Federal Capital Territory FCT Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC, Olusola Odumosu has ordered personnel of the Command to immediately swing into action and implement the ministerial directive to treat manhole thieves as armed robbers.

FCT minister, Nyesom Wike had on assumption of office on Monday asked the NSCDC to stop treating manhole thieves as common thieves, but deal with them as armed robbers.

Addressing Area Commanders, District Officers and other personnel of the Command, Odumosu said his tenure of leadership under the NSCDC Commandant-General (CG), Dr Abubakar Ahmed Audi, is dedicated to ensuring results while actively carrying out the mandate of the Corps.

He said that the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, had tasked the Corps alongside sister agencies in the territory to provide proper security and cleanse the city of crimes.

Command spokesman, Comfort Okomanyi in a statement said the Commandant frowned at the high rate of vandalism of street lights, theft of manhole covers, railings, railway sleepers amongst others, in the FCT.

“It is high time we worked together to put an end to these nefarious acts because these criminals are beginning to feel too comfortable in sabotaging the asset of the country,” he said.

He enjoined officers and men of the Corps to work tirelessly in ensuring that citizens and all critical infrastructure of the FCT were free of vandalism and other nefarious activities.

“The FCT Minister has promised to provide us with the necessary tools to work and we must give him good results because as your Commandant, I wouldn’t tolerate any excuses for failure,” he said.

According to Odumosu, the newly inaugurated FCT Minister, who is renowned for hardwork, has said he is on a mission to give infrastructural facelift to the FCT, hence, the need for the Corps to live up to expectations in ensuring adequate protection of these assets.

“As a security organization in charge of the protection of critical infrastructure, the expectations of the Minister will be high and so we must not disappoint.

“Strategies, structures and infrastructural development will be put in place and so we can’t sit-back and watch all efforts go down the drain,” the Commandant said.

Source: The Vanguard