Edo launches vigilante network, charges members on tackling insecurity

Edo State Government has launched a vigilante network to strengthen the state’s security architecture to deal with rising insecurity.

The vigilante network, an initiative of Governor Godwin Obaseki, is a community-led effort to galvanise local communities to partner with government security agencies to provide security and protect lives and property in the state.

A lead expert on the vigilante scheme, Mr. Yusuf Haruna, said the new security arrangement is intended to co-opt key actors in local communities to secure their spaces, gather intelligence, build trust and ensure adequate security across the state.

According to him, “Working with the vigilante network, we have divided the state into strata and every team is manning their area. We don’t want criminal elements to survive in any part of Edo State.

“We want to ensure that Edo is safe for our people and free of cultists and kidnappers. Our mission is to smoke out the criminals and ensure that they are not comfortable in our communities.”

He commended communities that have set up vigilantes to work collectively for their sustenance, urging more communities desirous of setting up similar outfits to approach the state government for clearance and necessary guidance.