Bemil Nigeria Limited has grown from an indigenous security outfit since 1978 into one of Nigeria’s premier private security powerhouses. Operating from its Lagos headquarters with major regional hubs in Ibadan, Abuja and Port-Harcourt, the firm has a strong workforce delivering critical services ranging from electronic security and manned guarding to cash-in-transit (CIT) operations for the country’s leading financial institutions.
In this exclusive interview, Olajide Martins (Jnr), chief executive officer of Bemil Nigeria Limited, shares with BusinessDay’s Ngozi Ekugo on how he has been able to sustain and grow a 48-year family legacy business, maintain operational excellence in high-risk logistics, and steer a second-generation business into the modern era. Excerpt…
Bemil Nigeria Limited has been a fixture in Nigeria’s security landscape for nearly five decades. As a second-generation leader steering a family legacy, what key principles have enabled the company to sustain operational excellence over 48 years?
The first principle is that we’ve always viewed security as a responsibility before we view it as a business. When clients entrust us with their people, assets, cash movements, or facilities, they’re placing a significant amount of confidence in us, and that trust has to be earned every day.
I often say my appreciation for this business started long before I joined it professionally. One of my earliest memories is hearing the sirens of one of Bemil’s bullion vans when I was about six years old. My mother looked at me and said, ‘Your dad is on his way back.’ At that age, I didn’t fully understand the work, but I understood it carried responsibility.
Years later, at age twelve, I insisted on becoming a security guard during my school holiday. My father handed me a uniform and posted me to Guinness Gate 2 for a week. Standing there taught me something that has stayed with me ever since: security isn’t about wearing a uniform; it’s about earning trust through discipline and consistency.
That mindset still guides us today. We’ve continued to invest in our people, strengthen our governance, modernise our operations, and embrace technology, but the foundation remains the same. After 48 years, trust is still our greatest asset.
‘Today, we invest significantly in recruiting the right people, providing continuous training, and creating opportunities for growth because every Bemil operative represents our reputation.’
Family-owned enterprises often face unique challenges when transitioning leadership across generations. How have you balanced preserving the foundational values set in 1978 with driving modern corporate governance and operational innovation?
One of the biggest misconceptions about family businesses is that succession is simply about passing a title from one generation to another. In reality, succession is about preparing the institution for the future.
I was fortunate because my parents brought me into leadership long before they stepped away. They trusted me with responsibility early, gave me room to make decisions, and, just as importantly, allowed me to learn through accountability.
One thing I’ll always be grateful for is that my father was still alive when I joined the company. He had the opportunity to see the company evolve and witness many of the changes we introduced. That made the transition less about replacing one generation with another and more about building together.
The values he established-integrity, reliability and service-remain non-negotiable. What we’ve done is strengthen the systems around those values through better governance, stronger reporting, technology, and a greater focus on operational excellence.
I’ve always believed that legacy isn’t about preserving the past exactly as it was. It’s about strengthening it for those who come next.
Cash-in-Transit (CIT) is arguably one of the most risk-intensive sectors within private security, yet Bemil serves as a trusted partner to Nigeria’s major financial institutions. How do you maintain security integrity and operational efficiency across nationwide banking networks? What are the challenges?
Cash-in-transit is one of the most operationally demanding services within the security sector because there is no room for complacency. Every movement requires planning, coordination, intelligence, compliance, and disciplined execution.
Early in my career, I also had the opportunity to intern in Iraq, where I was exposed to security operations in a high-risk environment. It reinforced something I’ve carried into my leadership at Bemil: good security is never reactive; it’s built on preparation, coordination and disciplined execution long before an operation begins.
That philosophy applies every day at Bemil. Every route, crew, vehicle and operational activity follows clearly defined procedures. We invest heavily in personnel because technology supports operations, but people make the critical decisions in the field.
One of the major challenges is the unpredictability of operating environments. Road conditions, traffic, emerging threats and regional dynamics all require constant assessment and adaptation.
We’re also modernising our fleet and introducing electric cash trucks and operational support bikes where they make operational sense. Innovation, for us, isn’t about chasing trends; it’s about finding safer, smarter and more sustainable ways to serve our clients.
With regional hubs in key commercial centres like Abuja, Ibadan and Port-Harcourt, how do you manage complex journey logistics and risk mitigation across Nigeria’s diverse terrain?
Nigeria teaches you very quickly that one solution doesn’t fit everywhere.
The realities of operating in Lagos are different from those in Abuja, Asaba, or other parts of the country.
That’s why we’ve always believed in building strong regional operations rather than trying to manage everything from one location.
Our crews understand their environments. They know the routes, they understand the local dynamics, and they can respond much faster when situations change.
Secure Logistics is really about preparation. The better your planning, the less you’re forced to react.
And after almost five decades, one thing experience gives you is perspective. You learn to anticipate challenges instead of waiting for them to happen.
Managing a workforce numbered in the thousands requires rigorous standards, especially in a sector built entirely on trust. What is Bemil’s strategy for talent recruitment, continuous training, and retaining frontline personnel?
In our industry, people are the business. You can invest in vehicles, technology and infrastructure, but ultimately, clients judge you by the professionalism of the people representing your organisation.
Perhaps that’s why my experience at Guinness Gate 2 has never left me. Spending that week as a young boy helped me appreciate the discipline, patience and responsibility expected of every security operative. It gave me respect for frontline personnel that has stayed with me throughout my career.
Today, we invest significantly in recruiting the right people, providing continuous training, and creating opportunities for growth because every Bemil operative represents our reputation.
I often remind our teams that clients may not see me, but they will meet our officers and staff. Those interactions define the Bemil brand every single day.
The security landscape has evolved dramatically from purely physical guarding to integrated technology, such as electronic security and digital tracking. How is Bemil leveraging technology to future-proof its services for the next decade?
Technology is fundamentally changing how security is delivered globally, and Nigeria is no exception.
The future of security will be driven by integration. Physical security, electronic security, monitoring systems, analytics, tracking technologies, and operational intelligence will increasingly work together rather than exist as separate solutions.
At Bemil, we’re continuously investing in technology that improves visibility, accountability, operational efficiency, and client confidence.
What excites me most is not replacing people with technology but empowering people with better tools. Technology enables faster decision-making, better reporting, improved monitoring, and stronger risk management.
Clients today want more than protection. They want information, transparency, data, and measurable outcomes. Technology helps us deliver all of those things.
As the macroeconomic environment shifts, what do you see as the biggest opportunities and threats for indigenous security firms in Nigeria today, and where do you plan to take Bemil next?
The biggest opportunity is that security is increasingly being recognised as an enabler of economic activity rather than simply a cost centre.
As businesses expand, infrastructure develops, financial services evolve, and trade increases, the demand for professional security solutions also grows. That’s a significant opportunity for indigenous firms that can operate at scale and maintain high standards.
The biggest threat is failing to evolve. The market is becoming more sophisticated. Clients expect better service, stronger governance, greater transparency, and technology-enabled solutions. Organisations that resist change will struggle.
For Bemil, the focus is on sustainable growth. We want to continue strengthening our position in our core services while exploring opportunities that align with our operational capabilities.
We are investing in people, governance, technology, fleet modernisation, and operational excellence because we believe the future belongs to organisations that can combine experience with innovation.
After 48 years, our ambition is not simply to maintain a legacy. Our ambition is to build an institution that remains trusted, relevant, and impactful for the next generation and beyond.