Don’t violate citizens’ rights, NSCDC boss tells operatives

The Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Kano State Command, Mohammed Lawal Falala, has charged personnel to work with the utmost care, professionalism, and diligence to guard against the infringement of the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.

This is contained in a statement issued by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSC Ibrahim Abdullahi, a copy of which was made available to The PUNCH on Thursday.

According to Abdullahi, the NSCDC Commandant gave the charge while declaring open a one-day seminar organised by the legal unit of the NSCDC, Kano Command on Wednesday.

“The workshop is aimed at sensitising personnel to work in tandem with extant laws, code of conduct, professionalism, ethics and ensure respect for human rights.

“To avoid litigation and enforcement of fundamental rights of the citizens against the Corps, we must work and conduct ourselves professionally. We shouldn’t molest and assault innocent citizens, even suspects in our custody. We must be professional in handling them,” Falala said in the statement.

The NSCDC boss said, “The era of assault and manhandling suspects has gone, henceforth, I don’t want to see any enforcement against the Corps”, the State Commandant warned.

In his remarks, the Command’s Head of the Legal unit, Barrister Muhammad Aliyu, spoke at length on arrest procedures, overstay in detention facilities and its legal consequences among other sundry legal matters.

The one-day seminar was attended by the seven area commanders, the 44 Divisional Officers in the state, and the Command’s and Divisional Intelligence officers.

Punch