Human Rights: African Law Foundation, Train NSCDC Personnel, Security Men, Others

African Law Foundation, a law and justice-based non-governmental organisation, says it has trained NSCDC officers and no fewer than 30 personnel in private security companies in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on human rights.

The organisation said in Abuja that the training, in collaboration with other similar stakeholders, centered on responsible private security practice.

According Mr Chinwike Okeke, chief executive officer of the organisation, other partners in the training are International Code of Conduct Association, MSS Global and Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance.

He said that private security outfits in the country ought to be repositioned to meet international standards, explaining that international ethics on private security always emphasised on responsible and professional conducts.

Okeke said that the security companies were expected to be responsible in the area of respect for human rights, professional conduct, ethics and gender, devoid of sexual exploitation and abuses.

“Being responsible is very critical in private security practice because it will enable the public to have more confidence in their services and that will attract more patronage.

“If you are irresponsible in your services, people will not hire you and that will affect your business, so we want them to be professional in their conduct,” he said.

Okeke said that the workshop was one in a series of more than 12 workshops scheduled to run in the six geopolitical zones in the country between October and March 2023. The chief executive officer said that the organisation made it a point of duty to focus on private security in the last three years because of heightened demand for security in the country.

Mr Isiegbu Chukwudi, Head of Private Guard Companies Department in NSCDC, said that the corps was collaborating with the organisation and other stakeholders in conducting the training because of their importance.

He said that the corps was working hard to reposition the industry to make it more organised and professional in their conduct.

Chukwudi, who represented NSDC Commandant General Ahmed Audi said that the corps was working on a career path for the companies.

He said that the career path would enable guards to rise to the highest rank in their companies rather than remaining on a spot for the period of their stay in the company.

He said that with time, training would be used as yardstick for appraisal for private security company.

On complaints about services of private security companies, Chukwudi said that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps had mechanism for addressing such.