A total of 262 officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have successfully completed a comprehensive training on weapon handling in Kogi State, with a strong emphasis placed on discipline, professionalism, and the Corps’ guiding principles.
This was made known in a press release issued on Saturday by the Kogi State NSCDC Public Relations Officer, DSC Aliyu Abdullahi.
He quoted the State Commandant, Esther Akinlade, who commended the officers for successfully completing the range classification exercise and urged them to carry out their duties with “a high sense of humour, discipline, and professionalism in their service to the nation.”
The statement further noted that the increasing frequency of attacks on security personnel, formations, and critical national infrastructure necessitated the training.
“The Commandant noted that it becomes imperative for Officers and men to acquaint themselves with the latest skills in weapon handling following the trends of attacks on Security Personnel, Security formations, Critical National Assets and Infrastructures, etc, thus the need for training and retraining of personnel on weapon handling become essential and vital,” it read.
According to Akinlade, the 262 personnel underwent a rigorous six-week program that included both forensic and medical screening before proceeding to the live shooting exercise.
She emphasized the importance of maintaining professional standards and warned officers against the misuse of firearms or any behavior contrary to the ethics of the Corps.
She reiterated the purpose of the program, saying, “The essence of the exercises was to bring about maximum and better productivity to meet up with the taste of time as the whole nation is putting more hope on NSCDC sequel to the policies and strategies put in place by the Commandant General Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi.”
The Commandant expressed appreciation to the Commander of the 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Sidi, and other collaborating security agencies for their unwavering support throughout the training period.
She also noted that the trainees received hands-on experience with both the G3 and AK-47 rifles, ensuring they were well-drilled in line with standard arms training procedures.