By Secrets Reporters
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Akwa Ibom State Command, is in the throes of its worst administrative crisis in years, following a barrage of petitions accusing the State Commandant, Commandant Geraldine Abetianbe, of systematic victimisation of indigenes, abuse of office, high-handedness and gross incompetence.
SecretsReporters has obtained copies of petition addressed to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, alongside internal documents and testimonies from senior officers who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of further victimisation.
ILLEGAL MASS TRANSFER WITHOUT DUE PROCESS
At the centre of the storm is a sweeping transfer that predominantly affected senior officers who are indigenes of Akwa Ibom State.
Officers allege that Commandant Abetianbe orchestrated the posting of scores of indigenes to far northern states – a region currently plagued by insecurity, and other parts of the country making relocation extremely dangerous and expensive.
More troubling, the transfers were carried out without a penny of statutory entitlements, and this was expressly stated in the transfer signal.
Under Public Service Rules PSR 130134, any officer transferred in the public interest is mandatorily entitled to Resettlement Allowance (2% of annual emolument), Kilometre/Transport Allowance covering officer, spouse and four children, and 28 days Hotel Accommodation Allowance. From the signal sighted, the transfer affected Deputy Commandants, Assistant Commandants, Chief Superintendents and Deputy Superintendents. These are very senior officers being tossed around because someone doesn’t like their faces, a sharp contrast from what obtains in the military, police and other services.
“She gave us transfer letters without transport, without resettlement, without accommodation. Uyo to Kebbi, Sokoto, Borno, Gombe is an average of 1,000km by road. How do you move your family with no allowance? This is punishment,” one affected officer lamented.
Under service regulations, such punitive posting without entitlements is only permissible after an officer has faced a Disciplinary Panel or Board of Inquiry and found guilty. Our investigation confirmed that none of the affected officers was queried or tried.
TRANSFERS NOT SANCTIONED BY COMMANDANT-GENERAL – OFFICERS ALLEGE BRIBERY OF PROCESS
A deeper investigation by this medium has revealed a more disturbing dimension.
Highly placed sources at the National Headquarters in Abuja confided that the mass transfers were not sanctioned by the Commandant-General. Dr. Abubakar Audi. It is said that the normal procedure requires that state-level transfers of such magnitude, especially inter-zonal transfers, must receive approval from the headquarters and hardly affects one State.
“The list did not follow due process. It was not approved by the CG who was not in the country as at the time it was pushed through. We suspect the process was compromised at the personnel management level. Some officers believe money may have exchanged hands to push it through,” a headquarters source alleged.
The aggrieved officers in Uyo also allege that the Commandant “probably bribed the process” to get the transfer letters issued, bypassing established approval channels. This newspaper could not independently verify the bribery allegation, but multiple sources insist the transfers lack headquarters’ authorisation.
PERMANENT SITE CONVERTED TO PRIVATE FARM
In a shocking display of misplaced priority, Commandant Abetianbe has allegedly abandoned efforts to develop the NSCDC Permanent Site and instead converted it into her private farm. Her predecessors, it was learnt, had initiated efforts to develop the permanent site, leveraging goodwill from the state government and stakeholders.
“Rather than build on what her predecessors did and use the goodwill of the office to facilitate work on the site, she turned the entire permanent site into her personal farm. She is planting crops there. That is her project. It shows she has no vision for the Corps and has added no single operational or administrative value since she came,” a management staff told this paper.
A REIGN OF TOTALITARIANISM AND RECURRING CRISIS
Our investigation shows that the current crisis is not isolated.
Recall that this medium reported the conflict the command had with sister security agencies including the military, which resulted in a military checkpoint being mounted by the entrance to NSCDC facility and more recently, a bench warrant for her arrest that was issued by a High Court in Akwa Ibom State and served on her by the Nigerian Police which saw her abscond from duty; running helter skelter.
Since she assumed leadership, the Command has been plagued by recurring issues which questions the competence and capacity to hold such office. The notorious case of fraud and extortion in the Welfare Scheme where she made herself the signatory to the account and dissolved the existing Welfare Executive who were elected to manage the welfare scheme.
“It took petitions, outrage and protest before the higher authority ordered her to reverse it. Those of us who told her it was unheard of for a sitting Commandant to be signatory to welfare funds were marked as enemies,” a senior officer said.
QUESTION OF COMPETENCE
With low morale, declining operational efficiency, alleged illegal transfers, conversion of government property to private farm, and welfare scandal, many officers are now openly questioning Commandant Abetianbe’s competence, temperament and administrative capacity to hold such a sensitive security office.
“The Corps is a disciplined, professional paramilitary organization. What we have now is a totalitarian system run on vendetta, not on rules. She has brought the Corps to public disrepute, An external independent investigation will confirm all these allegations as facts” another officer said.
Recently, the NSCDC has been in the eye of the storm especially with the incident in Niger State. At the core of it is the question of leadership, competence and authority in Abuja allowing mess to fester, while looking the other way. This is symptomatic of deep systemic rot, which major characteristics anchors on corruption and bribing to attain or retain appointment rather than merit. With the eyes of not just the country, but the world focused on NSCDC, it remains to be seen if the corps will continue to promote sycophancy.
The NSCDC National Headquarters is yet to issue an official statement on the alleged unauthorized transfers already circulating in the cyberspace.
