#TrackNigeria: The Commissioner of Police, Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Command, Mr Maikudi Shehu, has threatened to withdraw the licence of any Explosive and Radioactive materials stakeholders caught selling such to terrorists.
Shehu told newsmen after meeting with the stakeholders in Lagos on Thursday that there was the need for stringent measures to check importation, storage, transportation and sales of such materials with the aim of ensuring national security.
He noted that there were serious security challenges in the North-East, herdsmen invasion in Middle Belt, illegal mining operations in Zamfara and other parts of the country.
According to Shehu, the EOD command will not fold its hands and watch continued misuse and misapplication of explosives in the country.
“In as much as it has been conceptualized that commercial explosives are indispensable, circulation and or importation cannot be terminated, but rather monitored by putting some stringent measures in place at ensuring control over illegal use and proliferation of items.
“Rapid progress is not obvious when you keep re-cycling the same process in crime fighting, but requires constant re-strategizing of new innovation, methodology, surveillance and regular sensitisation of the public as a means to enlighten minds of both the explosive operators and end users.
“The prevailing menace of terrorism and the need to proffer a lasting solution naturally necessitated the involvement and collaboration of different stakeholders.
“This is why we want you stakeholders to get actively involved in the onerous task of wiping out terrorism from the Nigerian landscape.
“On our part, we are working round the clock to adopt a more preventive approach to illegal misuse and misapplication of explosives and its allied materials from getting to wrong hands,” he said.
The commissioner called on the stakeholders for useful information that could facilitate effective performance of their duties through proactive control of such activities in the nation.
After meeting with the stakeholders, the commissioner also met with senior officers and EOD Base/Unit Commanders drawn from all states.
Shehu said the meeting was the second quarterly conference for the year to evaluate performance of EOD during the 2019 elections.
He commended the officers for a job well done during the elections, urging them to identify and prevent post-election violence in their domains.
“We must re-double our efforts at ensuring strict monitoring of importation, distribution of explosives and its allied materials,” he advised them. (NAN)
