Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abdullahi Muhammadu says, the Corps had requested for additional 10,000 personnel to be recruited into the service.

This is in order to meet up with the demands from different Ministries, Department and Agencies of government seeking for deployment of the Corps personnel to work with them but approval have not been given by the Federal Government.

Muhammadu made this statement after the decoration of 10 senior officers promoted from the rank of Commandant to Assistant Commandant General at the Civil Defence Academy, Abuja.

He expressed that the promotion of the officers was purely on merit, therefore they must justify the confidence repose on them by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Corps in elevating them by pursuing vigorously the actualization of the Corps mandate.

Muhammadu reiterated that following the recent review of the National Security Policy document of 2016, the Corps is now the lead agency in the protection of Critical Infrastructure and National Assets, Emergencies and Disaster Management and to perform oversight functions to Private Guard Companies (PGC) by monitoring, registering, regulating, supervision and licensing of the companies.

He also posited that, with the demand from Ministry of Agriculture, the Corps is expected to provide 6,000 personnel to protect the proposed 200 cattle ranches in order to curtail the incessant crisis between the Fulani herdsmen and Farmers and to protect the Agro Allied Investment in Nigeria by Foreign investors.

Muhammadu charged the promoted personnel to shun every corruptive tendencies in line with the Corps desire of Zero tolerance to corruption and ensure effective discharge of the mandate.

He encouraged personnel to be patient as the management is working towards ensuring payment of their shift arrears, election allowances as soon as fund is made available by the Government and not to join rumour mongers speculating that their money was embezzled.