The United Nation Development Programme UNDP said, over 30,000 Civilian Joint Task Force could constitute security threat worse than Boko Haram insurgency if they were not taken off the streets after the insurgency.
The UNDP noted that it had become imperative to train the Civilian JTF to re-energise them and build their capacity to perform their community security services professionally and dutifully.
The Country Director of UNDP, Mr. Samuel Bwalya explained this at the training programme for the CJTF members during the graduation of 453 CJTF/Vigilantes drafted from Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.
The country director said the CJTF members were trained to provide effective community security services, identify/report human right abuses, identify causes of gender/sexual violence and resolve conflicts through dialogue to promote peaceful co-existence in their various communities.
Bwalya, who was represented by the Coordinator of the training programme, Mr. Matthew Alao said, the UNPD had trained about 2,000 CJTF in the three states since December 2017 at the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre in Jos, Plateau State.
He added that, although 30,000 is a huge number, the UNDP is only targeting to train between 20 and 30 percent of the number so that they can become equipped with capacities to help themselves and the society after the Boko Haram insurgency is finally defeated.
The country director explained that the next phase of the training will be for those of them that will want to pursue alternative livelihood. They will be given skill acquisition training for six to 12 months.