November 30, (THEWILL) – Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has banned the operations of all self-styled (Yan Sa Kai) vigilante groups in the state.
A statement issued on Tuesday by Muhammad Bello, the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Publicity, said, the action is to strengthen efforts to curb banditry and sundry crimes in the state.
Tambuwal advised citizens desirous of contributing their quota to fight criminals and criminalities, to join legitimately constituted vigilante groups that would “from now on operate under the supervision of the state Police Command as well as other security outfits in the state”.
He said the state Police Command has commenced the training of legitimately constituted vigilante groups in the State.
According to the statement, “Gov. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state made this known on Monday while signing into law the “Yan Sa Kai (Self-Styled Vanguards) Prohibition Order 2021”, at a stakeholders security meeting held at the Sultan Maccido Institute for Qur’anic and General Studies, Sokoto.
The order while outlawing, “the organisation, operation, and activities of ‘Yan Sa Kai’,” stipulates that any contravention shall be “punished in accordance with the provisions of the Penal Code Law 2019.”
“Consequently, any convicted offender of section 4 (a,b,c and d) shall be guilty and liable to conviction to a fine of N500,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of 14 years or to both,” he said.
According to the statement, “Section 5 of the law also provides that, any person who while in public has with him offensive weapons or missiles, other than in pursuance of lawful authority, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of N200,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of 7 years or to both such fine and imprisonment.
“We know the history of banditry and what happened in Zamfara and the role of ‘Yan Sa Kai, which they are still playing in Zamfara state; and, how that exacerbated the security situation in Zamfara State.”
The Governor said, the government must be proactive in training, re-training and empowering the vigilante to make sure that they work hand-in-hand with the established security agencies as recognised by the law.
