Officers and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have been told to treat Nigerians with respect by not using their position as uniformed men to harass civilians.

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, gave the caution while on a familiarization visit to the headquarters of the Corps, in Abuja.

He said the NSCDC has some of the finest officers among the paramilitary agencies and have shown commitment and dedication as well as innovation in carrying out their mandate, but must however be wary of abuse of their uniforms or office by harassing well-meaning members of the public.

“Your responsibility by your Act is very distinct, unique and is very peculiar. It is your responsibility to protect our critical national assets and infrastructure, such as our pipelines, our mining sites, our schools, our hospitals, and our buildings including everything that makes us who we are and you have a big responsibility.

“”I plead with you above all, please treat Nigerians with respect. Being in uniform is not an excuse to abuse the rights of Nigerians.

“With proper efforts, harnessing your qualities and your capacities coupled with your capabilities, the simple truth is that we can reduce the rate at which our armed forces are being stretched.

“You are our first respondents and I assure you, whatever is needed for you to succeed by the grace of God, be rest assured that the President is committed to it.

He said Nigeria is on the path to totally securing its citizens..”With the level of capacity that I have seen today, I know we are not too far from getting what we need to secure our country, we will give you the support and together we will build a security architecture that no level of insecurity will be able to surmount.

“On behalf of the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, thank you for the sacrifices that you make daily to make sure that we sleep with our eyes closed.

“I want to appreciate you for the extent you have gone to make sure that both symmetric and asymmetric challenges of this country are being tackled head-on in an innovative manner.

“The female squad is pace setting trend, it is novel within our clime, and it is innovation backed up with dedication, leading to excellence.

While announcing the automatic promotion to two NSCDC female taekwando African champions, the minister observed that with the level of innovation, and dedication as displayed by the various squads and units of the Corps, the agency is a pacesetter especially the innovative creation of the female squad and successes recorded so far.

He said, “The two female African champions is that are members of the Corps need to be celebrated and we will do all we can in our power to ensure that these two female officers are given automatic promotion because when you perform uniquely, distinctly, exceptionally, you will be recognised exceptionally.”

Earlier, the Commandant General, of NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Audi, told the minister that the agency has continued to engage in the training and retraining of personnel for optimal performance and efficient service delivery.