Proscription order on Peace Corps still in force, Police says

The Police spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood said the general public should disregard any false information on the closure of the Peace Corps of Nigeria Jabi, office in Abuja. He said, “The Force wishes to inform the General Public that the order proscribing the existence and operations of Peace Corps of Nigeria is still in force in the country.” He added that, the Police on 28th February in a joint operation with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) raided the Peace Corps office in Jabi, over allegation of fraud and fake recruitment. He said it is also evident that in 2013, Federal Republic of Nigeria official Gazette dissolved and proscribed illegal security outfits such as Nigerian Maritime security Agency (NMSA). The Nigerian Merchant Navy Corps and the Nigerian Merchant Navy Petroleum Security and Safety, Peace Corps of Nigeria and other quasi illegal security outfits, he said. He said it has been observed that some of these proscribed illegal security outfits and the Peace Corps of Nigeria are still operating outside the mandates and purposes for which they were registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission. He said consequently the police sealed off the building of the Corps and arrested one Akor Dickson, the Leader of Peace Corps of Nigeria and 49 others for investigation in the interest of public safety and security. He said, “They were promptly arraigned in court for prosecution on criminal offences of Obtaining Money and Property under false pretence, Operating illegal Security Outfit, Money laundering, Advance Fee fraud and other related offences which are still pending before the Federal High Court, Abuja.” He recalled that on the 14th of April, 2011, the Peace Corps of Nigeria under the same Akor Dickson, prior to the Presidential Election in 2011, with brazen impunity and total disregard to the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act deployed some of its personnel for the conduct of the General Election. Moshood said they were prevented by the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies from functioning as a security outfit or disguising as Election Observer/Monitoring Group covering the Election. He added that the Federal High Court, Abuja recently delivered a judgment that the premises of the Peace Corps of Nigeria located in Jabi should be unsealed but the Nigeria Police Force in the interest of National Security and Public Safety promptly appealed the judgment and filed Stay of Execution at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division. ]]>