NSCDC Seeks Stronger Private Security Role Against Insecurity

By SituationREPORT –

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has urged Private Security Companies, PSCs, in Akwa Ibom State to strengthen collaboration with security agencies and improve personnel training to tackle rising security challenges.

The State Commandant, Jonathan Olariche, made the call on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, while declaring open the 2026 Private Security Companies Summit in Uyo.

Olariche, represented by his deputy, Joseph Gbarasung, said closer cooperation between private security operators and statutory security agencies, alongside regular capacity building, would strengthen crime prevention and improve security across the state and the country.

The summit, organised by the Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria, ALPSPN, in collaboration with the NSCDC Akwa Ibom Command, was held under the theme, ‘Combating Insecurity and Building Capacity Among Private Security Practitioners in Akwa Ibom State’.

The commandant urged private security personnel to share timely intelligence on criminal activities and suspicious movements with the NSCDC and other security agencies.

He also charged company owners to invest in regular staff training to ensure their personnel could respond professionally and effectively to emerging security threats.

Describing the summit as timely, Olariche said the changing security landscape required a coordinated approach involving government security agencies and private security operators.

In his keynote address, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Waterways, retired Maj.-Gen. Koko Essien, called on private security companies to upgrade their technology and adopt modern surveillance systems to improve their operations.

Essien urged the NSCDC to strengthen its regulatory oversight, ensure transparency in the registration of private security companies and introduce standardised training for their personnel.

He also advocated a review of the legislative framework governing private security operations to address emerging security threats.

Earlier, the Akwa Ibom State Chairman of ALPSPN, Etetim Onuk, said security agencies and private operators must work together rather than operate in isolation to protect lives and property.

He described the summit as particularly important ahead of the forthcoming electioneering period, stressing the need for effective intelligence gathering and information sharing to prevent violence and ensure peaceful elections.

Onuk also called for a review of existing legislation, particularly the Firearms Act, which prohibits private security personnel from carrying or using firearms while on duty.

He said private security operators had an important role to play in providing credible intelligence and supporting security agencies, particularly in rural communities.

“Intelligence gathering and information sharing are indispensable tools for preventing violence and ensuring peaceful elections, particularly in our rural communities,” he said.

The ALPSPN chairman urged private security companies to report suspicious activities, in line with the principle of seeing something and saying something.

He also warned security companies against allowing their personnel to engage in cultism or other criminal activities, saying such conduct undermined public trust and defeated the purpose of private security services.

Onuk urged company owners and managers to enforce discipline and professionalism among their guards and supervisors, stressing that effective security begins with personal responsibility.