Civil Defence Commandant Reacts to Proposed Merger with Police

Desmond Agu, a retired commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has reacted to the proposed merger with the police.

Agu believed that merging
NCDC with the police force will not be in the best interest of the country and would worsen the security challenges in Nigeria.

Recall the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun had advised the federal government to merge the NSCDC and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) with the police for effectiveness.

However, the Retired Commandant stated that multiple approaches are necessary to tackle the multifaceted security challenges in the country, and the NSCDC plays a great role.

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According to him, the NSCDC has specific responsibilities, such as protecting and safeguarding critical national infrastructure and monitoring the activities of private security companies, and the roles will be threatened by the proposed merger.

Instead of merging the NSCDC with other agencies, he suggested strengthening the corps to enhance its performance as an independent entity.

Agu explained that the NSCDC was created by the Constitution as a special vehicle to tackle unique and critical security challenges affecting mostly the national economy, and merging it with the police would blur the critical roles and slow down the ongoing recovery of the economy.

He reiterated that the NSCDC has been doing its job professionally and building public confidence in its activities. Therefore, he stated that what the corps needs is better financing to keep performing its critical roles and not a merger with the police.