The management of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has failed to return the missing Media Trust’s radio tower weeks after promising to do so.
The tower was decommissioned in a village in Niger State, but curiously disappeared with the suspected connivance of some officials of a government security organisation.
The NSCDC had admitted that two of its personnel were involved in the evacuation of the missing radio tower belonging to Media Trust Group and vowed to fish out the culprits.
However, in a press statement released by the Niger State Command of the NSCDC two weeks ago, the corps tried to protect its personnel by not disclosing their names and heaping all the blame on a certain scrap metal dealer.
Missing radio tower: NSCDC takes responsibility, begins investigations
Media Trust goes in search of “missing” radio tower
The Niger State Command Public Relations Officer of the corps, Nasir D. Abdullahi, said two officers, one serving with the Niger State Command and the other with Kaduna State Command were approached by the scrap metal dealer, Bello Mustapha, to provide him security cover to transport the items from Maikujeri Rafi LGA of Niger State to Lagos.
“The command is doing everything within the ambit of the act establishing the NSCDC in making sure that the law will take its full course on the matter,” part of the statement read.
It also claimed that the culprits were at large though they arrested Kabiru Abdullahi Haruna – one of the culprits who they said escaped.
Sources within the command informed our correspondent that the only way one could escape from the NSCDC’s detention centre was by being released.
Daily Trust gathered that though he is serving with the Kaduna State Command, Kabiru’s family live in Minna.
Besides, Daily Trust was reliably informed that Ibrahim Abubakar Tanimu – an official of the Niger State Command of the corps, who is one of the suspects, was also sighted in the command recently.
“He was there for a few minutes and then left,” the source said.
Daily Trust also gathered that the NSCDC offered to get Bello Mustapha to replace the missing tower with another one; however, there are fears that it might not meet the specifications and could have been taken away illegally from someone.
The source also confided in our reporter that the NSCDC management would be having a meeting with stakeholders on Friday to make a final decision.
All efforts to reach the national headquarters’ spokesman proved abortive.
