…conducts psychological test for 700 officials

No fewer than 700 personnel serving in Gombe State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, are expected to undergo a compulsory psychological test.

Speaking in a chat with journalists on Tuesday, State Commandant, Samson Wabulari debunked insinuations that citizens’ were killed by uniformed men due to accidental discharge. He stressed that the programme would restore sanity in the system.

Represented by the Deputy Corps Commandant, Ibrahim Meswok, Wabulari noted that the corps is committed to the protection of life and property.

It could be recalled that an official of the corps was allegedly  involved in the death of some boys brigade members during the 2019 Easter celebration

Wabulari said, “Nigerians are entitled to freedom of life, freedom of movement, and their lives and properties must be protected. Over time it has been discovered that officers misuse the firearms given to them and most of the time it will be termed as ‘accidental discharge.

“As far as the authority is concerned there is nothing as ‘accidental discharge’ because when you are trained, you are trained completely on how to perfectly handle firearms. We have what is known as a safety cache, and until you release that bullet, it can’t come out.

“The Commandant General, Ahmed Abubakar Audi in his quest to see that civil defense is not involved in ‘accidental discharge’. decided to test the mental alertness, effectiveness, and loyalty of the officers (sic).”

Commenting on the possibility of weeding out officers who would fail the psychological test, he stressed that such persons would be barred from handling rifles throughout their years of service.

“We have over 700 personnel that we are going to test. It will take some time even though the official time is supposed to be two days. As you know, some are on field assignments, and you can’t ask them to just leave for this without replacement.

“When a person has mental problems it may be traced to the job, so when we discover you have such problem we will take away your access to firearms and assign you a role in the corps that does not need such enforcements before and after you retire. The psychological test just started it began with us senior officers ” Wabulari added