NSCDC arrests 50 militants, destroy 15 illegal refineries
Sat Sep 17, 2016 07:01:am National
4.1K By Buchi Obichie
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has arrested 50
suspected militants in Rivers State and destroyed 15 illegal refineries
in different locations in the Niger Delta region.
This was made known at a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, by the NSCDC Commandant-General, Abdullahi Muhammadu.
Muhammady disclosed that the suspects were arrested on Wednesday night, during a special operation by the NSCDC operatives in Rivers State.
He said the suspects were presently being screened and profiled as part of investigations to know their level of culpability in pipeline bombings and vandalism in the Niger Delta region.
He stated that those indicted by investigators would be arraigned in court for prosecution as economic saboteurs.
"As at yesterday (Wednesday), 15 illegal refineries were destroyed and 50 militants were arrested. However, we need to screen them to know those who would be charged to court, because they are many; 50 of them, just in a night!" he said.
According to the CG, the mandate of the corps had been extended beyond pipeline and critical infrastructure protection to the provision of security for dams, agro-allied business, farms and proposed ranches across the country.
He stated that 2,000 NSCDC operatives were participating in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East, noting that additional 2,700 others were undergoing training for deployment in the region.
"Before the end of October, I will send them down (to the North-East)," he added.
The CG noted that various parastatals, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Nigerian Railway Corporation, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Seed Council and the Ministry of Water Resources, among others, had sent him requests for deployment of NSCDC personnel.
The NSCDC boss said that the Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), had approached the Presidency for permission to recruit additional personnel into the corps so that it could discharge its responsibility more effectively.
He pleaded for more financial support from the Federal Government.
This was made known at a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, by the NSCDC Commandant-General, Abdullahi Muhammadu.
Muhammady disclosed that the suspects were arrested on Wednesday night, during a special operation by the NSCDC operatives in Rivers State.
He said the suspects were presently being screened and profiled as part of investigations to know their level of culpability in pipeline bombings and vandalism in the Niger Delta region.
He stated that those indicted by investigators would be arraigned in court for prosecution as economic saboteurs.
"As at yesterday (Wednesday), 15 illegal refineries were destroyed and 50 militants were arrested. However, we need to screen them to know those who would be charged to court, because they are many; 50 of them, just in a night!" he said.
According to the CG, the mandate of the corps had been extended beyond pipeline and critical infrastructure protection to the provision of security for dams, agro-allied business, farms and proposed ranches across the country.
He stated that 2,000 NSCDC operatives were participating in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East, noting that additional 2,700 others were undergoing training for deployment in the region.
"Before the end of October, I will send them down (to the North-East)," he added.
The CG noted that various parastatals, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Nigerian Railway Corporation, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Seed Council and the Ministry of Water Resources, among others, had sent him requests for deployment of NSCDC personnel.
The NSCDC boss said that the Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), had approached the Presidency for permission to recruit additional personnel into the corps so that it could discharge its responsibility more effectively.
He pleaded for more financial support from the Federal Government.
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