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Tag: NSCDC

  • 45-year-old kidnap kingpin arrested in Borno

    The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Command in Borno, says it has arrested a 45 year-old man, Ibrahim Ali-Jobo, suspected to be a kidnap kingpin in Biu Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

    The state Corps Commandant, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, made disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Maiduguri.

    Abdullahi said the suspect was arrested on Monday following a report by a resident, Isa Bello, about alleged abduction of his brother, Haruna Bello, at a helmet in Biu.

    He said that the suspect requested the victim’s family to pay N4 million ransom, to enable them secure his release from captivity.

    The commandant added that men of the command tracked the suspect and stormed his hideout, rescuing Bello and four other victims in the process.

    “Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect has been terrorizing communities in Biu, He has been on the police wanted list,” he said.

    He further stated that the command had already transferred the suspect to the police for further investigation and possible prosecution.

  • Vandalism: NSCDC nabs 8 in Badagry

    The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos Command, on Wednesday said it had arrested eight suspects, including four Beninese, for pipeline vandalism, vowing to intensify the fight against the crime in the state.

    The Lagos State Commandant, Mr Cyprian Otoibhi, told newsmen in Lagos that the men of the marine anti-vandal unit of the NSCDC, Lagos Command, apprehended the suspects on Friday on Topo high sea, in Badagry waterways.

    Parading the suspects, Otoibhi said that products suspected to be Petroleum Motor Spirit, three wooden boats and 250 kegs of 25 litres were recovered from them.

    He said that the suspects would be handed over to the appropriate agency for further investigation and prosecution.

    The commandant said the corps would not rest on its oars in carrying out its mandate of protecting critical infrastructure as well as lives and properties, towards ensuring a crime-free Lagos.

    “I enjoin the populace to avail the corps and other security agencies with necessary intelligence information to rid the state of all forms of crimes,” Otoibhi said.

  • Why we’re deploying over 3000 specially trained NSCDC officials to farmlands, ranches – Spokesperson

    The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has said the decision by the federal government to create agro rangers corps will help protect farmers and their investments from attacks by criminals, especially kidnappers.
    The Agro-Ranger unit was created following request by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to provide security to the proposed 250 cattle ranches in the country.
    TNG reports that the Agro Rangers unit, an initiative of the immediate past ministers of agriculture and rural development, Audu Ogbe and his interior counterpart, Abdurahman Dambazau, is a unit under the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
    The strategy, it is expected, will forestall attacks on farms and boost farmers’ confidence to work on their farms without fear of attack, thereby guaranteeing the federal government’s avowed food security plans.
    Recall that Nigeria has witnessed an escalation of deadly clashes between farmers and herdsmen in parts of Benue, Taraba, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna, among others, in the last three years. The attacks resulted in loss of lives and farm investments worth billions of naira, thus threatening the country’s drive towards food security. This is in addition to rising cases of cattle rustling and kidnapping.
    In his address at the inauguration of the committee at the time, the then minister of agriculture had stated that government was in the process of creating cattle ranches and bringing the nation’s cattle together in manageable conditions, a move that would give the government the necessary platform to finally solve the conflicts between herdsmen and crop farmers as soon as possible.
    Ogbeh said, “We are hoping that, in the process, the Civil Defence Corps will create a special unit of officers, adequately trained and equipped to protect the communities and agricultural investments against rustlers and prevent cows from leaving the ranches. Beyond oil, we need agriculture as an investment. Grasses, water and vet services will be provided in the ranches and no herdsman will have any excuse to roam. If they do that, then they are breaking the law.
    “We will harvest high quality milk and beef for local consumption and hides and skin for export. I urge the committee to discuss this issue seriously and work out the modalities. We need to tell the world that if we invest or invite foreign investors to Nigeria, their investment is secure. The president is committed to the success of this project and the need to end this violence”.
    Explaining the decision of his ministry to accede to the request for creation of a unit of NSCDC personnel to be deployed to agriculture investments, Dambazau said his timely response was because the issue bordered on his ministry’s responsibility to secure the lives and property of Nigerians and to protect the country’s agricultural investments.
    “This duty is directly connected to the ease of doing business and we want to encourage investors to come to Nigeria. We are solidly behind the ranching programme and we’ll provide adequate support to the Ministry of Agriculture to succeed”, the minister added.
    However, speaking in an exclusive interview with TNG on Friday evening, the spokesperson of the corps, Emmanuel Akeh said the initiative when fully developed and implemented will help build investors confidence in agricultural business in the country.
    “There are people who have spent millions, but they are afraid since this herders/farmers issue started. However, this initiative will give them security coverage and confidence to commence operations in their farms. They officers are deployed to farms to curtail any form of attack.
    Some have been deployed earlier, while some are undergoing five-month intensive training in Katsina.
    Commenting on the geographical distribution of the officials, Akeh said: “So far we have deployed officers to North-East, North-West and other areas where their farms are been threatened by activities of daredevil kidnappers and herdsmen. More so, others undergoing training now will be posted to areas not yet covered because they have to ensure that there is peace between the herders and the farmers.
    The spokesman further noted that the services of the agro rangers corps will be solicited by the farm owners. “Farm owners will write officially, so that the rangers will not be posted to a place where somebody will say they invaded their farms or they never invited them. Government will take care of their allowances but if someone is working for you, if they ask you to give them water. Won’t you ? Their salaries remain the same, they will only receive allowances for the special assignment just to encourage them to carry out the tasks well because they will be in the bush and other secluded places.
    Government is working out a means of settlement so that cows will not be seen on the road, where they will be cared for and they will also have a grazing route so that they will not just move about anyhow,” Akeh explained.

  • Gombe killings: NSCDC boss orders psychological test of personnel

    The Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abdullahi Gana has directed the agency’s Forensic Psychology unit to work out a timetable for security profiling and psychological test of all personnel.

    The directive followed the Gombe State incident of Sunday where an NSCDC officer allegedly drove his car into a procession of Boys’ Brigade members, killed nine and wounded many others.

    In a statement by the Corps Public Relations Officer, Mr Emmanuel Okeh, in Abuja on Wednesday, the commandant-general explained that the action was aimed at checking future misbehaviour by NSCDC personnel.

    “Apart from testing to re-examine the psychological and physical stability of personnel, the Corps will embark on massive training and retraining programmes for all personnel, irrespective of cadre.

    “I regret the incident and ask that people be calm as I assure you that justice will prevail,” Gana said.

    He said the incident had no religious connotation and the personnel in question was not on official duty as the vehicle involved was his personal car.

    “This cannot be misconstrued to be a planned action. It is quite unfortunate,” he said.

    Gana cautioned the public against misinterpreting incidences such as occurred in Gombe to avoid mayhem and reprisal attacks.

    He urged NSCDC personnel to be cautious in dealing with the public, saying anyone found culpable would be held liable to whatever offence committed.

    The commandant-general said he had sent a delegation of senior officers from the headquarters in Abuja to commiserate with Gombe State Government, the church and families of the dead.

  • Easter Tragedy! 10 die, 30 injured as Boys’ Brigade, NSCDC official clash in Gombe

    Ten persons reportedly died and 30 others injured in Gombe in an incident involving the Boys’ Brigade drawn from St Peter’s Anglican Church, Madaki; two parishes of ECWA Church in Bamusa and Barunde; and an official of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.

    The NSCDC official was identified through his ID card as ASC II Adamu Abubakar, and he was reportedly driving a Honda car with registration No. AS 385 GME.

    He was allegedly with an unidentified male companion. Both of them died in the incident, Police and eyewitnesses said.

    The incident reportedly happened during a night procession to Sabon-Layi Area of Gombe Metropolis, where the church members were expected to celebrate Easter Monday.

    The Gombe Police Public Relations Officer, SP Mary Malum, confirmed the development. According to him: “There are 10 death cases and 30 injured victims receiving treatment at the state specialist hospital and other private health institutions.

    “Eight out of the 10 dead persons were members of the Gombe State Boys’ Brigade, while the other two were the driver of the car and his friend.”

    However, while the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Gombe State, Dr. Godwin Omiko, described the incident as an accident, eyewitness said it was rather a direct confrontation between the Anglican and ECWA churches’ Boys’ Brigades and the NSCDC official.

    An eyewitness, Michael Adeniran, a member of ECWA Boys’ Brigade narrated: “The incident happened around 1.00am when a salon car belonging to the Civil Defence was prevented from passing through the road.

    “However, when our pastor prevailed on us, we allowed the driver to pass, but after dropping off his female passenger, he moved stealthily with his car from behind and cleared our members.”

    Another eyewitness at the scene of the incident, Michack Michael, confirmed that some ECWA Boys’ Brigade who survived the incident immediately fell on the salon car’s driver and killed him.

    Michack said, “Immediately we noticed the vehicle knocking people down, we immediately held the driver and his passenger and killed them.

    “We wanted to burn the car, but we were stopped.”

    Survivors at the male surgical ward confirmed the attack. One of them, identified simply as Godwin, noted that the NSCDC official returned after he had been allowed to pass and “leveled” members of his group.

    Another survivor, David, said, “This is not the first time we are embarking on such procession in the wee hours of the night, as we had done it in previous festive seasons.

    Another eyewitness, Zakaria Ibrahim, blamed the Civil Defence officer for taking the law into his hands, saying, “the man deliberately came to kill us.”

    The victims were said to have been rushed to the Gombe State Specialist Hospital as soon as the incident happened.

    Gombe State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Kennedy Ishaya, condemned the incident.

    “It is rather unfortunate that this type of attack was recorded. There are various degrees of injuries, as there are those with head injuries and lacerations,” Ishaya added.

    Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor of Gombe State and the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, North East chapter, on Monday appealed to the Christian Community to remain calm.

    The State Deputy Governor, Mr. Charles Iliya, appealed for calm, adding that the government would take all necessary measures to ensure justice is done.

    Iliya noted that it was a painful experience, but appealed for calm to allow the relevant authorities carry out their duties.

    Rev. Abare Kala, the North East CAN chairman, said the association would follow due process to seek redress on the situation.

    Kala said that the Christian body was putting in efforts that would ensure that the situation is properly managed.

    “We call on the Christian Community in Gombe to take the situation in good faith, be calm and also follow the right channel in seeking redress on the issue on ground.

    “Two wrongs cannot make a right. So, I appeal for caution in the process of addressing the issue. If we apply the wrong approach, it will lead to another issue.

    “For now, we are trying to calm the situation by appealing to Christians to see reasons for calm and allow the authorities concerned to take necessary measures.

    “We have informed the security agencies concerned about the situation on ground.

    “We are aware of the pain this sad event had caused, but let’s be calm and allow the leadership to handle the matter,” he said.

    Michael Achika, the captain of the ECWA Church’s Boys’ Brigade from Bogo (Gombe State), appealed to the government to offset the bills that would be incurred by those undergoing treatment.

    Achika also urged the the government to compensate the families of the deceased.

    He commended the staff of the Gombe State Specialist Hospital for quickly attending to the injured when they were taken there.

    He said that the victims were responding to treatment.

  • IGP orders immediate probe of alleged police involvement in NSCDC official’s death

    IGP orders immediate probe of alleged police involvement in NSCDC official’s death

    From Jonas Ike, Abuja.

    …insists there’ll be no cover up

    The Inspector General of Police, Ag. IGP M.A Adamu has ordered a comprehensive and speedy investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the late Mr. Ogar Jumbo, an Assistant Superintendent of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who died recently in Abuja.

    While condoling with the family, the Commandant General of the NSCDC, friends and professional colleagues of the deceased, the IGP reassures them that everything humanly possible will be done to ensure that justice prevails in the case.

    He equally enjoins that the NSCDC along with the family of the deceased, may, for the purpose of transparency, nominate any medical doctor of their choice to witness the autopsy, at the appropriate time and venue. Needless to state that an autopsy, which is a comprehensive forensic examination on the body of a dead person, will help the investigators to have a definitive understanding of the real cause of death of the deceased.

    The IGP therefore calls for calm from the family and friends of the deceased and the entire public, reiterating that the case will not be swept under the carpet.

  • NECO, NSCDC collaborate on exam malpractice

    The National Examinations Council (NECO) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence are to collaborate to check examination malpractice during the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

    A statement on Thursday by Mr Azeez Sani, Head, Information and Public Relations Division, said the issue when the Chairman, Governing Board of NECO, Dr Abubakar Saddiq led a delegation to the Commandant General of NSCDC, Mr Abdullah Muhammadu.

    Sani said such collaboration would go a long way in ensuring the credibility of the Council’s examination and strengthen the existing relationship between the two organisations.

    He explained that the Council has put in place measures to check examination malpractice and enjoined personnel of NSCDC to brace up for new challenges that may emerge during the examination.

    According to him, among such measures is the biometric capturing of candidates to check impersonation at examination centres.

    Sani said the chairman enjoined personnel of the NSCDC to prevent any form of examination malpractice through adequate security in and around examination centres.

    Also, Acting Registrar/Chief Executive, NECO, Mr Abubakar Gana, said: “the Council has been enjoying the services of your organisation without any hindrance from 2008 to date.

    “We want the collaboration to be strengthened to ensure security in all our examination centres across the country.”

    The Commandant General pledged the continued support of his Agency in the provision of adequate security at examination centres to ensure the credibility of NECO results.

    Muhammadu stressed the need for stakeholders to make sacrifice to ensure the realisation of the Council’s noble mandate.

    “We will take NECO assignment as one of our critical mandate as we have been doing over the years.”

    He gave the assurance that his personnel would ensure that an atmosphere of peace prevails in and around all examination centres.

  • 2019 general elections: NSCDC deploys over 3,000 personnel in Delta

    The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Delta Command, has deployed over 3,000 personnel for the Saturday Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.

    The state Commandant of the corps, Dr Benito Eze, who disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday in Asaba, said that the corps had earlier trained the over 3,000 officers for the election.

    While noting that the training was organised by the headquarters of the corps, Eze said that it was to ensure security before, during and after the general elections.

    He disclosed that the command was in partnership with other security agencies to ensure a peaceful election.

    The state commandant gave the assurance that armed security personnel would be on ground to respond to distress calls during the polls.

    Eze disclosed that the marine unit of the corps would provide security for the people living in the riverine areas of the state.

    The state commandant added that NSCDC had also deployed speed boats to patrol the coastal areas of the state and keep them safe during the exercise.

     

  • NSCDC deploys 1000 personnel in Bayelsa ahead of general election

    The Bayelsa Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) says it has deployed over 1,000 personnel for election duties ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

    The NSCDC state Commandant, Mrs Christiana Abiakam-Omanu told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Yenagoa that the Command was fully prepared for the exercise.

    “The Command will not tolerate any form of violence during the polls; those who want to ferment trouble before, during and after the forthcoming elections in the state should better have a rethink.

    “Officers and men of the corps are adequately prepared and ready for the elections and willing to collaborate with other security agencies to ensure peaceful elections in Bayelsa.’’

    Abiakam-Omanu said that the command would deploy over 1, 000 officers and men during the polls in the state.

    She explained that officers and men of the command have undergone intensive training and briefings on their expected roles during the elections.

    “We seriously develop some training programmes for our officers and we proactively ensure that they understand clearly their duties and what is expected of them on the Election Day.

    “We have also put in place a monitoring and evaluation mechanism to ensure that any officer found culpable during the polls would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

    “We expect our officers to be professional in the discharge of their duties on election days,” Abiakam-Omanu said.

    The Commandant urged politicians and other stakeholders to play the game by the rules.

    She also called on parents to caution their children to stay away from any act capable of breaching the peace before, during and after the election.

     

  • How we will tackle oil theft, vandalism in Bayelsa – NSCDC

    Mrs Christiana Abiakam-Omanu, the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Bayelsa, says the command will leverage on inter-service collaboration to curb oil theft and vandalism

    Abiakam-Omanu, who spoke on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to Gov. Seriake Dickson in Yenagoa, gave an assurance that the corps would work closely with other security agencies in carrying out the corps’ mandate.

    She said the corps’ mandate of checking pipeline vandalism and protection of other government facilities and assets require the support of all security agencies as well as members of the public.

    Abiakam-Omanu assured Dickson that the command under her watch would ensure that the strategy of the NSCDC on intelligence and technology-driven security operations were actualised to make the state safer.

    The commandant said NSCDC’s strategies, which include intensified patrols on land and waterways, had ensured that no case of vandalism was reported in the last one month.

    She pledged to work harder to ensure that the prevailing sense of security on oil fields and facilities was maintained and sustained.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Abiakam-Omanu was deployed to Bayelsa Command in June.

    Responding, Dickson thanked the commandant for the visit and assured her that the state government would render assistance to the command.

    Dickson, who frowned at the activities of some politicians who connive with security agencies to perpetrate crime in the state, advised the commandant to follow due process in carrying out the operations of the corps.

    NAN