The Kebbi State Government has engaged the services of hunters to guard transformers and other power installations against vandalism in Birnin Kebbi.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Affairs and Power, Alhaji Kabiru Sani-Giant, made the disclosure in Birnin Kebbi on Monday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was sequel to the possible activities of vandals, following total blackout in the state capital.
Sani-Giant, while addressing the hunters, said the essence of constituting the surveillance team was to ensure security of electrical installations, especially theft of armoured cables which had become rampant in some parts of the country.
He noted that the burden of the activities of the vandals, if not checkmated, would be borne by the neck of government, hence the need for precautionary measures to avert the trend.
“If a transformer is vandalised, it is the government that will bear the burden.
“This is a minus on the part of the government because the money that would have been used for other developmental projects will be committed to replacing the vandalised electrical installations.
“That’s why we decided to look for trustworthy people like you to do this kind of job.
“We know the bad eggs amongst us will take advantage of this power outage to perpetrate their evil acts of removing armoured cable, but with you people on ground, they won’t be able to achieve their aim,” he said.
Sani-Giant urged the hunters to be vigilant in the discharge of their duties.
He recalled that even when there was power supply, the vandals used to carry out their nefarious activities in areas where light was not available at any point in time.
“That’s why we feel that your services are very important, as you are not only assisting the government but you are also assisting yourselves and the general public,” he said.
The governor’s aide noted that the assignment would make them become more professional in the security sector while, at the same time, they would get some token from the government, aside reward from their Creator.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Internal Security, Alhaji Sama’ila Yakubu-Augie, said: “security is everybody’s business, hence the need for all hands to be on deck to rescue the situation.”
Yakubu-Augie reminded the hunters that protecting power installations should be a collective responsibility for the good and safety of all.
Responding, the Commander of Kebbi State Hunters, Amb. Musa Hussaini-Rambo, lauded Gov. Nasir Idris for finding them worthy of the job, assuring that they would do their best to protect the installations against vandalism.
Hussaini-Rambo sought for support and cooperation from the general public to enable his members discharge their duties diligently.
