In a renewed effort to protect critical national assets and infrastructure, the Plateau State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has called on all residents, especially traditional rulers, community leaders, and youth groups, to remain vigilant and report any strange or suspicious activities around public utilities across the state.

The call was made by the Plateau State Commandant of the NSCDC, Commandant Ishaku Musa, during a strategic security dialogue held at the Corps headquarters in Jos, the state capital. The high-level interactive session brought together stakeholders from various local government areas, including chairmen of Community Development Associations (CDAs), religious leaders, market union executives, transport leaders, and women mobilizers.

According to Commandant Musa, the NSCDC is deeply concerned by the rising threats to national assets, including repeated attempts by vandals, saboteurs, and criminal elements to tamper with key public facilities such as power substations, water pipelines, telecom installations, school buildings, hospitals, and railway infrastructure.

“Let it be clearly stated that no nation can develop or be secured without the safety and functionality of its critical infrastructure. These utilities whether power, water, telecoms, schools, roads, or oil pipelines are the veins through which the lifeblood of society flows. We are appealing to everyone to become eyes and ears for the security agencies,” he stated.

He further explained that the Corps has intensified surveillance across the 17 local government areas of Plateau State, deploying tactical operatives and working closely with local vigilantes and other sister security agencies to monitor vulnerable facilities.

Commandant Musa noted that although the NSCDC has the statutory mandate to protect critical national assets and infrastructure, the growing sophistication of criminal networks calls for an all-inclusive security model, where citizens play a central role in intelligence sharing and early warning.

He said:

“We have recorded several cases in the past few months where transformers were targeted, fiber optic cables vandalized, and solar panels stolen from healthcare centers. In many of these cases, the criminals operated under the cover of darkness and with prior knowledge of the terrain. We only managed to prevent some of these incidents because concerned residents alerted us on time. Without public cooperation, our job becomes more difficult.”

Commandant Musa stressed that community leaders must educate their members not to ignore any suspicious behavior or unknown individuals loitering near public installations. He advised them to use the NSCDC emergency numbers or report directly to the nearest divisional outposts across the state.