says he has been AWOL.
The Kogi State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC) on Monday spoke on the arrest of an officer of the Corps in Kogi State, Abdullahi Saidu who was part of an armed gang terrorizing Kogi State.
Saidu, whose confession video went viral, was arrested for kidnapping, armed robbery and banditry in Koton Karfe area of the state, had claimed he an NSCDC officer.
Briefing journalists, the NSCDC State Commandant, Suleiman Mafara said Saidu had already been declared a deserter having abandoned his duty post for the past two weeks.
“Abdullahi Saidu fingered in kidnapping activities in the state has been declared away without official permission AWOL by the command two weeks before his suspected arrest by the vigilante group in Kogi” he noted.
The Commandant said the Service rules indicate that personnel who unlawfully exempts himself or herself from duty without cogent reasons has already exited the service.
He disclosed that the command had tried to reach him since the 8th of September, 2021 without success, stressing that the command had since commenced a process of arresting him to face disciplinary actions before the news of his arrest by the state vigilante broke out.
”The NSCDC as a disciplined force will not condone any act of criminality from any member of the corps, adding that the command will ensure that he is brought to face the law,” Mafara said
The Commandant, however, called on the public to always give timely and useful information to the Security agencies to rid the state of undesirable elements, assuring that the corps is committed to the protection of lives and property in line with the extant laws of the service.
He enjoined members of the press to confirm stories from appropriate security agencies before dishing out information to the public.
