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Tag: Aminu Saleh

  • Polls: Police deploy 4,000 personnel in Bayelsa

    The Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State command, Aminu Saleh Thursday said over 4000 policemen will be providing security for the rescheduled elections on Saturday.

    Saleh, who spoke to the Nation, boasted that the police were fully ready for the elections and warned troublemakers to stay away from the process.

    He said the police in partnership with other security agencies played crucial roles in the distribution of electoral materials.

    On securing the waterways and creeks, Saleh said the command had enough marine equipment, gunboats and marine policemen to ensure hitch-free elections.

    He warned policemen to be professional and adhere strictly to the rules of engagements throughout the process.

    He said: “We are fully ready for the elections with deployment and everything. We have been involved in the escort of necessary materials. We are working closely with other security agencies to do that.

    Read Also: Police reiterate readiness for rescheduled polls

    “We will soon commence deployment to the polling units. Some of them had been deployed within the areas of their operation. We have over 4000 policemen for this exercise. We also have adequate marine equipment and personnel to secure the waterways.

    “We further have adequate gunboats. The policemen should discharge their duties by the rules. We have been trained on electoral law and they know what to do during the electoral process. We are adequately aware and informed.

    “We expect that no thugs should come near to snatch any ballot box. We are working very hard in partnership with other security agencies, parties and their candidates, in fact, everybody in Bayelsa to ensure peace”.

  • Lokpobiri, Sylva protest killings of APC members in Bayelsa

    The Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, on Monday marched the streets of Yenagoa, the state capital, to protest killings of APC members in Bayelsa.

    Sylva and Lokpobiri led other party leaders including members of the state working committee of APC and candidates of the party on a six-kilometre march to the office of the state Commissioner of Police, Aminu Saleh.

    They were joined by hundreds of APC supporters, who carried placards of various inscriptions chanting solidarity songs.

    The aggrieved party leaders and their supporters, who commenced the protest at their party secretariat in Kpansia, caused traffic gridlock along the Yenagoa-Mbiama road.

    The angry politicians lamented unresolved killings of their party members in Brass, Yenagoa and the latest incident in Tungbobiri, Sagbama, where an APC member was killed in a rally organised by the party.

    Hoodlums numbering 16 invaded an APC rally in Tungbobiri community killing a 32-year-old youth identified as Braye Embikorobiri and injuring 16 others.

    Speaking at the police command, Sylva accused the new Police Commissioner, Mr Aminu Saleh of partisanship in his handling of security matters in the state and urged him to give equal treatments to all parties.

    He specifically said the commissioner was mainly protecting the interests of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the detriment of APC members in the state.

    Sylva alleged that the APC strongly felt that the police boss was also working for the Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, against the APC candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari.

    For instance, he claimed that the police supervised the pulling down of Buhari’s billboard and its replacement with the campaign poster of Atiku.

    He said: “In Brass, APC members were killed. A team of investigators came here to arrest someone, who participated in that killing, but he was not arrested. And that is the end of that story. Our people have been killed. You remember we were doing a rally and they came with a vehicle and shot into our rally and killed two people.

    Read Also: Sylva to Dickson: you have no fear of God

    “Nothing has happened. Now they have taken the law into their hands. They have killed again in Sagbama. Every day, our people are being killed and the police are not doing enough.

    “We came to tell the commissioner of police and send a strong message to the Inspector-General that something should be done about all these killings immediately. If not we will resort to protecting ourselves if the police cannot protect us.

    “Let the police protect because that is their role. Last week, I was here to complain about our president’s billboard being brought down in Bayelsa and today that same place where the president’s billboard was removed, an Atiku billboard had been erected and the people that escorted them to that place were the police. Let the police prove to us beyond reasonable doubt that the police is not a PDP police. Our people must be protected”.

    Also speaking, Lokpobiri asked the police commissioner to prove the party wrong by arresting persons involved in the Brass, Yenagoa and Sagbama killings.

    Addressing Saleh, he said: “To prove that the police are not PDP police, you have to effect immediate arrest of those responsible for the killings in Sagbama and in Brass and Yenagoa. I was in the Senate for eight years.

    “Even as a senator, frivolous allegations were made against me and I was arrested within 24 hours. Police did there preliminary investigations before I was released. Those, who were involved have no immunity.

    “Prove us wrong and provide security for all political parties. APC is very lawful while PDP is unlawful. Our campaign has been based on issues and let the PDP base their campaigns on issues without resorting to violence.

    “We want you to do your job. When a complaint is made, effect arrest and after preliminary investigations and nothing is found, you release them on bail. But we cannot continue to allow our members to be harassed and killed. In fact, we should be enjoying protection. We can to request that you should act now”.

    In his reaction, Saleh dismissed the allegations that the Police in the State were biased, insisting that the force had been fair to all parties.

    He said: “We are already working on all the complains. We are investigating. The Nigerian police remain a federal institution and it acts as one. In policing Bayelsa State, we don’t select APC or PDP.

    “We provide security to everyone that comes to us. There are many things about investigations especially if they are not conclusive, we don’t say anything about it. The commissioner of police cannot provide security to only one segment of the community.

    “We shall look into the cases even the ones reported before my arrival, the problem we have is that while a case is being investigated it is not strategic to keep in public domain, but it does not mean that we are not working.

    “On the killing of Saturday, we are already working on it and arrests have been made and I hereby assure you that once we conclude our investigations, we shall brief the general public about it”.

  • Sylva leads protest against intimidation of APC

    A former Bayelsa State Governor and leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipre Sylva, on Friday, led a protest to the state police command against alleged intimidation of his party members in the state.

    Sylva, who spoke at the police command headquarters in Yenagoa after meeting with the Commissioner of Police, Aminu Saleh, behind closed doors, said he was concerned about attacks on members of the APC in the state.

    The former governor, who was accompanied by a former Deputy Governor, Werinipre Seibarugu, a former Commissioner for Youths, Ibarakumo Otobo, said he was also worried at the destruction of President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign materials by thugs suspected to be members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He said the police in the state had been unable to conclusively investigate the killings of APC members especially in Brass Local Government Area of the state.

    He said attempts by the police to arrest the Caretaker Chairman of Brass, Victor Isaiah, for interrogation following the recent killings of APC members in the council, was frustrated by agents of the state government.

    Sylva said: “A lot has been happening in Bayelsa State. A lot of unexplained murders. Remember that in Brass Local Government Area, people were killed. The acting local government chairman was directly implicated in the murders of those people. That matter had not been conclusively investigated, unfortunately.

    “When the police came here to arrest the acting chairman, they were obstructed directly by the head of the state security outfit. We believe that the government of Bayelsa state has a direct hand in the murders of those people. Unfortunately, something has not been done.

    “You are all aware that two years ago, people shot into our APC rally and killed two people. Nobody has been arrested. The bus that was arrested at the scene has been released to a known ex-militant. Nothing has happened since then.

    “We came here because recently, the billboard that was erected for our presidential candidate, President Buhari, was brought down by unknown men. We know that these are the kind of things that precipitate problems.

    “If our members begin to react to our billboards being brought down it can lead to crisis. We came to report the incidents to the commissioner of police. What the PDP is trying to do to the APC, our billboards are being brought down illegally”.

    The former governor said the APC leaders were also worried that Governor Seriake Dickson, who hitherto shouted about frequent change of police commissioners in the state, kept quiet despite a new redeployment in the state.

    He said: “There has been a hullabaloo in Bayelsa State about commissioners of police coming and going. Suddenly Governor Seriake Dickson who was always complaining about the change of commissioners of police has not complained again about this new change again. This time he was very quiet.

    The CP has given us assurances. We are going home with those assurances and we will wait to see if those assurances will be carried out”.

    Sylva boasted that the APC was a dominant party with great chances in the forthcoming general elections adding that the candidates of the party were very popular.

    Read Also: Sylva to Dickson: you have no fear of God

    He, however, said his party would not allow any collusion between the police, the state’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP.

    “Our candidates were very carefully selected and we are expecting great results. Above all, we have the best presidential candidate in Nigeria and I know that he has done so much for us and Bayelsa people will vote for him.

    “We are very hopeful that this time without the police joining with the PDP, without INEC joining the PDP like it happened before., we will come out victorious. We ran the last election against INEC, the CP in Bayelsa and that is why we had those issues. But this time, we won’t allow those things to happen again”, he said.

    Sylva further called on INEC to fish out all the bad eggs working in its Bayelsa office and promised to take some of his worries to the Yenagoa office of the commission.

     

  • Olofa wants more police personnel in Offa

    The Olofa of Offa, Oba Muftau Gbadamosi, has called for the deployment of more police personnel in Offa to strengthen security in the town.

    Gbadamosi made the appeal while receiving the Commissioner of Police in Kwara, Mr Aminu Saleh, during his courtesy visit to the palace on Wednesday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the commissioner was at the Olofa’s palace as part of his tour of the Area Commander in Offa.

    Read Also: Job Creation: Obaseki assures Edo youths of preference

    The Olofa said the police personnel in Offa were not enough to protect the ever-increasing population in the town.

    “Offa is expanding everyday with different people from all parts of the world coming to settle down for business as well as education.

    “We need more officers and men of the police to maintain peace. You can’t compare Offa of ten years ago to the Offa of today. The population is growing faster.

    “Post your men here, we will give them accommodation in comfortable apartments,” he appealed to the Commissioner.

    Gbadamosi said the community had built 50 units of 2-bedroom flats in response to the Bank robbery incident of April 5.

    He added that a Guard house, Quarter guard and Armory were under construction and expected to be completed as soon as possible.

    “We hope to commence the building of Administrative block after Sallah celebration,” he said.

    According to the monarch, all these facilities are for the policemen posted to Offa.

    He also urged the commissioner to use his office to invite the Inspector-General of Police to commission the projects after their completion.

    The commissioner assured the monarch of proper security measures for Offa and neighboring towns.

    He described security as everybody’s business that should not be left for police alone, calling on the community to join hands with the Police to secure lives and property.

    He also advised the youths not to allow themselves to be used as thugs during the 2019 general elections in the state.

    “You should refrain from any form of crime during the elections. Make positive impact and build your future, ” he said.

    Saleh urged the Olofa to set up a team that would sensitise the youths to stay away from violence.

  • Buhari mourns Aminu Saleh

    Buhari mourns Aminu Saleh

    President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the family, government and people of Bauchi State on the death of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Aminu Saleh.

    President Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, mourns the loss of the astute administrator and highly respected bureaucrat, who served the country patriotically in various capacities as a Permanent Secretary, Minister, member of various Boards before his voluntary retirement from the public service.

    He specifically recalled the contribution of Saleh to the establishment of the Petroleum Trust Fund, and also noted his unwavering commitment and forthrightness on matters of nation building.

    “President Buhari believes that Saleh’s selfless service to his immediate community contributed immensely to the development of the State and his elderly advice would be sorely missed by the nation and those who came in contact with him,” It stated

    The President also prayed that Almighty Allah will grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss, and grant the soul of the departed leader eternal rest.

  • Ex-SGF Aminu Saleh is dead

    Ex-SGF Aminu Saleh is dead

    The former Secretary to the  Government of the Federation and Elder Statesman, Aminu Saleh is dead.

    He was aged 87 years.

    He died at Federal Medical Centre Azare, Katagum Local Government Area headquarters, Bauchi state on Wednesday morning after a brief illness.

    A family source who spoke to The Nation said Aminu Saleh will be buried on Wednesday evening according to Islamic rites.

    He is survived by one wife, 13 children and several grandchildren.

    Among his children are Sagir, the immediate past deputy governor of Bauchi state and Engr. Kabiru, eldest son.

    Former Bauchi state Governor Isa Yuguda described the death of the late SGF as a great loss to Nigeria considering his wealth of experience.

    Isa Yuguda, while reacting to the news of the death of the Elder Statesman, said” the death of the our elder,statesman is a monumental loss not only to his immediate and extended families, Katagum Emirate and Bauchi State but the entire country considering his contributions to the socio-political and economic development of the country over the years.

    In the statement signed and released by his Chief Press Secretary, Deacon Ishola Michael Adeyemi, the former Governor recalled that he enjoyed fatherly advises from the Late Aminu Saleh during his eight years tenure as the Governor of the State  pointing out that he was always frank and straight forward on matters that borders on good governance of leadership.

    Yuguda particularly recalled that the Late Elder Statesman allowed his son, Sagir Aminu Saleh to serve as his Deputy Governor between 2011 and 2015 declaring that he enjoyed working with him (Sagir) because of his loyalty and commitment, virtues he believed he must have learnt from the old man.

    The former Governor then commiserated with the immediate and extended families, Katagum Emirate as well as the government and good people of Bauchi state over the loss.

    He prays that Allah will grant his soul eternal rest in Aljanat Firdausi as well as the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.