Anxiety over disappearance of NSCDC deputy commander in Bayelsa
Tension and anxiety are rising over the sudden disappearance of Deputy Commander of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Bayelsa State Command, Mr. Raymond Terwase Gaadi.
Gaadi, who was posted from the corps’ Enugu State command to Bayelsa to take over as second-in-command in April, was reported missing after receiving a travel pass in October.
According to a Daily Trust report, fear among command and family is whether the senior officer is still alive as his phone numbers have been cut off since his disappearance.
It cannot be confirmed whether the NSCDC officer was kidnapped, involved in an autocrash, or was a victim of the raging flood that was at its peak at the time of his disappearance.
Recounting the family’s ordeal, his elder brother Mr. Terkura Gaadi said that after he missed his brother’s calls on October 22, he could not reach him as his phones rang until October 30, when all lines were cut, the report said.
“He was transferred from Enugu and he resumed work in Bayelsa in April, where he was until his disappearance in October,” he said.
“He visited me in May and informed me that he had resumed his new position. In fact, he called me on October 22, around 6 p.m., but I missed his call,”
“When I called back I got no response from him so it was around October 30 that his phones were totally off until today. That’s when we got started to feel that something had to happen to him.
“I personally spoke with the Commander of NSCDC in Bayelsa State and she told me that they were making efforts to find him. When he visited in May, he told me that he had an issue when he took over command of Bayelsa State.
“We have already written to the Inspector General of Police and Commander General of the NSCDC. They should find out the whereabouts of our brother who has come to serve the nation in Bayelsa State. We want to see him alive.”
Meanwhile, NSCDC authorities in Bayelsa state, who confirmed Gaadi’s disappearance, said they were investigating as he was given a pass to go to his former command in Enugu.
NSCDC spokesperson in Bayelsa State, Mr Solomon Ogbere, said the command was working with other sister agencies to sort out the circumstances of his sudden disappearance.
He, however, debunked the allegation that someone was refusing to hand over the deputy commander’s portfolio to Mr Gaadi, saying he was in the crisis management section when he was appointed second in command in the Bayelsa State.
“He told the State Commander that he was going to Enugu to transport his loads to Benue State. He was given a pass; he left and so far we haven’t heard from him,” Ogbere said.
“We called the FRSC sector commander to contact his colleague Enugu, as we learned that there had been an accident along this axis, to help us verify the people involved.
“If our staff were among us, we may know what to do as his numbers are not going through; we are also very concerned. He has not traveled with any details attached to him. He was not even supposed to travel to Enugu without his car.
“We have already contacted the national headquarters and we are doing everything we can to find him, because he is a friend of all. He is a very humble and kind person,” added Ogbere.
