Boko Haram - Northern VIGILANTES join forces with JTF

Armed with machetes and clubs, vigilantes in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri are setting up roadblocks and conducting house-to-house searches to aid the army’s fight against Islamist militants.

While the military welcomes the public’s support in the battle against the Boko Haram Islamist group, human rights activists say vigilantes’ activities may worsen violence and lead to abuses against innocent civilians.

So far the vigilantes have seized more than 100 suspected insurgents in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital that has borne the brunt of Boko Haram’s violent campaign to impose Shariah law on Nigeria, according to Abubakar Malum, a leader in a group that calls itself the Civilian Joint Task Force.

“The activities of the vigilantes is a step in the right direction,” Mohammed Modu, a fish seller in the city of about 1 million, said on June 25. “They seem to be more effective in capturing Boko Haram members than the soldiers.”  http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-07-01/vigilantes-armed-with-machetes-fight-nigerian-islamist-militants