Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps has resolved to begin a new offensive to curb the activities of violent groups, militants and all those who are terrorising the society.
As part of the repositioning and re-engineering of the activities of the organisation, the NSCDC�s Commandant-General, Dr. Ade Abolurin, said begining this year that the security outfit would commence the exercise of its full mandate by not only arresting criminals and trouble-makers but also ensuring that the culprits are prosecuted.
�We are also going to emphasise more on other aspects of our mandate,� he said. �We are going to tackle the issue of industrial waste management, oil spillages, industrial combustion, chemical poisoning and illegal dumping of wastes. In the area of grassroots security, we are going to mobilize our men, most of whom are domiciled in the rural areas, to address cases of security breaches and communal unrest.�
In furtherance of this process, he said the organisation had begun recruitment of qualified personnel in the legal profession to help in prosecuting cases.
The Commandant-General, who gave details of the new security strategy yesterday at a meeting with zonal operations officers of the organisation, said the outfit would henceforth be more proactive in checking cases of building collapse, frequent fire outbreaks and avoidable disasters.
�We want to go all out and work with all stakeholders and ensure that lives and properties become much more valuable,� he said.
In the area of terrorism, Abolurin said it had been established that frequent political clashes or community strife, if not checked, could lead to terrorism. �National disturbances not well managed are what degenerate into international terrorism,� he said. �If disturbances are not controlled at the local level, they graduate to national level.
�We have got enough personnel trained in countries that are known for their sophistication in counter-terrorism operations. The Federal Government has committed enormous resources in training the NSCDC men and beginning from this year, terrorism will no longer be tolerated in the country�.
He traced the root cause of the rising cases of violence and militancy across the country to lack of proper security, lack of supervision and monitoring and absence of professionalism.
�We have embarked on a campaign to ensure that we put things right. As part of the new security strategy, we have been able to close down several illegal private security operators. We want to ensure that the business is left in the hands of those who are professionally prepared to carry out the job, not quacks,� he said.
Abolurin added that the Civil Defence Corps is also venturing into peace-keeping, stressing that any time soon, a contingent from the organisation would be departing for Italy to commence a training programme on peace- keeping operations.
While defending the recent approval to arm men of the corps, he said the organisation had been able to achieve a lot without the aid of arms. �We have been able to prove our mettle in the area of curbing the negative activities of vandals and in helping in disaster management across the country,� he declared.
Jan122008