The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ebonyi State Command, has mobilised more than 1,000 residents into a community-based intelligence network as part of measures to strengthen grassroots security, improve early-warning mechanisms and enhance the command’s capacity to prevent crime across the state.
The State Commandant of the NSCDC, Commander Francis Chikyan Nnadi, disclosed this on Friday while interacting with journalists in Abakaliki, saying the initiative was designed to bridge the intelligence gap between security agencies and residents, particularly those living in remote communities.
Nnadi said the initiative, known as the “Civil Defence Community,” was anchored on community participation and intelligence gathering, stressing that security could not be effectively achieved without the active involvement of citizens.
According to him, farmers, hunters, palm-wine tappers and other residents operating in rural and hard-to-reach communities had been integrated into the intelligence structure to provide timely information on suspicious movements and emerging security threats.
He said the initiative had already produced operational results, including arrests facilitated by intelligence received from members of the community network.
“When we launched it, we got so much result that so many arrests were made via our intelligence network through the Civil Defence Community,” Nnadi said.
The commandant explained that the initiative was deliberately structured to give ordinary citizens a secure channel through which they could communicate potentially useful information to the NSCDC without exposing themselves unnecessarily.
He said the second edition of the programme was being planned for October or November, with the command also preparing to deploy digital tools to improve information transmission and facilitate faster response to security alerts.
“Every law-abiding citizen of this state is welcome to the Civil Defence Community. Those people who don't have a voice, we give them a voice,” he said.
Nnadi gave the example of a palm-wine tapper operating in a remote part of the state who might observe suspicious activity in the bush but lack access to security personnel or an appropriate reporting channel.
He said the community intelligence platform would enable such residents to transmit information to the relevant authorities, thereby strengthening the intelligence-to-response chain.
The NSCDC boss said the command's strategy was premised on preventive security rather than waiting for criminal incidents to occur before deploying personnel.
He stressed that credible grassroots intelligence was essential to identifying potential threats early, enabling security agencies to disrupt criminal activities and protect lives and property.
Nnadi also disclosed that the command had sustained its “Operation Know Your Neighbour” initiative as another community-driven security mechanism aimed at improving situational awareness within residential areas.
He explained that the initiative encouraged landlords, tenants and residents to know the identities and activities of people living around them and to report unusual behaviour through appropriate channels.
According to him, residents should not only be willing to report suspicious activities but should ensure that such information reaches the appropriate security authorities.
“Security is for everybody,” he said, urging members of the public to embrace the principle of “when you see something, say something” while ensuring that reports were made to the appropriate quarters.
The commandant said the combination of community intelligence, neighbourhood vigilance and professional security response had contributed to the relatively stable security situation in the state.
He, however, cautioned that security agencies and residents could not afford complacency, noting that the evolving nature of criminal activities required continuous intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration and proactive deployment strategies.
Nnadi said the NSCDC was also strengthening the professional capacity of its personnel through regular seminars, workshops, physical exercises and tactical drills to ensure that intelligence received from communities translated into effective operational response.
He appealed to residents to cooperate with the Corps and other security agencies by providing accurate and timely information, stressing that citizens remained critical stakeholders in the state's security architecture.
He further called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, community organisations, civil society groups and the media to support the intelligence-gathering process by promoting responsible information sharing and public vigilance.
Nnadi assured residents that information supplied through appropriate security channels would be handled professionally, adding that the objective of the initiative was to create a responsive security architecture in which communities become active partners in crime prevention.
He said the command would continue to expand its grassroots security network as part of broader efforts to consolidate peace, protect critical infrastructure and safeguard residents across Ebonyi State.
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