In order to combat pipeline vandalism and criminal trades in petroleum products, the Nigerian Navy has stated its willingness to deepen connections with the Rivers State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
When Basil Igwebueze, the commandant of the NSCDC in the Rivers State, paid a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder, Commodore Doc Igbo, the commander of the NNS Pathfinder, offered the assurance.
In order to combat criminal activity, Commodore Igbo emphasized the need for inter-agency cooperation and the sharing of actionable intelligence. He insisted that these collaborations could not be weakened because intelligence gathering is the cornerstone of any successful security operation.
Igbo promised that in order to accomplish their shared national objective, the Navy and NSCDC would maintain their current coordination.
Prior to this, Rivers State NSCDC Commandant Igwebueze stated that the Nigerian Navy continues to be a leader in maritime operations and that there is a need to seek deeper cooperation to improve training and retraining of NSCDC troops as well as to further gain knowledge from the naval operational competence.
In a statement from the command’s public relations officer, Olufemi Ayodele, Igwebueze claimed that the NSCDC Commandant General, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, had given the command orders to work closely with all sister security organizations to put an end to all operations of illegal refineries, vandalism of oil pipelines, and illegal dealings of petroleum products throughout the coastal region.