Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, Nigeria’s interior minister, has urged members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to demonstrate more devotion to the country’s internal security by exceeding expectations.
The minister delivered the address yesterday in Abuja during the NSCDC’s commissioning of 96 recently purchased operational and logistical vehicles.
Aregbesola claimed that the government’s ongoing efforts to solve the myriad problems posed by insecurity in the country should be sufficient to keep all security services alert to threats to internal security of any kind.
“The Federal Ministry of Interior plays a crucial role in overseeing the country’s internal security,” he stated.
The NSCDC, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), and the Federal Fire Service are the four paramilitary agencies with us. “We do this in policy formulation generally, and in the supervision or superintendence of the four paramilitary agencies with us (FFS).
These organizations are leading the charge to safeguard people and property and put an end to insecurity in the nation by cooperating with other security organizations like the Nigeria Police.
“With vehicular support, equipment, and other supports given to the corps, there is no justification for failure but to fulfill its duty,” the minister said.
He emphasized that the unveiling of the vehicles was another step toward encouraging the NSCDC to perform better in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s stance of intolerance of anything that poses a threat to the safety of the country.
He continued by saying that the assistance was provided so that corps members could mobilize and get at crime or event locations in a timely manner to provide better service.
The minister, who referred to the corps as a creation of Nigeria, cautioned members against using excessive force but instead urged them to maintain civility and involve the public in carrying out the corps’ mandate, which includes crisis and disaster management, anti-vandalism, regulation of private security firms, and agro rangers, among other things.
He praised Dr. Ahmed Audi, Commandant General of the NSCDC, praising him for his vision and focus.
Audi promised to use the supports the corps has received effectively and efficiently to fulfill the purposes for which they were acquired. Audi also gave the minister assurance that the supports would act as a catalyst in boosting the activities of the corps.
He noted that in the previous eight months, the NSCDC had demolished 71 illegal refineries, apprehended around 501 suspected pipeline vandals and oil thieves, and obtained 59 convictions.
Audi highlighted that the specialized operating vehicles would be utilized to battle potential threats to national security resulting from criminal acts and pledged to keep working in harmony with sister security organizations.
He listed other crimes committed in the coastal and offshore zones, including pipeline destruction, illegal bunkering, smuggling, and theft of crude oil.
Audi extended gratitude to other sibling security organizations and stakeholders for their ongoing cooperation.
He stated that the newly-deployed vehicles would be used for state commands, headquarters, and other designated specialized tasks, and he issued a warning that any employees found to be complicit in national security violations would be subject to appropriate disciplinary action through the law court of ethics and the corps’ Standard Operational Procedure.
