Niger State House of Assembly has passed a bill into law to arm Vigilante Corps to confront banditry and other criminal activities in the state.
Presenting the report of the committee on the bill, the chairman of the security and intelligence committee, Ndagi Jibrin Baba representing Lavun Constituency, told the house that the committee convened public hearings to obtain expert opinions from relevant stakeholders and to also create public awareness about the proposed amendment to the law.
He said the law will be a big strategy in surmounting the challenges of insecurity, and a great platform to be used to police rural communities against the activities of bandits and kidnappers.
He said the amendment include among others the arming of vigilante members to confront the equally armed bandits and to remunerate the vigilante corps on a monthly stipend of N20,000.
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Baba said the law also established a formal local government structure and include the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Corp.
Although the law did not specify the kind of weapons the vigilante members will use in confronting the bandits, it was agreed that the vigilantes will work with security agencies.
The House also passed a bill into law to make for the financial autonomy of the state legislature.
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The bill titled: a bill for a law to make provision for the management of funds of the Niger State House of Assembly and other related matters, was given expeditious hearing and approval.
