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Obinna Odogwu, Abakaliki
The Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Ebonyi State, Steve Amoga, has said his men and officers are prepared to ensure that the sit-at-home order issued by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) does not disturb public peace in the state. He said that already, the command is working closely with other security agencies to ensure that the May 29 inauguration is peacefully conducted. He also spoke on other security issues in the state.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have announced that there would be a sit-at-home this Thursday, May 30 across the South East and South-South states. What security measures have the NSCDC put in place to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order on that day?
IPOB, MASSOB, and other pro-Biafra organisations are well known. Their threats are very similar and familiar. And we expected such a call to come up. But we are telling the public that these threats are empty just like the previous ones. They should come out freely en masse and do their lawful businesses. As a command, civil defence has made robust arrangement both in human and material resources to ensure that the road is very busy; the nooks and crannies are busy with our men; both plain cloth and those in uniform to ensure that the populace feel a sense of safety and protection to go about their lawful businesses. We have already made a map; all the security agencies have come together and agreed that such processions cannot hold; such processions must be peaceful if ever it is held. Such processions may not have access into very delicate locations in the state and to access those locations they must take permission in writing. They cannot be strolling and going about the streets because other members of the public, those that are unscrupulous; that are gangsters; that are rogues may cash in and cause havoc. So, we don’t know what is called peaceful procession. Procession can start peacefully and end violently. So, it is better that there is no procession at all.
Supposing they decide to hold the procession on the roads and streets peacefully, are you saying that the NSCDC will clamp down on them?
Let me put it very straight and very clearly. I told you that processions are normally termed peaceful initially but end up being very violent and I advise them, let there be no procession at all. Whatever they have, they can actually put it down in writing and submit to the right quarters through their representatives. It is better than that procession. Procession must not be targeted at an event. It should be targeted at a grievance at any point in time. So, this one that is coming during the inauguration is targeted at an event which to us is selfish, ill conceived and should never happen at all because all the security agencies are geared up to check them, hold them responsible, and make sure that they are dealt with according to the laws.
What if the pro-Biafra groups drop the idea of procession and decide to organise an event in an open place; will you still go after them?
NSCDC is not the only security in town. It is just a member of the security network in town and I am telling you that, to gather at any event in massive numbers, you need clearance to do so. If you are not cleared and you go into the streets or overtake a school, stadium, church premises, and start doing unlawful gathering, you can still be dispersed. So, they should seek due authorisation from the right quarters. The right quarter is not here. There are those who are lead agencies in internal security. They should know how to place their applications and get approvals and then under the watchful eye of the whole security to do whatever kind of interaction they want to do so that nothing that will disturb the peace of the state is ever contemplated and will never be allowed to be executed.
How has it been piloting the affairs of the NSCDC in Ebonyi State?
I reported here around February 20; just a day or two to the presidential and National Assembly elections and I came and did the elections successfully. And I did other follow up elections successfully. This state is a compact state and our job does not allow us to have lapses or vacuum. Ebonyi people are peace-loving. Only a minute number of people are troublemakers. And these are so little that they have no meaning when compared to the majority of those who are peace-loving and together we can checkmate them and make sure that they don’t do anything to give us sleepless nights.
What would you say was your major breakthrough since you came on board vis-à-vis the security of lives and property?
I mentioned that the one that confronted me on arrival was the presidential and National Assembly elections. And if you can recall, in the elections nationwide, Ebonyi had one of the seamless and one of the most peaceful elections as compared to other states. I also came and found out that some of the oil and gas people are bringing adulterated products and we have placed our men at strategic locations to make sure that we apprehend them. You know, there’s one thing, if you don’t catch a thief, it doesn’t mean that there are no thieves. In this state, we have said that there is no thoroughfare for them anymore. They cannot come and do business as usual. We also found out that government forest reserves are being felled. People go there to cut down trees against the laws of the land. We have made series of arrests. We are now looking over the place ourselves to make sure that such people are kept at bay. These are what constitute the nerve wire of the state. Look at miners; the ones that are mining illegally have been checked too. The couple has been arrested and brought here. The case is now with the Police. When we are overloaded with cases, we hand them over to our sister agencies that are also properly placed to prosecute. In this state, civil defence and the Police are the two main organs that can prosecute on behalf of the government.
