Crime
Kaduna recruits 7,000 vigilantes to tackle banditry
The governor added that the recruits, being trained at the Police College, Kaduna, in the state capital, were drawn from the 23 local government areas of the state.
Speaking at the event, Sani said the recruits, after their intensive and vigorous training, would complement the efforts of security agencies and rid the state of crimes.
The governor noted that the recruitment became necessary because of the shortfall of regular security agencies in the battle to tackle security challenges across the state.
He said, “The Kaduna Vigilance Service is a complementary security outfit. It will assist the security agencies with actionable intelligence. With its knowledge of the local environment, bandits will have no hiding place.
“The commencement of this training is a major step towards fulfilling our promise to the good people of Kaduna State. In our administration’s blueprint, we committed to strengthening the manpower and “overall operational capacity of KADVS. Since its establishment, KADVS has been working with security agencies to degrade criminal elements.
“The recruitment and screening of the trainees were the collaborative efforts of our local government chairmen, traditional and religious leaders, key stakeholders at the grassroots level, and security agencies.”
“This award is all about service to humanity generally and the ability to practice what one has learnt in practical terms to affect people’s life positively.
“What we are doing now is to set up as agricultural technology that would help us to step out of food scarcity and insecurity, improve our income and the economy generally.”
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The Violent Crime Response Unit of the Anambra State Police Command has uncovered and destroyed an armoury belonging to suspected separatist gunmen at Owerre-Ezukala in Orumba South Local Government Area.
The operation, led by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Orebe Chidubem Matthew, followed intelligence obtained from a member of the gang currently in police custody.
In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the police disclosed that the camp had previously been dislodged by a Joint Task Force on security operations. However, some members of the gang who escaped during the earlier raid reportedly regrouped and attempted to resume operations.
According to the statement, items recovered from the armoury include one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) with about 2,000 rounds of live chain ammunition, two fabricated rocket launchers with 25 propellers, 10 locally-made Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), one locally-made Beretta pistol, two pump-action guns, three hand grenades, 10 rounds of K2 live ammunition, one gas cylinder, and one black Ecolac box.
“Recall that the camp was earlier destroyed by a Joint Security Team. Before the confession by the suspect in custody, intelligence had been received over time on how some escaped gang members were attempting to regroup. However, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit resisted and dismantled the camp following a gun duel with the unrepentant members,” the statement read.
The police further stated that some of the armed suspects fled the scene with varying degrees of bullet injuries sustained during the exchange of gunfire.
Further investigations revealed that the suspect in custody confessed to involvement in several violent attacks across Anambra State, including attacks on police facilities, the killing of security personnel comprising police, military, and civil defence officers, attacks on government facilities, and the murder of security operatives on stop-and-search duties on various roads in the state.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, noted that with the establishment of the Violent Crime Response Unit, operatives of the command are now better positioned and more motivated to sustain offensive operations against criminal elements threatening the peace and security of the state.
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