The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State Command, has urged government agencies, community groups, scrap dealers and welders to strengthen collaboration to curb the vandalism of critical national assets and infrastructure across the state.

The appeal was made during a stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Command at the Conference Hall of the Federal Ministry of Works in Obalende, Lagos.

The meeting brought together representatives of the Federal Ministry of Works, the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), the Scrap Dealers and Employers Association of Nigeria, and the Nigeria Welders Association.

The engagement formed part of the implementation of the National Protection Policy and Strategy (NPPS) on Critical National Assets and Infrastructure (CNAI), in line with the NSCDC’s mandate to protect public infrastructure and safeguard the nation’s economic resources.

Speaking at the meeting, the Lagos State Commandant of the NSCDC, Adedotun Keshinro, called for a coordinated, community-driven approach to tackling vandalism, illegal scrap dealings and other activities that threaten public infrastructure.

Keshinro said no single security agency could effectively protect lives, property and public assets without the cooperation of other agencies, industry stakeholders and residents.

He urged participants to support the Command’s efforts by sharing relevant intelligence, reporting suspicious activities and discouraging the purchase and sale of stolen public infrastructure.

The commandant said sustained collaboration and community participation were essential to achieving lasting results in the fight against economic sabotage.

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olufemi Dare, also stressed the need for stronger cooperation to prevent theft and destruction of public infrastructure, including manhole covers, road barricades, fences and railings on roads and bridges.

Dare said the protection of major infrastructure projects, particularly the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, requires the involvement of residents and communities along the project corridor.

He noted that the 750-kilometre highway project needed the collective support of government agencies, security organisations and local communities to ensure its security and protection.

According to him, safeguarding roads and other public infrastructure must remain a shared responsibility, with all stakeholders working together to prevent vandalism and preserve public assets.

The Lagos Zonal Director of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Tunji Jimoh, identified inadequate public awareness of the importance of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) as one of the factors contributing to the vandalism of telecommunications facilities, including fibre-optic cables.

Jimoh said the CNII protection framework, which became law in 2024, was intended to strengthen the protection of vital information infrastructure.

He also raised concerns about accidental damage to fibre-optic cables by construction companies during roadworks, stressing the need for greater awareness and coordination before and during construction activities.

Representing the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure’s Office of Infrastructure, Mr Oladotun Ojolola called for concerted efforts to protect roads, bridges and other public assets.

Ojolola urged residents to take ownership of government-provided infrastructure by protecting it from damage and promptly reporting acts of vandalism.

The representative of the VGN, Mr Oguntunde Sesan, pledged the group’s support for the initiative, promising to work with the NSCDC and other security agencies to protect public infrastructure and discourage criminal activities.

The Lagos State Chairman of the Scrap Dealers and Employers Association of Nigeria, Adedotun Adewale, said the NSCDC’s community engagement initiatives and operational strategies had contributed to a reduction in vandalism in the state.

He pledged continued cooperation with the Corps to prevent the illegal trade in stolen public assets.

Similarly, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Welders Association said sustained collaboration among security agencies, scrap dealers, welders and other stakeholders was necessary to tackle vandalism, particularly by addressing the market for stolen materials.

The NSCDC said the stakeholders’ engagement would be extended to communities at the grassroots level to strengthen public awareness, improve intelligence gathering and sustain efforts to protect critical national assets and infrastructure across Lagos State.