THE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says 66 personnel drawn from its formations nationwide have been sanctioned for various offences.
NSCDC Commandant General, Ahmed Audi, disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
Audi said that the offences ranged from dismissal, compulsory retirement, demotion and warnings.
He said that the disciplinary actions followed the approval of the Civil Defence, Correction, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) after investigations into allegations of misconduct against the affected personnel.
The CG revealed that the sanctions were imposed based on the nature and severity of the offences committed.
He said some of the offences were involvement in arms dealing, adding that officers found culpable of particularly serious offences would face prosecution.
“Some of them are to face prosecution while some had been dismissed after facing prosecution.
“They will be prosecuted because of the veracity of the offence, level and kind of offence they have committed,” he said.
The NSCDC boss said that all the affected personnel had undergone the established disciplinary procedures, including orderly room trials and relevant staff disciplinary committees, before the board approved the sanctions.
According to Audi, the affected officers were drawn from State Commands, Zonal Commands, Area Commands, the National Headquarters and other formations across the country.
He stressed that the NSCDC would not tolerate indiscipline or actions capable of undermining its professional standards.
The CG further said the exercise was intended to reinforce discipline within the corps and serve as a deterrent to other personnel who might violate its rules and regulations.
“The culture of any military or paramilitary organisation stands or is built on discipline,” he said.
The ICIR reported that the NSCDC recently suspended an officer for allegedly firing shots into the air during a confrontation with traders at Kubwa Market, Abuja.
A statement by the NSCDC Public Relations Officer (PRO), Babawale Afolabi, on Thursday, October 29, in Abuja, said the officer was arrested by the FCT Police Command after acting unprofessionally.
He quoted the NSCDC CG as directing an Orderly Room Trial to determine the personnel’s level of culpability in the alleged offence.
Audi emphasised the corps zero tolerance for misuse of firearms or any form of professional misconduct.
The ICIR further reports that it remains unclear if the 66 people being sanctioned are part of those who faced probe and were recommended to be sacked for their involvement in the killing of dozens of miners in Niger State.
The deaths occurred under the watch of the suspended Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye.
Aniyiye was suspended by the Federal Government and was ordered to face probe in Abuja.
The miners, comprising minors and other young people, were confirmed dead hours after operatives of the command locked them up following their arrest at mining sites around the M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis of Minna between September 15 and 16, 2026.
Aniyiye had claimed in a statement he personally signed that the miners died from suspected disease outbreak.
However, the committee which probed the incident said the NSCDC officers suffocated the miners to death.
The committee recommended ₦1.4 billion in compensation for the late miners’ families and 44 survivors.
The committee’s chairman and former Deputy Director-General of the State Security Services, Jonathan Kure, disclosed the findings on Tuesday, October 27, while presenting the panel’s report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja.
Kure said the deaths were avoidable, adding that the victims, including 14 minors, were detained under inhuman conditions.
Explaining that asphyxiation (or suffocation) occurs when the body is deprived of sufficient oxygen, potentially causing unconsciousness, organ damage and death, the panel recommended the summary dismissal of the suspended Niger State NSCDC Commandant and other officers directly involved in the detention of the suspects and the circumstances leading to their deaths.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org