By Abba – Eku Onyeka Abuja
Ahead of the 2021 Eid-el-kabir celebration, the Commandant General (CG), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr Ahmed Audi has ordered a massive deployment of officers and men of the corps to every nook and cranny of the country, most especially all identified flash points to ensure that the public is safe and government infrastructures are heavily guarded before, during and after the festive season.
In a press release from the Director, Public Relations, National Headquarters, NSCDC, Abuja, DCC Olusola Odumisu, and made available to Nigerian NewDirect, the directive was contained in the CG’s message to all Zonal Commanders and the 36 State Commandants, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where he charged them to ensure a hitch free Ramadan celebration and general safety of all dwellers in the country.
Audi reiterated that the Corps would vigorously and relentlessly continue to pursue its mandate of safeguarding all critical national assets and infrastructure such as petroleum pipelines, gas pipelines, communication equipment, railway sleepers, manholes and so on, which are easy targets for vandals and criminals during festive seasons. He ordered an immediate deployment of personnel to strategic locations nationwide in order to prevent vandalism or attack on all assets and infrastructures that are considered critical and sensitive to our collective survival as a people while not forgetting to provide security to places of worship, motor parks, recreation centers and other flash points through twenty four hours surveillance and routine patrols as a measure to prevent crime and guarantee safety, peaceful atmosphere and a crisis free celebration.
Revealing that that the newly established Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the corps was on standby as a reserve force and have been placed on Red Alert and equipped with necessary tools to respond to any emergency in any parts of the country, he re-emphasized the need to always maintain peace and stability in the country by urging all well-meaning Nigerians to remain vigilant and security conscious while at the same time working in collaboration with all security agencies by giving them useful information to help fight insecurity in real time.
The CG promised that the NSCDC would be in the vanguard of the grassroots security to ensure safety of the civil populace and re-assuring that NSCDC patrol teams, surveillance teams and other specialized units such as SWAT, CBRNE, k9 units, Special Force and the Armed Squad have been deployed nationwide and were determined to work tirelessly to ensure safety of lives and property and the smooth flow of society in general.
Appealing to mischief makers to turn a new leaf and discontinue with such infamous behaviour. He warned that any person apprehended for making or causing trouble thereby disturbing the peace of the nation will be nabbed and prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the land, Audi enjoined the Muslim faithful to celebrate very modestly and called on those who have enough to eat and drink to look around their neighbourhoods for those who may not be able to afford food and drink and share this moment of love with them, especially orphans and less privileged in the society.
He however congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari and all Nigerians at home and in diaspora for witnessing this year’s Sallah celebration; he prayed for peace to reign in the country and emphasized that “our strength as a nation lies in our unity and diversity.”
Dr Audi also called on the Muslim faithful to extend their joy to people of other faiths as this will further help to foster oneness in the nation.