By Kelechi Ogunleye

Ali Muhammad Ali, Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has charged the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) FCT Command to improve on its intelligence gathering in the territory.

Ali said this during a visit by the NSCDC FCT Commandant, Olusola Odumosu, to his office on Wednesday in Abuja.

The NAN MD urged the NSCDC to go beyond arrests and be more proactive by engaging Nigerians, pantaker operators and even arrested vandals to get information that would help nip vandalism in the bud.

He said that vandalism of Critical National Asset and Infrastructure (CNAI), especially the destruction of manholes and theft of manhole covers in the FCT,  had become worrisome.

“The roads leading to NAN office is the worst hit by the activities of vandals.

“The big thieves are somewhere hiding in, and if there are no willing buyers there will not be a market. So, your crack down on pantaker operators has yielded results,” the MD said.

He further called on NSCDC personnel to maintain civility in the discharge of their duties, adding that there was a remarkable difference between the corps and sister agencies.

He said that NAN, being the largest content creator and distributor of news, would partner seamlessly with the corps to achieve set objectives.

“We will give you whatever support you need to succeed because if you succeed, then we can go home to sleep with our eyes closed,” Ali said.

He commended the commandant for his doggedness and strides since his assumption of office.

Earlier, Odumosu said that the purpose of the visit was to strengthen NCDC’s already existing partnership with NAN.

“We have enjoined wonderful cooperation and publicity from your service to reach out to the public in terms of what we do,” the commandant said.

According to him, investigations revealed that most of the vandalism in the FCT were perpetuated by scavengers (baban bola).

“I have been given a charge to tackle vandalism in the FCT to nip it in the bud or bring it to the barest minimum, so I have declared war on the activities of scavengers.

“All these activities cannot  be  successfully done without the support or recognition of NAN,” he said.

He said that the command had been sending warning messages to vandals who give Nigerians sleepless nights.

Odumosu said that he had advocated for the regulation and possible eradication of pantakers in the FCT.

“Surveillance and investigation has shown that there was a spike in vandalism because there was a ready market for sales when they steal.

“If we are able to regulate pantaker then we will have solved 50 per cent of this problem,  because when there is no supply,  there will  be no demand,” he said.

The FCT NSCDC helmsman, however said that there was a ban on the activities of scavengers as they have been restricted to the dump site.

“We hope for policies and laws to be enacted in that direction, as we are doing our best in the field, and have been able to propose ideas that will eradicate the menace of vandalism,” Odumosu said.

He urged residents not to leave the protection of CNAI to the Federal Government or security agencies alone.

“We need the support of the public  and organisations like NAN to continue to succeed,” he said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman