In a field dominated by men, the all-female Nigerian bouncers’ squad is polishing skills and dispelling prejudices.
Members of the female-only security squad Dragon Squad Limited, Nsikan Ekandem, Tolulope Ukpanah, Margaret Thomas, and Samantha Joseph, during an exercise session at Camp Gee Hotel in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria.
Growing up, Emem Thomas’s muscular physique was not the kind that people in the southern Nigerian city of Uyo often valued.
The snide comments damaged her self-assurance and natural warmth, but one day she found her calling and established the Dragon Squad Limited, a group of powerful women bouncers who are challenging gender norms.
“I love what I see dragons do in movies,” the 37-year-old says. “They are also a symbol of power and protection.”
Thomas, which has been in operation since 2018, only hires women who fit a specific body type, providing a safe environment for strong, plus-size women to succeed in a typically male-dominated sector.
About 2,000 events, including house parties, funerals, political demonstrations, and club nights, were secured by the 43 Dragons.
“People expect us to be in the kitchen or probably doing makeup and other feminine roles, but joining this squad has really enlightened me,” said Peace Vigorous, the youngest of the crew at 23 years old.
Thomas leads her Dragons through grueling fitness sessions – the women have acquired skills, strength and, most importantly for Thomas, confidence.
“Most of them… were always shy. They couldn’t talk,” she said, noting that she too used to be introverted because of her weight.
Her social life and her home life with her two kids have changed as a result of her increased confidence. She no longer identifies as an introvert or avoids social situations.
For women who are used to avoiding the spotlight, public behavior like commanding a crowd can be particularly difficult.
“Face the crowd and be yourself,” Thomas tells them when they falter. “You are supposed to be seen and known.”
“I see no reason why women (should not be) given a chance,” she says. She believes female bouncers “have a way of taking off danger” by listening to troublemakers and victims in a way that most men do not have patience for.
However, the Dragons’ trip is not without incident. The bouncers are armed with pepper spray in addition to walkie-talkies, boots, and dark glasses.
Thomas stated that the possibility of being harassed at work as well as the possibility of “guys looking down on us” are “always something we have in mind.”
Nigeria, which has one of the worst rates of sexual assault in the world, is riddled with gender violence. Armed organisations in the north are notorious for kidnapping women and girls and using them as slave labour and sex slaves.
For Thomas, change comes with “breaking the barrier” to show what women bring to all sectors of society.
