The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr Olusola Odumosu, has called for more inter-agency collaboration in tackling the challenges of insecurity within the FCT and its environs.
Odumosu made the call on Wednesday when he paid a courtesy visit to Acting Guards Brigade Commander, Col. Adebisi Olusola Onasanya, at the headquarters of Guards Brigade, Abuja.
Comfort Okomanyi, the spokesperson of the Command said in a statement that Odumosu also appealed for support in the training of NSCDC personnel in FCT.
The Commandant, in appreciating the existing strong synergy between the Corps and the Nigeria Army, noted that while there is an increasing friendship and good bonding between senior officers in the military and other paramilitary agencies, the same should be encouraged among the junior cadres in a progressive fashion till a full synergy is attained.
Odumosu condemned the rivalry occasionally experienced among security agencies and encouraged more collaboration for effective security coverage of the country.
“If we at our levels can enjoy so much cooperation and synergy, there’s a need to pass the same information to the lower rungs of the ladder too.
“My visit to you is more or less to fulfil customs and traditions. As far as I am concerned, we already have a good working relationship and I am enjoying maximum cooperation and synergy from you already.
“However, the visit is also an opportunity for me and my men to get acquainted with your men and familiarize with one another as we shall be meeting on the field in the course of our job”, Odumosu added.
Odumosu, while thanking the Commander, Guards Brigade for receiving him, his officers and men in the audience, commended the Nigerian Army for its maturity and camaraderie which has resulted in a long-standing good relationship with the NSCDC.
He said the NSCDC owed its evolution to the military, especially the Nigerian Army.
The Commandant solicited more collaboration in the areas of operations and training for his men from the Brigade of Guards Commander.
He reiterated that with more training and retraining programmes in place, all security agencies in the sub-sector will be able to operate and cooperate more efficiently without anyone lagging behind in the latest operational tactics.
In his response, Col. Onasanya, stated that the visit was a mark of continuous synergy and inter-agency collaborations already existing among all the security agencies in the FCT.
He noted that there were already joint operations between the Civil Defence, other paramilitary agencies and the Nigerian Army which has been responsible for the downward trends of crimes and security threats in the FCT.
In response to the NSCDC’s request for training, the Brigade Commander promised to consult with the Defence Headquarters immediately and find out how the training of the NSCDC personnel would be undertaken.
“If I need to consult, I will consult, If I need to take permission or approval from the top, I will, but the training will be effected”, Onasanya promised.
He assured the FCT Commandant that from time to time, enlightenment would be intensified among the junior cadres of the Nigerian Army to foster a healthier relationship with the NSCDC and other security agencies so as to enhance a unified front for the security of the nation.
