The establishment of the Sokoto state Community Guard Corps has generally been considered as a step forward towards addressing insecurity in the state.
Although many residents could not attend the graduation ceremony of the guards which took place at the Giginya Memorial stadium because it was strictly on invitation but they flooded social media platforms to express their support and solidarity as well as commend the state government for this laudable initiative.
They believe that, this initiative is capable of nipping the security challenges bedeviling the state in the bud, especially when the guards are fully kitted and enjoy unfettered support from the government and other stakeholders.
But it appears that, it is not yet uhuru because two weeks after their inauguration the guards have remained inactive because of some noticeable challenges.
- Police gun down kidnappers, rescue victim unhurt
- Bandits hijack commercial bus, abduct passengers in Katsina
The guards seemed not to be provided with the needed logistics to swing into action and even if there is, there is no well structured commanding orders that would guide their operation.
A security outfit of this nature needs to have a well structured commanding hierarchy, like commandant general and sub commanders at the local and ward levels but allowing them to operate independently is not the best as it can lead to another security issue.
We have started seeing a gross violation of human rights involving members of the guards, which I believe with a well established commanding structures these wouldn’t have occured.
I want the state government to borrow a leaf from Katsina which pioonered the establishment of the guards in the region and Zamfara state. These states, in order to ensure a formidable commanding structures in line with the mission and vision, establishing the corps, upgraded the office of their Special Advisers on Security to a full pledged Ministry and made them both overseers of the Ministry and Commandant General of the Community Guards Corps. this is why these states are recording tremendous successes in the fight against insecurity, particularly banditry. Because there is a popular adage that says “He who wears the shoes knows where it pinches.
These people were part and parcels of the report that led to the establishment of the guards and being sons of the soil, am sure they would not let their Commander-in-Chief, I mean their respective Governors who appointed them down. They would do everything possible to justify the confidence reposed on them.
Additionally, the guards must have means of identification. Because from the information I gathered, they don’t have identification cards which is a serious lapse on the part of the consultant that help to establish the outfit.
How can the general public be able to differentiate between them and impostors?.
We have seen what happened in the neighbouring Zamfara state where bandits disguised as operatives of local security outfit by wearing their uniforms to attack some communities.
So they must have means of identification to distinguish themselves from other security operatives and most importantly from possible impostors. And this would help in getting the needed support from members of the communities.
I wonder why all these noticeable lapses were not addressed since before their graduation. This could be an indication that, the consultant was given a free hand to work without any check by the representatives of the government. Or was it that, there were other top government officials who didn’t want things done in a proper way in order to sabotage this laudable project of the Governor.
Because even the motorcycles provided for their routine patrol did not meet the required standard contained in the report of the committee on the establishment of Sokoto Community Guards. The report recommended motorcycles with tubeless tyres in view of the rugged terrain which was not complied with.
A security outfit like this must also have a descent and highly secured office accomodations akin to that of conventional security agency, where there is armory, rooms for interrogation and cells where they will temporary keep their suspect before handing them over the appropriate authorities. I will therefore like to advise the state government to make sure that, any contractor that will handle this project works side by side with the office of the Special Adviser on Security who supposed to guide him on the kind of accommodation needed for their kind of operation.
Finally, i will like to advise the state government to make sure whatever that would be provided to the guards meet the required standards because anything short of that is amounting to jeopardizing the lives of these patriotic youth who volunteered to protect their communities and this should be done immediately.
Thank God our Governor, Dr. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, FCNA, PhD proves to be guided by the yearning and aspiration of the masses which was the reason why he embarked on so many projects that are impactful on the lives of his peoples. I hope he would look into all these issue and do the needful because a stich in time saves nine.
Alh Garba Abdu wrote this from Sabon Birni local government area
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