N2,000 Fines Too Lenient For Infrastructure Vandals, Says NSCDC Commandant
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr Olusola Odumosu, has called on the Federal Government to impose tougher sanctions on vandals of critical infrastructure, warning that weak punishments are fueling repeat offences.
Odumosu made the appeal in a statement signed on Monday by DSC Monica Ojobi, Acting Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC FCT Command. He stressed that the fines and community service often handed down to convicted vandals are too lenient to serve as deterrents.
“There is need for stiffer penalties for these offenders. Most of them, by the time we take them to court, only get very menial penalties such as fines ranging from ₦2,000 to ₦5,000. In some cases, they are simply sentenced to sweeping portions of the metropolis,” the Commandant said.
He lamented that such mild punishments embolden offenders to return to crime.
“We arrest vandals, but we keep seeing them back on the road vandalising government infrastructure over and over again. This is a cause for concern because the punishments or convictions they get cannot deter anybody,” Odumosu added.
The Odumosu urged relevant authorities, particularly the judiciary, to enforce stricter measures that will instill fear in would-be offenders and strengthen the fight against vandalism.
“We have been doing our part, but we don’t have control over the prosecution process such as hearing dates, adjournments, and eventual convictions. The judiciary should help us do their part because our role ends when we take suspects to court,” he noted.
Odumosu explained that the Corps is committed to swift investigations and timely arraignment of suspects, but bottlenecks in the judicial process often frustrate their efforts.
“There are times when cases are adjourned, and other times we struggle to even secure a hearing date. These delays are beyond our control,” he said.
He emphasised that effective and prompt punishment for vandals would not only reduce crime but also boost the morale of NSCDC personnel who work tirelessly to safeguard national assets.
“Stiffer penalties will further encourage my officers and men, who are losing sleep patrolling every nook and cranny of the FCT, knowing that their efforts will not go down the drain,” Odumosu stated.
N2,000 Fines Too Lenient For Infrastructure Vandals, Says NSCDC Commandant is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
