Keeping his eyes on the ball, Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu, the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps, during the decoration of some newly promoted Assistant Commandants-General stressed the point that there was no lobbying of any kind in their promotion process but that seniority “was strictly followed with consideration for federal character principle”. He admonished all his staff “not to relent in their crusade towards attaining zero tolerance for vandalism, illegal bunkering, oil theft and other related crimes in order to avert disaster”. He reminded them of the successes they recorded in the country, particularly in the South- South and Lagos where arrests were made with suspects prosecuted. In Rivers State alone, more than 2000 people were arrested within a few months for the same offence, out of which some have been convicted.
The Commandant-General further encouraged personnel to stay focused on building a structure of civil protection in a skilled, competent and professional manner. In other words, education, training and sensitization are essential in keeping faith with this goal. Little wonder, Commandant-General Abdullahi hinted of the plan of the Corps to continue to organize seminars and workshops in addition to accessing research work by scholars in order to advance the cause of the organization.
To drive the above mentioned point home, Abdullahi Gana at a training programme organized by the Corps in conjunction with a Finland firm for its personnel on the management of private guard companies, stated that the training was principally organized to equip participants with the know-how to handle a twenty-first century private guard security operatives, so as to “professionalize the nation’s private guard sector”. The knowledge acquired, he noted, will be put to use in every part of the country for the benefit of all. This is in addition to the arrangement already concluded to send Civil Defence personnel to Finland to rebrand.
Propelled by determination, the Commandant-General has been waging a magic wand and making landmark breakthroughs in most parts of the country. Examples abound. According to “Civil Defence on the Move”, an in-house journal of the corps which I stumbled upon, Abdullahi Gana’s men in Minna, Niger State recently, arrested some suspected Boko Haram members at different locations within the state capital, just like they did in Lagos; hence, the essence of the Corps’ call on all citizens to be vigilant so as to detect any suspicious person or movement since security, they say, is a collective business.
Similarly, a suspected recruiter and arms supplier to Boko Haram who posed as a hunter was arrested and handed over to the Nigerian Army having confessed to the crime before the personnel of the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps in Maiduguri. According to the same journal, the Commandant-General, on a visit to the Kaduna State Command of the Corps recently disclosed that operatives of the Corps would undergo training at the depot of the Nigerian Army, Zaria, preparatory to the take-off of the Agro-Rangers Unit. He stated that the unit is to provide security to the proposed ranches nation-wide using horse riding as well as motor biking skills. He urged the staff to always deploy humility, patience and tolerance as they strive to reduce the menace of farmers-herdsmen clashes. Already, meetings brokered by the Corps between all stakeholders have begun to yield good result. They have offered to co-operate with members of the Corps in this worthwhile venture of restoring peace and sanity within these embattled communities.
Illegal miners were recently arrested and subsequently paraded by officers of the Corps in Jos, Plateau State, an event at which the Corps called for the public’s support and co-operation to volunteer information on all illegal activities in order to curb the menace in the sector. The Corps has also embarked on awareness campaign to alert the populace on the dangers of illegal mining to their health and to the environment.
With a very wide scope of operation, the Civil Defence Corps has been batting on many fronts. One of such fronts is the cyber-crime problem. Under the watch of the Commandant-General, the Corps has raided many cyber-café outlets being hotspots of fraud, including the sale of fake JAMB forms to unsuspecting public. This act has fraudulently fleeced many parents, guardians and wards of their hard earned resources. The Corps has made effort to have the rascality of the perpetrators sanctioned.
Continuing along the path of good morals, the Civil Defence Corps embarked on series of approaches aimed at checking the activities of bad elements amongst the internally displaced people at the various camps in the North East region by encouraging them to engage in legitimate activities to earn a living. Otherwise, the children run the risk of exposure to health hazards, diseases and even grow to be lawless due to lack good parental guidance.
What appears apparent, based on the level of successes attained by the Civil Defence Corps at many fronts, is for the federal government to continue to adequately fund the organization in order for them to attain more glory for the good of all. I will also advocate that various state governments partner with the Corps and offer them logistic support in form of operational vehicles, office accommodation, among others, in order for them to be more productive and support the states.
Yarima Wrote from Abuja.
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