Tuesday saw the graduation and passing out ceremony for the first batch of 1,456 members of the Katsina Community Watch Corps. Former President Muhammadu Buhari was there.
The event took place at the same time that 40 new buses were put into service to transport instructors and students to the state’s schools.
In order to address the mounting worries about terrorism and criminal activity in the state, Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, who took office on May 29, 2023, started the recruitment of 2,400 youngsters into the Community Watch Corps.
The governor stated that in order to fight banditry and other types of criminal activity that have plagued the state, the graduates will work alongside conventional security officers.
Additionally, he highlighted that in order to stop the threat terrorists pose throughout Katsina, the recent graduates would concentrate on enhancing security in frontline local governments and going up against them in their hideouts.
Radda’s administration released a total of N560 million for the procurement of security gear for the corps prior to the graduation.
Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State and governors and delegates from six Northwest states—Kebbi, Sokoto, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Kano—were present for the graduation and passing out event.
The event’s chairman was Buhari, and the governors were honored special guests.