Kaduna trains additional 7,000 vigilantes as insecurity worsens

Gov. Uba Sani of Kaduna State has flagged off the training of an additional 7,000 vigilante members to arrest the worsening insecurity in the state.

The 7,000 personnel drawn from all the local government areas of the state are being trained at the Police College, Kaduna.

Banditry and other forms of insecurity in the state have increased in frequency.

Just on Friday about nine bandits arrived at Saya-Saya village, Ikara Local Government Area on motorcycles and killed seven people while praying in a Mosque.

The governor said on Saturday that the training was a major step towards fulfilling his promise to strengthen the manpower and overall operational capacity of the Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVS).

“But we face the challenge of inadequate personnel to successfully wage the battle against bandits and other criminal elements. It is for this reason that our administration decided to recruit 7,000 personnel into the Kaduna Vigilance Service,” he said.

Sani said that those recruited were thoroughly screened by local government chairmen, traditional and religious leaders, key stakeholders and security agencies in their local government areas.

“The screening was very thorough. We have here energetic young men and women of honesty who are committed to securing our local communities,” he said.

Sani also explained that KADVS was a complementary security outfit that has been assisting security agencies with actionable intelligence.

According to him, with their knowledge of the local environment, bandits will now have no hiding place.

Sani charged the newly recruited personnel to show seriousness and commitment during the training.