Lagos – The Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), said it arrested 120 suspected vandals for various acts of sabotage against the nation in 2014.
The Commandant, Gabriel Abafi, made the disclosure in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos.
Abafi, who reviewed the achievements of the command in various areas of its mandate in the statement, said the areas covered curtailing vandalism, disaster management and countering terrorism.
Others are peace and conflict resolution, training and manpower development, capacity building and security intelligence gathering.
It said the anti-vandalism unit arrested over 120 suspected vandals who were involved in stealing and damaging the nation’s assets and infrastructure, including petroleum pipelines and electricity generation cables.
The statement added that the transmission and distribution installations and telecommunications facilities were part of the infrastructure damaged by the vandals.
“The command have so far arrested over 120 suspected vandals last year, some have been prosecuted at the courts, while some are under investigation .
“The recovered products were returned to the appropriate authorities,” it said.
The statement said the disaster management unit had successfully partnered with agencies like the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to manage disasters
It cited the recent fire incidents at Idumota Market which razed five buildings and the Berlin Market all in Central Lagos as part of the NSCDC’s effort in assisting in disaster management.
The statement said its peace and conflict unit handed over 120 cases ranging from landlords/tenant conflicts, breach of public peace, land disputes, relationship disputes, cases of assault, monetary disputes and child abuse.
It said the counter-terrorism unit had assisted in adequate security reporting and intelligence gathering that assisted the state in checkmating terrorists.
“The agency is collaborating with sister agencies in the state and recently, tracked down some members of the Boko Haram who were on the verge of causing confusion.’’
The statement also said the training and capacity building unit organised series of training for its officers in arms bearing, parade drill, discipline and code of conduct.
“We are training our officers for the monitoring of the next general elections to ensure violence-free elections in February,” it quoted Abafi as saying.
The statement said the commandant commended the efforts of the personnel in collaboration with other sister agencies in ensuring the safety of life and government properties in the state.
“The command will increase its undercover personnel which will engage in 24 hours surveillance and intelligence gathering within Lagos State metropolis,” it said.
