Plateau's 17 councils plan own security outfits, using Wase as model

Chairmen of all 17 local government areas in Plateau State have agreed to set up security outfits in their own councils, modelled on a scheme already running in Wase, the state's Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Usman Ephraim Gar, has said.

Gar told a press conference in Jos on Thursday, with the 17 chairmen standing beside him, that the outfits would work alongside the police and other security agencies rather than take their place. The aim, he said, is to help curb the killings and other security problems that have hit communities across the state.

For residents of Plateau, the plan matters because attacks have repeatedly forced families from their homes and farms. A local outfit that gathers information and reports quickly could give the police and other agencies earlier warning of trouble.

How the Wase model works

Wase Local Government Area is the example the other councils will copy. Its outfit, Wase Rock Security Network Limited, has 140 officers who went through three months of training run by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The council chairman, Hamisu Mohammed Anani, held a passing-out parade for them and handed over 25 patrol motorcycles and two Toyota Hilux vehicles to help them move faster when incidents happen.

The NSCDC's Plateau State command formally inaugurated the outfit after the training, according to Gar. He said registering the outfits properly would make it easier for them to share information and work with the conventional agencies.

Plateau already has Operation Rainbow and the Neighbourhood Watch, set up under a 2012 state law, with the watch serving as a civilian intelligence-gathering structure. The new council outfits would add another layer to those arrangements.

The plan comes after a difficult stretch. At least 13 people were reportedly killed in separate attacks in Jos South, Mangu and Riyom on September 13, 2026, while an attack on communities in Mangu in August left at least 25 people dead.

Commissioner denies meddling in council funds

Gar also used the briefing to reject talk that the state government interferes in how councils spend their federal allocations. He said Governor Caleb Mutfwang has never told chairmen what to do with their money.

"The governor has never dictated how the councils should utilise their allocations," he said, adding that projects like radio and television stations and large event halls show the councils can handle their own resources.

The commissioner spoke after a ministry team toured projects in all three senatorial zones. He listed a remodelled youth centre, a mini stadium, computer-based test centres, health facilities, boreholes and solar streetlights in the south, and a 23-kilometre road in Kanke, a 1,500-capacity hall in Mangu and an anatomy laboratory at Plateau State University, Bokkos, in the central zone.

He called for a bigger share of federal revenue for local governments so they can do more for their communities.

What happens next

The other 16 councils still have to train and register their own outfits, and no timetable has been given. Gar said it is only a matter of time before they follow Wase's lead.