The Bauchi State government has planned to recruit 20,000 youths into the state’s Vigilante and Youth Empowerment Agency, established and modelled after Amotekun in the South-West.

Governor Bala Mohammed stated this on Monday after he was sworn in for the second term.

The governor said the recruitment was because the state government had to implement the already-established security agency.

He explained that the security agency would stabilise the substantially-effective security infrastructure already existing at the local government levels.

“It is expected that about 20,000 youths will be recruited under the first phase of the programme.

“It is important to state that the vigilante group has been very effective in checkmating the activities of those who infiltrate our rural areas with the sole intent of displacing the indigenes,” the governor said.

Mr Mohammed also assured all the state’s traditional, religious and community leaders that they would continue to play their God-given roles as the first line of defence as the government strived to checkmate raiders and those involved in illegal logging and selling of charcoal in the state.

He said that in recognition of the state’s vast land boundaries with seven states, the state government also intended to promote the establishment of an ‘inter-state’ security model initiated when he was the Minister of the Federal capital territory (FCT).

The governor explained that such a collaborative arrangement involved the FCT and all the states bordering the capital city: Nasarawa, Kaduna, Niger and Kogi States.

“In the context of Bauchi, such an arrangement will include Kano and Jigawa to the North; Taraba and Plateau to the South; Gombe and Yobe to the East; and Kaduna to the West.

“That is why the state is pursuing a partnership with the Chinese government to deploy modern surveillance and tracking technology to boost our security architecture.

“The Chinese Ambassador and his officials have visited Bauchi to express their strong commitment to collaborating with the state to achieve this objective,” Mr Mohammed said.

(NAN)