ETHNIC MILITIA AND VIGILANTISM IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA: A STUDY OF THE O’ODUA PEOPLES’ CONGRESS, 1999-2012

Abstract

Ethnic militia is one of the manifestations of national disintegration in Nigeria. It is basically borne out of existential threat in the polity where mutual suspicion and distrust pervade the atmosphere. One of the most influential militia formed along ethnic lines in the country is the O’odua Peoples’ Congress (OPC). The militia may pose a threat to Nigeria’s unity but strengthens the Yoruba’s bargaining power in the scheme of things in the country. However, many appear to downplay the extent of the influence of OPC and its disintegrative tendencies. Furthermore, its nature and mode of operations appear to be quite obscure to people living out the South-West geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Therefore, it has become imperative to bring to the fore a holistic history of OPC as one of the most impactful ethnic militia in Nigeria. It is also the purpose of the study to explicate certain factors that precipitated changes and continuity in the ethnic militia. OPC has gone through different periods of trials and challenges that either threatened its very existence or adjust its structure and mode of operations. One of such is the incarceration of its founder, Dr. Fredrick Fasheun in 1996. Consequently, the militia became factionalized. This study goes on to employ the eclectic method of research to analyze aspects of the history of OPC, choosing the most reliable data and interpreting them accordingly. The study finds that the OPC actually permeates most aspects of civil life in Yoruba land. The militia’s activities range from mediating civil disputes to enforcing civil order. These they do without the wholesome support of the State security outfits. However, the spontaneous popularity that the OPC enjoys in the region may have ensured its sustained existence.