Nigeria: August 8, 2002

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Troops guarding the border with Niger were alerted to be on the look out for mutinous soldiers from Niger trying to cross into Nigeria. Many soldiers in Niger have been complaining about poor living conditions and unpaid wages. Many have deserted and some are trying to leave the country.

The police have begun to fight back against vigilante groups like the Bakassi Boys in the southeast. The vigilantes, paid by local politicians and businessmen, impose law and order where the corrupt police have failed to. The vigilantes don't use courts and are quick to impose a death sentence on the spot. The police see their ability to extort money from businesses interrupted by the vigilantes, and this gives the police an incentive to fight the vigilantes. Attempts to reform the police are meeting with mixed success.

 

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