Persons who said they are volunteers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Thursday protested in Yola, Adamawa State, to demand the regularisation of their appointment and payment of allowances owed them.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as: ‘’Give us our Rights,” “Give Us Employment,” and “Don’t Cheat us, we are all human beings. ‘’
They urged President Muhammad Buhari to look into their plights, saying although they had been assisting law enforcement agencies in their duties, they are yet to be absorbed by the corps.
The spokesperson of the volunteers, Livingston Mohammed, said over 630 people the agency captured as volunteers in 2008 have not had their appointment regularised.
“We have been screened by the screening committees, time to time, to ensure all the volunteers were captured. But as at this moment, we still await for regularisation.
“We have been suffering with our families, we are calling on President Buhari to please come to our aid,” Mr Mohammed said.
He said ahead of the screening and verification of volunteers, they were trained on arms drill, dismounting and assembling of a rifle, and others.
The spokesperson said they had been carrying out all assignments given them to assist law enforcement agencies on patrol and in protecting lives and property. He said they are bonafide staff of the corps but do not have appointment letters.
When contacted on the protest, Adamawa State Commandant of the Corps, Nurudeen Abdullahi, said as far as the agency was concerned, there are no volunteers of the corps in the state.
“The recruitment exercise of the corps is going on and anybody that wants to apply should apply,” he said.
The Act that established the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps 2003, states that “the corps shall consist of such numbers of volunteers and regular members as may from time to time be required under the provision of this Act.”
Some of the protesters were later arrested at the gate of the Federal Secretariat in Yola during the protest.
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