President Jonathan Arms Nigerian Civil Defence With Sophisticated Weapons

caption: Civil Defence Corps

By SaharaReporters, New York

President Goodluck Jonathan and his security advisors today began moves to end the Boko Haram insurgency by arming the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to complement the efforts of the Nigerian armed forces and the police.

 
A military source in Abuja told SaharaReporters that the corps received about 5000 sophisticated guns (G3) and 250, 000 rounds of ammunition in a Kaduna military base.

The source said that the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, stood in for the president at the ceremony.  The boss of the NSCDC, Ade Abolurin, led his corps. Major General Garba Wahab, head of the military base in Kaduna, represented the Nigerian Army.

It was learnt today that members of the corps have been undergoing rudimentary military training all over the country.  A source said that the corps will help to address a shortage of man power and other logistics.
The NSCDC is a para-military agency of the federal government mandated to provide measures against threats and any form of attack or disaster against the nation and its citizenry.  It was first introduced in May 1967 during the Nigerian Civil War within the then Federal Capital Territory of Lagos for the purpose of sensitization and protection of the civil populace. It was then known as Lagos Civil Defence Committee.  In 1970, it became the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

President Jonathan has promised to end the threat of Boko Haram militancy this month.