NSCDC operatives, CBN security escorts clash in Awka over missing child
Altercation Between Security Forces Disrupts Awka Neighborhood
Awka, Anambra State — A confrontation between operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and private security personnel assigned to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sparked significant unrest in Weather Head Estate on Thursday.
According to sources, the incident occurred when NSCDC officers, responding to a petition regarding a missing four-year-old child, arrived at the estate. The child had reportedly been taken from her nursery school without her guardian’s consent.
The situation escalated when the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the CBN branch in Awka arrived at the scene and reportedly obstructed NSCDC efforts to rescue the child. Witnesses claimed that the CSO arrived in a sky-blue Lexus RX 330 SUV and intervened as the NSCDC operatives were preparing to retrieve the child from a building in the estate.
Residents described the atmosphere as tense, with both security teams confronting one another and firearms drawn. Many residents fled their homes to avoid getting caught in a potential conflict.
Efforts to reach Okadigbo Edwin, Head of Media and Tactical Operations for the NSCDC Anambra Command, for comment were unsuccessful, as his phone was not accessible.
In response to the incident, the Anambra State NSCDC command has initiated an internal inquiry regarding the behavior of the CBN’s CSO, affirming that their operatives were conducting a legitimate operation.
