By Kelechi Ogunleye

Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has issued operational licences to 93 Private Guard Companies (PGCs) in 2023, as part of efforts to strengthen national security.

The NSCDC Commandant General (CG), Ahmed Audi, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the Corps Headquarters on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to Audi, from the total number of 1,412 PGCs registered by the Corps, 92 were sealed across the country due to several operational violations.

He, however, said that 24 of the defaulting PGCs were later unsealed in the course of the year under review.

“After the sealing they were instructed to comply and rectify the reasons for which they were sanctioned for and after satisfying some conditions stipulated by law, we unsealed 24.”

He noted that licencing, supervision, training and monitoring of PGCs operations was one of NSCDC major mandate of which the Corps has been able to carve a niche for itself in this regard.

Audi said that PGCs have been able to live up to expectations in complementing security efforts due to its wide spread across the nooks and crannies of the country.

” Hence, the leverage by security operatives on them for grassroot intelligence gathering.

“We have tremendously recorded some progress as they have been very helpful and we have also been receiving useful security information from them which has helped us secure the country better.”

The CG said that before the Corps was saddled to regulate the operations of PGCs in Nigeria, the sector was operated by quacks.

” But with the involvement of the NSCDC, a high level of sanity had been restored in the industry.

“We have removed quackery in the profession and now have ex-service men including those from the intelligence security community who have now joined the industry to make it more professional and robust.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza