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Ethnic Vigilantes and the State: The Oodua People's Congress in South-Western Nigeria

Birmingham University, UK

Based on the example of the Oodua People's Congress (OPC) in Nigeria, this article argues that vigilante activities are embedded in a range of social relations and historical trajectories. While vigilantism transforms relationships of power within the state, it does not necessarily undermine all aspects of state authority. After the annulled presidential election of a Yoruba speaker in 1993, the OPC was founded with the explicit political aim of safeguarding Yoruba ethno-nationalist interests vis-à-vis the state. By fighting crime, and state institutions perceived to be implicated in the perpetration of crime, including the police and military, the OPC's vigilantes have undermined and challenged the state's security institutions. Representing the state as both weak and strong, the OPC has undermined the state's control of security but legitimised and strengthened the state as a mechanism of political decision-making and social reform.

Key Words: Gani Adams • ethnicity • Frederick Fasheun • Nigeria • Oodua People's Congress (OPC) • security • state • vigilantes • Yoruba

International Relations, Vol. 21, No. 2, 217-235 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0047117807077005


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