The Governor, Dr Alex Otti has inaugurated a 7-man screening committee with a charge for them to carry out thorough Personnel and Arms audit on the Abia Vigilantee Service (AVS) and the State Homeland Security Watch.
Members of the screening committee are ASP Itiola Lawrence (Nigeria Police), CSC Chinomso Okorie (NSCDC), MWO Alidu Sylvester Bala (Nigerian Navy), Captain Abdulrasheed Alquasim (Nigerian Army), Chinenye Alajemba and Assistant Director Tony Ifeanyi Izim (rtd.) of the DSS who serves as the Secretary.
Inaugurating the Committee at Government House Umuahia, Governor Otti described security of lives and properties of Abians as pivotal to his administration, as “no serious minded government would do without security”.
The Governor represented by his Chief of Staff, Pastor Caleb Ajagba said the decision to set up the Committee was informed by the need to instill discipline and professionalism in the community policing system of the state.
He said that constituting the Committee became necessary because of the need to organize Abia Vigilante Service and Abia State Homeland Security Watch,to further guarantee safety of lives and property of the Abia people.
“If the people who are supposed to midwife security are indiscipline and not organized to effect the mandate of security, security would become a collossal failure”, Otti said.
The Governor while noting that the screening of the Officers of Abia Vigilante Service and Abia State Homeland Security Watch would contribute to the achievement of optimal security goals in the state, charged the Members of the Committee to live up to expectation by ensuring that they discharge their duty with commitment and diligence.
Earlier in his address, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Navy Commander MacDonald Uba (rtd.) said that setting up of the Committee was necessitated by the need to ameliorate the wave of crime and improve the poor architecture of community policing in Abia.
Uba urged the Committee to give recommendations that would assist the government to develop the best formula for reforming the security system for efficiency.
He said that the Committee’s Terms of Reference include; “to verify and flush out the ghost workers in Abia Vigilantee Service and Abia State Homeland Security Watch, “To confirm their geographical spread, determine their levels of para-military training, take inventory of the Arms and Ammunition in their armory and ascertain their method of Arms and ammunition distribution and protection.
“As well as review and recommend to the government on the best formula for security reformation and transformation“.
Responding, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Emmanuel Ogbuehi,thanked the State government for finding them worthy to serve in that capacity adding that the Committee under his watch would carry out their assignment diligently, and ensure Abia State remained safe and secure.
