29.04.2008 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

Query response on De Gbam (also Dey Gbam, Deygbam, Degbam, Deebam) ("a-6082 (ACC-NGA-6082)") [ID 23268]

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Leader of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force, Mujaheed Asari Dokubo, released on bail; he was arrested for treason in 2005; travel restrictions are attached to the bail, ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22911]

"On June 14, a federal high court in Abuja granted bail to Mujaheed Asari Dokubo, the leader of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force, who was arrested in 2005 for treason. Although the court cited Dokubo's reportedly deteriorating health, DPP Saliu Aliu attached conditions to the bail, noting Dokubo was still a threat to national security. The conditions included restrictions on traveling abroad, and if it was necessary to travel abroad, the requirement that he first inform the SSS and report to the nearest Nigerian embassy upon arrival. Dokubo was also barred from attending political rallies in Nigeria or abroad. Press reports indicated that Asari Dokubo's bail may have been discreetly approved by the federal government in a bid to appease militants in the Niger Delta region and bring them into negotiations."

Document(s): Open document

05.12.2007 - Source: ReliefWeb

The Bush Boys ("Small arms, armed violence, and insecurity in Nigeria: The Niger Delta in perspective"), Autor: Small Arms Survey [ID 21910]

"Overview
The group known as the Bush Boys exists to protect Okrika community in Rivers state from incursions by its Eleme neighbours, and fights to gain territory disputed by these two communities. This inter-communal conflict is stoked by the presence of oil refineries in the area. Lucrative rights to the territory around these communities provide considerable fuel for armed violence and have led to widespread small arms proliferation as the two communities continue to clash over ownership of this land."

Document(s): Open document

05.12.2007 - Source: ReliefWeb

Deebam ("Small arms, armed violence, and insecurity in Nigeria: The Niger Delta in perspective"), Autor: Small Arms Survey [ID 21911]

"Overview
Deebam is the street wing of the Eternal Fraternal Order of the Legion Konsortium, known more commonly as the Klansmen Konfraternity (KK) (Ndubuaku, 2001). The group is a violent and secretive cult comprising mainly unemployed youth. It has no political agenda. Instead, it simply strives to expand and consolidate its territorial control. Deebam, which translates to ‘be strong’ in KK vernacular (CEHRD, 2006, p. 6), views Deewell, another cult, as its primary and direct rival. While many of its activities are directed against Deewell, the group will strike at any person or group that is perceived to have offended it or encroached on its territory."

Document(s): Open document

05.12.2007 - Source: ReliefWeb

Deewell ("Small arms, armed violence, and insecurity in Nigeria: The Niger Delta in perspective"), Autor: Small Arms Survey [ID 21912]

"Overview Deewell is a cult group that engages in armed violence and organized crime. The SVC formed Deewell in the late 1990s in response to the formation of Deebam by the rival KK. Deewell fights to protect the interests of its members, achieving this aim through the perpetration of violence and gangsterism."

Document(s): Open document

05.12.2007 - Source: ReliefWeb

Icelander (also known as Germans and NDVS) ("Small arms, armed violence, and insecurity in Nigeria: The Niger Delta in perspective"), Autor: Small Arms Survey [ID 21913]

"Overview
Icelander is a cult group founded as a street wing of the SVC. The SVC created the group to support its other street wings, which were in decline and losing territory and supporters. The group has used several names, including Niger Delta Vigilante Services (NDVS) and Germans (a term used to refer to senior Icelander officers). Neither of these pseudonyms alters the group’s cultist roots and belief system. Under the NDVS banner, the group has provided vigilante services for sale, most often to the Rivers state government (Sahara Reporters, 2006)."

Document(s): Open document

05.12.2007 - Source: ReliefWeb

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) ("Small arms, armed violence, and insecurity in Nigeria: The Niger Delta in perspective"), Autor: Small Arms Survey [ID 21914]

"Overview
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta was formed in early 2006 as a loose assemblage of militant groups claiming to be fighting for justice, resource control, and self-determination for the people of the Niger Delta.145 MEND operates across the Delta. Since its inception, it has been the most visible of the Delta’s armed groups, demonstrating a capacity for coordinated attacks on oil and gas infrastructure, as well as the abduction of both foreign and Nigerian employees. Tensions within the group have reportedly led to a split, with two factions now operating. These tensions rose with Asari’s release from prison in June 2007 and the struggle for leadership in the Delta. Although both Asari and MEND are trying to assert their leadership and control in the region, neither has proven capable of fully controlling the violence there."

Document(s): Open document

05.12.2007 - Source: ReliefWeb

Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDPVF) ("Small arms, armed violence, and insecurity in Nigeria: The Niger Delta in perspective"), Autor: Small Arms Survey [ID 21915]

"Overview
The NDPVF is an ethnic militia of Ijaw origin. It is led by Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, who formerly led the IYC. Until the creation of MEND in early 2006, the NDPVF represented the most visible armed group calling for increased control of local resources by Niger Delta communities. MEND provides a new mouthpiece for these concerns, and the NDPVF constitutes MEND’s most prominent member and the main driver behind the group’s operations and communications."

Document(s): Open document

05.12.2007 - Source: ReliefWeb

Niger Delta Strike Force (NDSF) ("Small arms, armed violence, and insecurity in Nigeria: The Niger Delta in perspective"), Autor: Small Arms Survey [ID 21916]

"Overview
The Niger Delta Strike Force is a small group that claims to be fighting for the basic rights of the people of the Niger Delta. It is a relatively new group, and until recently has acted largely independently of other Delta networks and groups. The group was founded by estranged members of the NDPVF who were displeased with the handling of funds accruing to the latter in the wake of the 2004 Rivers state disarmament campaign. The NDSF is now acting as part of the MEND network of armed groups."

Document(s): Open document

05.12.2007 - Source: ReliefWeb

The Outlaws ("Small arms, armed violence, and insecurity in Nigeria: The Niger Delta in perspective"), Autor: Small Arms Survey [ID 21917]

"Overview
The Outlaws is a cult group that operates according to the basic principles of protection through numbers and fraternity invoked by most cult groups in Nigeria. The group lays claim to being the largest organization fighting for the rights of the youth in the Niger Delta region.169 It emerged under acrimonious circumstances as an offshoot of Ateke Tom’s Icelander cult group. The Outlaws have engaged in armed clashes with other cult groups, particularly in and around Port Harcourt."

Document(s): Open document