POLICE, ANAMBRA COMMUNITY LAUNCH NEW VIGILANTE

Nimo community in Njikoka Local Government Area, Anambra State has come up with a new vigilance group well equipped to measure up with rising crime sophistication in its vicinity and other parts of the State. The community has also well empowered youths of the area with the provision of units of tricycles (Keke NAPEP) on hire purchase as a way of creating jobs for the unemployed.

Addressing his subjects and the police while presenting the new vigilante outfit with Mr Anthony Aguelu (Asp rtd.), as its commander to the Area Commander, Awka, Mr D.P Yakadi (AC), the traditional ruler of the community, the Owelle Nimo, Igwe J.C. Okafor, said the re-equipment of the security outfit had become necessary to ensure optimum security of lives and property in the area.

Igwe Okafor noted that the police could not work effectively well without the local vigilante members who, he said, knew the nooks and crannies of the local communities and residents therein neither could the group do well without the support of the police. He appealed to the police to always accord rapid response to calls from the security outfit when the need arose without excuses to enable it achieve its purpose.

Responding, Mr Yakadi, who was represented by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Abagana Divisional Police Station, Mr Charles Dyke, said that security of lives and property should not be left in the hands of the police alone.

'Criminals come from communities and members of the community have a big role to play. They should assist the police to identify and fish out those criminals.

'Vigilantes must be registered and should avoid recruiting bad eggs that will bring bad name to the outfit. It is good you have a retired police officer in charge and communities should financially support local vigilantes to boost their morale,' Mr Yakadi said. He later commissioned a patrol van of the vigilante.

As part of the security measures of the town, Nimo Brotherhood Society (NBS) had ordered registration of all okada operators, non indigenes residing in the community, hotels and eating houses, identification of hard drug dealers, registration of uncompleted buildings and policing of surrounding forests and hide outs of criminals. These measures were part of the address of the NBS President, Chief Chris Obiefuna during the society's national executive Council meeting.

Apart from security matters, Chief Obiefuna, announced the purchase of 10 units of tricycle by the town union, which he said cost the society N400, 000 each adding that the tricycles would be given out to unemployed people in the community, who would be paying back instalmentally to a designated Micro Finance Bank.

Other projects the NBS would give priority attention, according to the President, included resumption of work at Nimo civic center, take off of Nimo new layout project and completion of re-organization, restructuring and modernization of NBS national secretariat.

He advised Nimo people to put serious interest in the December 4 local government election in Anambra State to make sure that candidates of their choice would be elected into office.