By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The men and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Anambra State Command, have grilled seven men for parading themselves as private security guards and impersonating as officers of the Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG).
According to a statement issued to newsmen on Monday, January 22, by the Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC Anambra; the suspects, who are all males, and their security companies were said to include: Frank Edward Ushahember (aged 30) of the Philip Smith Security Service; Abubakar Michael (aged 35) and Uchenna Peter Ngwu (aged 39) of the Model Security Agency.
Others include: Final Mark Nanmal (aged 32) of the Globe All Security Network; Aleke Daniel Okwuchukwu (aged 22) of the RSS Security; Okoye Felix Emeka (aged 40) of the Community Based Vigilante Group; and Chima Kelvin Azubuike (aged 24), of the Feda Security.
Speaking while parading the suspects, the newly-deployed Commandant of the NSCDC in Anambra State, Olatunde Maku, commended his men for the successful operation led by the Deputy Commandant and Head of Private Guards Company (PGC) Department, Francis Nnadi, who earlier explained that the first category of the arrested guards are those who had obtained PGC Licence earlier but failed to renew their license till date; while other category of four persons arrested are unregistered and unlicensed to operate as Private guard companies.
It was gathered that the Command had put the impersonators and perpetrators of these nefarious acts on the trail with a view to apprehending them, until luck eventually ran out of them.
Commandant Maku cautioned companies and individuals in the state to desist from establishing a private guard company without following due process. Citing Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Act No. 2 of 2003 and as amended by Act 6 of 2007, he explained that the registration, licensing and training of private guard companies falls under the purview of the NSCDC.
His words: “Members of the public should know that unrenewed license and unregistered Private Guard Companies are restricted from carrying out operations, because it is unlawful, illegal and an economy sabotage.
“Private Guard Companies form a tier of the security architecture of the nation. Moreso, considering the security situation of the country at the moment, we cannot afford to allow those who are not known to us to continue with their illicit business,” he said.
According to him, the Command will continue to swoop up on those who are operating private security company without registering with the Corps, describing it as a risk to national security. He further revealed that the Command is currently carrying out further thorough investigation on the incident, after which they will be charged to court, to serve as deterrent to others.
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