Fifteen States Recruit 50,000 Vigilantes to Combat Kidnapping

In a move to push back the rampaging kidnappers and bandits operating freely across the country, 15 state governors have assembled no fewer than 52, 106-man vigilante squads to battle the hoodlums.

Officials in Delta, Kano, Plateau, Sokoto, and 11 other states.  The governors had cobbled together a coalition of vigilantes, hunters, and neighbourhood watch groups to complement the police and other security forces.

Scores of Nigerians have been abducted across the country in the past weeks, with the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Lagos, and some other states coming under the abductors’ siege.

Though the authorities deployed troops and police operatives, this did not alleviate the security challenge.

On Monday, gunmen killed two Ekiti monarchs, the Onimojo of Imojo, Oba Olatunde Olusola, and the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba Babatunde Ogunsakin, while the Alara of Ara Ekiti, Oba Adebayo Fatoba, narrowly escaped.

On the same day, suspected bandits also abducted five pupils of the Apostolic Faith Group of Schools and four staff members.

The abductors are demanding a N100m ransom for the release of the nine victims.

In response to the troubling situation, the Delta State Government said it had established 2,400 vigilante groups in the 11 local government areas of the state.

The state’s Director-General on Security Matters, Mr David Tonwe, stated this in an interview.

He said, “Yes, we have about 2,400 vigilante groups in 11 local government areas of the state, including hunters. And they are working well. We are still making efforts to cover the whole 25 local governments.

The fifteen states include; Delta, Sokoto, Ogun, Edo, Zamfara, Kastina, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Gombe, Benue, Osun, Bayelsa, Anambra, Plateau and Kano.