Spent the last few days reading this on how gangs and crime Lord became so powerful and violent in the Americas. From South America through Central and all the way into North America.
Lagos gangs show many of the early day patterns. It's a scary prospect.
Lagos gangs show many of the early day patterns. It's a scary prospect.
The pattern usually is to find spaces where government is weak especially in poor areas, and first gain monopoly of violence there. Then create protection rackets, alternate justice and extortion of people and businesses. Sprinkle it with some philantorpy. That creates income
Politicians notice and use this gangs for political ends, to win elections. They legitimise aspects of their gang operations by taking over associations. They also win contracts and route jobs and favours to their followers. But always always, they rule with violence
They become the law in their domain of the most vulnerable. Then many of them branch out into drug and people trafficking. This gives them income greater than what politicians can pay. They only need politicians for one thing now - cover so they can do things with impunity
Once it gets to this stage where the gangs can make loads of money outside the political patronage and their former rackets become a small part of their income, the stakes become high, consequences non existent and violence becomes the order of the day.
We need to look closely. We saw how quickly parts of Lagos and Ogun devolved into a gangland and how it was gangs that repelled these gangs from Bariga and co.
Let's not look with the benefit of hindsight when we are like the Americas.
Let's not look with the benefit of hindsight when we are like the Americas.
By the way, shout out to my good man @Batarhe for the book. May your library always be full
