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By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
Idris Miliki Abdul,
Executive Director,CHRCR.
A civil society organisation, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflicts Resolution (CHRCR), has called on the Kogi State Government to urgently recruit and deploy more community vigilantes across the state’s 239 wards to strengthen local security and complement ongoing operations by conventional security agencies.
The group, in a press release signed by its Executive Director, Idris Miliki Abdul, commended the state government’s recent decision to temporarily close schools, markets and motor parks in parts of Kogi West, describing the move as a proactive and commendable response to prevailing security challenges.
The government had explained that the measures were necessary to support ongoing security operations and safeguard lives and property.
However, CHRCR argued that while the presence of the Nigeria Police Force, the military and other paramilitary agencies remains critical, most of these personnel are federal officers are not be permanently stationed in one location and can be redeployed at any time.
It also noted that many of them are unfamiliar with local languages and terrain, which could limit effective intelligence gathering at the grassroots level.
To address this gap, the organisation proposed that the state government should recruit at least 20 trained and properly equipped vigilantes in each ward.
According to CHRCR, locally based vigilantes who reside within their communities would enhance early warning systems, improve intelligence sharing and build stronger trust between security actors and residents.
The group linked the rising security challenges to broader issues of violent extremism, which it said are often driven by corruption, inequality, unemployment and poverty among others.
These conditions, CHRCR noted, make individuals more vulnerable to extremist narratives that exploit social and economic grievances, especially in communities with weak institutions and poor service delivery.
CHRCR also observed that Nigeria’s response to violent extremism has remained largely fragmented, with interventions operating in silos and lacking effective coordination, shared data systems and unified policy direction.
It warned that poor alignment among federal, state and local actors often results in duplicated efforts, policy contradictions and inefficient use of resources.
The organisation therefore called for the national integration of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) strategies, stressing the need for a harmonised framework that aligns the efforts of all tiers of government.
Such an approach, it said, would promote consistency, accountability and shared objectives, while clearly defining roles and measurable outcomes.
According to CHRCR, a coordinated security architecture that combines federal forces with well-trained community vigilantes and strong community engagement would significantly enhance resilience against violent extremism and improve overall security across Kogi State.
