Banditry: NSCDC Deploys Special Forces To Protect Schools

The Kaduna State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has launched a Rapid Response Squad that will be deployed to secure vulnerable schools across the state from being attacked by bandits.

Speaking at the official inauguration and deployment of the special forces on Wednesday, the NSCDC Commandant in the state, Godwin Miebi, said the setting up of the squad is a deliberate strategy to support the Safe School Initiative, introduced by the Commandant General of the Corps, Ahmed Abubakar.

With banditry and abductions now becoming the order of the day, there have now been several calls to intensify security in the state and the nation at large.

According to the Kaduna State Security Incidents Report for the Second Quarter of 2021, there have been a total of 222 deaths, resulting from violent attacks, communal clashes and reprisals in the past year.

A total of 774 persons have also been kidnapped.

Meanwhile, the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has lamented the spate of insecurity.

According to him the level of insecurity has brought about major suffering for residents, which he regrets.

“As Governor of the state, it is a matter of profound regret for me that our considerable investments in security are yet to manifest in the defeat or the considerable degradation of the criminals,” the governor said at the event on Tuesday.

“The data on security incidents in the state during the second quarter of 2021 reflects the real agony of our citizens and communities, their pains and losses, and the fears and anxiety that have created considerable distress”.

Speaking further, he called on the Federal Government to launch simultaneous operations across all the seven states of the northwest and Niger State as part of measures to contain the activities of bandits who have made life unbearable for the residents of the zone.

He also noted that the state government is already considering an unconventional approach to tackle the security problem bedeviling the state, since there are no much booths on the ground to be deployed to most of the ungoverned spaces that have become vulnerable to attacks.

With banditry and abductions now becoming the order of the day, President Muhammadu Buhari has yet again, reiterated his administration’s resolve to tackling all forms of insecurity in the country, vowing to deploy all resources to making the West African nation safe from threats.

The Nigerian leader spoke on Tuesday when he hosted members of the National Assembly to a dinner at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.

‘‘In the circumstances, we must do everything within our power, without consideration of distractions, to put an end to their activities and bring them to book,” Buhari told the lawmakers while admitting that many people take to crime due to diverse reasons including promotion of some “discredited” ideologies.

‘‘We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted from this objective, or waver in our commitment, and I am confident that together we will triumph in our present efforts.’’