Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna has flagged-off the training of 7,000 additional vigilante members as part of efforts to enhance community policing in the state.

The 7,000 personnel drawn from all the local government areas of the state, are being trained at the Police College, Kaduna.

The governor said on Saturday that the training was a major step towards fulfilling his promise to strengthen the manpower and overall operational capacity of Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVS).

He said that since its establishment, the KADVS had been working with security agencies to degrade criminal elements across the state.

“But we face the challenge of inadequate personnel to successfully wage the battle against bandits and other criminal elements.

“It is for this reason that our administration decided to recruit 7,000 personnel into the Kaduna Vigilance Service,” he said.

Mr Sani said that those recruited were thoroughly screened by local government chairmen, traditional and religious leaders, key stakeholders and security agencies in their local government areas.

“The screening was very thorough. We have here energetic young men and women of transparent honesty who are committed to securing our local communities,” he said.

The governor also explained that KADVS was a complementary security outfit that has been assisting security agencies with actionable intelligence.

According to him, with their knowledge of the local environment, bandits will now have no hiding place.

Mr Sani charged the newly recruited personnels to show seriousness and commitment during the training.

(NAN)