A director with the Cross River Command of the season National Taskforce on the Prohibition of Illegal Importation/Smuggling of Arms, Ammunition, Light Weapons, (NATFORCE), Mr. Felix Effiong Nyong has said that, the outfit was not aware of its purported disbandment by the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, Major-General Babagana Monguno (Rtd).
The reaction came against the reported declaration that the office of the NSA has declared the organization illegal should henceforth discontinue operation. But Nyong said the story was read by his organization like any other readers, saying there has never been a notification in for of a circular from any quarters including the NSA’s office.
Recently, the town was agog with the news of disbandment of some alleged illegal security organizations by the NSA’s office in a purported statement allegedly signed by the Head, Strategic Communication, ZM Usman, directing immediate dismantling of all illegal security outfits, perhaps, including the NATFORCE.
Nyong said, rather, “We are awaiting the result of the legislative deliberation on-going in the National Assembly over a Bill concerning NATFORCE,” informing that, the Bill has passed through a second reading, a situation that gives hope of scaling through to a favourable conclusion.
The disbandment news story caused a bit of outrage going by the information that a court of court of competent jurisdiction sitting in Abuja had initially declared NATFORCE as a legal security outfit and any other contrary pronouncement could be interpreted to be against the rule of law.
It is on record truly that, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had, in April, 2013 given NATFORCE a clean slate as a legal security outfit following a civil case brought before the Hon. Justice E.S. Chukwu by the organization against the Minister of Finance and the Inspector-General of Police, IGP.
The reported declaration of disbandment of some illegal security organizations in the country was allegedly made in a statement issued by the office of the NSA and signed by the Head, Strategic Communication, ZM Usman, directing immediate dismantling of all illegal security outfits across the country!
