Central Security Committee Begins Groundwork for 2019 Hajj
by Taiwo H
The Honourable Chairman of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Barrister Abdullahi M. Muhammad, on 14th of May 2019 inaugurated a central security monitoring team for 2019 Hajj. The 10- man group draws membership from the country’s security agencies namely, National Intelligence Agency (NIA); Department of State Security Service (DSS); the Nigerian Police Force (NPF); the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP); Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC); Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); Special Services Office from the Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SSO, OSGF), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS); Nigerian Custom Service (NCS); National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA); Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). They were tasked with the burden of managing security matters in all aspects of the 2019 exercise beginning from local fronts onwards to foreign domains. They were charged to be proactive, watching out for preventive strategies rather than post-mortem analysis of unfortunate occurrences. Particularly, their attentions were drawn to drug related as well as human trafficking felons waiting to take advantage of the pilgrimage period to carryout their heinous trades. Generally, they are expected to gather intelligence reports that would guide the Commission even in its future plans. According to NAHCON’s Chairman, the ultimate objective of the team is to carry out missions that will translate to safety of Nigerian pilgrims from the moment they set out to the airports, to the period of their stay in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia until they return to Nigeria. They were enjoined to look out for miscreants exploiting naïve Nigerian pilgrims during Hajj seasons.
In his acceptance speech, Chairman of the committee reassured the Commission that they are here to offer efficient service to NAHCON from their different professional perspectives. He expressed that they have been humbled by the manner in which the Commission’s CEO opened their eyes to their responsibilities. Calling upon members of the team to be fully prepared he expressed caution that the task is more challenging given the offshore dimension of their responsibility. He prayed that they all would work as a team with the realisation that their total loyalty must be given to NAHCON on whose vision they all are gathered.
