By TINA TIMOTHY

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Delta State Command, has stated that protecting social and basic amenities which are critical national assets and infrastructure painstakingly provided by successive governments ‘was sacrosanct and not negotiable.

NSCDC Delta State Commandant, Akinsanya Iskilu Abiodun, made this known while briefing news men in Asaba, the Delta State capital, through the Public Relations Officer, DSC Emeka Peters Okwechime.

Okwechime quoted Abiodun as saying: “Life is expected to be enjoyed by the living and not being endured, on the scale of balance. Provision of social and basic amenities are essential for life to be worthy of living. In recent past and present, successive governments in their wisdom, have provided the basic/social amenities and infrastructures to enjoy life.

“In the long run, it will interest you to know that the NSCDC which is also the lead agency in the protection of all government critical assets and infrastructure has declared that the protection of these Critical National Assets and Infrastructure is sacrosanct and not negotiable.

Continuing, the NSCDC boss said that the State Commandant has ordered that officers be deployed to man public centers and all critical assets and infrastructure, including schools in order to beef up security in the state.

“The Command in its renewed efforts to ensuring a crime-free society and the dire need to beef up security in all locations of critical national assets and infrastructure, the State Commandant has ordered massive deployment of officers to provide adequate security and protection of all public centers and all critical assets and infrastructure across the State, Okwechima said.

According to the PRO, all Area Commanders, various Head of Department and Units, the 25 Divisional Officers have been directed to supervise and monitor the deployed officers. Similarly, the Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Dr Abubakar Audi Ahmed, through a memo from the National Headquarters of the NSCDC, has ordered the immediate deployment of NSCDC personnel to schools in ensuring the safe school initiative of the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

The NSCDC boss, while commenting on the theft of crude oil and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region, outlined various successes achieved by the command in terms of arrest of suspects, seizing of equipment, vehicles and tools used in perpetrating the crimes. He also urged the judiciary to ensure speedy trial and prosecutions of suspected vandals and crude oil thieves to serve as deterrent to others, while appealing to the relevant authorities to equip the Command with necessary logistics to enable them “crush these vandals carrying sophisticated weapons.

“On the issue of monies lost by the federal government through stolen crude, the NSCDC spokesman said, that the crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism would have worsened or taken a different dimension other than what it is today if not for the emergence and the gallant fight of the NSCDC as a Messiah in tackling the issues of crude theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region. Recently, the Command arrested over 192 suspects, 52 tankers, 11 Articulated trucks, Toyota Sequoia Jeeps, Sienna bus, Mini buses, saloon cars and 50mm diameters hose, all used in the illegal dealing in petroleum product, crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

“Besides, the huge success recorded by the Command, the PRO used the opportunity to call on the Judiciary to attend to all NSCDC cases promptly in order to speed prosecution of crude oil thieves suspects brought before the courts.”

He noted that if the suspects were being sentenced to jail regularly and timely, it would serve as deterrent to others.

Dsc Emeka Peters also disclosed that the NSCDC would perform excellently well if the Corps was well equipped and necessary logistics adequately provided for its personnel to be able to crush vandals who have access to sophisticated weapons.

Akinsanya, however, implored politicians and stakeholders to engage themselves on issue- base campaigns and discuss strategies to improve the state and citizens, rather than dwell on divisive political bitterness and hate speech.

“On the 2023 general election, the NSCDC Image Maker said that the State Commandant called on all politicians in the state and all stakeholders to eschew political bitterness, hate speech, campaign of calumny capable of breaching the peace,” he added.