By Mohammed Baba Busu
Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe and Chairman, of the Niger Council of Traditional Rulers, has commended the voluntary roles being played by the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) to maintain peace and security.
The Etsu Nupe spoke through Alhaji Usman Shafii-Ndagi, Chata Raba Nupe and District Head of Lagun, in his goodwill message during the 3rd Annual VGN week held at Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja recently.
Alhaji Abubakar said that the vigilantes, though voluntary were informally boosting the security of Nigerians, alongside the various security agencies.
According to him, the vigilantes are playing indispensable roles in complementing the efforts of security agencies across the country.
He also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the vigilante’s bill into law as part of strategies to give legal backing to their operations.
He said that if the bill was signed into law by the president it will boost their morale in tackling the security challenges bedevilling the nation
The traditional ruler, however, called on Nigerians to always assist the security agencies in providing useful information that would lead to the arrest of criminal elements in their midst.
The Etsu Nupe explained that the way out of the security challenges facing the country was for all hands to be on deck.
He said that security was everybody’s business, hence should not be left to the security agencies alone.
In his remarks, the Commander General of the VGN, Dr Usman Muhammad-Jahun, appealed to the three tiers of government to assist the group with logistics that would. ease their operations.
He said, “like the man behind the camera, many a time, our efforts are really seen, but yet we are behind most of the arrests as well as the elimination of hardened criminals in the country.
“We lost over 1500 of our fine officers and men, this figure was recorded in North East, North West and North Central alone in the fight against insurgency, banditry and kidnapping.
“In the South East, South West and South-South, we lost about 500 of our fine officers”, he added.
