Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC has trained scores of private guards for several Private Guards Companies (PGC) in Taraba State amid growing threats to security of lives and property across the state.
The State Commandant of the Corps Commandant Adamu Salihu who urged the trainees to be good ambassadors of their various companies and to behave in manners that would earn them public confidence, urge the people to only engage private guards who are trained and licenced by the Corps.
Speaking at the end of the NSCDC Annual Basic Training Course 2, 2023 for Private Guard Companies operating in Taraba State which was held at the State Command Headquarters from 2nd – 14th October 2023, the Commandant decries low patronage for Private Guard Companies (PGCs) in the state.
“There is low patronage of Private Guard Companies in the state and it is affecting the sustainability of these companies. I think this is probably because the people are not adequately informed about the roles of the PGCs in the security sector.
“The personnel of the PGCs are well trained to face the current security challenges in the country and employers of labour should not be afraid to engage them positively. When they are engaged the pressure on conventional security agencies who are already overstretched will greatly be reduced.
“The NSCDC is the only security agency mandated by law to license, monitor, train, and supervise private security companies in Nigeria as empowered by Section 3 of the NSCDC Act No.2 of 2003. It is in line with this that the training course was conducted to further empower the PGCs to contribute their quota towards the general security and well-being of the state” he said
The Head of Department Private Guard Companies DCC Kenneth Udenka thanked all the PGCs that participated in the training and urged them to put into practice all that they have learned in the course of the training exercise.
“A lot has been impacted in you during this training ranging from general security to community policing, intelligence gathering, arrest, beat management, identifying criminal syndicate, report writing and many more. You will be doing yourselves, your employers and the general public a lot good if you put what you have learned here to good use” he said.
The NSCDC Annual Basic Training Course 2 2023 for Private Guard Companies drew participation from all Private Guard Companies in the state and resource persons from the Army, DSS and NSCDC were used as tutors for the course. The course also included physical training and drills.