Thursday, January 29, 2026 - Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, has approved the training and deployment of 3,000 vigilantes across the state to strengthen community protection and support overstretched conventional security agencies.
The governor disclosed this on Tuesday while inspecting 500
vigilantes and hunters undergoing a refresher tactical training programme in
Kalgo Local Government Area.
Idris said the initiative was necessitated by growing
security challenges in the North-West, including banditry, cattle rustling and
kidnapping, noting that federal security formations in the state are
increasingly overstretched.
“Existing security agencies in Kebbi are overstretched.
Trained vigilantes must now support them,” the governor said, urging
participants to promptly assist security operations once deployed to their
communities.
He explained that the 3,000 approved vigilantes would be
trained in batches of 500 per intake to avoid overstretching facilities, adding
that women would be included in subsequent batches in line with evolving
security needs and community participation.
The governor assured that the state government would sustain
the programme through regular allowances, logistics support and continuous
monitoring, describing the initiative as critical to ensuring that residents
can “sleep with both eyes closed.”
The trainees, drawn from all 21 local government areas of
the state, are undergoing a 14-day refresher course covering minor tactics,
intelligence gathering, human rights, first aid, weapon handling and signals.
Instructors were drawn from the Department of State
Services, Nigerian Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the
Army Legion and the Vigilante Group of Nigeria.
Kebbi is among several states in the North-West and North
Central regions increasingly adopting community-based security outfits to boost
early-warning systems and rapid response, particularly in remote and rural
areas.
Officials said the Idris administration, shortly after
assuming office, adopted the model and secured Federal Government approval for
trained vigilantes to legally support formal security agencies.
Speaking on the programme, the Special Adviser on Security,
retired Col. Danladi Ribah Zuru, said the current exercise builds on an earlier
phase but with an expanded curriculum and improved coordination.
He disclosed that the governor approved 32 vehicles, 511
motorcycles and training allowances to support field operations and welfare,
describing the initiative as a landmark in Kebbi’s security reforms.
While the current batch is expected to graduate on Thursday,
Zuru said plans are underway to train the remaining 2,500 vigilantes in three
phases, with the state camp capable of accommodating up to 850 trainees at a
time.
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