Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, on Tuesday inaugurated 2,000 newly-trained Neighbourhood Watch Corps personnel, describing the initiative as a dual strategy to enhance community security and create employment for youths.
Speaking at the graduation and inauguration ceremony in Kano, Yusuf said the programme was designed to tackle insecurity while addressing youth unemployment, stressing that lasting peace could only be achieved through a combination of security and opportunity.
We are not just inaugurating a security outfit; we are empowering our youths and strengthening community-based security. An idle mind is vulnerable, but an engaged and employed youth is a fortress against violence and criminality,” the governor said.
He noted that the Neighbourhood Watch Corps would professionalise community policing, particularly in border areas affected by banditry and other crimes, adding that the recruits had been moved “from the streets to the frontlines of public service” with career prospects and dignity.
Yusuf said the initiative was part of a broader employment drive, citing the recent recruitment of teachers and beneficiaries of skills development programmes across the state.
The governor also announced that Kano was working with neighbouring states—Katsina, Kaduna and Bauchi—to develop joint security strategies, coordinated border operations and shared intelligence to combat cross-border crimes.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting state governments on security matters and urged the National Assembly to fast-track the passage of the state police bill, saying it would complement existing security agencies.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Special Duties, AVM Ibrahim Umar (rtd), described the graduation as a milestone in Kano’s effort to institutionalise community-driven security through a legally backed and professionally trained corps.
Also speaking, the 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, praised the state government for strengthening security and assured traditional institutions of their continued support, urging residents to cooperate with security agencies by reporting suspicious movements.
In his remarks, Katsina State Governor and Chairman of the North-West Governors’ Forum, Dikko Umar Radda, described the Kano initiative as a model for the region, calling for greater inter-state collaboration and a regional framework for community security.
Former Kano State Governor and leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, also called on the Federal Government to strengthen security agencies through improved recruitment, training and equipment, while exploring ways to absorb trained youths into security services nationwide.
The inauguration marked the formal deployment of the first batch of the Kano State Neighbourhood Watch Corps, which the government said would work closely with conventional security agencies to improve safety across the state.