As the clock ticks to the general elections which start on Saturday, 25th February, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has expressed its readiness to ensure a peaceful electioneering process.
The NSCDC said it has put in place concrete steps to bolster security during the election in Lagos following the social risks that hang over the forthcoming polls.
Spokesperson of NSCDC in Lagos, Oluwafemi Abolurin made this known while responding to The New Diplomat’s question during a 2-day Workshop on Election Reporting which held in Lagos over the weekend. The workshop organised by Media Support Centre engaged editors, reporters and media managers on their participation, safety and coverage of the polls.
Highlighting the efforts of the NSCDC, Abolurin said the force has been sensitising the people on the need to embrace peace in the state.
He also said the command has trained its operatives on light weapons handling, adding that personnel are ready to be deployed across the state in collaboration with other security agencies towards ensuring that the election is peaceful.
In his words, “The commandant has revamped the disaster management unit of the command.
“What the commandant has done is to set up a committee so that while we get information from the people outside, if it has to do with disaster we can respond. And we also have the CTU- Counter-Terrorism Unit in case it goes beyond a normal chaos they can respond. And all of these people have been trained and they have been working together. The number to call in case of emergency is 08163597310. And there are others organisations that have expressed interest in partnering with us for the elections.
“As for the violence proned places, we may not want to mention names but our intel has given information about places where some of these evil doers may want to do something, flashpoints, flashpots especially from the crime records in the state. We’re going to be using non-kinetic approach because we don’t want casualty. We will pick them up even without their families and everybody knowing. They would find themselves where they belong.” Abolurin added.
