I don’t believe vandals killed my officers –NCSDC boss

• ‘Only joint security forces can defeat vandals’

A few months ago, militant oil vandals swooped on some Nigeria Civil and Security Defecse Corps (NCSDC) officers at Ikorodu, Lagos State. The shooters disappeared with the corpses and rifles of the officers. Since the incident, there had been an uncanny silence from the NCSDC. However, in this interview with JULIANA FRANCIS, the State’s Commandant of the corps, Mr. Abafi Gabriel, talks about his missing men and myriad of other issues. Excerpt;

Tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m from Kogi State. I read Physical and Health Education, Amadu Bello University, Zaria. I did my Masters in the same institution. I was once a lecturer. I joined NCSDC because of job satisfaction. I first joined as a volunteer in 1997.
How do you see the command after you took over?
Before I was deployed to Lagos State Command as the Commandant, I was the Commandant in charge of training National Headquarters NCSDC. When I came to Lagos, it was not organised; environmental and man power wise. What however welcomed me into Lagos was the issue of vandals. They attacked 13 of my men. We’re still searching for three of them till date. Our operational vehicle were burnt to ashes.
How far with that case now?
We’re not sure whether they had been killed or not! We can’t declare a man dead until we’re sure. We are still searching for them.
After how many months?
Well, they might have been abducted!
If it’s abduction, wouldn’t the vandals have gotten in touch with the Command for ransom?
It’s not all abductors that ask for ransom! They may abduct them for other reasons. Our men are able bodied and well trained. The vandals may have abducted them in order to force them to train their hoodlums. One of the missing men mobile phones recently rang when we tried it. We told the person that picked to give it to the owner.
The person said we shouldn’t call the line again! We tried again, but the phone was switched off. In law you can’t declare a man dead until you have ascertained he is no longer alive. I just want to believe what God is saying, because I have never had a vision that my men are dead. I can’t pronounce them dead. Even in the Constitution, you don’t declare a man dead until after two years. This is just within a year.
Has NSCDC done anything for the family?
Arrangements were made to suit the plans of the family that are concerned. These men are the bread winners of their families. We couldn’t abandon the families. So arrangement had been on; but I don’t know how fast it will get across to the individual families. We have written letters for financial assistance for them.
What’s your greatest achievement since you took over Lagos?
My greatest achievement was in posting people to where they belong. Some who read Mechanical Engineering were found doing something contrary to their fields. I was able to reposition individuals to their fields of study.
Personnel now have motivation to work. There’s now job satisfaction. When you tell them now to go out for functions, they’re always happy. Except for the incident that happened in January; the loss of our men. We still feel the loss of our people.
How do you regulate some of the private security guards in Lagos?
There is a National Policy. Federal Government has made it mandatory that we should regulate licenses and supervise all private guard companies. But take a scenario of Lagos; Lagos is a cosmopolitan place.
Here, people sew uniforms for themselves and start operating a private guard company. We have seen so many of them. We have arrested many too. You must show interest that you want to float a guard company. In monitoring them, we go as far as checking people they are going to employ.
The employees must be credible, not crooks. When you hire a thief to watch over your things, you’re not safe! Once they are registered, the licenses come from us, but the funding and everything are paid to the Federal Government. We’re also an arm of income generating revenue for the Federal Government through the private guard companies.
How do you check private security guards that connive with robbers?
No! I don’t agree with you that those guards are part of robbers. If you’re saying that they sometimes take to their heels when robbers attack, I may agree because robbers have sophisticated weapons. What these guards should do if they suspect foul play within places they are guarding is to alert police or soldiers. We are the grass root.
We can give useful information. If any guard connives with robbers, the company he works with will be shut down! If you’re referring to what happened at Ikorodu axis, none of our guards were around.
At intervals, private security guards are called for seminars, tutorials and mode of operations. We train those guards and we regulate their operators. We give them seminars at intervals for them to know what to do. They can’t be part of robbers!
Are you a member of Chief Executive Council?
No
Why?
That’s left for the government to decide. Lagos is a peculiar state. That’s why we don’t want to worry; our work will speak for us.
How are you rebuilding NSCDC’s relationship with sister agencies, especially the police?
It had been cordial since I came on ground throughout the period of the former Commissioner of Police (CP) Mr. Kayode Aderonti. Cordial relationship is why we talk about synergy. Synergy is about you trying to understand my view and me trying to understand why you behaved the way you did.
We have been mandated by the Federal Government to be in charge of oil pipelines and critical national assets. Police still feel that we took their job; yet this job has been spelt out by the Federal Government. Things like robberies, are the police business. When we arrest suspects, we hand them over to the police.
But I thank God for the understanding the police are beginning to show. Police are beginning to hand over those things that concern oil pipelines and vandalism to us. It’s not all that wear uniforms understand what the law says.
On the day operatives of Department of State Security Service (DSS) were killed at Ikorodu, I didn’t see any of your men on ground, why?
If you followed the trend of history properly, you would have known that same spot in which I told you three of our men were abducted, is the same place the DSS men were attacked at Ishawo, Ikorodu. You may not see us right inside the creek because we can’t go and fight a man in his house. You don’t know what weapon he has, so we wait for them. It’s unfortunate that the DSS went there.
Whatever operations that must take place in that place, must be a joint one. The operation should have Army, Air Force, SSS, NCSDC and Police. If we go individually, we’ll face the same problem encountered by DSS. The DSS went for another mission.
Part of your function is to monitor these areas. Why do you need joint forces to do your job?
If you say you went there and you didn’t see NCSDC, it’s because we were not told they were going there. Like I said, it was not even an operation they went for.
They went for a different assignment before these militants opened fire. The militants opened fire on the DSS because they saw them with guns.
In NCSDC, it’s just a detachment of our men that carries arm. It’s not everybody. The detachment that carries arm is also saddled with the function of moving around these pipelines. I told you the Government of Lagos State has not given us a dime, not even one vehicle to move around. How do we make it?
I told you of the problem we have; when the only vehicle we had was burnt. Do we trek carrying guns? It’s against the ethics of the profession for any paramilitary personnel to mount commercial bikes. He must be in a pickup or operational vehicles. The state government has not given us any.
How do we work? I thank God for our Commandant General (CG). The Federal Government provided us with arms and ammunition. Lagos Government looks at us as Boy Scout.
They even compare us to Neighbourhood Watch! We have been backed up by law and ethics from Federal Government. We need the support of the state government because Ishawo Ikorodu, which you’re talking about, is in Lagos State! It’s not in Abuja.
You’re indirectly speaking of funding.
The government we are working for is not funding us. It’s not giving us the moral support…
Why?
I’m not in the government, not in the Executive Council meeting, but our work will speak for us!
Don’t you have a cordial relationship with the Lagos Government?
I wouldn’t know what happened before. Like I told you, the government is comparing NCSDC with what is not comparable. How can you compare NCSDC backed up with Federal Government law with Boy Scout? We have done the best we can. We’re very proactive in our utterances and deeds. Our work will speak for us.
You said DSS operatives went to Ikorodu for something else. What?
They used to go for surveillances everywhere. I don’t need to tell you where I’ going for my operations. There are always surveillances before any operation is carried out. Other crimes, like kidnapping is going on there.
They may have gotten a hint to map out the areas. Mind you, even the issue of motorbikes being in every terrain is a threat to every Lagosians! Most of these crimes being perpetrated today are perpetrated by motorbike riders! Let’s face the fact! Motorbike riders are our greatest problem in Lagos.
Their recent device now is to hang around ATM galleries and rob people. Once they sight you withdrawing money, they wait for you. They order you at gun point to submit your money. And because you don’t want to die, you’ll hand over the money. Sometimes they even demand for your ATM PIN.
How do you discipline erring private guards?
We call on the management to shut down the place. When we find them in the beat, we arrest and take them to the office. We send them back home. Once they are no longer seen, their services wouldn’t be needed.
How many people have you sent home since you took over?
I have sent home if I’m not exaggerating 10 of them from different organisations. We found them in different spots all over Lekki.
Why are vandals overwhelming security agencies?
It’s government that should be questioned. When we arrest these vandals, the law is there to state whether the person is right or wrong. But the process takes long; sometimes, the person will be set free.
How do you describe a situation, where someone arrested for vandalism and stealing oil worth of millions, gets to the court, evidence are proven and the judge says, go for one month imprisonment or pay a sum of N10, 000? Which one will you prefer? You’ll pay the N10, 000 and stay off the hook.
If the punishment is commensurate with the offence, I’m sure oil thieves will desist. All the boys we have been arresting are just errand boys. Let us be truthful to ourselves; it’s like the boys took oath. It’s like a cult, not to release the names of the kingpins.
What is the root of the recurring problem at Ibafo?
Not only Ibafo! We have similar problems at Festac, Amuwo Odofin, Badagary and Apapa. Some security agencies used to help these vandals to escape being caught. In NCSDC, there are things that identify us.
We carry name tags, we don’t hide because we have integrity. Our word is our bond. Like I told you, our motto is ‘collect bribe and die!’ If I collect bribe, I’m defeating the essence of my being a NCSDC officer. When we see a vandal, we arrest the person and charge him to court. We don’t escort them like some security law enforcement agents used to do.
When your men see personnel of sister agencies escorting vandals, don’t they lodge complaints with their superiors?
We have done that severally. But by the time the information gets to them and we go back to the same spot where the crime was committed, the law enforcement agent would have gone. The authority will promise to investigate.
There is little we can force them to do. Sometimes, we tell our boys to just identify their names. Although some of the crook agents from other agencies used to remove their names; they’ll remove a letter in their name tag because a real police officer must carry his name tag and his service number.
But with the service number, if you look critically, they’ll remove a digit from their service number. How do you report a person without a complete force number?
Will you say that corrupt law enforcement agents are making the battles against vandals difficult to overcome?
I would not know because we know that there are impersonators. You cannot know who is corrupt until he is proven otherwise by the law.
Since you came on board how will you rate the quantity of oil recovered?
More than 10 trailers of drums had been recovered, but you can carry them in kegs too. We go to DPR, if it is stated correct, then NNPC will come and evacuate and dispose to the public. The ones we’ve sent through the DPR to the NNPC, are about 10 trailers since I came on board. We recovered them on the high sea , Badagary, Apapa, Ikorodu and other places.
What is their monetary value?
I can’t say, but when you consider a trailer load is about 33,000 litres and if you multiple it by the N97 per litres which may not be what they sell, then multiplied by 10, it will be going to billions of money.
What is your unforgettable encounter with vandals?
The one that touches my heart is my men that are still missing. I know that as long as God lives, they are alive! But if they are no more, let God speak to me.
Have you ever arrested a big time vandal offered bribe to you?
Even the small ones have offered bribe in order to excuse the law! Take bribe and die! I don’t want to die. I refused to take bribe.