By Tracy Moses
The Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Dr Olusola Odumosu, has called for a fundamental shift from ad hoc and reactive measures in protecting Critical National Assets and Infrastructure (CNAI) to a standardised, intelligence-led and technology-driven operational doctrine.
Odumosu made the call while declaring closed a two-day intensive training on the doctrinal ownership of protecting critical national assets and infrastructure for Area Commanders, Divisional Officers and other personnel at the FCT Command Headquarters in Abuja.
In a statement signed by the Command’s Corporate Development and Public Relations Officer, DSC Monica Ojobi, on Friday, the Commandant said the protection of critical national infrastructure should be treated as a national duty rather than merely an operational assignment.
Represented at the event by the Command’s Second-in-Command, DCC Tijani Usman, Odumosu noted that facilities such as power grids, pipelines, railways, telecommunications infrastructure, water treatment plants, airports and government institutions form the backbone of the country’s economy, governance and national security.
He warned that vandalism, sabotage or the compromise of such assets could have consequences far beyond the affected facilities, including disruptions to healthcare and education, reduced business productivity and erosion of public confidence.
“Doctrinal ownership requires the protection of CNAI to move from fragmented and reactive practices to a deliberate, standardised and professionally owned system in which every officer and relevant stakeholder understands, believes in and implements the established security doctrine,” he said.
Odumosu identified four major pillars for effective protection of critical national assets: prevention through intelligence; physical security and technology integration; stakeholder synergy and collaboration; and prosecution and deterrence.
He stressed the importance of intelligence gathering and early-warning mechanisms, urging personnel to deepen community engagement, leverage intelligence from private security operators and deploy technical surveillance to identify threats before they materialise.
The Commandant also called for greater integration of technology into physical security operations, noting that conventional measures such as gates, fences and patrols were no longer sufficient to address evolving security threats.
He advocated the deployment of CCTV systems, sensors, drones and digital incident-reporting platforms alongside conventional security arrangements to strengthen surveillance, response and accountability.
Odumosu further stressed that the NSCDC could not protect the country’s critical infrastructure in isolation. He therefore urged asset owners, private security companies, host communities and other security agencies to strengthen collaboration, information sharing and coordinated responses.
He also identified prosecution as an essential component of infrastructure protection, warning that arrests without successful prosecution could undermine efforts to deter vandalism and other crimes targeting critical assets.
The Commandant called for sustained cooperation among relevant institutions, including the judiciary, to ensure that suspects are prosecuted in accordance with the law and that appropriate penalties are imposed where necessary.
Turning to the telecommunications sector, Odumosu described telecommunications infrastructure as the “central nervous system” of modern society, noting its critical role in communication, commerce, innovation and the continued functioning of other sectors, including power, transportation, oil and gas, finance and national security.
He expressed concern over the increasing damage to fibre-optic infrastructure and its potential implications for the Federal Government’s digital transformation objectives.
Odumosu reaffirmed the NSCDC’s commitment, as the lead agency responsible for protecting Critical National Assets and Infrastructure, to developing and implementing practical, risk-based and intelligence-led security frameworks to prevent avoidable damage to telecommunications facilities and improve their resilience.
According to him, the training exposed participants to key areas, including the designation of information infrastructure as Critical National Assets and Infrastructure, intelligence gathering, surveillance-driven patrols to mitigate vandalism in the FCT, handling of suspects, legal procedures and the preservation of exhibits.
He urged the participants to maximise the benefits of the training by engaging the facilitators, asking questions and sharing operational experiences from their respective areas of responsibility.
Odumosu reminded the officers that their mandate extended beyond guarding physical structures, describing them as “guardians of national continuity.”
He urged them to return to their respective formations and operational areas with a renewed commitment to building a culture in which the protection of national infrastructure is treated as a collective responsibility.
The two-day training concluded with the presentation of gifts and certificates to participants.