By Maureen Nwine
In line with its promise to rid the state of all sorts of criminal activities, the Edo State Government has commenced a two-week training for operatives of the state vigilante and security network. 580 hunters, drawn from the six local government areas of the Edo North Senatorial District, have arrived at the Police Training School Ogida, Benin City, as the first batch of trainees.
During the last Edo North security council meeting in December 2022, which had Security Chiefs, traditional rulers, leaders, and heads of the various local government councils in attendance, the State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, promised that the Government would continue to provide logistics and welfare for the security network in the State, in addition to comprehensive training in the first month of the new year in 2023, beginning with the local government areas in Edo North which border many other states.
Addressing the operatives on their arrival, the State Co-ordinator, Edo State Security Network, Col. K.O. Omomia, commended the state government for its continued support of the network. He noted that the present trainees will further train their colleagues, in a train-the-trainer initiative, while emphasizing the importance of security in the state and country in general.
According to Omomia, “The training of the operatives is a great testimony of the government’s efforts, and the promise fulfilled by Governor Obaseki to rid the state, all its nooks and crannies, of the remnants of criminal elements. These trainees will be engaged in a comprehensive exercise that will in turn bring in a new face, approach, and strategy to policing the communities, towns, and major cities in the state”.
Omomia urged the trainees to abide by the rules of engagement as well as regulations put in place by the authorities of the Nigerian Police Force, the lead trainers, and managers of the training school.
The Deputy Commandant, Police Training School, Ogida, Benin City, CSP Ehis Godfrey Akhanolu, also assured the State Government of comprehensive training for the intakes, noting that at the end of the exercise, the trainees will be better equipped in all aspects of security management for the demanding task ahead.
