We Shall Continue To Partner Police In Securing Our Communities – Yahasalam

The Head of Harmonised Vigilante Group in Osun State, Alhaji Ridwan Hussein Yahasalam has pledged his group’s readiness to partner Police in the proposed community policing system yet to be implemented across Nigeria .

He said the group over the years had been a strong partner of the police in various operations aimed at stamping out criminalities in the state.

Yahasalam opined that the level of insecurity in Nigeria utterly calls for urgent move to restrategise for the sole purpose of protecting lives and property of the citizenry, as he commended the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu for community policing initiative, adding that such proactive measure to curb insecurity is in line with global practice .

Yahasalam made this known at the Osun Police Command headquarters in Osogbo, the state capital on Tuesday, during the inauguration of Community Policing Committee aimed at assisting the police in recruiting special constabularies that would support their operation in the state, as well as securing remote communities.

The security expert frowned at any security arrangement that could be a docile instrument in the hands of politicians, as he called on opinion moulders in the state to support the police in achieving it’s goal of community policing initiative .

According to him, the best way of securing any communities is through involvement of the locals , who understand the terrain better and have satisfactory knowledge about the nature of people in the particular community .

He said : ” We are very happy that this is coming at this time when Nigeria is facing serious security threat from all fronts, which is seriously affecting our social and economic life negatively .

” This initiative of the Federal government to bring local communities on board the security architecture is timely and laudable, it is indeed a round peg in a round hole.

” I salute the professional savvy of the IG and his sense of diplomatic strategy, which gave birth to this brilliant idea of nipping criminality in the bud”.

Yahasalam added that the experience of his group in working hand in hand with police to apprehend criminal elements around the state would serve as a huge leverage to perform better in the present engagement.

He however commended the governor oh the state, Mr Gboyega Oyetola for what he termed ” consistent and responsive approach to issues of security” in the state .

He also commended the governor for appointing the former Commissioner for Police in the state, Mrs Abiodun Ige, as the Special Adviser on Security, adding that the retired police officer would bring her deep knowledge and vast exposure to bear in the security architecture of the state.