Minister Of Interior Orders Immediate Deployment Of NSCDC Personnel

AISHA ABUBAKAR

Following the reprisal attack by Nigerians on some South African investments in some parts of the country recently, the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has directed the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu, to order an immediate deployment of the Corps personnel across the country to prevent breakdown of law and order while at the same time providing security for Nigerians and other foreign nationals working in various South African investments in Nigeria.                     

While handing down the Minister’s directive to the Head of Operations and other critical stakeholders at the National headquarters in Abuja, the CG called for immediate mobilization of officers and men of the service across the country to avert any crisis that may erupt during, and in the aftermath of the retaliatory attack on some South African companies such as MTN and Shoprite domiciled in the country. The CG, who expressed concern on the gradually eroding relationship between the two countries, charged Nigerians to exercise restraint and display maturity in handling the situation. Gana reiterated that the Honourable Minister of Interior is deeply concerned with internal security and well-being of the country as well as the guarantee of safety of lives and property of persons living within the geographical space called Nigeria.

Gana said he shared the thoughts of the Minister of Interior, who condemned the reprisal attack by Nigerians as an expression of anger, that it is not the solution to the crisis at hand because more lives of innocent Nigerians and properties worth millions of naira would be lost in the process.

While not justifying the unwarranted killings and maiming of Nigerians by their South African counterparts, the Corps helmsman admonished Nigerians to continue to eschew violence and allow the issues to be resolved through diplomatic channel that is currently being adopted by the government of both countries as two wrongs do not make a right. Abdullahi emphasized that the public should note that the Nigerian government is not insensitive to the plights of Nigerians living in South Africa and other parts of the world; rather, they are working assiduously to put a stop to this xenophobic attack once and for all.  He however reassured Nigerians that a lot of efforts is being made underground to protect its citizens across the globe and guarantee adequate security for their investments in Diaspora, assuring that in due course, the result of such action will manifest for all Nigerians to see.

In the light of the Minister’s directive, the CG has charged his personnel to ensure continuous cooperation with other sister agencies in ensuring safety of local and foreign investments in the country for the sake of economic development and national prosperity. According to Gana, this will help promote the welfare of Nigerians. He appealed to citizens to be patient with the Federal Governments and not allow the retaliatory attack snowball into national emergency as the situation may be hijacked by hoodlums to cause unnecessary havoc and challenge the peace of the country and that of other peace loving Nigerians.

Gana apart from deploying general duty personnel for providing physical security, have also engaged the Crisis Management Department and the Peace and Conflict Resolution team to mitigate the crisis and immediately carry out enlightenment and advocacy programme to educate the citizens on the need to embrace peace and shun violence because of its dire consequences on our collective security.