From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Government has directed the eight local government councils to set up credible vigilante teams in every community in their areas to work closely with the police and other security agencies in the state.
Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo gave the directive at separate meetings with traditional rulers from Kolokuma/Opokuma and Yenagoa Local Government Areas in Government House, Yenagoa.
The Senior Special Assistant to Ewhrudjakpo on Media, Mr Doubara Atasi, said in a statement that the expanded meeting had in attendance service commanders together with House of Assembly members, Commissioners and chairmen from the two local government areas.
The statement quoted the deputy governor as restating the present administration’s zero-tolerance stance on cultism, banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities in the state.
While assuring the councils of the state government’s assistance towards strengthening community-based vigilante groups in the fight against crime and criminality, Senator Ewhrudjakpo called on the police to properly profile members of such groups to check sabotage.
He said necessary modalities would be worked out with the councils to maintain the vigilantes across the eight local government areas in the state.
The deputy governor also said the government had set in motion the machinery to revamp and relaunch its Operation Doo Akpo security outfit to fight crime and insecurity.
He called on the traditional rulers and other community leaders to cooperate with security agencies as well as start the implementation of the government’s directive on profiling visitors and non-indigenes in their communities.
‘This meeting is to appraise the security situation in our communities and discuss how we can strengthen our security machinery. That is why all the service commanders including the Commissioner of Police are here,’ he said.
‘All hands must be on deck to build a safe and stable Bayelsa State. From this September, we want you to fully comply with the Bayelsa State Government’s directive to register all strangers coming into your communities.
‘On our part as a government, we are ready and will continue to defend our zero tolerance towards cultism, armed robbery, kidnapping and other forms of crimes.
‘The governor and I never came into office aided by cultists and criminals. So we are ready to fight them with God and every other means at our disposal. They had better change or leave Bayelsa for elsewhere.
‘The police and other security agencies should step up their game. Time has come for every community including my own Ofoni Community to get rid of those criminal elements.’
In their separate submissions, the service commanders including the State Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng, spelt out the dangers of harbouring criminals and urged the traditional rulers to always avail them with timely and actionable intelligence.