Bauchi kicks off four-day sensitisation workshop on local security reporting

Departmental Security Officers, traditional rulers, and Deputy Chairpersons from the twenty Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Bauchi State have commenced a four-day sensitisation workshop on reporting security issues at the local community level.

The sensitisation workshop was organised by SLB Consultancy Nigeria Ltd in conjunction with the State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and facilitated by personnel of the State Police Command.

Speaking on the essence of the workshop, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon Isa Babayo Tilde, stated that it is aimed at updating officers on new measures for tackling security issues.

Represented by the Deputy Director, Inspectorate and Monitoring Services, Bala Abdul, the Commissioner stressed that the importance of proactiveness in addressing security challenges cannot be overemphasised.

According to him, “We are here for a workshop that has to do with Departmental Security Officers and some traditional rulers on the issues of security in the country and local government areas, most especially security threats and other things that they need to know so that they can inform the security operatives and assist them in their operations, that is their daily routine.”

The Commissioner added that, “The focus of the workshop is to enlighten the departmental security officers because we have been having reports, most especially in the office, that most of them do not know the essence of being departmental security officers, and things are happening in their respective local governments and other communities, and they cannot assist the security agencies.”

Isa Babayo Tilde further stated, “So, here at the workshop, we are trying to sensitise them so that they can know the methods of information gathering which will be used in terms of security operations and also assist the security operatives in the state.”

He emphasised that departmental security is a distinct department among the nine departments within the LGAs. They are part of the security council of the LGAs, members of the communities, and aware of local developments, which they must report accordingly.

The Commissioner directed the participants to conduct step-down training so that others working with them would become familiar with modern security intelligence gathering methods.

He also assured that the Ministry will collaborate with all relevant agencies to ensure well-secured LGAs across the state.

Isa Babayo Tilde added that, as officers at the local community level, they are closer to the people and must be conversant with various happenings within their communities, which they should report to the Council Chairpersons.

Some of the participants expressed their appreciation for the workshop, noting that it is the first of its kind in the state and is necessary given the current security challenges in the country.

Speaking individually, they stated that such workshops and training sessions should be held periodically to keep them updated on the evolving security landscape.

They particularly commended the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs for organising the workshop, saying that, at the end of the day, it would enhance their official functions as Departmental Security Officers.

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