THE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has said the official that signed a letter which notified a member of the House of Representatives Shina Peller of the withdrawal of its services has no powers to do so.
NSCDC spokesman Odumosu Okusola said this in a statement forwarded to The ICIR late on Wednesday night.
“Not only did the officer in question lack the power to do such, he was also found to have acted on his whims without clearance,” Olusola said in the statement.
Olusola further disclosed that NSCDC Commandant General Ahmed Abubakar Audi condemned the development.
Audi, according to the NSCDC spokesman, also ordered the immediate reinstatement of any officer that was withdrawn from Peller.
The statement added, “The leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has dismissed as unauthorised and without recourse to the Corps’ constituted authority, a letter signed and sent to a member of the House of Representatives Shima Peller, informing him of the withdrawal of officials of the NSCDC assigned to him.
“The Commandant General Ahmed Abubakar Audi has therefore directed a reinstatement of the withdrawn officers with a compliment of necessary courtesies to the honourable member.”
The Oyo State NSCDC Commandant Michael Adaralewa had earlier dismissed the letter as fake.
In a telephone interview with The ICIR, Adaralewa said the letter did not emanate from his command.
Peller had stirred controversy for sponsoring a bill seeking to scrap the NSCDC.
The proposed legislation seeks to scrap the NSCDC and absorb its personnel into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
According to Peller, the fragmentation of security resources across multiple competing agencies was counterproductive.
The lawmaker also argued that the functions of the NSCDC are conflicting with the statutory duties of the police.
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