The Bayelsa State House of Assembly on Thursday passed the State Community Safety Corps Bill, 2021 into law.
The executive bill was meant to repeal the State Voluntary Internal Vigilantes Agency (Bayelsa Volunteer Law, 2003), the Community Safety and Vigilantes Corps Law, 2018 and the Registration Neighbourhood Watch Laws, and bring all of them under a central coordinating body called the Community Safety Corps.
In October, the House conducted a public hearing on the bill at the assembly complex in Yenagoa, the state capital.
It was attended by the representatives of law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations, socio-cultural groups and professional bodies.
Among the various stakeholder groups that made presentations at the public hearing were the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Ministry of Justice.
Others included the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yenagoa branch, Bayelsa State Non-Governmental Organisations Forum (BANGOF) and Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO).
Speaker of the Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, thanked the legislators for their valuable contributions during deliberations that led to the passage of the bill.
He expressed hope that when assented to by Governor Douye Diri, the new law will complement the efforts of security agencies in ensuring the safety of lives and property.
In particular, Ingobere noted that the would new legislation would help the tackling of herdsmen menace, kidnapping and other challenges of insecurity.
