Governor Bala Mohammed says he has donated N100 million to the vigilante groups in Bauchi.

Mr Mohammed announced the donation during a courtesy visit by the commander general of the vigilantes, Aliyu Shayi, on Saturday in Bauchi.

The Bauchi governor tasked the joint vigilante groups to ensure the effective utilisation of the fund to procure necessary materials to aid their operations.

The gesture, Mr Mohammed said, would go a long way in supporting them in safeguarding Bauchi against crimes for sustainable social and economic development.

“On behalf of the government and the people of Bauchi state, I want to use this medium to appreciate the sacrifices of our vigilante groups toward securing our forests against criminal activities.

“The relative peace that we are enjoying has attracted investors to our state for massive investment in critical sectors of the economy. As a government, we are ready to sustain our partnership and support to all the security agencies as well as the vigilantes to complement the efforts and unwavering commitment of our administration in the area of security,” said the governor.

Mr Shayi said the vigilante group was working with over 70,000 vigilantes across the 20 local government areas of the state.

The vigilantes’ head said the governor’s support to the vigilance groups in discharging their services could not be overemphasised.

Mr Shayi said the Bauchi government proposed recruiting 20,000 vigilantes under its youth empowerment programmes, promoting synergy with conventional security agencies toward enhancing security and peace in the state. 

(NAN)