Akwa Ibom State Government has concluded plans to engage more than 2,200 village youth presidents as community intelligence officers, in a move aimed at strengthening grassroots security and making local leaders accountable for developments within their communities.

Governor Umo Eno disclosed this on Friday while speaking with Government House correspondents on his arrival at the Victor Attah International Airport after a two-day official engagement outside the state.

He said the initiative, which will be implemented through the Ibom Community Watch, is part of efforts to bolster intelligence gathering and enhance the state’s preparedness in the face of prevailing security challenges across the country.

According to the governor, the youth presidents, who reside in their respective communities, will undergo training by the Nigeria Police and other security agencies before being formally integrated into the state’s security framework.

“The security situation in the country demands that all state governors become very proactive. The village youth presidents live in the villages and we have over 2,200 villages. They must now come in to become part of the security architecture of the state as we prepare to roll out our state police,” he said.

Eno explained that the youth leaders would serve as intelligence officers responsible for information gathering and community surveillance.

“They will be our intelligence officers. They will be trained on intelligence gathering by the Nigerian Police and other security agencies and then we will formally bring them in,” he stated.

The governor said the initiative would create employment opportunities for more than 2,200 youths while ensuring that local leaders assume greater responsibility for happenings within their communities.

“Government now hires you. You need to know the number of people in your village and who the visitors are. Criminal activities don’t happen overnight and security breaches don’t happen overnight,” he said.

He lamented incidents of vandalism of public infrastructure, including schools, insisting that such acts should no longer occur unnoticed in communities with established youth leadership structures.

On arrival, the governor also inspected ongoing work at the Aviation Village project located within the Victor Attah International Airport complex.