Polls: No pardon for ‘accidental discharge’, Civil Defence CG warns personnel

The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr Ahmed Abubakar, has charged officers and men of the Corps on election duty to avoid ‘accidental discharge’ as no pardon will be given to defaulters.

The Director of Public Relations of the NSCDC, Commandant Olusola Odumosu, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

He said Audi also warned personnel against any form of compromise with political actors, adding that anyone found wanting would be decisively dealt with.

He charged personnel to be apolitical, display a high level of professionalism, impartiality and neutrality in their conduct.

“Let me warn all personnel, most especially, the arms bearers, to allow the rules of engagement to reverberate in their head and guide them in exercising an enormous amount of caution and carefulness.

“For anyone found compromising, working for any political party or involved in accidental discharge during these elections; we will not only dismiss you, but we will also prosecute you to teach others a very big lesson,” the CG warned.

He further urged operatives to be vigilant, firm and decisive in dealing with any incident of crime, violence, political thuggery, vote buying and destruction of critical infrastructure during the electoral exercise.

The CG enjoined all personnel to join forces with sister agencies, specifically the Nigeria Police Force which is the lead agency in election monitoring and security, and respect the fundamental human rights of citizens during the polls.

He admonished members of the public to assist security agencies to maintain a peaceful, safe and secure environment by reporting any incident of crime in their areas to nearby security outposts to provide a timely response for necessary intervention. (Daily Trust)