The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) has called for closer community synergy with the Corps to strengthen information and intelligence gathering to curb crime at the community level.
The Commandant of NSCDC Enugu State Command, Dr Elijah Willie, made the call on Wednesday in Enugu while inaugurating the members of Civil Defense Community Partnership Network (CDCPN).
The members of the CDCPN are elite and leadership personalities in various communities within the state.
Willie said that the CDCPN members would work closely within the 37 NSCDC Divisional Police Stations and its Divisional Corps Officer as well as “be covert security information manager and contact persons”.
He said that the complexities of modern security threats – kidnapping, terrorism, cultism, vandalism and oil bunkering – should be approached in a holistic manner through the involvement of community members.
According to him, crime and criminality have got to a level where people commit it or even kill without any remorse at community level.
The commandant said, “We have lost our humanity and value for human life as a people. The community and its leaders should stand up to their traditional role of being security conscious.
“Today, most people in the community do not have respect for government or communal amenities serving everybody and most times some will want to vandalise or directly steal government or communal amenities.”
Willie said that the communities’ members should know the mandate of the NSCDC dealing with vandalism of public and communal property, herder/farmers clashes, security of schools, oil bunkering and mining activities among others.
Earlier, Coordinator of CDCPN in the Command, Assistant Corps Commandant, Mr Robinson Odoh, lauded the commandant for developing the initiative – CDCPN; adding that the initiative would deepen security in the state.
Odoh said that the major objective of the initiative “is to enhance the security network and partnership with the people”.
“We needed information to work effectively and safe-guard lives and property.
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“We want more communities’ members to work closer with us and supply us with actionable information to work better,” he said.
Responding, one of the CDCPN members, Igwe Uchenna Anikwe, the Traditional Ruler of Diogbe Community in Igbo-Etiti LGA, commended the NSCDC commandant for the initiative and “personal stride to close the information and relationship gap.”
Anikwe, who represented the Traditional Rulers’ Council of Igbo-Etiti LGA, assured that the CDCPN members would work closely with the NSCDC as well as move the frontiers of the corps activities within communities and council areas in the state.
“The CDCPN Initiative is laudable and the communities’ members’ involvement in security especially in rural communities will engender greater security results in the state,” he said.
