Oshiomhole Calls for Review of NSCDC Act Amid Insecurity Concerns

As FCT Commandant unveils book on interagency rivalry

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, called for a review of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Establishment Act. He argued that the term “civil” in the agency’s name no longer reflects the nature of the threats faced by its personnel.

The senator made the remark at the National Defence College (NDC) in Abuja on Friday while speaking at the launch of the book “Nigeria’s Security Dilemma: Rivalries and Implications Vol. 1.” The book was authored by Dr Olusola Odumosu, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commandant of the NSCDC.

Oshiomhole explained that the notion of a “civil” defence corps implies a force without firearms, yet NSCDC operatives are routinely deployed against heavily armed criminals who destroy public property and engage in illegal oil bunkering.

“If the criminals you have to fight carry a sophisticated weapon, you who is fighting them, your weapon should be nothing less than sophisticated,” he said, adding that the current arrangement leaves operatives “civil” while confronting “hardened criminals.”

The lawmaker also urged stronger collaboration among security agencies, insisting that intelligence sharing should not be optional.

He recommended that the Department of State Services (DSS) work closely with the Police and the Army, providing them with actionable intelligence. Oshiomhole cited his experience as a former state governor, where military escorts supplied firepower for operatives conducting intelligence‑led raids against kidnappers, resulting in the arrest of “many” suspects.

He lamented that successful arrests were sometimes undermined at the prosecution stage, noting instances where judges granted bail or discharged suspects despite the effort invested in apprehending them. “It’s dangerous if they are found to be discharged,” he said.

On interagency rivalry, the senator stressed that national security must transcend partisan or institutional interests. “When it comes to security, there is no PDP, no APC… we need to understand that,” he said, urging operational heads to ensure that directives given to field commanders are matched with adequate equipment, morale and welfare for personnel.

Earlier, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, represented by Rear Admiral Olusanya Bankole (retd), said he had personally reviewed a draft of the book about two weeks ago and noted its treatment of interagency rivalry. He said steps were already underway to strengthen collaboration among security agencies, stressing that “the stability of Nigeria is more important than the ego of any agency.”

In his welcome address, Deputy Commandant General Zakari Ibrahim Ningi, in charge of Technical Services and representing the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Prof. Ahmed Audi, said insecurity had become a global phenomenon affecting every sector of human endeavour, of which Nigeria is not an exception. He added that the timing of the book’s launch could not have been better.

Speaking on the motivation for the book, the author, Dr Olusola Odumosu, said no single security agency possesses all the answers to Nigeria’s security challenges. “No one agency has it all. There is a need for a united front because security is not what one agency can do. No one has a monopoly of wisdom,” he said.

Odumosu identified interagency rivalry as the bane of a coordinated national response to security threats.

The Inspector General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, was represented at the event by the FCT Commissioner of Police as Special Guest of Honour, while the book was formally launched by Hon. Tayo Odumuyiwa, who contributed N20 million.

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