By Vin Oliji, Abuja
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has renewed its commitment to protecting Nigeria’s national and critical assets.
The Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC in the nation’s Capital, Dr. Olusola Odumosu gave the charge during a meeting with telecom stakeholders at the FCT Command headquarters, Abuja, where he decried the non-chalant attitude of some mast owners to the security and protection of their multi million naira investment, which made them prone to vandalism.
The meeting was held at the instance of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to curtail the recurring incidents of vandalism of telecom masts and towers across the country.
Odumosu emphasised the importance of the telecom sector to the social economic growth of the country and to this end, any act of sabotage or vandalism must be condemned and should not be allowed to fester.
”The Corps is concerned because vandalism of these critical national assets and infrastructure would have serious consequences on the entire country, therefore, protection of this facilities must be taken seriously,” Odumosu said.
He hinted that many of the sites visited during the routine patrol of the Critical National Assets and Infrastructure (CNAI) protection department were unguarded and without any security presence or CCTV cameras. He advised them to improve on it to prevent unhindered access by vandals and miscreants.
He insisted that the operators must engage the services of licensed private guard companies in the FCT to provide physical security at the sites, as well as share credible intelligence that would assist to apprehend vandals.
He directed the operators to avail the Corps relevant information about their sites and locations of their masts and towers to enable the Command conduct constant patrol and surveillance around the facilities.
”As the lead agency in the protection of CNAI, we are committed to providing 24 hours surveillance and patrol around your facilities.
”Make sure you avail us relevant information about your sites and locations to enable us protect them. We cannot protect the facilities that we don’t know exists,” he said.
He echoed the directive on the installation of CCTV cameras as a tool to fighting vandalism and theft, because going forward, all reports of infractions at BTS sites must be accompanied by relevant CCTV footages.
On their part, the stakeholders, thanked the Commandant for convening the meeting and promised to work closely with the Corps in improving security around telecom facilities in the FCT.
Olusola Akintonde