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From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has reported that since January 2022 the Corps has arrested over 546 suspects for various offences. 429 of them, said the NSCDC, are being prosecuted and 51 of them have been convicted.
According to Commandant General Ahmed Abubakar Audi, 71 illegal refineries have been destroyed and 22 illegal oil bunkering sites have equally been destroyed.
Also, 134 trucks have been impounded and 36 boats and other equipment used in perpetrating illegal oil bunkering have equally been confiscated.
In his remarks on the occasion of World Civil Defence Day in Abuja, the Commandant General of the corps made it mandatory for general personnel officers to know how to dismantle and couple rifles.
He told them that cases of accidental discharge are not acceptable and that the euphoria of handling a gun is not a licence to kill.
“If you become trigger-happy and kill anyone, you are on your own. No overzealousness. No harassment. No intimidation. We are civil defenders” he reminded them.
On the frequent attacks on farmers by gunmen and criminals, Audi stated that the corps has raised a special squad to secure the farmers and their products.
The squad known as Agro-Rangers Secure Agric Produce Transport Corridor (SAT-C) is expected to secure and protect farmers, farmlands and farm produce from attacks.
“The SAT-C is aimed at protecting farmers, farmlands and farm produce from attack and provision of food right of way to control the damage of perishable goods due to traffic jams or illegal delays on the road. Recall that only recently, the corps designed and developed the School Gender Base Violence Reporting Application (SGBV App) for the prevention of sex for grade, counter-cultism, and rape reporting in higher educational institutions in Nigeria,” he said.
Following the rampant kidnap of school children from schools for ransom, Audi said that a National School Security and Emergency Response Centre has been flagged off to protect vulnerable school children.
“The corps has chosen appropriate protocols and controls to mitigate risks, create and implement emergency plans, monitor potential threats that could lead to disaster and prioritise the protection of humans and asset with the highest value.
“In line with our mandates on disaster management, we have upgraded the Crisis Management Directorate by strategically organising resources to lessen the harm that disasters cause through systematic approaches to sustaining the responsibilities of disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery,” the CG further explained.
