Seven states to recruit 3,000 vigilantes for fight against bandits – Masari

The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, said on Tuesday at least seven states in the Northern part of the country had agreed to recruit 3,000 special vigilantes to tackle bandits and kidnappers terrorizing innocent citizens across the region.

Masari, who disclosed this to journalists on the sideline of a consultative meeting between the Federal Government and traditional rulers from the North held on Tuesday in Katsina, listed the states as Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto and Zamfara.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, led the federal government team to the meeting.

He said governors of the seven states met recently and agreed to recruit the vigilante personnel to assist security agencies in addressing the security challenges in their states.

The governor stressed that the vigilantes would be trained by the Nigeria Police Force.

Masari said: “I am not speaking for myself, but on behalf of the governors of the above-mentioned states.

READ ALSO: ‘Defend yourself against bandits,’ Masari tells Katsina residents

“In fact, they are supposed to be at this consultative meeting we are holding here in Katsina, but I am speaking on their behalf.

“The issue of banditry in the North-West and parts of North-Central has transformed to insurgency, therefore, we developed different mechanisms to fight the menace.

“There are over 150 groups of bandits in the forests that owe allegiance to their different leaders.

“These people don’t have ideology, religion or sense of direction, they are just like wild animals.”

In his remark, Mohammed said he was in Katsina to get first hand information on the problem of banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling among others.

He said the team would present its findings to President Muhammadu Buhari for appropriate action.

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