Editorial: Operation “Kpochapu” And The Questions Over The Place Of The Vigilante.

One incontestable and irrefutable fact is that the Anambra State Vigilante has been a significant force in the battle to reduce crime in the state. They have become a long feature in the security architecture of Anambra State.

With limited manpower and efficiency of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria security outfit that is responsible for internal security, the Vigilante service has proved to be a more potent force in tackling security issues especially at the community level.

Established with the core aim of providing security in communities especially in the last hours, the group has not only assisted to complement the job of the police but has shown that they understand the terrain, topography, and demography of the environment better than the police.

If intelligence is key in security, the Vigilante Service has recorded greater achievements in combating crime in all nooks and crannies of state, as indigenes, they know all the creeks, rivers, streams and buses.

The inefficiency and corrupt tendency of the police have encouraged residents to turn towards vigilantes for a more reliable security approach. Most of the success recorded by the Nigeria Police in Anambra State which have placed the state as the safest state in Nigeria is a result of intelligence reports they get from the Vigilante Service.

Earlier this month, the Executive Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency, Chief Dr. Willie Obiano in his bid to ensure the safety of lives and property in the state, donated vehicles, motorbikes, and modern security gadgets to security agencies to tackle crime in the state. This was part of the second phase of the Smart City Project, known as Operation “Kpochapu” (Operation Wipe Out Crime), a crime fighting initiative of the Governor.

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The items directed included smart closed-circuit cameras (CCTVs) being installed in Awka, Nnewi, and Onitsha; 111 IVM Patrol vehicles equipped with communication devices; three trucks, 71 smart motorbikes, 49 pickups and nine mobile surveillance vans equipped with electronic devices.

The patrol vehicles and motorbikes were distributed to the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), the Nigeria Customs Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), all which are federal institutions.

While the action was commendable, what surprised and shocked many was that the state-owned Anambra State Vigilante Service did not get any patrol vehicle and motorbike, despite the fact that they are the engine room of security architecture of the state. We cannot be declaring total war on criminals such as kidnappers, human traffickers, bandits, cultists and car snatchers without investing in our local policing. It is only the vigilante service that can close the huge vacuum, security-wise, between the police and communities, where most criminal activities take place, the vigilante enjoy a more trusting relationship with residents than the police officers.

It is time the state government should start investing in our local vigilante which is more of a bottom-top approach, we cannot keep investing in federal security outfit where security officers from others parts of the country come to work in the state when he or she does not know anything about the terrain or the topography, yet claim the victories of the successes of the Vigilante Service.

The state government must look at the maintenance culture of the various federal security outfits, we cannot continue to budget billions almost every year for provision of vehicles and important facilities for the security outfits when they can maintain existing ones.

The Executive Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency, Chief Dr. Willie Obiano, should listen to the voice of reason and ensure that the Vigilante Service in the state are empowered with more vehicles and other facilities to ensure they motivated and feel appreciated.