Three members of the Marlians – a gang of young thugs disrupting the Zajeri community of Maiduguri – have been killed during infighting among the violent group’s members.

RNI reporter Mustapha Abubakar said the killings occurred on Sunday, August 28, when members of the gang clashed. Residents were blaming the violence on the members’ parents, claiming their vicious behaviour was the result of a lack of proper parenting.

Resident Muhammad Mustapha told RNI the Marlians gang were fans of a Nigerian musician called Naira Marley and had named their gang after the popular singer. He said the way they dressed was crazy, they were disorganised and uncultured and most of them carried knives. He claimed members of the gang attacked people for no reason and looted shops, seemingly at will, without being arrested and jailed.

Muhammad Sadiq, a Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) member in Zajeri, said: “The first gang member to die was stabbed in the stomach. It appears that one of the gang member’s dogs had given birth and the members had brought in a DJ to have a party to celebrate. A fight broke out and the stabbed youngster died from his wounds.

“At the burial, aggrieved youths again wanted to start a fight in the cemetery but community leaders stopped them. They left the burial ground and went somewhere else, started to fight among themselves again and another two members of the gang were stabbed and also died from their wounds.”

Sadiq said no one in the community was investigating the killings.

“Day after day these thugs cause havoc in Zajeri. They are very violent and no one in the community seems to be able to stop them harassing residents.

“They have broken the glass windows of at least eight tricycles; I have seen them harass people returning from the market, stealing or throwing away their belongings. Their actions are totally uncalled for and they seem to attack anyone, from young people to the elderly. Their actions are violent and they are terrifying the people of Zajeri who are scared they could become the gang’s next victims.”

He said the CJTF members were trying their best to stop the youths, some of whom were community leaders’ children so they dared not even question them. The gang was notorious for its violent acts and members were a force unto themselves, ignoring laws, rules, or conventional ways of doing things.

“Even during Ramadan the thugs went into mosques, wounding those praying inside. They come and go as they like and are not afraid to use their weapons to attack innocent people, who just want to live in peace.

“There are business owners who are facing a huge loss in profit because the gang has attacked them, breaking items in their shops and generally causing havoc. Their shops have been destroyed and they are sitting idle because they have virtually nothing left to sell. Everyone in the Zajeri community is worried about what’s happening in their suburb and are afraid of these thugs,” Sadiq said.

A resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “The best solution is for authorities to step in and establish a police station in the area so that those who are causing all these problems are arrested. Even if they are just put under house arrest at least they would be taken off the streets and community members would feel safe again.

“We know who they are and we are ready to hand them over to police because we are tired of the mayhem they are causing on a daily basis.”

Mustapha said the Zajeri Marlians gang were notorious and were made up of youngsters from Bulabulin, Bolori, Umarari, Gwaidamgari and other areas.

“We want authorities to please come to Zajeri and arrest these thugs because they are disturbing everyone in the community. There is no security here and the crime rate just keeps increasing, mostly because of these gang members. We are sick of it and want it to stop. We need a full-time police presence so that the misery this gang causes is addressed and put an end to.”

AISHA SD JAMAL