Mary Mbanugo, on Tuesday, assumed duty as the first female commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Imo.

Ms Mbanugo formally took over from Matthew Ovye in a brief ceremony held at the command’s headquarters in Owerri.

Addressing journalists shortly after taking over, she promised to discharge her duties with utmost dedication.

“We are going to put a human face in the discharge of our duties, and no stone will be left unturned.

“My office is going to do everything within the law to clamp down on oil thieves who are destroying our oil pipelines in the state,” she said.

Ms Mbanugo called on state residents to support the corps with important information that would help the operatives discharge their duties.

Earlier, Mr Ovye thanked the corps personnel for their support for him, adding that their cooperation and robust working relationship had been wonderful from 2019 to date.

He urged them to extend a similar gesture to the new commandant to enable her to succeed.

Mr Ovye also thanked Governor Hope Uzodinma for his support during his stay and promised to remain hard-working in his next assignment in Delta.

 (NAN)