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From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The Kukah Centre and Kaduna State government have validated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to strengthen and institutionalise local security operations by the Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KADVIS).
The validation marked the commencement of the Improving Community Security Initiatives for Accountable Service Delivery Project II, which is part of the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Programme, an initiative of the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) implemented by Tetra Tech International Development.
The SOPs were developed during the first phase of the initiative and subsequently validated by relevant stakeholders, with the current phase focused on securing their adoption as an institutional framework for KADVIS operations.
The broader objective of the initiative was to standardise community security structures and build their capacity, particularly as discussions around reforms to Nigeria’s security architecture continue.
Speaking on the sidelines of the town hall in Kaduna, Project Manager, The Kukah Centre, Bamber Terseer, said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that KADVIS operated within clearly defined procedures and standards.
“Because we want the SOPs to become an institutional document, we have returned under the second phase of the project to advocate to key stakeholders for the adoption of the document as a state policy and, importantly, its implementation,” he said.
According to Terseer, the SOPs would provide a guiding framework for the operations of KADVIS while clarifying the responsibilities of personnel and how the service should interact with other security agencies.
The Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Bashir Mohammed, described the SOPs as critical to the effective functioning of KADVIS, saying every government-established organisation required clear guidelines for its operations.
The document, he believed, would specify “who is to do what, how it should be done and when it should be done”, including procedures for transferring cases beyond the capacity of KADVIS to appropriate security or law-enforcement agencies.
