Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps deploy drones to the Niger Delta to monitor oil pipelines

SECURITY officials have announced ambitious plans to deploy drones to the Niger Delta in an attempt halt the incessant cases of pipeline vandalism in the creeks by militants having come to the realisation that brute force cannot work.

Over the last two years, the federal government has been faced with increased militancy in the Niger Delta, leading to the deployment of thousands of troops there. However, this has failed to address the matter and it was not until the government decided to enter into dialogue with the militants that attacks ceased.

Now that relative calm has returned to the area, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has decided to deploy drones to the region to monitor pipelines. Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu, the NSCDC commandant-general disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at a pre-event news conference ahead of a two-day workshop to train security officials and other stakeholders on the use of modern techniques and equipment in securing critical national assets and public infrastructure.

Mr Muhammadu said: “In the past, we used to think of deploying our men but take for instance, the oil and gas sector where you have thousands of pipelines. How many men would you even deploy in those areas? so, we are instead deploying technology.

"We have a command and control centre which is the C5 where the activities of our men are viewed and also, where there is a security breach regarding any infrastructure, we immediately alert the closest unit to take action. We are using drones to access those areas that are otherwise not easily accessible, especially in the creeks and in certain very remote locations."

He also stated that the corps has established closed circuit televisions in some locations to monitor power sector infrastructure. According to him, the workshop seeks to ensure a tactical withdrawal from reactive tendencies in infrastructure policing.

Mr Muhammadu said the NSCDC is trying to get the buy-in of communities because they are the first line of protection of such assets as they are located in their areas. He added that they also know themselves and can easily spot strangers among them.

On the wave of clashes between sedentary farmers and itinerant herdsmen, the civil defence boss assured farmers and investors in the agro-allied sector of adequate protection of their lives and investments. He added that the NSCDC has trained about 5, 000 officers and men for its newly-created agro rangers.

“The aim of setting up the unit is to provide security for the farms against attacks and also provide security for the investors in the agro-allied sector. You would be surprised that you have domestic investors that have put in over N10bn but they cannot stay in their farms due to insecurity and so we are asking them to come back.

"We have established a unit in all the states and very soon they will start visiting the farms to provide security. Equipment can never be enough but we have made our request known to the government on the provision of the needed assistance for the initial take off and I am assuring Nigerian farmers and investors in the sector that we will provide security for them," Mr Muhammadu added.