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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, has approved the installation of closed-circuit surveillance cameras to cover parts of Yenagoa in order to boost security and crime prevention in the state capital.
The project, which entails the installation of 200 new cameras and the revamping of 50 others, is in furtherance of the administration’s Safe City Programme.
Governor Diri disclosed this during a three-day Security Watch Africa Initiatives-organised conference which ended on Thursday night in Doha, Qatar.
The Bayelsa governor’s address, who is on annual leave, was presented by the state’s Security Coordinator and Coordinator of the Bayelsa Community Safety Corps, Brig-Gen. Eric Angaye (rtd).
According to the governor, “the use of technology as a critical enabler for security and law enforcement operations has received priority attention through the phased implementation of a Safe City Programme, which incorporates revamping a legacy 50 camera system and addition of 200 cameras to enhance surveillance and domain awareness.”
The governor stressed that his administration’s investment in physical, social and digital infrastructure was crucial for promoting peace and security in the state.
He also stated that implementing digital solutions to crime prevention enhance governance, public services, and economic opportunities.
“In line with our commitment to making Bayelsa State inhospitable to criminal elements, we remodeled, upscaled, and relaunched the special joint security task force known as Operation Doo-Akpo, and subsequently signed the Bayelsa State Community Safety Corps Bill into law on December 14, 2021.
“This law streamlined the operations of the Operation Doo-Akpo along with the special outfits – Bayelsa Volunteers and Bayelsa Vigilante – under one umbrella. The Community Safety Corps was designed to support and collaborate with the statutory security agencies in efforts to rid the state of criminal elements.”
He said at the moment, Bayelsa is ranked as perhaps the safest state in Nigeria.
At a dinner event on Thursday, Senator Diri was honoured as the Best Security Conscious Governor alongside his colleagues from Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Katsina, Mallam Dikko Radda.
Other awardees included the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, Inspector-General of Police of The Gambia, Seedy Touray, and his Ghana counterpart, Dr. George Dampare among others.
The immediate past Chief of Army Staff, late Lt-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, was post-humorously honoured as the Most Outstanding Army Chief in National Defence in Africa in 2023/2024.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Bayelsa governor, Gen. Angaye (rtd) expressed appreciation to the Chief Executive Officer of Security Watch Africa Initiatives, Mr. Patrick Agbambu, and the organisation for recognising the modest efforts of the state government in ensuring safety, peace and security in Bayelsa.
He equally commended the organisation for celebrating Africa’s best in security, safety and governance.
