Abuja Communities, Where Residents Pay To ‘Sleep’

Residents across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are increasingly funding their own security as gaps in formal policing and safe guarding homes and communities persist, particularly in satellite towns and rapidly expanding suburbs, Weekend Trust reports.

What has emerged is a widespread, community-driven system in which households contribute monthly stipends to sustain vigilante groups and private guards, an arrangement many say is no longer optional but necessary for survival.

While it is the primary responsibility of the Nigeria Police to provide internal security for its citizens, checks show that across many communities in the territory, especially in satellite towns and suburbs, residents rely more on local security arrangements for protection.

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This development, analysts blamed on the inadequate number of police personnel to provide internal security services across the nooks and crannies of the territory.

Weekend Trust reports that Section 14 [2] (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended, declared that: (b) The security and welfare of the people shall be the  primary purpose of government…; Section 4 (a) and (b) of the Nigeria Police Act, [2020] provides that:-  The Nigeria Police shall; (a) prevent crimes,  protect the rights and freedom of every person in  Nigeria… (b) Maintain public safety, law and order.

However, findings show that across several communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), households now contribute money running into hundreds of thousands monthly to keep vigilante groups and private guards on duty.

For residents of Tungan -Maje, Pegi, Abattoir extension, which cuts across Abaji, Kuje and Gwagwalada Area Councils of the territory who have suffered various kinds of crimes, especially kidnapping in the past, making local internal security arrangements remained the alternative means of safeguarding their homes and property.

In the same vein, residents of Unguwar Idris, Unguwar Toka, Ungwan Sarki and New site in Tungan -Maje community in Gwagwalada Area Council of the territory said they pay heavily to engage the services of  vigilante groups to provide security in their areas.

Mrs Patience Malachy, a resident of Unguwar Toka, in Tungan -Maje, said that due to rising insecurity in the area, they were forced to organise  a meeting and resolved to contribute N2, 000 monthly per tenant in order to engage vigilantes to safeguard their houses.

She noted that prior to coming up with the local security arrangement, some miscreants usually invaded homes to steal valuables when people have left for work.

She said  when the trend continued unabated residents of the area decided to come up with the idea of contributing money to engage the services of local vigilantes.

Malachy, said while it wasn’t easy for them to make such a contribution, the initiative had helped in reducing the rate of insecurity in the area.

She said for over two years, there has been no case of kidnapping around the area because of the vigilantes’ effort who are always on ground day and night.

A resident of an estate in Pegi community in Kuje area council of the FCT, Kolawale Benjamin, lamented how hoodlums always invaded the estate, especially after tenants have left for work, a development which forced them to engage services of local vigilantes.

He said each tenant pays N1,500 monthly for vigilante service in the area.

“Before now, there’s a provision shop where my wife sold things in front of the estate. Any time she closes, hoodlums come overnight to burgle the place. Until when we decided to come up with the initiative of engaging the services of the vigilantes before they stopped”, she said.

In Byazhin, Kubwa, Bwari Area Council, residents say the system of engaging local vigilantes and private guards has been in place for years due to rising security challenges.

“We had to introduce it because the conventional security system isn’t really working,” said Mrs Fummolayo Sanni, a resident’s association official.

According to her, landlords now pay between N2,000 and N3,000 monthly, while tenants pay about N500, and even at that, she notes that compliance is poor, forcing few to shoulder the burden of providing adequate security.

“It’s just a few people that are paying. With that, we can’t afford as many security men as we needed,” she said.

She said before, they engaged two guards whom are paid N40,000 monthly but had to reduce to one due to the financial burden. “We had two before, but because people weren’t paying, we had to step it down,” she added.

In other parts of Kubwa, the story is similar. Mr Ajie Nku, a resident of Arab Road, said tenants in his area pay ₦1,000 monthly.

“Initially we wpaid N500, but things became expensive so we had to increase the amount,” he said.

In Gwarinpa, Mr Michael Imadenobejeh said the payment for security is often tied to their annual rent payments.

“Whenever you renew your payment, your security charges are added. For 12 months, that is ₦12,000,” he said.

He said the area runs a mix of vigilantes and private guards, backed by gates and controlled access at night.

While some residents see the arrangement as necessary, others say it reflects a failure of the sgovernment.

“It affects my cost of living. It’s what the government is supposed to do,” said Mrs Ogechi Ajaegbu, a trader in Jahi.

A resident in Bwari, Augustine Ugo, put it more directly. “If we have a sincere government, we aren’t supposed to organise our own security,” he said.

In Karu, Amina Bello said residents had to take the initiative to protect themselves as they can’t afford to wait. “We cannot wait for government to do everything,” she said.

A community leader in Kubwa, Suleiman Muhammad, said organised patrols by local vigilantes have made a difference in the area. “Since we recruited them, we no longer have any case of serious security breach,” he said.

He said the community now spends between N300,000 and N400,000 monthly in maintaining the services of local security personnel.

A resident of Gbazango area in Kubwa, Abuja, Eze Emmanuel, said each shop owner in his area was made to contribute about N5,000 monthly, in order to settle the security guards deployed at three gates erected within the neighbourhood.

He said the arrangement, however collapsed about 6 months ago, as most of the residents could no longer comply in paying the dues.

Another resident, Adamu Abdullahi, said the arrangement collapsed following a burglary incident that happened despite engaging the services of the vigilantes at the time of the incident.

Weekend Trust also learnt that the community as part of security measures installed about 10 solar power street lights costing thousands of naira to illuminate the area in the night.

The situation is similar in other areas like Phase 2 and Site 2 where our correspondent counted about five of such control gates around some close roads, each hosting not more than 20 residences, with each close having a security guard’s post.

Speaking about the development, a resident of Phase 2 who spoke anonymously, said on his close alone that hosts no more than 20 houses were made to contribute N25,000 each for provision of the main entrance gate.

He said besides, every resident of the area is expected to contribute N2,500 monthly to cater for a package usually given to the two security guards working to secure the neighbourhood at night.

Weekend Trust gathered that apart from the collective contributions from residents, some individuals that run businesses go extra mile to engage private security guards to secure their business premises.

For instance, one of the hotel owners in Dakwa community, in Bwari council in the FCT, said he spends about N100,000 to secure the services of two security guards, in addition to contributions of collective ones, usually run by members of the security vigilante in the area.

He said there is also another security outfit that was introduced to him recently by the community leaders in his neighbourhood.

“But I had to excuse myself, as I couldn’t  afford to make a different contribution for security issue alone, and expect any profit in my business”, he noted.

While some residents see the payments as an unfair burden, others view them as a practical response to an immediate threat. For traders and low-income earners, however, the levies add to an already rising cost of living.

“That 1,000 can buy bread for my daughter,” one resident noted, underscoring the difficult trade-offs many households now face.

Vigilante groups themselves acknowledge that their operations depend almost entirely on community funding.

ACG Araromi of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria said residents provide stipends to sustain operatives, noting that vigilantes are now present in most communities.

However, he stressed that their role is to complement, not replace, formal security agencies.

“Police is the mother of security in Nigeria. Ours  is to support their work,” he said, while calling for greater government backing and formal recognition.

He noted, however that despite their contributions, vigilante operatives face significant challenges.

He noted that many  vigilantes are poorly equippedwith many providing their own uniforms and operating under uncertain conditions.

A vigilante supervisor in Kubwa identified simply as Goodluck said the absence of federal funding limits their effectiveness, even as they remain on the frontlines of community protection.

Security experts link the growing reliance on community-funded arrangements to structural issues within Nigeria’s policing system, particularly inadequate manpower and limited coverage in fast-growing urban fringes.

Abuja’s expansion has seen new settlements emerge faster than security infrastructure can keep pace with, leaving residents to fill the gaps out of their personal pockets.

At the same time, concerns persist about accountability. Law enforcement officials warn that some vigilante groups fail to hand over suspects and instead resort to extrajudicial actions, raising the risk of abuse. A police officer in Byazhin, who asked not to be named, said some vigilantes do not collaborate with the police when handling cases. “They don’t report suspects. They take laws into their hands by engaging in jungle justice. That isn’t right,” he said, warning that such practices could make some of them dangerous.

Experts advocate stronger collaboration between vigilantes, traditional institutions and formal security agencies. Community-based intelligence, they argue, remains critical in tackling crime, especially in satellite towns where local actors understand the terrain better.

FCT police assure improved response, policing

Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has assured residents of improved response to distress calls and stronger collaboration with communities, amid growing concerns over the increasing burden of self-funded security arrangements across Abuja.

Responding to enquiries, an officer at the FCT Police Command Control Centre, Inspector Friday John, said the command has put measures in place to ensure prompt response to emergencies through its control room system.

According to him, a dedicated emergency line has been made available to the public, with a response time target of about five minutes once distress calls are received.

“Anytime they call, and there are challenges, we respond promptly, within five minutes. If they have this number …….and tcall, definitely police will respond,” he said.

He explained that upon receiving distress calls, the control centre immediately contacts divisional police officers and commanders in affected areas to deploy personnel to the scene.

“Once they call, we alert the commander in charge of that place and direct them to send their men. They will see the presence of police,” he added.

While acknowledging the security challenges in the country, the police said collaboration with local vigilante groups remains a key part of its strategy.

“We work with vigilantes. There’s insecurity in the country, so we collaborate with them to ensure safety. There is also community policing; if you see something, say something, and the police will act,” Jones said.

He, however, noted that while crime may not be completely eradicated, ongoing efforts are aimed at reducing it to the barest minimum.

On concerns about limited police visibility in some rural and suburban communities, the officer attributed the challenge partly to manpower shortages, noting that ongoing plans for recruitment would help improve deployment.

“They are planning to recruit about 50,000 men so that we have enough manpower to deploy to all areas, including the hinterlands,” he said.

The police also expressed support for ongoing discussions around state policing, currently under consideration at the National Assembly, saying it could enhance security delivery at the grassroots.

“It will help, because those from the area understand their environment better and can gather intelligence easily. It will go a long way,” he added.(Daily trust)