Three years after the election of a civilian government in May 1999, Nigerian citizens are confronted with one of the most serious spirals of violence in several decades, which has led to the expansion of vigilante groups at local and state level. These groups are carrying out law enforcement activities in an ever-growing number of states with the tacit, and sometimes explicit endorsement from the state governments, especially in the South-East of Nigeria. The Nigerian authorities are therefore responsible for what amounts to human rights violations committed by such groups during their law enforcement operations, and Amnesty International fears that unless immediate and sustained action is taken to prevent human rights violations by vigilante and other armed groups, further violations are inevitable.
