The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has appealed to the federal government to allocate funds to the organisation to enable it to set up a forensic laboratory.

The Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, made the appeal while featuring at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Sunday.

“We will be glad if we will have funds and if the Federal Government will approve funds for us to establish our own forensic laboratory.”

Mr Audi said that the NSCDC had been relying on the forensic laboratory of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for now, describing the EFCC facility as “one of the best”.

“EFCC has one of the best forensic laboratories, in terms of current forensic investigations and this is what the NSCDC relies on for now.”

Mr Audi said that the EFCC had been supportive to the NSCDC in conducting forensic investigations.

“We are trying to partner with the EFCC to leverage on their equipment and facilities for now.

“The EFCC has been supportive in conducting forensic investigations for us.

“We look forward to partnering with them so that whenever we are doing some investigations, especially high profile cases we can go to them for assistance.”

The controller-general, however, frowned at charges being paid to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC) for forensic analysis on adulterated petroleum products.

“The petroleum product belongs to NNPC but when we arrest, before going to court, we have to conduct a thorough investigation.

“During this investigation, part of what will be provided in court to be tendered is the product.

“But before you tender the product, you must carry out a forensic test of the product to see the viability and authenticity of the product, whether it is genuine or adulterated.

Mr Audi said that although the NNPC had the testing lab, it still had to be paid before forensic tests could take place in the lab.

“You see, we pay and this is still their product. But we have been engaging them to waive the charge because we don’t have money for such payments.

“It has been a very serious problem for us,” he added.

The NSCDC chief revealed, however, that the NNPC had assured the corps of its willingness to waive such payments.

“The Group General Managing Director had given me his words that he is working on it and that he is going to grant our request.

“We must commend him for that,” Mr Audi said. 

(NAN)