Get Guardian on GoogleNATIONAL Chairman and Commander-General of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Otumba Udoma, has said that the group is commitment to safeguarding religious centres and vulnerable communities across the Nigeria pledging heightened intelligence gathering and community-led vigilance.
He stated this during the inauguration of the organisation’s new Chaplaincy Department and the official decoration of its members, yesterday in Abuja.
Udoma stressed that grassroots security hinges on early intervention and proactive surveillance, noting that swift alerts can avert major tragedies at places of worship.
Giving an example, he said “Picture a workshop centre before dawn. The first worshippers arrive and children walk beside their mother. At the gate stands one volunteer. He has been trained. He knows the face of his community and he notices the one face he does not know. He does not draw a weapon or give a chase.
“He watches, records and makes one call. That call made in this first minute is the difference between a morning of prayer and a morning of mourning. The volunteer is why we are here today.”
Recalling past security breaches in various parts of the country, the Commander-General noted that missed early warnings and fractured links between communities and state security architectures had resulted in avoidable losses.
He explained that the newly established Chaplaincy Department is designed as a special national project tasked with protecting worshippers of all faiths across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Udoma, however, clarified that the group operates strictly within the bounds of community policing, complementing rather than replacing statutory law enforcement agencies.
“Our method is simple. We watch, we warn, we protect. We hand over to the statutory agencies in time. We carry no weapon and we replace no agencies.
“A neighbour can see and warn and only the states can arrest, prosecute and defend. This is our discipline and it is our strength,” he stated.
Addressing the newly inducted chaplaincy personnel, Udoma charged them to discharge their duties with utmost integrity, adherence to a strict national code of conduct, and absolute neutrality towards all religious groups.
In his administration he said; “To the Chaplain and to every member being decorated today, this decoration is a trust. Today you stop being volunteers who happen to be at the gates and become the nation’s first line of vigilance at the place of worship. You will be trained to one national standard. You will be held to a code of conduct. You will serve Christians, Muslims and all these as equals,” he admonished.
The VGN boss further called for robust collaboration between security agencies including the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as well as faith-based organisations and the government to resource and strengthen grassroots security architectures.
