The Katsina State Vigilance Group has registered 1, 200 people to complement security agencies in the state to tackle Boko Haram insurgents.

The Coordinator of the group, Alhaji Abba Mainayara, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Katsina.

Boko Haram has staged a deadly insurgency in northern Nigeria since 2009, killing thousands of people and displacing millions, especially in the North East.

“The vigilance group in Katsina State has opened offices in the 34 local government areas in the state.

“The idea behind opening the offices is to provide adequate security for lives and property of citizens of Katsina State.

“The group is currently working hand-in-hand with the police, NDLEA, State Security Service, immigration, the army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

“Whenever our men arrest criminals, we always hand over the criminals to the police or NDLEA for prosecution.”

The coordinator disclosed that the group had established a system of patrolling the local governments jointly with the police and the military to reduce crime.

“We assisted soldiers and police to clear the issue of cattle rustling in Katsina State,” he said.

Mai’nayara called on the Katsina State Government to provide logistic support to the group to provide effective services to people.

•Text (excluding headline) courtesy of NAN.