NSCDC Withdraws Personnel From Lawmaker For Sponsoring Bill To Scrap Agency

*NSCDC CG Reinstates Officers Attached To Shina Peller Says ‘Letter Sent Without Clearance’

The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)has withdrawn attached officers to Hon. Shina Abiola Peter following his sponsoring a bill at the National Assembly seeking the scrapping of the paramilitary agency.

The lawmaker representing lseyin/ltesiwaju/ Kajola/lwajowa Federal Constituency in Oyo State at the House of Representatives, Shina Peller, has proposed scrapping of the NSCDC and the taking up of its responsibilities by the Nigeria Police Force. The lawmaker made the proposal to the House via the National Security And Civil Defence Corps (Repeal and Transition) Bill 2022, which passed first reading on Tuesday.

The bill seeks to repeal the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (Amendment) Act 2007, establish a transition management committee to superintend over the NSCDC, develop regulations and implement procedures for the transfer of assets and personnel of the corps to the Nigeria Police Force, and other related matters.

In the bill, Peller noted that “fragmentation of security resources across multiple competing agencies is counterproductive.”

The lawmakers also noted that the mandate of the NSCDC “has now become a duplication of the Nigeria Police Force,” adding, “this has led to avoidable conflicts.”

Peller stated: “Every single function of the NSCDC can be done or is being done by the Nigeria Police Force,” while citing “waste of scarce resources,” stressing that the annual budget of the NSCDC is almost N100 billion.

But in a swift reaction to expressed its displeasure to the action of the lawmaker, the NSCDC immediately withdrew his men attached to him.

In a letter addressed to him by the HOD Administration, Oyo State Command of the NSCDC, DCC Sotiyo Igbalawole on behalf of the State Commandant, the withdrawal of the personnel was said to have been made on the need for their deployment for urgent national need.

The letter read: “Following of the directive of the Commandant General on the necessity of the deployment of the Command personnel for an urgent national security assignment.

“On behalf of the State Commandant, I hereby withdraw all the personnel attached to you, this is to meet up with urgent national need.

“Any inconvenience this might cause is highly regretted.”

Meanwhile, the Controller General of the NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Audi has denied giving the instruction for the withdrawal of the officials attached to Hon. Shina Peller.

The CG in a statement yesterday evening said the withdrawal was done without recourse to constituted authority and definitely not on his orders.

The statement read: “The leadership of the NSCDC has dismissed as unauthorised and without recourse to the Corps constituted authority, a letter signed and sent to a Member of the House of Representatives, Hon Shina Peller, informing him of the withdrawal of officials of the NSCDC assigned to him.

“Not only did the officer in question lacked the power to do such, he was also found to have acted on his whims without clearance.

“The Commandant General, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi,has therefore directed a reinstatement of the withdrawn officers with a compliment of necessary courtesies to the honourable member.”