The Emohua local government council in Rivers State, has set up a security outfit, Emohua Vigilante Service (EMOVIS), which which will work with the Nigerian Police and other security agencies to ensure peace and security.
Members of the security outfit, who were nominated by the various communities in the local government area, however, will not bear any form of arms.
Speaking at the inauguration of EMOVIS as well as the commissioning of its operational headquarters at Emohua on Wednesday, the local government chairman, Dr. Chidi Julius Lloyd, said members of the outfit were profiled by the Nigerian Police and the Department of State Services (DSS).
Lloyd, who stated that the effort was aimed at assisting in providing intelligence to the Police and other security agencies, said members of the outfit will work in their respective communities.
He further stated that the local government council decided to form its own security outfit after a vigilante group, popularly known as OSPAC, which was adopted by most of the communities in the area, failed.
The LGA chairman said: “On assumption of duty in June 2021, we observed to our chagrin that the security situation in the local government area needed urgent intervention in order to avoid a total relapse to anarchy.
“The existing contraption, as it then was, OSPAC, which was initially designed to cut the excesses of cultism in the area, later became a major source of challenge.
“There were several reports of breaches of our security in the same local government area, where OSPAC had been adopted to bring about peace and tranquility.
“It was observed that the few communities that didn’t have OSPAC were enjoying relative peace than those that had OSPAC, because they adopted their own local policing.”
