Oshiomhole urges review of NSCDC's name

The lawmaker representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, has called for a review of the name of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Oshiomhole made the call on Friday in Abuja at the unveiling of the NSCDC FCT Commandant, Dr. Olusola Odumosu’s book, titled “Nigeria’s Security Dilemma: Rivalries and Implications.”

He said the call for a name change of the paramilitary agency was imperative because the word “Civil” in its title implied that its personnel were not meant to bear arms.

He added that the NSCDC, tasked with protecting the nation’s critical national assets and infrastructure, routinely confronts hardened criminals while on duty.

The lawmaker therefore questioned how operatives could be expected to remain “civil” while confronting vandals, illegal miners and armed criminals.

“To be civil means you should not bear firearms, so if you do not bear arms to deal with people involved in illegal oil bunkering or the destruction of public property, which you have been asked to protect, will you then preach while they carry guns?” he asked.

“If you want to be civil, how do you deal with hardened criminals? If these criminals carry sophisticated weapons, you fighting them should not carry less sophisticated weapons.”

“When I see service chiefs holding meetings and I don’t see the Commandant General of Civil Defence, I am like, there is something missing,” he said.

He noted that no single security agency could address insecurity at both the sub‑national and national levels alone.

Oshiomhole said that, in tackling insecurity, it was imperative for Nigerians—including politicians and security agencies—to put aside their differences and recognize that Nigeria is one.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu will continue to apply all measures necessary to ensure Nigeria is safe and that insecurity is reduced to the barest minimum.

The senator commended the author for speaking out through his book on how to tackle insecurity through effective synergy and information‑sharing among security agencies.

“It is commendable that you put out your thoughts while in the system and not outside the system, as it is much more dangerous to speak truth to power,” he said.

Also speaking, security expert Prof. Tyor Terhemba, the reviewer of the book, said that Nigeria’s security challenges called for collective efforts to combat banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other criminal activities.

“This is a time to have all hands on deck to collectively fight the enemies of the state; hence, it is not a time for rivalry but a time to be united,” he said.

Terhemba said that the book re‑echoed the need for unity and synergy among security agencies, regional and international partnerships, areas of potential conflict, and the role of intelligence‑sharing.

According to him, it also discusses political interference, ambiguous laws, accountability, security sector reforms, communication systems and other related issues.

Meanwhile, the author, Odumosu, said that the book looked at security from a holistic perspective, as there was a need for a united front.

“No one has a monopoly of wisdom or strategy, so there is a need to tackle insecurity from a common front,” he said.

“Obviously, there have been issues of unhealthy inter‑agency rivalries, which have been a pain to coordinated national responses to our security challenges,” he added.

“I looked at it from the perspective that all security agencies must understand that we have the same goal, whether our mandates are interwoven or not,” Odumosu said.

“We have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and order in Nigeria,” he added.

The commandant reiterated that when security agencies continue to fight one another or see one another as competitors rather than as a united front, a lot of work will still need to be done.