Stakeholders in North-West on Sunday urged states in the region to adopt the community policing model established by the current Katsina Governor, Dikko Radda, to stem the tide of insecurity in their respective domains.
The appeal was made at a press conference in Abuja by the General Secretary of Arewa New Frontiers, Mohammed Ibn Abdulsalam to commemorate the first anniversary of the security outfit.
While paying tribute to the governor for recruiting 1,466 trained community watch corps in local government infiltrated by bandits, Abdulsalam stated that Radda’s initiative has become a model that should be studied by Northern states plagued with similar insecurity challenges.
The stakeholders disclosed that since its establishment, the security outfit had neutralised notorious terrorist bandit leader, Sani Waka Burki and many of his foot soldiers terrorizing Safana and Batsari LGs.
They added that the community watch corps equally intercepted a commercial vehicle carrying a cache of ammunition in Batsari, among other successes.
“The procurement of 10 armoured personnel carriers, 61 branded Hilux vehicles, 700 motorcycles, and advanced surveillance equipment worth over N10 billion demonstrates his resolve to spare no resource in protecting our people. The governor is not just addressing immediate security threats but also strategically fighting the underlying causes of conflict.
“The Joint Security Operations Communications Centre has turned around our intelligence gathering and response capabilities, enabling us to prevent attacks before they occur. From 22 local government areas being under severe security threat, we are witnessing a steady decline in criminal activities. Now, the security threats have been reduced to three local governments.
“The results are clear for all to see. Markets are reopening, farmers are returning to their fields, and our children can once again attend school without fear. While we acknowledge that there is still work to be done, we must commend Governor Dikko Umaru Radda for his courage, We are more than proud to see Zamfara and Kaduna States adopting this successful initiative, and we hope other Northwest states do the same.,” Abdulsalam said.
