Key Points

• Plateau to recruit 1,000 youths for Operation Rainbow.

• Initiative aims to boost security and create jobs.

• Critics caution against risks of inadequate oversight.

The government of Plateau State wants to hire 1,000 young people to join Operation Rainbow, a community-based security program that aims to stop the state’s growing crime rate. Governor Caleb Mutfwang made the announcement in Jos. He said that the enlistment drive would focus on young men and women from nearby communities who can help keep weak areas safe.

More than ten years ago, Operation Rainbow was started as a way for people in the area to deal with frequent fights and violence in rural areas. Its new growth comes at a time when Plateau, like other parts of northern Nigeria, is dealing with banditry, kidnappings, and fights between farmers and herders.

Operation Rainbow to take in 1,000 young people

According to a report by the Punch news, Mutfwang said at a meeting with stakeholders that hiring more people would not only make the area safer, but it would also give young people in the state jobs. “We are determined to make Operation Rainbow stronger and make sure that people feel safe in their communities again,” he said.

Officials said that the recruits will get a lot of paramilitary training and be sent to rural areas where attacks have forced hundreds of people to leave their homes this year. Lawmakers in Plateau have also promised to help pay for logistics, vehicles, and communication gear.

Young people signing up is seen as a double response

According to security experts, the move shows a two-pronged approach: dealing with insecurity and unemployment at the same time.

Plateau has one of the highest rates of youth unemployment in the north-central region. Officials think that letting young people help protect their communities could lower crime and make people trust the government more.

Some civil society groups, on the other hand, have said to be careful because giving guns to recruits who aren’t well-trained and aren’t being watched could be dangerous in the long run.

Ibrahim Pam, a security researcher from Jos, said, “Plateau needs a balanced approach: community policing, better intelligence gathering, and investment in the economy and society.”

Plateau wants to restore trust in the community

The state government says that Operation Rainbow will be closely watched and coordinated with the Nigerian Police, Civil Defence Corps, and other federal security agencies.

Officials say the model is meant to bring together community watchfulness and professional law enforcement to fill in the gaps left by national forces that are stretched too thin.

People who live in places where there is a lot of violence, like Barkin Ladi, Riyom, and Bassa, can find some hope in this project. Local leaders say that when attacks happen at night, villagers often feel alone because state security forces don’t respond. They say that hiring new people could help them respond more quickly and act as a visible deterrent.

Before the end of the year, the new recruits should start going to training camps that are already being set up. Mutfwang has asked community leaders, religious groups, and traditional rulers to back the program, saying that everyone is responsible for safety.