…Commissions new Office in Kwali Area Council, three gun-fitted trucks to combat crime
By Palma Ileye
Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi has charged Personnel of the Corps, to be ruthless on bandits, kidnappers and criminal elements especially in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, by ensuring that there was no hideouts for them.
Audi gave the charge yesterday during the inauguration of the new Operation Office of the NSCDC at the Headquarters of the Kwali Local Government Council in Abuja.
According to him, intelligence reports indicated that there were criminals now hiding around the hills of Gwagwalada and Kwali Area Councils of the FCT as he therefore ordered personnel to work with sister Agencies in the Gwagwalada and Kwali axis of the FCT to flush out remnants of bandits and kidnappers within the areas.
He stated that, “Citizens and residents of Kwali should be on alert because we understand that some bad guys are infiltrating these hilly areas of Kwali and Gwagwalada.
“We enjoin all residents of these areas, and in particular Kwali to provide timely information to security agencies who are now working in synergy to flush out all these bad guys.
“They have been degraded elsewhere, so we have to get rid of them from the entire FCT.
“Before now, we used to vet ourselves. But today, bandits will hibernate among us and nobody reports them.”
The NSCDC boss also lauded the Kwali Area Council for building a befitting edifice for the NSCDC, saying that the Corps would reciprocate the gesture by ensuring that they do their part in safeguarding lives and property as well as critical national assets in the area.
Meanwhile, Audi in commemoration of the World Civil Defence Day, commissioned three gun-fitted trucks and Special Tactical Squad at the FCT Command of the NSCDC to improve on the capacity to combat crime, ensure the safety of lives and Critical National Assets with the FCT.
The NSCDC helmsman however, warned the personnel of the Corps not to deploy the equipment to intimidate, harass or molest Nigerians, saying that the equipment should be used to deal with terrorists, kidnappers and bandits.
Audi said that there was no hiding place for criminals in the territory as measures as well as the newly inaugurated vehicles and machineries would be deployed to rid FCT of crimes and criminals.
He said that the NSCDC has demonstrated its capabilities in many joint operations against crimes in the country, while urging Personnel of the Special Tactical Squad to use their expertise and the modern tools given to them to flush out criminals in the FCT and beyond.
The Commandant General urged residents to always provide timely information to security agencies that were now working in synergy to enable them to flush out criminals.
Also, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, represented by the Director Security, FCTA, Ahmed Gwary, stated that to demonstrate the Minister’s commitment to the security of lives and properties in the territory, he had approved the procurement of additional operational vehicles and communications gadgets to support the activities of security agencies in the FCT.
In the same vein, the Commandant of the NSCDC FCT Command, Olusola Odumosu pledged that the training provided to them and the gun trucks would be used to rid the entire FCT of criminal elements.
Odumosu said, “By this act of empowerment by the CG, the FCT Command is now charged and recalibrated to face crime and criminality headlong. Besides our regular patrols, the tactical squad will be strategically positioned within the territory to ward off criminals. We are not stopping at this, a special training will soon commence for the retraining of officers and men of the Intelligence and Investigation Department.”
The Command Head used the occasion to warn criminals to look elsewhere as they no longer have a hiding place in FCT.
“Our human capital and the spread we have among the populace is a huge advantage to our sourcing of human intelligence. With credible intelligence reports and standby quick response teams, I am convinced that those who have chosen to become enemies of the state will not have a hiding place.”
He also praised the CG for changing the narratives of the Corps within the past three years.
