NSCDC warns personnel against rifle accidental discharge

Commandant-General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Audi, has said the corps has zero tolerance for accidental discharge from the rifle of any personnel, adding that every officer must be proficient in arms handling.

He gave the warning, yesterday, at the Passing Out Parade (POP) of Course 10 Basic Arms and Weapon Handling Training in Abuja.

“Our service does not welcome any accidental discharge, and any trigger-happy officer that kills a civilian will face the law and be court-marshalled.

“You are not trained to kill, except and otherwise. You must observe all the rules of engagement in our Standard Operating Procedure (SOP),” he warned.

According to Audi, officers have the mandate to protect all critical national assets, such as oil pipelines; hence, the agency must ensure there is no compromise whatsoever in the sacrosanct duty.

He said: “There must be no compromise. You must all dedicate yourselves to eradicate oil theft. Therefore, we must arrest and eradicate thieves, who are good at vandalising our oil pipelines.

“The body language of President Bola Tinubu shows he means well for Nigeria in ensuring an end to oil theft, and the NSCDC has aligned into his vision.”

Audi said the Course 10 training, which took about eight weeks, was part of a continuous training programme of his agency to make officers fit for every function in the line of duty effectively.

He added: “The training and retraining of the personnel have endeared my administration to the men and officers of the corps and the general public alike.

“Aside the training of over 10,000 officers and men in Arms and Weapon Handling, other specialised areas have been created and keenly nurtured. They include the CG’s Intelligence Squad, CG’s Anti-Vandal Squad, CG’s Marine Squad, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Female Squad, Crack Squad and, the most recent, the Safe School Initiative saddled with the responsibility of safe-guarding our schools from outlaws.”