In response to the banditry that has plagued the Northwest, Gov. Dikko Radda of Katsina State, created the Community Watch Corps, drawing vigilantes from all the wards of all the local governments in the state, comprising of atleast 1500 personnel, which is currently being doubled to a 3000-man strong unit.
These personnel are trained in combat, weaponry, and intelligence gathering by security forces and retired military and police officers. They have been provided with about 65 Hilux vans, about 1500 motorcycles, and 12 Armored Personnel Carriers, all to aid their operations, as they complement the activities of the security forces in the State, under the operation Hadin Kai, which comprises the army, the police, the civil defence corps and the customs service.
The Community Watch Corps have been quite gallant in their operations, providing the much-needed support to security agencies, taking the battle to the enclaves of the bandits. They have enjoyed great acclaim and commendation from the security agencies for their commitment and courage in the war against banditry, some losing their lives in the service of their communities, trying to restore peace in the troubled communities of Katsina State.
States like Sokoto and Zamfara have moved to create similar security agencies, mirroring the Katsina model. It is no secret that banditry has been the number one set back in the growth and prosperity of the North. With insecurity, nothing thrives. Farming which is the mainstay of the Northern populace is shrinking, due to the advent of banditry.
Whatever you try to do in the North, if you cannot curb banditry and kidnapping, there is every likelihood that it will not thrive or prosper. The number one enemy of the North today is not even poverty – even though it was hatched by very obvious bad governance dispositions by its leaders – the North is being eaten raw by bandits and terrorists as its number one enemy.
The Northern Governors Forum, the Northern Elders Forum, the Arewa Consultative Forum and other highly placed Northerners in this administration, need to come together under one arewa umbrella, to critically look at the problem, and explore viable solutions.
The North has a well-structured traditional institution whose architecture covers every nook and cranny of the localities, and indeed the cities. Every ward has a head, and every ward has sub-heads or mai-anguwa, that practically knows every household and its inhabitants. All of them operate under a dagaci, who is also under a hakimi or district head. This is applicable in every local government. Each local government is under the leadership of an Emir, be it first class or lower, or even a district head. Each Emir has tens or hundreds of officers under his authority.
The way you have national election ballot boxes across every stretch of a state, is how you have traditional institution officers across the Northern States. Each ballot box area has a designated head. The northern traditional institution has lied fallow for so long, with no clear-cut roles to play in nation building. So many attempts have been made to put it to use, with a lot of political intrigues throwing a spanner in the works of the fate and purpose of these traditional institutions. Perhaps security may have a purpose for them after all.
The daredevils we have witnessed during the recent protests are an energy that can be put to good use, if harnessed under one roof, and organised into something meaningful. The Federal Government can organise the traditional institutions in partnership with the state governments, into a local crime fighting establishment. Every Emir, including the Sultanate, can be incorporated into this local crime fighting establishment, bringing into it their massive architecture and personnel. All the emirates have vigilantes and hunters’ groups in one form or the other. These can be harnessed into one great Community Watch Corps, with the mandate of partnering the security agencies in fighting banditry. The Dikko Radda model can be replicated with our traditional institutions, creating one huge National Community Watch Corps.
They have the numbers, they have the coverage, and they have the intelligence, arguably even more than the police or the army.
A 100-man strong vigilante group can be raised from every ward of every local government. They can be put on a stipend and be provided with the support being provided by the Katsina Community Watch Corps in terms of transportation, training and other logistics. We have seen this work in some communities in the North, and where these units have held sway, peace has been maintained. They should have the support and cover of the security agencies just as is being done in Katsina. Funding should come from the federal government, with contributions from the state governments. The traditional institutions should be empowered with the recruitments, as they have better knowledge of their communities. This of course, has its economic benefits, as thousands of youths would be engaged.
This model can be replicated across all the states of the federation and not in the North alone.
We have these solutions at our fingertips and all we need is the commitment to face our problems hands on. Our biggest problem is insecurity. How many bandits are there? We can raise armies in ten folds from amongst us. If there is a well-articulated plan and structure, I am sure Mr. President will support it with all the funding and commitment from the relevant government agencies.
Our traditional institutions are there waiting to be put to good use. It will also be an opportunity to ‘curate’ these youths and have them documented and put to good use. Without peace and security, we would only be moving in circles, dancing around our problems, fooling ourselves that they would somehow fizzle away. We have the numbers, we have the structures, and funding from the Presidency would not be a problem.
All we need is the plan and the commitment from our governors and leaders. The more we sit and watch our land shrink, the more our economy will continue to contract, and the more poverty will continue to smile at us, and then… “anarchy looms” as a popular Nigerian actor used to say. Even though his own anarchy has stopped looming, ours is still out there. The time to do this is now.
