Accidental discharge: Abia NSCDC commandant tasks operatives on effective weapon handling

Nnamdi Nwannukwu, the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abia command, has advised the operatives to be constantly guided by the principles of weapon handling and management.
Nwannukwu gave the advice on Friday in Umuahia during the formal passing out of the 150 officers and men of the command that underwent a four-month training in Light Weapon Handling.
He also charged the operatives to be properly guided by the principle of weapon safety, safety precautions, fire discipline and principles of marksmanship, among others.
He said that obeying such principles would not only help them to protect lives and property of Nigerians but preserve their own lives to be able to enjoy a fulfilled career in NSCDC.
He said that the training exposed the operatives to the skill and knowledge of LWH “for more efficient service delivery”.
Nwannukwu said that with the successful completion of the training, the command and Nigerians expected the operatives to display renewed zeal and vigour in the discharge of their mandate.
He said: “It is expected that the training you have undergone will further enhance your capacity to function efficiently,” he said.
He further said that the training, which brought additional value to them, also came with a corresponding responsibility.
The responsibility, he said, included discipline, competence, character and courage to justify the investment in skill and knowledge made in them.
The commandant charged the officers and men of the command “to shun indolence, indiscipline and all forms of indecorous conduct capable of bringing disrepute to the corps.”
He admonished them to “learn at all times to be firm with the weapons toward law abiding citizens and rutheless with enemies of the state.
He said: “With this at the back of your mind, you will key into the zero tolerance posture of the corps to the strange vocabulary of accidental discharge.”
He thanked the Commandant-General of the corps, Abdullahi Gana, for approving the training and the Nigerian Army for partnering with the corps in the training programme.
Chinonso Okorie, the Chief Instructor of the Action Squad, said that the success recorded during the exercise showed that the corps had the capacity to train its operatives internally.
Okorie, who lauded the operatives for their resilience during the training, expressed gratitude to God that they did not record any casualty.
He said that the sky would be the limit for the trained operatives, provided they respected the rule of engagement and principles of marksmanship.
Two of the operatives, Victor Ogbonna and Christabel Anyanwu, thanked the command for the opportunity offered to them to be part of the training.
They said that they had further been equipped in knowledge and skill to effectively discharge their responsibility to the nation.
News Agency of Nigeria reports that highlights of the ceremony included a demonstration of weapon handling, inauguration of a rehabilitated borehole at the command’s headquarters’ annexe and presentation of certificates to the participants.