The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps is grappling with manpower gap as it prepares to take on an expanded role in Very Important Persons protection following the withdrawal of 11,566 police officers from escort duties.
Senior officials of the corps confirmed that the agency is under pressure to meet the new demand, despite having a specialised VIP Protection Unit.
An insider told our correspondent that the NSCDC had begun reviewing its internal structure to determine how it could absorb the surge in VIP security responsibilities.
“We are trying to come up with a policy document. Before now, in addition to our mandate of safeguarding critical national assets and infrastructure across the nation, we also had the NSCDC VIP Unit, which has undergone rigorous training.
Having gone through a series of training and retraining exercises, there are indications that they will do well,” the official said.
Another officer, conversant with the corps’ tactics, acknowledged the strain on the agency’s workforce, noting that personnel shortages remained a key concern.
“It is public knowledge that the corps currently boasts a dedicated strength of over 63,000 personnel across the country.
While this significant number forms a strong base, the leadership recognises that the new and critical tasks require a proportionate increase in specialised manpower,” he said.
The pressure on the NSCDC follows President Bola Tinubu’s approval of the withdrawal of police officers attached to VIPs, a decision aimed at redeploying personnel to communities struggling with rising insecurity.
