Boko Haram: NSCDC Pulls Out 1,000 In Counter-Insurgency War

From Tom Garba, Yola
The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has pulled out 1,000 of its personnel from the on-going war against Boko Haram in the North-East, the Adamawa State commandant of the NSCDC , Mr Mohammed A. Duromi Iya, has disclosed to The Dream Daily.
According to Iya, the step was taken as states in the North-East face financial hardship, hence fail to meet their financial commitments to security agencies like the NSCDC.
Iya revealed that his men who were the first in the history of the NSCDC to be engaged in war, had to pull out of the counter insurgency war because “nobody is taking care of them.”
He said his outfit was still been owed 18 weeks of unpaid allowances which has remained unpaid since the last administration of the Governor Bala Ngillari.
Iya said even though the NSCDC had met with the state government on the issue, it appears that because it was deep in debt the state could not honour its commitments even in important matters of security.
He explained that at the height of the insurgency war, NSCDC had no fewer than 120 of its personnel at the theatre of war in Adamawa. “At the time, our men were being given N5,000 per week,” which he noted was not commensurate with what they were doing.
He maintained that the personnel who were sent in batches of 40 to the war front were at every point led by at least one out of the 1,000 that received counter-insurgency training in Israel and South Africa.
The state commandant said no fewer than 1,000 NSCDC personnel were taken to Israel and South Africa and “every time we are going to that battle it is one of them that will lead the team.”
However, Iya said that the NSCDC expected the new administration in the state to resolve the issue, depending on how soon the state came out of its financial challenge.
“We held a meeting with Governor Bindow where he pledged to continue it. But till now, we have not heard anything,” Iya said.
He noted that after the bomb blast in Yola his men were drafted to be stationed around the blast site and also to beef up security in sensitive areas but the absence of funds to support the operations had stalled the engagement.
Iya said with adequate funding his organisation would have excelled better in countering insurgency, maintaining that there were days when locals in the troubled areas of Gombi relied on the assurances of his personnel for safety as well as carring on with their lawful businesses.