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The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has arrested seven private guards and shut three security companies in Calabar, Cross River State.

The companies are Close Watch Security Limited, Adonai Security Limited and Excel Security and Protection Services Limited.

The state Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr Samuel Fadeyi, disclosed this on Thursday in Calabar, adding that the seven suspects were arrested in January 2022.

According to him, the companies were shut for operating without a valid licence, while the suspects were nabbed for parading themselves as guards of companies unknown to the corps.

He said the private firms were part of security architecture which must be properly licensed, monitored and evaluated to ensure they operated in line with their mandate.

Fadeyi said at several conferences and meetings held with the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Audi, the corps highlighted issues of quack private guard companies and those who failed to renew their licences.

“We need to really profile and get the biometrics of these security guards because we cannot afford to have a weakness in the area of private security guards because most of them act as informants for criminals. As we speak, the suspects are undergoing prosecution,” he added.