The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, said it issued operational licences to 93 private guard companies, PGCs, in 2023 to strengthen national security.
NSCDC Commandant General Ahmed Audi stated this during an interview with newsmen at the corps’ headquarters on Wednesday in Abuja.
Audi said that of the total number of 1,412 PGCs registered by the corps, 92 were sealed across the country due to several operational violations but 24 of the defaulting PGCs were later unsealed in the year under review.
“After the sealing, they were instructed to comply and rectify the reasons for which they were sanctioned, and after satisfying some conditions stipulated by law, we unsealed 24,” he said.
He added that licencing, supervising, training, and monitoring PGC operations is one of the major mandates for which NSCDC has been able to carve a niche for itself in this regard.
According to him, PGCs have been able to live up to expectations in complementing security efforts due to their widespread in the nooks and crannies of the country; hence, the leverage by security operatives on them for grassroots intelligence gathering.
“We have tremendously recorded some progress as they have been very helpful and we have also been receiving useful security information from them, which has helped us better secure the country,” he said.
