By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja

Against the backdrop of the successes recorded by the newly constituted security vigilante group in Anambra State named ‘Agunechemba’, policy development experts from Nextier, have recommended that the group’s members should be provided with adequate insurance cover and proper security training to enable contribute even more to checking insecurity in the State and Southeast region.

In a report analysing the vigilante the operations of Agunechemba, Nextier’s researchers also suggested that Anambra State government should deploy a monitoring and evaluation framework to periodically study the security framework’s effectiveness and continuously explore pathways to better performance.

The report was authored by Dr. Ben Nwosu, an Associate Consultant at Nextier, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Development Studies, University of Nigeria; as well as  Dr. Ndu Nwokolo, a Managing Partner at Nextier and an Honorary Fellow at the School of Government at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Recall that Agunechemba is a creation of the Homeland Security Law of Anambra State 2025, and Nextier acknowledges that it has carried out a few sting operations with commendable results, including a successful raid of a criminal hideouts at Enugwu Agidi, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State.

A similar raid at Umunze, Anambra State, led to the arrest of about six members of another criminal gang in the area. Lilu in Ihiala Local Government area, which was under firm occupation of criminal elements for at least three years, is gradually being freed by Agunechemba, which has dislodged and occupied two criminal camps in the community.

But the Nextier experts, Nwosu and Nwokolo, noted that despite these successes, there are still concerns that the town security management and finance committee determines the remuneration and conditions of services of vigilante operatives.

They contended that as a result, there may be differentials in remuneration. Poor remuneration in less wealthy communities may affect the performance of some operatives.

They further stated that the role of the State Security Trust Fund was absent from the discussion of the organisation’s funding while the government part of the funding, when and how it would be coming, is not spelt out.

This, they argued makes the operatives appear like lumpen workers who lack job security in spite of the dangers of their jobs. Besides, the issue of insurance, which is essential for the operatives due to the hazardous nature of their jobs, is completely silent.

They concluded that based on these, “conditions of service of the operatives of the new vigilante outfit should be harmonised at the state level. Payment should be the same for the same positions across communities in the state. The role of the State Security Trust Fund in supporting vigilantes in the state should be made clear. If the State Security Trust Fund has suffered attrition, measures need to be taken to revamp it.

“Considering that vigilantism has become part of Nigeria’s security architecture, especially being backed by sub-national laws, proper training should be provided for operatives, especially in areas of surveillance, human rights observation, use of appropriate force during arrest, relationship with the police and other national security agencies, etc.

“The government should consider including life insurance for vigilante operatives as part of its role in sustaining the security architecture. The state government should deploy a monitoring and evaluation framework to periodically study the security framework’s effectiveness and continuously explore pathways to better performance.

“The outfit should apply horizontal and vertical structures in its operations, allowing communities and local governments to work together rather than across purposes. It should also collaborate with similar outfits from neighbouring states in the Southeast and South-South regions.”