Civilian Joint Task Force

The Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), also known interchangeably by the Hausa language term Yan Gora (“people with sticks”) is a paramilitary organization organized by the Government of Nigeria, whose primary functions include providing intelligence, participating in search and rescue operations, and engaging in direct combat against insurgents. Volunteers from local communities are organized into units, often equipped with basic weapons and training provided by the military. The vigilante group numbers over 26,000 in the northeastern Borno and Yobe States, of which only 1,800 receive a salary ($50 per month). The CJTF has suffered about 1,773 casualties in the conflict, counting both lost and missing members.

The CJTF has been accused of abuses, including slaughtering men beside a mass grave, diverting food destined for starving families and beating men and subjecting women and girls to systematic sexual violence in camps.