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By Young E. Freeborn, Warri
Chairman of Unenurhie Vigilante Group, Mr. Friday Diamond aka ‘Ogbo,’ has called on the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to recognize the various vigilante groups in the country as part of the proposed community policing architecture.
He also urged the president to create an agency to regulate the vigilantes, such as with the civil defense group in the country.
Mr. Diamond, who was a former youth chairman of his community, made this call recently after a meeting with other security experts on how to boost the security network in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.
In a chat with our correspondent after the meeting, Mr. Diamond said, “No doubt, security is a national priority for the country. It’s on the Exclusive list in the constitution. But at the moment, the security apparatus and network of the country has broken to pieces without remedy. This is why insecurity has become the order of the day.
“Today, the insecurity status of the country is very high and it has become extremely unbearable to every Nigerian. On daily basis, we must hear in the news reports of armed robbery, kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminality from the different parts of the country.
“In our own area here, armed robbery and kidnapping attacks are very common. People are suffering and dying as a result of the activities of these evil boys. They continue to terrorize all our roads and put road users to unnecessary panic and fear,” he said.
The security expert noted that, “The national security reports that are available at the moment says, the Nigerian police and the Armed Forces are short of manpower and ammunition.
“To solve this shortage of manpower especially in the Police force, I want to call on the Tinubu led federal government to recognize all the registered vigilante groups in the country to serve as part of the proposed community police. After the recognition by the law, an agency should be established to control all of them as government workers. Thereafter, they should be included into the national payroll and continue to support them in areas of logistics, provision of arms and vehicles and other important needs.
“By doing this, I tell you, it will definitely increase the security status of the country. It will boost the security network and also encourage all the members of vigilante groups to be committed and dedicated to their duties. They will now put the job on top of their heads because it’s now their means of livelihood,” he said.
Mr. Diamond further called on community leaders, religious homes, companies and other corporate organizations in communities in Ughelli North LGA of Delta State to also give the needed support to the various vigilante groups in order to curb crimes and all forms of violence in such communities. He however described security as a very enormous task that only one man cannot do to achieve its best results.
