#TrackNigeria: Mr Nnamdi Nwannukwu, the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Abia, said the command had so far trained 5,000 of its operatives on light weapon handling (LWH) to support the nation’s security architecture.
Nwannukwu was quoted in a statement issued on Saturday in Umuahia by Mr Egwu Ndukwe, the Public Relations Officer of the command, to have said this during the passing out of the Batch ‘E’ officers and men of the command trained on LWH.
He said that the first batch was trained in the year 2012 at 14 Brigade, Ohafia, while the second and third batches were trained in 2013 and 2019 respectively at the 343 Artillery Regiment, Elele, River.
The commandant further said that the fourth batch (Batch ‘E’) of the training, which began on January 15 with 200 personnel, ended in April, with a Range Classification Exercise at the 343 Artillery Regiment, also in Elele, Rivers.
He also said that the training was sequel to the Amendment Act of 2007, which empowers the corps to bear fire arms, in the effort to meet the nation’s increasing security need.
Nwannukwu paid special tribute to the Nigerian Army for collaborating with the corps in carrying out the training.
According to him, the successful training of the corps personnel was made possible through the “robust inter-agency relationship between the corps and the Nigerian Army.”
He said that there had been several coordinated personnel training agreements between the two sister-security agencies in technical, logistics and weapon support and servicing, among others.
He lauded the Commandant-General, Abdullahi Mohammed, for approving the training for the command, while also thanking the Zonal Commander (Zone E), Mr Ben Dikuro, “for his encouragement.”
He commended the command’s instructors, led by Chinomnso Okorie, “for a job well done” and charged the trained operatives to deploy their services in the service of their fatherland.
“I expect you to use your newly acquired skill and knowledge to serve the nation in various capacities with renewed zeal,” Nwannukwu said.
He also admonished them to discharge their duties “without compromising on the international best practices, especially on weapons handling and safety precautions.”
“Your new training has exposed you to new areas of responsibilities and you must be responsively responsible.
“Remember that the weapons are meant for the enemies of the state. Use it safely among comrades and ruthlessly against the criminal elements.
“Protect lives and critical National Assets of Government and ensure you do not indulge in any act capable of bringing disrepute to the corps.
“With this at the back of your heart, you have duly signed into the ‘zero tolerance’ posture of the corps to “accidental discharge.”
Meanwhile, the commandant has assured residents of the state of the readiness of the command to ensure a hitch-free Easter celebration.
He said that the command would collaborate with other sister-security agencies to ensure adequate security for lives and property during the festivity. (NAN)
