By Olayemi Esan
Local vigilante groups would be hired to effectively secure schools in the nation’s capital.
This is coming following security reports that bandits from neighbouring states are fleeing to the territory.
The Director, Administration and Finance in the Security Services Department of the FCTA, Dr Abdul-lateef Bello said this on Wednesday when fielding questions from Journalists that the security architecture of the territory is being overstretched, adding that plans had been concluded by the Administration to hire vigilante services to provide security in the various public schools across the Territory.
He explained that the measures were temporary until a blueprint on security is developed by the FCT Administration soon.
He said, “We are talking of short term measures when we said we are helping public schools to facilitate the procurement of vigilantes to complement the efforts of conventional security agencies.
“Remember that some of the vigilantes are equally part of the neighbourhood. They were sourced from the neighbourhood where those schools are situated. So, they know better.
“This is a way of establishing a relationship between the community and government. When the vigilantes see anything that is beyond them, they relate with the conventional security agencies to help out.”
He added that the administration, to curtail kidnapping, had revitalised the G-7 initiative.
According to him, all the G-7 partners are collaborating with the administration to keep criminal elements out of the FCT.
