The Akwa Ibom government has officially flagged off the Ibom Community Watch, a community based security outfit aimed at further enhancing security and protection of lives and property in the state.

The commissioner ministry of internal security and water ways in Akwa Ibom,
General Koko Essien (rtd), who performed the launch of the security outfit in Uyo recently, charged the members of the group to be alert and diligent at all times adding that as a community based security outfit their responsibility was to ensure the security of lives and property in their various domains.

Essien who described the Ibom Community Watch as a brain child of the Governor Umo Eno led administration targeted at sustaining the relative peace and security at the grassroot urged members of the outfit not to disappoint the confidence reposed on them by stakeholders in their various communities and the state governor adding that 5000 youths of Akwa Ibom education drawn from across the 31 local government areas of the state are to be recruited into the outfit.

As members of the Ibom community watch you are community based. You were picked in your various units and wards.

“This means the stakeholders in your units and wards trusted you as one they can handover the security in their areas to.”

“So you must not disappoint your communities and also the governor who has graciously approved that 5000 youths of Akwa Ibom across the 31 local government areas be taken out of the streets and made benefi ciaries of this programme,” Essien stated.

The commissioner explained that as a community based security outfit, members of the Ibom Community Watch were now responsible for the security of their respective communities in partnership with the police and other government security organizations.

He warned members of the group not to engage themselves in jungle justice but to always handover every suspect on arrest to the police for a more indept investigation and prosecution.

The commissioner thanked the state governor, Pastor Umo Eno for giving approval for the establishment of the Ibom community watch and urged members of the outfit to see their selection as an opportunity for them to contribute their quota to the development of their various communities and the state at large.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the special adviser to the governor on security, DIG Ogunjemilusi Adeyemi said the formation of the Ibom community watch was in keeping with Governor Umo Eno’s ARISE Agenda in the area of security adding that the outfit in partnership with the police and other security agencies would further strengthen the security of lives and property in the state.

He disclosed that during the training session, recruits into the security outfit would be drilled on basic security tactics aimed at preparing them for the task ahead.

Adeyemi who lauded the state governor for giving approval for the establishment of the Ibom Community Watch listed areas the recruits would be trained on to include traffic control intelligence gathering and crowed control even as he also congratulated the personels for being found worthy as members of the security outfit.

In their separate goodwill messages, the chairman Akwa Ibom state local government commission, Elder Monday Eyo Okon and the chairman, House Committee on security, youths and sports, Mr Uwemedimo Asuquo thanked the state governor for the initiative noting that through the exercise, youths of the state would be taken off the streets and engaged meaningfully for the development of the state.

They advised members of the security outfit to always keep their ears to the ground and ensure the smoke out people with questionable characters in their communities for peace and development to thrive.

Some of the members of the security outfit who spoke with the Pioneer expressed appreciation to the state to the state government for finding them worthy to serve in the organisation and pledged to put in their best in ensuring adequate security in their respective domains.