Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State says vigilantes are poorly equipped to face terrorists who carry sophisticated weapons.
The governor said this on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.
Despite the establishment of local vigilante groups by the state government as a strategy to address the escalating insecurity in Kaduna, concerns persist over the effectiveness of these efforts.
Governor Sani has cited the ill-equipment of the local vigilantes as a key factor contributing to this ongoing challenge.
“Vigilance service cannot hold anything more than pump actions, and these terrorists come around with AK-47s and even more sophisticated weapons. That is where we are,” he said.
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“And in any case, that is the reason why some of us are insisting that we need to create state police. When you create state police, you will give the state police the legal authority through our constitution to hold firearms including AK-47s. Then those communities can defend themselves.
“But until this moment, the vigilance service can only work with the military. They can only work with the police and all the relevant security agencies to help them with intelligence,” Sani added.
Kaduna has emerged as a significant hotspot for banditry and kidnapping within Nigeria, characterized by numerous incidents of abduction. In recent times, the region has witnessed the tragic abduction of hundreds of schoolchildren who remain in captivity to this day.
