dates and events and I will write them into a timeline here. I have deliberately left this blank rather than invent a founding story: an incorrect date on an official website is the kind of error that follows an organisation for years.
Values
Four things we ask of every member
Accountability
Named, numbered, photographed and identifiable. Anonymity is for criminals, not for those who police them.
Impartiality
No ethnic, religious or political favour. The same standard applied to a stranger and to your own brother.
Subordination to law
We assist the police. We do not replace them, outrank them, or act where they have not authorised us to act.
Ready to serve your community?
Membership is open to law-abiding Nigerians of good character. Screening is thorough, and it is meant to be.