The investigation reveals that rising unemployment, coupled with intense political competition, has created a lucrative market where young people are hired to intimidate rivals, disrupt public gatherings, and participate in violent confrontations during political activities.
According to the report, the recruitment and coordination of these groups have increasingly shifted to digital platforms, including social media and messaging applications, allowing organizers to mobilize large numbers of individuals quickly while reducing the risk of detection.
The investigation further indicates that many of these politically sponsored gangs do not disband after election periods. Instead, they evolve into permanent criminal networks that sustain themselves through extortion, protection rackets, and other illegal activities, posing an ongoing threat to public security.
Analysts cited in the report warn that unless unemployment among young people is addressed and those financing political violence are held accountable, the commercialization of goonism is likely to deepen, undermining democratic processes and public safety.
Source Attributed: Nation Newspaper