Abuja-The National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Thursday warned private guard companies not to sell or lease their licenses.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of NSCDC, Mr Emmanuel Okeh, and made available to newsmen in Abuja.
The statement quoted Commandant-General of the corps, Abdullahi Muhammadu, as saying the licenses were not transferable.
It added that they were only issued to Nigerians and not to foreigners.
“In line with the corps mandate of monitoring, regulating, supervising, registering, training and licensing Private Guards Companies (PGCs), licenses are issued to only patriotic Nigerians and not to foreigners.
“The licenses are issued, neither to be sold nor hired out. They are, instead, issued for the purpose of the protection and safety of Nigerians.
“It is also for monitoring, observing and reporting crime, most especially to NSCDC. PGCs, by law, are not permitted to purchase, bear or sell firearms’’, he said.
He, therefore, advised the managers of the 21 private guard companies recently registered to ensure prudent management of the personnel in order to obtain maximum results.
According to him, the country requires the support of the private guard companies in intelligence sharing to tackle terrorism successfully.
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He further said they should take advantage of the NSCDC owned College for Security Management in Abeokuta, Ogun, to train their guards.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Muhammadu assumed the highest position of NSCDC after retirement of Dr Ade Abodurin. (NAN)