NSCDC warns officers against colluding with oil thieves, pipeline vandals

  

Mr Abdullahi Mohammed, Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has warned officers of the corps against colluding with oil thieves and pipeline vandals.

He gave the warning on Thursday in Yenagoa at a meeting he held with officers of the Bayelsa command of the NSCDC.

He threatened to arrest and prosecute officers and men of the outfit indicted for compromising the corps’ rules of engagements.

He warned operatives of the NSCDC attached to the Task force on Oil and Gas in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area against engaging in acts capable of tarnishing the image of the corps.

Mohammed said that the security outfit would not spare anybody going against its rules of engagement.

The Commandant-General, who spoke through Mr Desmond Agu, Commandant, Bayelsa command, urged the operatives to conduct their activities in the task force with high sense of professionalism.

He cautioned them against reckless use of firearms, warning that the rules on the use of weapons must be adhered to strictly.

Mohammed also warned that the NSCDC would not tolerate the abuse of human rights, stressing that the code of conduct and ethics relating to the civil populace must guide the activities of the security operatives.

He said: “this meeting is to remind you of the need to conduct your activities with high sense of professionalism and responsibility.

“The corps is very serious about our integrity and we cannot tolerate any action capable of tarnishing the image of NSCDC.

“If you compromise our principles, just know that we won’t spare you.

“We do not tolerate misuse of firearms. So, you must at all times remember our rules of engagement and strictly adhere to them.

“We have our Code of Conduct and Ethics especially as it relates to the civil populace.

“We won’t take any violation of human rights in your operations kindly.

“Anybody who goes against our code of conduct and rules of engagement and uses his firearms indiscriminately will be disgraced, dismissed and prosecuted. We are not joking.”

The Commandant-General commended the operatives attached to the taskforce for their sacrifice and patriotism in their efforts to stop sabotage and vandalism of critical national infrastructure in the state.

He thanked Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and the state government for their support.

The meeting was attended by all the unit commandants of the corps including the second-in-command, Deputy Corps Commander Aniekan Udoeyop.

Also present were the Head of Administration, Idima Austin; Head of Operations, Ogbolo Fredrick and Commandant Anti-Vandal, Okeke Ejione.

In his remarks, Okeke thanked the Commandant-General for appreciating the efforts of the state command in safeguarding oil and gas installations in the creeks and swaps.

He said a civil defender must live above board, saying that the motto of the corps “collect bribe and die”, remained the guiding principle of the NSCDC.