COMMANDANT-GENERAL of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) Abdullahi Gana has directed the immediate deployment of personnel across the country to prevent breakdown of law and order.

Gana gave the directive in a statement by Mr Emmanuel Okeh, the NSCDC’s Public Relations officer (NSCDC), on Thursday in Abuja.

The commandant-general said that the deployment followed the directives of the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.

Gana explained that the measure was to avert retaliatory attack on South African companies and people in the country.

He said he shared the thoughts of the minister, who had condemned the reprisal attack by some Nigerians as an expression of anger over the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

“This is not the solution to the crisis at hand because more lives of innocent Nigerians and properties worth millions of Naira would be lost in the process,’’ he said.

Gana said that, apart from deploying personnel to provide physical security, the NSCDC had engaged the Crisis Management Department (CMD) and the Peace and Conflict Resolution team to mitigate the crisis.

“This is to immediately carry out enlightenment and advocacy programme to educate the citizens on the need to embrace peace and shun violence because of its dire consequences on our collective security,’’ he added.

He appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the Federal Government and not allow the retaliatory attack to snowball into national emergency to avert its hijack by hoodlums.