The Katsina state government said that it will train and deploy additional set of Katsina Community Security Watch, a local security outfit established to help in the fight against banditry.
Governor Dikko Umaru Radda who said this while receiving the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa in his office, said the move is to complement the efforts of the existing security forces.
Radda decried continued banditry in Katsina especially in the southern part of the state and appealed for urgent establishment of military outfit in the area.
Isah Miqdad, the governor’s Media Aide quoted his principal in a statement as saying that his administration has been making efforts in addressing the security challenges facing the state.
“We have been relentless in our efforts to address the rampaging security challenges in our state”, he said.
According to him, his administration has established a local security outfit named Katsina Community Security Watch, to complement existing security forces and that efforts are on to train another set that will be deployed to ten local government areas.
“We have concluded arrangements to train another set of community watch corps to operate in ten additional local government areas, augmenting the 1,466 personnel already on the ground”, he added.
The governor further said he has set in motion, a comprehensive Community Development Programme designed to involve local communities in activities that enhance safety across the state.
He added “this programme includes a 25-member committee responsible for identifying areas of need and exposing criminals and their accomplices,”.
CDS Musa, in his address, said that he is in the state as part of his tour of the entire northwestern Nigeria to assess the security situation, emphasizing the importance of citizen support in order to achieve the desired goals.
“We are committed to restoring peace and security in the region,” General Musa assured.
