The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has revealed a strong connection between banditry and illegal mining activities in the country.
NSCDC Commandant-General, Ahmed Audi, made this statement during his first-quarter meeting with senior officers of the corps at its headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
Audi explained that investigations showed illegal miners collaborating with suspected bandits to carry out criminal activities.
He stressed the need for the corps to adopt more robust strategies to combat these issues, urging senior officers to intensify efforts in fulfilling their duties.
Audi noted, “Recently, we have seen that there is a nexus between banditry and illegal mining. There is a serious connection between banditry and illegal mining.
“These bad guys collude and connive with illegal miners and they hibernate in our environments to unleash mayhem and cart away with our resources.
“These are real issues that we need to face head-on and so we need to re-strategies on what we have been doing and buckle down.
“We need to do more. So, what I am saying is that we need to add some bite to our operations and make it more robust.”
The CG further stated that the Federal Government was committed to supporting the corps in ensuring its mandates were successfully achieved, including the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure.
“We have been receiving various support from the government and so it is expected that we reciprocate by putting in active efforts.
“Ways to reciprocate is to try to implement our mandate by providing security for critical national assets and infrastructure and then to try in the long run to provide security for Nigerians.
“We need to appraise ourselves on what we have been doing, methods implemented, results achieved and challenges.
“In the long run we need to discuss strategies on how to cope with challenges that will be so identified and then chart the way forward,” he said.
He also called for ongoing evaluation of strategies to address emerging security threats such as oil theft, farmers/herders clashes, and insurgency, which have evolved into terrorism, kidnapping, and hostage-taking.
Gift Habib @ThePUNCH
