Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State says his administration has been allocating two-thirds of the state’s monthly revenue to security agencies.
This is to complement their efforts to achieve success in the ongoing onslaught against terrorism, kidnapping, and other related crimes facing the state.
Masari made the revelation on Saturday during the graduation ceremony of the 600 vigilante corps trained by the State Government at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Training College, Katsina.
The Governor, who was represented by the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government, Muntari Lawal, maintained that the state government is committed to ending the security challenges bedeviling the state.
He added that even last week, the state government under his office signed a request to the state House of Assembly demanding N1.5 billion for security purposes.
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Earlier in his address, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Ibrahim Ahmad Katsina, said the vigilantes were trained in intelligence gathering, community policing, and armed and unarmed combat to fend off security threats and surmount the challenges bedeviling the state.
He said out of the 3,000 vigilantes, the state government had indicated interest to recruit 1,100 have been trained including the 600 vigilante corps passing out today.
He further urged members of the public to assist them with relevant information.
“This event marks the beginning of the end of banditry in the State by the special grace of God.
“The caliber of people who have undergone the training shows the level of commitment, sacrifice, and zeal by the people of the State to sum out banditry facing the State.
“Out of the 3,000 people that the State Government indicated interest to recruit, the 600 vigilante corps passing out today make the total of 1,100 trained so far. The remaining 1,900 will have the same training shortly.
“With this graduation ceremony today, we are sending a message to anyone who’s trying to disturb peace in the State to say enough is enough.
“Everyone has a right to life, the issue of human rights in Katsina is that we decided to choose the right to leave. Our people must leave before they observe human rights.
“We will no longer seat down and allow bandits to kill our people like animals.
“The State Government has done everything possible by offering dialogue, giving amnesty, a lot of incentives that people should come and embrace peace but it has shown that the only language these people can understand is confrontation and that is why these set of people are given special training to confront the devil and roll them back.
“I am sure that this special training will enable the vigilante corps to confront the bandits and other criminals.
“These set of people have been trained on intelligence gathering, community policing, armed and unarmed combat so that they can face all strata of threats in order to surmount the challenges we are facing,” he stated.
In his remarks, the College Commandant of the NSCDC Training College, Katsina, ACG Babangida Abdullahi Dutsinma observed that the newly commissioned vigilante corps need support and encouragement from the State Government and residents in order to succeed.
On his part, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Higher Education, Muhammad Bashir Ruwan Godiya, stressed the need for more synergy among all the security agencies to ensure success in the ongoing onslaught against banditry in the State. He called on other neighboring states to ensure simultaneous operation.
