Ebonyi State is set to recruit a total of 1,000 vigilantes to assist security agencies in the protection of lives and property across the 13 local government areas in the State.

Secretary to the State Government and Coordinating Commissioner, Dr Kenneth Ugbala, disclosed this in a joint press briefing with the State Commissioner for Internal Security and Border Peace, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha, on Wednesday shortly after an enlarged security council meeting held at old EXCO Chambers, Government House, Abakaliki.

He said 700 out of the 1,000 vigilantes would be concentrated in the 13 LGAs while the remaining. 300 would man the capital city.

“They will be responsible outside our normal community vigilantes that have always been our traditional way of safeguarding our people which the government encouraged that all the villages and communities should set up their own vigilantes,” Ugbala said.

Ebonyi State government also charged the police in the state and other security agencies to do their best to protect their facilities, warning that any of them that allowed their facilities to be attacked, would be closed down and personnel working therein would face disciplinary measure.

Ugbala said, “the council had extensive discussions on the establishment of vigilantes and we want to take our security from the grassroots the way it has always traditionally been done.

“Every community in Ebonyi state is to have five vigilantes and that will give us a total of 700 vigilantes at the 13 local government areas of Ebonyi State.

“They will be responsible outside our normal community vigilantes that have always been our traditional way of safeguarding our people which the government encouraged that all the villages and communities should set out their own vigilantes.

“We all grew up to meet all these things being done and this is, is the right time to create barricades on the roads at odd hours and checkmate who is going out and coming in, at our local government areas and communities.

“The state will equally set 700 vigilantes across the 13 LGAs and another 300 at the urban, making it a total of 1000 vigilante members.

“The essence of it is that all the necessary facilities that can help them do their work better including mobility and training will be instituted through the Ministry of Internal security immediately.

“The vehicles have already been purchased by government to make sure that they are strategically located in all the corners in the state to ensure that our people are not attacked by bandits.

“The council resolved that the police in Ebonyi state and other security agencies should do their best to protect their police stations; that any police station that allows the division or Area command to be attacked, government will have no option than to allow such division or command to be closed down.

“The reason is that our security agencies have the primary responsibilities of protecting not only their stations and personnel working with them but our citizens, but where they cannot even protect themselves, it is a big problem because they are trained for that and government agreed that if the security agencies allowed their facilities to be attacked, then Ebonyi government will be requesting for close down of such station or area command while the officers working in such places will face disciplinary actions.

“We encourage security agencies to have a combine team of security guide at each of the police stations and Area commands throughout the state to safeguard their facilities.

“The council equally resolved that every police station should make effort to clear from the facilities, their division and Area command to clear it 200 radius away from the station. A situation where police stations and Area commands are allowed to be surrounded by bushes will give room for insecurity.” (Daily Independent)

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