By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has disclosed that it will set up a Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in all the state commands of the corps.
The Commandant-General of the security agency, Mr Ahmed Audi, made this known on Thursday during the orientation programme organised for the newly promoted commandants and serving state commandants at the national headquarters of the NSCDC.
According to him, this is part of efforts to rejig the activities of the organisation and enhance the capabilities of officers and men in the states.
He said it has become important to replicate the creation of the RRS in every state command to respond to all forms of crime and criminalities in real and quick time and ensure prompt and timely intervention in times of emergencies, disasters and unforeseen security breaches.
Mr Audi expressed that the confidence conferred on the corps by President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian citizens must be sustained and improved upon.
He charged the state commandants to beef up security in their respective states to forestall any breakdown of law and order before, during and after the Democracy Day celebration.
Mr Audi said: “Power is not a gift but a responsibility and to whom much is given much is expected. You must be determined to clamp down on all bad elements in your area of assignment and avoid any tribal, religious and ethnic sentiment to justify your posting and prove your competence.”
He urged the commandants to ensure that the RRS would adhere to all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in line with international best practices and to rejuvenate the intelligence-gathering capabilities in order to address the security challenges peculiar to their area of assignment and the nation in general.
Modupe Gbadeyanka