Dark Cloud Ahead? Formation of the Fulani Nomad Volunteer Vigilante Group and its Implication on Nigeria’s (In)Security

Abstract

Nigeria’s persistent insecurity, marked by insurgency, farmer–herder conflicts, and banditry, has fostered the proliferation of vigilante groups. In January 2024, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore launched the Fulani Nomad Volunteer Vigilante Group (NVVG) to address cattle rustling, kidnapping, and rural insecurity. This study interrogates the drivers, political context, and potential implications of its formation. Anchored on social contract theory and state fragility framework, it argues that state failure to provide security and equitable justice fuels ethnically aligned security initiatives. Data was obtained through qualitative documentary analysis of media reports, policy documents, academic literature, and expert commentaries. It revealed that while the NVVG may provide localized protection and employment, it risks legitimizing illegality, fueling arms proliferation, exacerbating ethnic tensions, and undermining state authority. The article concludes that without robust regulation and oversight, ethnically based vigilante formations could deepen Nigeria’s insecurity and fragment national cohesion.

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