By Abdallah el-Kurebe, Editor
The the Director of International Narcotic and Law Enforcement at the American Embassy James Jowett has said that the Embassy would collaborate with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on training of personnel as well as provision of equipment for efficient discharge of the Corps mandate.
He disclosed this when he paid a visit to the Commandant General of NSCDC, Abdullahi Gana Muhammad at the Corps headquarters in Abuja.
According to a statement by the CDPRO, DCC Emmanuel Okeh Jowett assured the CG that as the new Director of International Narcotic Law Enforcement at the US Embassy in Nigeria, the Corps is the first Agency he visited and that “he is happy to partner with the Corps in the areas of training and retraining of the personnel as requested by the Commandant General.
“He also promised that the Embassy would not only assist with equipment but train those to man and handle it without difficulties,” the statement read.
Jowett added that through his Directorate of training, the Embassy had mapped out the training programme and would embark on zonal training of the Corps personnel on protection of Critical Infrastructure before the year ran out.
The Corps CG commended the gesture of the American Embassy for training the Corps personnel that were currently occupying the liberated communities in Borno State.
Gana reiterated that the Corps as an International Organisation was established in 2003 with the mandate of protecting Critical Infrastructure and National Assets, Registering, Training, Monitoring and Licensing of Private Guards Security and in Charge of Emergency and Disaster Management as a Critical stakeholder.
The CG added that apart from the training, the Corps needed more training in the areas of Mining in order to identify solid minerals that were being exploited illegally by miners and economic saboteurs as well as in the area of provision of physical security to the Agro-Allied investment sector, which hitherto led to the formation of the Agro-Rangers Squad.
Gana said not less than 200 illegal mining sites had been shut down by the Corps personnel and not less than 600 illegal refineries were destroyed in the creek within the Niger-Delta region.
