For members of the Community Protection Guards who will be stationed in remote communities and villages to defend citizens from bandits, the Zamfara State Government aims to purchase no less than 7,000 weapons.
According to information obtained, the state would help the guards file their police license applications for firearms.
Prior to this, 100 applicants for the CPG are presently undergoing training at a police college.
The men would be armed and sent to their towns after being trained by the police, according to Zailani Bappa, the state governor’s communications adviser, who revealed this to The PUNCH in a telephone interview on Tuesday.
He stated, “The police are now training members of the first batch of guards at the police training college.
However, the governor has already given the guards 1,500 motorcycles and 20 Hilux vehicles to use as a start, and the government will help them if they file for a license to lawfully use firearms.
They would each apply to become citizens of Nigeria on their own; the government would simply offer assistance.
Every young person who has been recommended by the community leaders as a good citizen would be given the chance to apply for a permit to possess firearms and protect their neighborhoods before the military arrives in the event of an attack.
“Since we have so many communities, we aim to hire at least 7,000 of them throughout the state.
The issue we have is that the police and military are so overworked.
Therefore, some bandits would enter the communities and engage in whatever activity they desired prior to the arrival of the troops.