Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Audi, said the Corps has arrested over 50 suspected armed herdsmen, in ongoing operations to check the escalating insecurity in the country.
The NSCDC boss said this at the agency’s headquarters Wednesday in Abuja, where licences were presented to new private guard operators.
The CG, however stressed the need for synergy among security agencies, adding that the security challenges besetting the nation could only be addressed substantially through sharing of intelligence.
Dr. Audi also charged the private guard operators to ensure valuable contribution to ongoing efforts at checking the rising spate of insecurity across the country.
This was as he pledged the readiness of the corps to work with sister security and para-military agencies in the country, to subdue non-state actors and their violent activities.
According to Audi, the apprehension of the fifty illegally-armed herdsmen shortly after his assumption of office, was an indication of his determination to reposition the corps for optimal delivery on its core mandate.
While lamenting the current security challenges,which he submitted, were asymmetric in nature, he assured that all will be well,once relevant stakeholders adopted unity of purpose as their main objective.
“The nation is being bedevilled with a very serious insecurity crisis, and that is the asymmetric warfare. If you want to deal decisively with this, you must synergise with all stakeholders, in terms of credible intelligence.
“We arrested fifty illegally armed herdamen, and we realised that some of them are into rustling of cattle, and also kidnapping.
“You know it is part of our mandate to settle disputes between herdsmen and farmers, and to also give some security protection to our agro-allied investments in the country. And, that is what we are doing.”
Asked where the armed herdsmen were nabbed, he responded: “The armed herdsmen were arrested throughout the federation – some in Ekiti, Borno, Cross River states.”
The Corps also read the riot act to private guard operators in the country, warning that their licences will be withdrawn upon involvement in unethical practice.
Among others, the operators were warned against adopting ranks or other accoutrement used by the military,security agencies.
The operators were further enjoined to prioritise the welfare needs of their guards, for optimal results.
