The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has issued a strong warning to Private Guard Companies (PGCs) against the unauthorised use of military or paramilitary uniforms and accoutrements.
Olusola Odumosu, the Commandant of the NSCDC, FCT Command, on Thursday warned that such practices could lead to serious legal consequences and urged all PGCs to desist immediately to avoid misrepresentation.
Odumosu also urged all PGCs operating with expired licences to renew them immediately or face severe consequences, including the possibility of being sealed off.
Dr. Odumosu revealed that the FCT currently has 460 PGCs that are operationally licensed, with all of them legally active since August 2023. However, he noted that three companies were recently sealed for operating without valid licences.
He said “Those due for licence renewal should go and renew their licences, those using uniforms or accoutrement of military or paramilitary agencies should desist from such immediately to avoid all forms of misrepresentation.”
According to the Commandant, the 460 licensed PGCs have a total of 42,645 registered private security operatives.
Odumosu said that since his assumption of office on August 15, 2023, that the Command has conducted training and re-training programs for guards of 20 PGCs, with plans to extend such programs to more companies before the end of the year.
He further urged PGC owners to adopt a culture of continuous training and retraining of their operatives to keep up with evolving security trends.
He emphasised that training should be passed down within the organisations to ensure that all personnel are adequately prepared to meet the demands of modern security challenges.
“There are emerging security tips and technological advancement that will be beneficial to these private security outlets.
“Same way they can learn from us, it will also be an avenue to ensure there are no security gaps between the Corps and the companies which it regulates.
“One of the responsibilities of the NSCDC is to regulate, licence and monitor the operations of private security companies as they form a part of the security architecture of the country,” he said.
The Commandant also disclosed that plans are underway to conduct inspections of PGCs across the territory to ensure full compliance with regulations. He warned that any company found guilty of violations will face sealing, sanctions, or other penalties.
The NSCDC FCT boss said that plans are underway to inspect PGCs in the territory to ensure compliance and will not hesitate to seal, sanction or penalise anyone found guilty.
NSCDC FCT Boss Warns Private Guards Against Using Military Uniforms is first published on The Whistler Newspaper