Deputy Commandant Emmanuel Okeh, is the Imagemaker of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).  In this exclusive interview with Raifu Olatunbosun in his Abuja office, Okeh said among other things that no applicants should give money to any NSCDC officials or agents regarding the on-going employment process.

He equally reels out the achievements of the corps, especially the establishments of Agro Ranger Squad (ARS) -a move that had reduced farmers / herders crisis and cattle rustling activities across the country.

It seems there is  a strong synergy in terms of functions overlapping within and among the security agencies in Nigeria. Sir, what makes NSCDC different from other security agencies? 

To start with, there is no security agency that has corporate knowledge or complete monopoly over the discharge of security functions. Security is wide and is all encompasses. its feeds on idea and intelligence of everybody, including those with the security sector and those outside the sector. Which means, security is for everybody. And it’s the duty of everybody to report every act of insecurity and act of suspicion to the regular security agencies of government. That is, the body that is saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and properties. Every other aspect of it, which belongs to everybody (non state actor) can arrest, investigate but cannot prosecute.

Therefore, only state actors of the security agencies have been given the opportunity to make an arrest, investigate and prosecute, which is the differences between the state actor and non state actor of the security agencies/operatives. And because of the job of the security agencies are interwoven, one of the cardinal functions of all security agencies, whether state or non state actor is to protect the lives and properties of the citizenry.
Although, each agency has its primary functions and these functions are interwoven and because these functions are interwoven, it cannot be said that the police officer who is in charge of arresting arm robbers or an  NDLEA officer who also in charge of arresting drugs and its likes cannot see arm robbers and says “this is not my job” or Civil Defender cannot see somebody who is a drug dealer and close his eyes and say this is not my job. But because of relationship and job interwovenness, security becomes everybody’s business and all security agencies work in synergy and in collaboration. So, Civil Defender can arrest anyone who indulges in drug and also investigates but hand over such person or persons to the NDLEA expert for more investigation and prosecution. Over the years, all security agencies have been working in synergy, believing that the primary aim of their job is to secure majorly the lives and properties of Nigerians. So, any act that is contrary to that of protection of lives and properties is inimical to the progress of the country.

With Wadume’s case, in which men of the Nigerian police and that of the Army had confrontations that claimed lives of the police officers calls into questions, the  synergy you just talked about. What is your take on this?

When we say we work in synergy or collaboration, it does not mean that there is no element of sabotage. But whatever happened in between, it is only the Army and Police that know how to tackle it. And if you recollect, a committee was set up to make sure that the incident is properly investigated and the committee have submitted their findings few weeks ago for necessary actions to be taken.

A lot of achievements have been recorded by NSCDC, what are the strategies put in place to achieve all these?

The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps is a transformed organization. Historically, this organisation started from the scratch as a voluntary organization and today it has metamorphosed into the socio-security outfit. Socio-security in the sense that it has become formidable force that everyone wants to be reckoned with. It is now a force to reckon with among security architecture of this country. For instance, when you talk of security  and you mention  the police, the next is NSCDC and this does not just come but because of the name,  it is because of its contributions to the security architecture, its participations and contributions to national and internal security of this nation under the watch of our able, amiable and indefatigable present leadership of Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu

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One of the prominent issues today, if you are talking of achievements of the corps is the establishment of Agro Ranger Squads (ARS). This squad is established and approved by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Federal Government of Nigeria via the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Interior for the corps to have an agro ranger squad which is to mediate between the herders and the farmers.

 As you know, aside Boko Haram issue, herders/farmers crises have been a major challenge in the security set up of the nation. It has not efficiently and effectively described the security strength of the nation. But with the help of the establishment of Agro ranger squared ,150 of our mem had just been trained in Katsina and deployed to different station. These trained officers, are to protect the agro investment of the nation. A lot of foreign investors have intent in investing in the agriculture sector of this country but they were unable to do that, because they felt there was insecurity in the country. The establishment of ARS had resolved the problems of insecurity between herders and farmers. The corps arraigned a caucus meeting between the farmers and herders to come together, share ideas and to discuss on how to move forward which helps everybody to go on with his or her activities without affecting or disturbing one another.

 What is so special about the Agro Rangers’ squad that make it different from other mediators?

Agro ranger is a new established idea by the NSCDC, it has not been introduced by any security agency before now. The essence was when the then Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbe looked inward about the cause of crisis between herders and farmers. Therefore, it is not a unit or squad that any agency had established before, it is an idea of our Commandant General, Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu. Do not forget, one of the critical functions of the corps is the protection of critical national properties and infrastructures and because of this function, that is why, the idea of agro rangers comes in, and one of the functions the corps have been carried out is mediating between the crisis and it is only the corps in as much as Nigeria is concerned that have over 500 outstanding mediators trained by the united nation.


 What are the criteria  for  the ongoing NSCDC recruitment ?
In term of recruitment of personnel into the service, the corps pasted an advert in national papers (Vanguard newspaper and leadership) in early August. Applicants of different cadre were asked to apply in the proper place (7th of September) which had been done. The next thing now is short-listing and processing of applications that were submitted by the various applicants so as to prepare them for examination and the process of interviewing.

Is this process not going to be on the platform of whom you know?

No! If it were on the platform of whom you know, the corps would have quietly informed the stakeholders to submit the names of candidates and not border to advertise the recruitment on the dailies.The issue here is that, if you don’t believe in yourself, you will join them to say that the employment is based on whom you know. This is just an insinuation, as a matter of fact, the corps is urging everyone who applied not to give money or commission to any corps member or contacted anybody to handle the employment.

There is no replacement taken place in the Corps. The fraudulent messages neither emanate from the Corps nor the Civil Defence, Immigration, Fire and Correctional Services Board which is saddled with the sole responsibility of recruitment into the Corps. Every other individual who is claiming through the social media to be giving appointment letter and asking applicants to pay money should be identified as fraudster and scammers and they should deceit from attending and receiving calls like that. As am sitting down here, so many people have called me and say I have been given employment letter whereas, the corps is not yet through with the process of recruitment which preceded the appointment letter, therefore, such information is false, and figment of human imagination.

All what they are looking for is just a means of blackmailing the image of this administration under the leadership of Commandant General Abdullahi Gana but we are now saying that every candidate that applied, that know they are within the range of 18 – 30 years as stipulated in the advertisement should be patient and  not to respond to any kind of messages online as the Corps is yet to shortlist names of would be candidates considering the numbers that applied and at the appropriate time shortlisted candidates will be notify through the conventional newspaper on the next step to take.

Can you give more insight about the functions of the corps especially about the protection of lives and properties?

When we say security of lives and properties, is a general function which belong to all the security architectures/agencies just like as I earlier said, each security agency has its cure mandate outside the protection of lives and properties. NSCDC have among its principal mandates is the protection of critical national assets and infrastructures which involve. Oil pipe lines, water pipe lines, telecommunication installations, power equipment, the roads, the rails, airports and seaports and public buildings.  All these are categorized as critical infrastructures. That is why, even about mines and power, the corps have been mandated to form what we called Defender Mining Squad (DMS) to protect the solid minerals, to put an end into the activities of illegal miners carting away the resources of this dear nation.

NSCDC also takes lead when it comes to emergency and disaster management in the country with other agencies like police, custom, NDLEA, etc. therefore, when it comes to the issue of road crashes, the lead agency here is road safety, when it comes to the issue of fire disaster, it is the duty of fire service, all other agencies, building collapse, flooding in short, NEMA takes lead in all these disaster as coordinating agency. And NSCDC takes lead when it comes to emergency and disaster management. 

Apart from this, the corps also is into the regulation, registering, licensing, monitoring, supervision and training of the private security guards’ companies which is also one of the key functions of the corps and is not shared with any other security agencies. This is to ensure that the private security companies are brought under one umbrella to be monitored and supervised so that their activities would be regulated. We also ensure that the body is professionalize and devoid of quacks and those who think is the business anyone can jump into.

With the regulation of the industry by the corps, it has removed quacks , it has remove non Nigerians from operating and owing a private guard company because security industry should be part of internal security of the nation which does not required the participation of foreigners and that is why through the regulation ,monitoring and supervision of the of the corps, the private guard company  today in Nigeria has been classified as the third tier in  security apparatus.

What is your message to Nigerians as we approach the year 2020 in few days time?

Nigerians should not be moved by what they see or what they hear. The most important thing here is that “crime is crime” whether somebody buys a jeep or builds a house does not mean you also should do that immediately. Time is a key factor here, as long as you can work legitimately, you also can buy all those good things others are buying, but in a due time. The law is not a respecter of anybody. Therefore, do not do anything whatsoever against the law of the land. And again, the mad rush of going at the late hour leads you into road crash. Some rush into the hand of armed robbers. Therefore, what they have gathered for many months will be given to armed robbers because of last minute rush. We at NSCDC are watching! The infrastructures are there and are meant for the good of the nation. The government put them in place so that everyone will benefit from it.  So, it is not a property or an asset which is meant for the few. Therefore, be careful, warn your wards:

Not to indulge in the willful destruction of these national properties.

Not to involve themselves in vandalizing the infrastructure for their personal gain.

Not to allow themselves to be used by anybody, be it political, religious, socio and whatever reason. Crime is crime, there is no crime that is small or big in the sight of the law, every crime takes the same vain constitutionally, if you commit a crime, you will be treated as a criminal which you are.

The Commandant General has deployed numbers of corps and the eye of civil defence is in every strategic place to make sure that these infrastructures are well secure.Do not trespass, because certainly you will be caught. And if there is no other means for you to survive except by vandalization of public properties, then you are advised to relocate to other country of your choice


credit: Security News.com