The Agro Rangers department of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Kogi State command, has concluded plans to checkmate cattle rustling and food insecurity in collaboration with the Amalgamated Unions of Food Stuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria.
State Commandant of the Corps, Oyinloye John Kayode, made this known when the national leadership of the Union visited him at the command headquarters in Lokoja.
Commandant Oyinloye said the Agro Rangers department will soon kick start the pilot scheme in Kogi State with the Union to achieve set goals.
According to him, the Command in conjunction with the Union leadership will tackle some of the challenges by creating a pilot security post at Karara, near the Naval Base in the state, to check the waybills as well as receipts of payment of trucks transporting livestock and food produce in and out of Kogi State.
The development, he stressed, would enable the Corps to check illegal movement of livestock and food produce, expired or poisonous produce and overloading of trucks to avoid accident.
In a remark, the National Organising Secretary, Amalgamated Unions of Food Stuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria, Comrade Ayuba Umar Rano, said the partnership with NSCDC became imperative in view of the need to provide food security as well as safeguard their businesses.
Comrade Rano said the pilot scheme is expected to take off also in Niger, Nasarawa and Benue States respectively for sanity in thier operations.
This Secretary said the development would bring sanity to transportation of livestock and food produce across the nation and check illegal movement and activities of some of its members with appropriate sanctions to be meted to offenders.
Also speaking, the Commander, Agro Rangers in the State, Chief Superintendent of Corps, Bayode Emmanuel said the pilot scheme among other things would combat threat to food security, safety of duly registered cattle and food produce and reduce drastically the rate of accident involving trucks transporting livestock and food produce in the country.
He appealed to the Federal Government to support the Agro Rangers Unit of the Corps with enough combat kits and logistics to be able to perform the task ahead of them optimally.
