Katsina plans 708 vigilantes for schools as concerns mount over Zamfara killings

The Katsina State Government said it has concluded plans to recruit 708 vigilantes to be deployed to protect schools, especially in security-prone areas of the state.
   
Meanwhile, a resident of Gusau in Zamfara State, Idris Gusau, has urged both the federal and state governments to end the wanton killings along the Gusau-Funtua highway.
   
He described the insecurity on that route as increasingly disturbing to both travellers using the highway and their families back at home.
   
Briefing newsmen to commemorate the 2026 International Day to Protect Education from Attack, the Katsina Commissioner for Basic and Social Education, Yusuf Jibia, said Governor Dikko Radda has approved the recruitment of the 708 vigilantes.
   
Jibia said the state government has also directed public schools to establish security committees including representatives of security agencies within the area, as part of efforts to ensure security at schools.
   
He also disclosed the deployment of mobile police personnel to provide adequate security for secondary schools, especially those with boarding facilities, just as perimeter fencing is being constructed to improve physical security infrastructure.
   
The commissioner added that under the state’s Safe Schools Policy, the government has established a technical working group comprising relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, security institutions, development partners and civil society organisations, to work with Save the Children International.