The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has said Nigeria has decided to set up a special security team to protect its power installations and infrastructure.

According to the minister, “power rangers” will be created with officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to stop the vandalism of power infrastructure.

“We have decided now with the Minister of Power to have what we call the power rangers,” Tunji-Ojo, said on Friday during an appearance on Sunrise Daily.

Tunji-Ojo said the move was crucial to stopping the frequent blackouts experienced across the country as a result of the activities of vandals.

He said the successes of the Mines Marshalls unveiled by the Federal Government in March 2024 to tackle security challenges in the mining sector inspired the need for the power rangers.

“What we had before we (the Bola Tinubu administration) came was the generalisation of national assets. But we said no, you cannot have one specific medication that can treat all illnesses,” he said.

“So you have to analyse every sector, the power sector, the water sector, the education sector, the health sector… and be able to create arms of Civil Defence under the same umbrella.”

The minister, however, failed to give details of when the power rangers will be unveiled and become operational.

“We’ve already agreed on the modus operandi and as I speak to you, the offices are being screened,” he said.

“Don’t forget that we are going to have officers in all 36 states plus the FCT because there is no state without a power infrastructure; it is just like the solid mineral sector.

“We are already in the process of onboarding those officers; we have to profile them, look at their capacity, look at their competence, look at their area of specialisation, look at a lot of considerations, even physical strength.”