For many years, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has struggled with an identity problem. The military, police and Department of State Services dominated conversations around national security.
That perception has, however, changed significantly since the inception of the President Bola Tinubu-led government. Under the innovative supervision of Hon. (Dr) Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Commandant General Abubakar Audi has achieved a lot and transformed the corps, repositioning it to rub shoulders with other security agencies in the country.
Recent operations by the corps’ Special Intelligence Squad suggest an institution quietly redefining its role—not through rhetoric or showmanship, but through intelligence-driven enforcement against crimes that often receive less public attention despite their devastating consequences.
Nigeria’s security conversation has largely revolved around terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
Yet beneath these headline-grabbing threats lies another category of crime that steadily weakens the nation’s economy: the systematic vandalism of critical infrastructure, illegal mining, arms manufacturing, counterfeiting and the criminal networks that finance them.
