Terrorism: Why foreign security expertrates are being flushed out – FG
The Federal Government is set to flush out expertrate owners or operators of private security outfits in Nigeria in a bid to stop such expertrates aiding insurgency, terrorism, militancy and criminalities in Nigeria.
The Commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu stated this in Kaduna at the weekend, during the Managing Directors/Chief Executive Officers Parley organised by the Kaduna chapter of Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria (ALPSPN).
Abdullahi, who was represented at the event by the Assistant Commandant General Private Guard Companies, Helen Amakiri, said that a new regulation document is being designed to address the lacuna in the 1986 Private Guard Companies Act, which he said has become so absolete and can no longer be used in the regulation of the PGCs in current Nigeria.
According to him, “section 35 of that Act empowers the Minister of Interior to make regulations. So, as the regulator of the industry, we asked the permission of the Minister, which is the Chief regulator to formulate regulations that will address all the lacuna in the Act, and that we have done. We have an upto date document called ‘Private Security Regulations 2018’ that can be used to regulate the industry, and upgrade it to where we want it to be.
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“It has been gazzated by the Federal Government press. The regulation is going to stamp illegal operators and even foreign operators. The PGC Act says, no foreigner should own Private Security Company in Nigeria, but the regulation has gone further to say that, no foreigner should own, be a director or operative of private security company in Nigeria.
“So, we don’t want foreigners in private security industry in Nigeria. The reason is that, we have been receiving intelligence reports that, these foreign operators and directors aid and abet terrorism and insurgency, as well as militancy, especially in the Niger Delta and Northeast of Nigeria,” the Commandant General added, while urging private security operators to be ready to upgrade their practices and follow the guidelines.
The National President ALPSPN, Dr. Davidson Akhimien asked the Federal Government to employ their service in intelligence gathering to address the various security challenges confronting the country. Akhimien, who was represented by the Vice President of the association, Emilia Chasa, noted that security in Nigeria has become a burning issue, just as he added that with their men in every nook and crannies of Nigeria, the private security operators can help in gathering intelligence.
The Chairman, Kaduna State Chapter, Hon. Dauda Zuye-Nda Ageni called on the relevant regulators of the ALPSPN to help in adequately addressing challenges of multiple taxation and quacks in the system who are giving the association bad images. “The use of internal security is still going on in so many organizations. This has caused low patronage to private security by such organizations. Such agencies will prefer to use their internal security operatives despite not being registered or trained.”
