The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has assured Nigerians that the Corps will work to secure voters, domestic observers, sensitive election materials and electoral officers in a well coordinated manner during this year’s elections.
NSCDC Commandant General (CG), Dr. Ahmed Audi, said this at a two-day capacity building workshop for all State Commandants and the Corps’ strategic managers in Abuja
At the two-day training organised in partnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, tagged, “Preparing for the 2023 General Elections: NSCDC Capacity Building Training,” Dr. Audi said the workshop is aimed at developing common policy guidelines that can be used in deepening the capacity of personnel.
He said plans are underway to release a revised standard operational guideline on election duties and other salient election security rules for personnel to ensure a secured national electoral process.
He charged personnel to actively protect all offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as any State Commandant with reports of attack on any INEC facility in their state of operation will face sanction.
“We must protect INEC offices because they are critical national assets and the Corps will not take it lightly if we hear that INEC offices are attacked in any domain headed by any of you,” he warned.
Audi cautioned that, it is important for officers to acquaint themselves with the new electoral law for a seamless operation during the election.
He further stated that, according to the new Electoral Act, NSCDC personnel could arrest electoral offenders and conduct thorough investigations but cannot prosecute the suspects.
“You must go through the Electoral Act carefully because a section of the Act says that we can arrest and do thorough investigation but INEC is saddled with the right to prosecute, hence the need for a scientific synergy. The Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) has produced a revised code of conduct and rules of engagement for security personnel on electoral duty.
It is expedient that we become conversant with this updated document as strategic commanders and relate the knowledge to our respective subordinates,” he advised.
The Resident Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Nigeria, Marija Peran, said it’s of global concern that the insecurity rate in the country might deter the integrity of the 2023 general elections.
Peran said the NSCDC plays a vital role among the security agencies engaged with securing the election, hence the training.
The KAS Country Representative said: “There is need to identify security lapses, hence enabling personnel of security agencies to strengthen their skills and operations for good electoral conduct, investigation, arrest and prosecution of offenders.”
