Sokoto Community Guards Will Operate Within The Law – Chairman

Chairman of the Sokoto State Community Guard Corps, Yusha’u Muhammad Kebbe, has said the establishment of the Corps in the state will help in the fight against insecurity and tackling other forms of criminalities and social vices.

Kebbe, addressing journalists shortly after Governor Ahmed Aliyu signed into law the bill establishing the guard corps, said that the initiative received widespread acclaim from both rural and urban communities.

He added that many residents in the state view the development as a significant step towards ending rampant killings, abductions, rustling, and other criminal activities plaguing the state.

He said, “People of the state appreciate and believe that the guard corps with their vast and adequate knowledge and experience of the terrain in the rural communities will complement the efforts of the conventional security agencies in bringing an end to banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminal activities.

“The 2000 able-bodied persons recruited to serve in the already established Community Guard Corps have since commenced, a two-month training exercise on weapon handling, public relations, psychological warfare, intelligence gathering, and how to prevent accidental discharge among others.

“All light weapons to be handled by the Guards will be under the custody of the police at the level of Divisional Police Offices across the 23 local government areas.

“All those recruited and currently undergoing training have passed through rigorous certifications from traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders, security operatives at local and state levels as well as other stakeholders in various communities, to ensure that, those enlisted are not people of questionable characters.”

However, members of the community guards corps must take instructions from other security operatives they are attached to work with.