The Edo State Government has launched a vigilante network to tackle insecurity.

A statement on Sunday said the vigilante network, an initiative of Governor Godwin Obaseki, was a community-led effort to galvanise local communities to partner government security agencies to provide security and protect lives and property in the state.

A lead expert on the vigilante scheme, Mr Yusuf Haruna, said the new arrangement would bring in stakeholders in communities to secure their spaces, gather intelligence and ensure adequate security across the state.

He said, “We have divided the state into strata and every team is manning their area. We don’t want criminal elements to survive in any part of Edo State.

“We want to ensure that Edo is safe for our people and free of cultists and kidnappers. Our mission is to smoke out the criminals and ensure that they are not comfortable in our communities.”