The Nigeria Police Force has given reasons why it raided the Head Office of Peace Corps of Nigeria, one of the security outfits operating in the country, and subsequently shut down its facilities across the country.

In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Jimoh O. Moshood, the Police said it was in joint operations with the personnel of the Military and Department of State Service (DSS) to halt and rid the country of illegal/unlawful security outfits constituting national security threat and threat to the protection of lives and property across the country.

The police said: “Credible intelligence reports at the disposal of the Force revealed that some of these illegal security outfits have started acquiring weapons and conducting covert military training in different locations across the country.

“It is evident that in 2013, Federal Republic of Nigeria official Gazette dissolved and proscribed illegal Security outfits such as Nigerian Maritime Security Agency (NMSA), Nigerian Merchant Navy Corps and the Nigerian Merchant Navy Petroleum Security and Safety, Peace Corps of Nigeria and other quasi illegal security outfits.

“However, it has been observed that Nigerian Maritime Security Agency, Peace Corps of Nigeria, Maritime Security Agency and National Task Force to Combat Illegal Importation/Smuggling of Arms and Ammunition, Light and Chemical/Weapons are still operating outside their mandates and purposes for which they were registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Peace Corps of Nigeria under the leadership of one Akor Dickson was registered as an NGO but with brazen impunity, total disregard for the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, opened illegal training camps in some states of the country, where thousands of youths and other persons without proper background check and screening are receiving converts Military training.

“It is consequent upon the above and the veracity of intelligence reports from reliable sources, indicating that subversive elements/groups and terrorist affiliates have infiltrated the Peace Corps of Nigeria secretly to ruin and destroy the existing peace currently being enjoyed in the country that the Peace Corps of Nigeria secret training camps were closed down in the FCT, Kwara and Niger states.

“During the preliminary investigation into the activities of the Peace Corps of Nigeria, it was discovered that personnel of the Corps are extorting money from unwary youths throughout the country under the guise of recruitment; amounts ranging from N50,000 to N100,000 were being paid by innocent Nigerians to the Peace Corps of Nigeria. Once you pay the money you are automatically recruited. Anyone who must have paid money under any pretence to the Peace Corps of Nigeria should report their case at the nearest Police Station anywhere across the country.

“The Peace Corps of Nigeria has unlawfully turned itself into a security outfit without authorisation and establishment by the Federal Government of Nigeria, as such, have deviated from the purposes for which they were registered as a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) by the Corporate Affairs Commission.

“The Corps has no legal authority to wear uniform, parade itself as Security outfit, post their personnel on guard duties, and use ranking, insignia, badges of rank which are semblance of that of the Police, Military and other paramilitary organisations without the approval of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies will not fold their arms and allow lawlessness to be unleashed on the society.

“It is in furtherance of the above that the Nigeria Police Force, the personnel of the Military, Department of State Service, in a joint security operations swooped on the Head office of the Peace Corps of Nigeria on the 28th February, 2017 situated opposite Jabi Lake, Utako District, sealed off the building and effected the arrest of one Mr. Akor Dickson, the Leader of Peace Corps of Nigeria and 49 others for investigation in the interest of public safety and security. They will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation.”

The Police also assured that this joint security operation will be implemented throughout the country to halt the activities of the proscribed security outfits. It advised parents and guardians to prevail on their children and wards to return home from the illegal military camps opened in some states of the country by the Peace Corps of Nigeria as the activities of the Corps in totality is unlawful.

•Photo courtesy of Police HQ shows members of the Peace Corps of Nigeria being paraded at the Force Headquarters in Abuja yesterday for allegedly operating an illegal/unlawful security outfit.

Update news