Bayelsa gets 1000 volunteers to secure state

Governor Seriake Dickson on Monday inaugurated  security scheme of 1000 volunteers to complement the efforts of other security agencies in curbing crime.

The volunteers are drawn from the eight local government areas, and shall engage in community-based intelligence gathering.

Governor Dickson charged them to work closely with the constituted authorities in their communities to forestall any security breach.

“I want to specifically charge you all, because of the times we are living in. You have to be, particularly watchful and make sure that people do not use you to do things that you are not meant to do,” charged Dickson.

“You are to mobilize support for the government and work with the security agencies; you are

to work with all constituted authorities in your communities. Where you suspect any imminent breach of the peace, you are to alert the agencies and that is why your overall coordinator is a Police officer,” he stressed.

Dickson explained that the volunteers “are going to support the great work the state is doing and ensure that the youths in this state are better informed about what we are doing.

“That is very important, because when they want to create confusion, they just spread false stories,” he added.

According to the governor the volunteers and their coordinators are expected to engage in community based intelligence gathering to aid the other state security agencies in stemming criminal acts, such as crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and piracy on the waterways.

“In this state, we do not want to see cultism again that will make young people to be killing themselves on the streets of Yenagoa. Our policy of zero tolerance to criminality, violence and cultism stays.

Governor Dickson, who echoed his administration's  zero tolerance on crime, assured to bring to book those who cause disaffection among the people with the aim of destabilizing the state.

The governor cautioned the youth against being used to foment trouble. He emphasized that his administration would bring the full weight of the law to bear on trouble makers.

He warned, “Let me make this clear that anybody, who wants to use the youths of this state to foment crisis, whether it is by way of mindless killing or it is an attempt to use youths to create crises; or mindless action that is aimed at destabilizing this state and returning it back to those old dark days,

“I have the mandate, duty and authority to ensure that appropriate measures are taken in accordance with the law”, reminded Dickson.

He promised to bolster the scheme with the recruitment of  100 graduates.

In his acceptance speech, the state coordinator of the volunteers, Mr. Emmanuel Asufi, a Chief Superintendent of Police, assured of the readiness to work towards actualizing the objectives assigned them.

Daniel Iworiso-Markson
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa State