Get Guardian on Google…Arrests 13 Guards Over Regulatory Breaches
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Delta State Command, has sealed seven private security companies operating illegally in the state and arrested 13 security guards over various regulatory violations in a major enforcement operation aimed at sanitising the private security industry.
The enforcement exercise, conducted in two separate operations across Asaba and Warri, was carried out by the monitoring team of the Corps’ Private Guard Companies Department, led by its Head of Department, Deputy Commandant of Corps (DCC), Emmanuel Peters.
The operations followed intelligence gathering and covert surveillance targeting private security outfits allegedly operating outside the regulatory framework established by law.
The NSCDC said the seven affected Private Guard Companies (PGCs) were sealed for operating without valid licences, while investigations revealed that some were using licences that had expired long ago.
Also, 13 security guards working with licensed private security companies were arrested for various regulatory infractions, including failure to renew operational licences, non-payment of prescribed branch fees, unauthorised inter-state and intra-state relocation, as well as other breaches of established regulations.
The development underscores growing concerns over regulatory compliance in Nigeria’s private security industry, particularly against the backdrop of increasing security challenges and the expanding involvement of private security companies in protecting individuals, businesses and public institutions.
Reacting to the operation, the Delta State Commandant of the NSCDC, Commandant Chinedu Fabian Igbo, commended the personnel involved for their intelligence-driven and covert enforcement activities, which led to the discovery and closure of the illegal security outfits.
Igbo described the operations of unlicensed private security companies as a serious violation of the law, warning that allowing such organisations to operate without proper regulation and supervision could undermine public safety and expose citizens and corporate institutions to additional security risks.
He stressed that private security operations must be conducted within the provisions of the law, noting that regulatory compliance was essential to ensuring professionalism, accountability and effective supervision in the industry.
The Commandant assured that the state command would conduct thorough investigations into the activities of the affected companies and ensure that individuals and organisations found culpable were prosecuted in accordance with the law.
He also cautioned members of the public, corporate organisations and other institutions against engaging the services of unlicensed private security operators, urging them to patronise only companies duly registered and licensed by the appropriate authorities.
In his remarks, DCC Emmanuel Peters advised individuals, businesses and organisations seeking private security services to verify the operational and licensing status of companies before entering into contractual agreements with them.
He urged members of the public who were uncertain about the regulatory status of any private security outfit to contact the Private Guard Companies Department of the NSCDC Delta State Command for proper verification.
Peters reiterated that the NSCDC, under the provisions of the NSCDC Act 2003, as amended in 2007, has the statutory responsibility to license, regulate, monitor, supervise and train Private Guard Companies operating across the country.
He maintained that the Corps would sustain its monitoring and enforcement operations to ensure that private security operators comply with established regulations and that those operating outside the law are brought to justice.
