The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Commissioner of Police

  • Recovered 4,555 national ID cards: INEC staff gave us – Witness

    Recovered 4,555 national ID cards: INEC staff gave us – Witness

    The police in Cross River on Monday arrested four suspected thieves for unlawful possession of 4,555 National Identity cards and 21 others who committed various offences, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Hafiz Inuwa, said.

    Inuwa, who made the development known when he addressed newsmen in Calabar on Tuesday, said the suspects were arrested by personnel of the Police Command in Cross on May 19.

    He said the suspected identity card thieves were arrested at a location on Eyo-Edem Street in Calabar following a tip-off.

    The commissioner explained that after a thorough search on the suspects, 4,555 National Identity cards bearing different names were found on them.

    Upon interrogation, the four suspects confessed that one Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff gave the cards to them. All the four suspects confessed to the crime and investigation is on-going in order to arrest the alleged INEC staff

    The commissioner said that the command also arrested three suspected armed robbers on May 2, shortly after they allegedly robbed Solomon Alfred of his N380,000 and three mobile phones.

    “On May 2, our men arrested three suspected armed robbers who had robbed Solomon Alfred of his N380,000 and his three mobile phones.

    “Also on May 13, our men arrested a student of the University of Calabar for being in possession of fake currencies.

    “During interrogation, the suspect claimed that a friend of his that resides at Uyo gave him the fake currencies.

    “Investigation is on-going to unravel the truth of the matter and arrest his accomplices to ascertain the source/distributor of these fake currencies,” he said.

    The police also arrested three suspected manufacturers of firearms on May 19, the commissioner said.

    He also said  the police recovered five locally made pistols; six locally made single barrel guns, one locally made single barrel long gun, among others.

    “During the period under review, the state police command has arrested 25 suspects for various offences.

    “We recovered five AK 47 rifles, seven magazines and 200 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, one battle axe, eight live cartridges, among others,” he said.

  • Police parade inspector, soldier for robbery

    Police parade inspector, soldier for robbery

    A police inspector and a soldier attached to 2 Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army , Herbert Mbachu (55 ), and Corporal Sikiru Balogun ( 46 ), and seven others have been arrested by the Oyo state Police Command  for various armed robbery operations in Ibadan and other major towns in the state.

    Other suspects who were said to be specialized in hijacking fuel laden trucks on highways were the leader of the gang ,Johnson Precious (45), Lawal Olalekan (26), Sodiq Onifade (26), Timothy Ayodele (53), Oluwadare Segun (30), Gabriel Olanrewaju (39), and Gbadegesin Olawale (45).

    The police inspector was said to have deserted for about a year, having served the police force for 34 years .

    Addressing newsmen at the Eleyele Police Headquarters, Ibadan  Wednesday, the state Commissioner of Police , Mr Abiodun Odude listed as exhibits items recovered from the suspects to include the sum of N1.2million cash, two Honda Accord cars with registration numbers AKD 74 BH , and LSD 680 ES , and one Nokia C-200 cell phone.

    The state police boss noted that until their arrest , the suspects had operated in Ojoo, Iwo Road, Lagos-Ibadan expressway and other parts of the state, snatching trucks conveying petroleum product to various destinations across the country.

    Odude said ”From 2016 till date , no fewer than six of such trucks had been hijacked by this notorious gang whose members include a dismissed police inspector and a soldier both whom often operated using the military camouflage and police uniform.

    ” In one of their latest operations , the suspects on April 4, 2017 at about 0800 hours waylaid a fuel laden DAF tanker with registration number APC 937 XB at a bad portion of the road in Salsa , Ojoo area of the state and snatched the vehicle with thirty-three thousand litres of petroleum from the driver whom they abducted to an unknown destination but was dropped off afterwards.

    “Discreet investigation carried out by the Special Anti-robbery Squad led to the arrest of one of the suspects, Sodiq Onifade , from whom the victim’s handset was recovered. His arrest and subsequent confession led to the arrest of other members of gang at their various criminal hideouts.”

    In totality, the Commissioner said about 34 suspected armed robbers were arrested in the past two weeks in the state.

    Paraded also by the Commissioner of police was the leader of a six man gang of kidnappers , Mohammed Abdullahi (29) who confessed to be responsible for the abduction of an Ibadan-based popular oil magnate , the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bovas Oil and Gas Limited sometimes in 2016 .

    Among the suspects involve in the kidnap of the Ibadan based oil magnate Abubakar Mohammed (35) , Umoru Abubakar (32) ,  Ogun Aremu ( 35) , Mutairu Mohammed (30) , and Tambaya Tukura (29).

    The Commissioner of Police explained to newsmen that the kidnap kingpin was arrested by the Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad in his criminal hideout in Ilesa  Baruba , Kwara state .

    ” The kingpin , upon his arrest confessed to have led series of robbery and kidnap operations on several occasions within the state. One of the victims of the gang was an Ibadan based popular oil magnate , the MD/CEO of Bovas Oil and Gas Ltd. who was kidnapped in 2016 and an undisclosed ransom collected from her family before being released from captivity.

    “The gang also kidnapped and eventually killed another victim , Alhaji Saliu Sale along Ago-Are , Saki after collecting a staggering ransom of six million naira from victim’s relations , ” he said.

    Also, paraded was a 20 year-old Ibrahim Aliyu Babatunde who allegedly masterminded the kidnap of his own father.

  • Police warn IPOB against disrupting public peace

    Police warn IPOB against disrupting public peace

    The police in Bayelsa State, on Monday, warned members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) against taking actions capable of disrupting public peace in the state.

    The police said they were collaborating with other security agencies to deal decisively with anyone creating panic and fear under the guise of agitation.

    The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Asuquo Amba, who spoke through the command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Butswat Asinim, asked the Igbos in the state and other residents to go about their daily routines without fear.

    The warning came following reports that circulars were being discreetly circulated in Yenagoa, the state capital, asking Igbo traders to observe a sit-at-home order today.

    RELATED POST: BIAFRA: Rising sun or dying dream?

    Asinim said the police and other security agencies would deploy operatives in flash points to curtail activities of miscreants.

    He said: “Concerning the agitation, the Bayelsa police command in collaboration with other security agencies has put in place a robust operation order to curtail activities of miscreants.

    “We are going to deploy anti-riot policemen to various locations in the town that may be considered as flash points and members of the public should not be afraid.

    “They should go about their lawful and legitimate duties as adequate security has been put in place”.

  • ‘No clue on killers of family of six in Ogun’

    ‘No clue on killers of family of six in Ogun’

    No clue yet to the ‘insiders’ suspected  to have assassinated a Muslim cleric, Sheik Yussuf Abdul-Salam, his wife and four children in their home at the Atiba area of Odogbolu,  near Ijebu – Ode, Ogun State.

    Sheik Yusuf Abdulsalam Tanimola in his 30s, his wife and four children, including eight years old twins were found dead, in their home last Tuesday morning by their neighbours.

    The cleric was said to have been smashed to death with stone while his wife and children were hacked down with machetes by suspected killers, who stole into their home and murdered them in a pre – dawn attack.

    The Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, who had visited the scene to assess the situation, told journalists that the killing might have been perpetrated by an “insider” or with the help of an insider.

    “The trace of the modus that is used seems that there is work of an insider…It’s a constructive act; when we say constructive act, it means an act which is done by a knowledge of the inside of the place,” Iliyasu said.

    And check by The Nation revealed that there is no clue yet to the people that wiped out the Atiba family of six, no arrest have also been made but investigation  into the killing persists even as the Police have embarked on “massive manhunt to track down the killers” and apprehend them.

    The Police Public Relations Officer in the State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, told The Nation that there was no arrest yet but investigation continues.

    Abimbola added that the motive for the killing is also not yet established, but assured that the Police would get the killers.

     

  • Police promise violence-free LG polls in Lagos

    Police promise violence-free LG polls in Lagos

    The Lagos State Police Command says it will synergise with other security agencies to ensure violence-free Local Government elections in the state.

    The Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, said this during the visit of the Chairman, Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Justice Ayotunde Phillips, to the State Police Command on Wednesday in Ikeja.

    “We will also ensure that the obligations placed on security agencies with regards to security, before, during and after the elections will be rendered in the state.

    “Security agencies in the state will within the ambit of the law ensure a rancour-free society as we will provide adequate protection of lives and property,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Owoseni as saying.

    He urged the media to educate voters to shun violence during elections.

    The Chairman of LASIEC said that they visited the command to solicit support for the elections scheduled for July 22.

    “We are here to solicit support for the upcoming local government polls as regards the security aspect and to know measures put in place.

    “The police had on their part also pledged support as always and the Commissioner of Police had said that even if we did not ask, he would render support.

    “The Commissioner of Police had told us the grievances of the political party executives which he met on Tuesday and we have promised to look into them when we get back.

    “We will be visiting other security agencies as we are committed to conducting a free and fair election.

    “We have done several stakeholders meetings and we will be having more of these meetings,” she said.

  • Shot Police commander dies in Delta

    Shot Police commander dies in Delta

    The Commander of the Ughelli Area Command of Delta state police command, ACP Usman Ndanbabo, is dead.

    Ndanbabo was reported shot by yet to be unknown gunmen at about 8pm on Sunday, while driving alone in Ughelli town, headquarters of Ughelli North council area of Delta state.

    Sources had told the Nation that the police chief’s assailants shot him twice at close range; in his stomach and on his back.

    Although not much had been uncovered about the attack on him and the attackers as at Monday night when the state Commissioner of Police, Zanna Ibrahim, confirmed the attack, he said much was depending on the victim in unraveling the circumstances surrounding the incident as he was the lone witness.

    Ndanbabo, however breathed his last on Tuesday morning in one of the best equipped private hospitals in Warri.

    He was said to have undergone series of surgeries, which had earlier stabilised him.

    It was gathered that the remains of the late Area Commander has been moved to Minna, his home town in Niger State, for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.

    The State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, confirmed the incident when contacted, noting that he died on Tuesday morning.

    Aniamaka added that the command was in deep mourning as he expressed rude shock over the demise of the senior police officer.

     

  • Bayelsa ritual killing: Tension mounts as youths attack shops, traders 

    Bayelsa ritual killing: Tension mounts as youths attack shops, traders 

     

    …Army deploys Armoured tank

     

    Aggrieved youths from Biogbolo, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, continued their attack on shops and other business premises belonging to non-indigenes to protest the ritual killing of one of their kinswomen identified as Faith.

    Faith died on Monday two days after a man invited her to his room at De New Wapo Hotel located in the area, drugged her and harvested some sensitive parts of her body including her breasts.

    When news of her death filtered into the community, angry youths, who identified the killer as a non-indigene took to the streets attacking shops and persons suspected to be non-indigenes.

    The activities of the mob created tension and forced business owners to close shop.

    The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Amba Asuquo, deployed a detachment of policemen to the scene but despite their presence, the youths caused more damage on shops and stopped resumption of business yesterday.

    Investigations revealed that business owners deserted their premises and persons who tried to reopen their shops hurriedly closed them on sighting the youths.

    But some of the non-indigenes were said to have engaged the aggrieved indigenes in a free-for-all, with the youths from both sides sustaining injuries.

    Most of the stalls from Yeni-zuegene to Opolo, a significant stretch of the Mbiama-Yenagoa road were torched by the protesters.

    Shops with glass windows and doors were shattered while others were looted by the youths, who carried machetes, sticks and other weapons.

    Part of the upholstery and timber market was set ablaze by the youths, who also destroyed some furniture including chairs.

    The busy Mbiama-Yenagoa road was devoid of traffic as motorists and other road users plied alternative routes.

    The Nigerian Army deployed an Armed Personnel Carrier (APC) and a van of armed soldiers to constantly patrol the troubled spots.

    But the police through the Area Commander was said to have held a meeting with the chiefs and community leaders in Biogbolo emphasizing on the need to maintain the peace.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Asinim Butswat, said the police had reinforced security in the area.

     

  • Two arraigned over police officer’s death

    The Niger Police Command said it has charged two suspects at a Minna Magistrates’ Court with the killing of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Aaron Sunday, serving with Kpakungu Division Minna, by suspected hoodlums.

    Mr Zubairu Muazu, Commissioner of Police, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) in Minna on Tuesday.

    He said that 14 others were also charged with causing civil disturbances during the incident that lead to death of the police officer.

    He explained that the command would ensure diligent prosecution of all those allegedly involved in the deadly act.

    He said that already,  the command had evolved aggressive intelligence gathering to strengthen security in the state .

    ” We have deployed armed  police operatives in and outside the metropolis for the arrest and prosecution of men of underworld .”

    He explained that the command had identified some criminal hideout across the state.

    ” We have set in motion security modalities that will end all forms of criminal conduct through our various security strategies,” he said.

    He solicited the support of residents to volunteer information that would assist the command to provide peaceful atmosphere in the state.

  • I’m not in Ekiti to fight Fayose – New Ekiti CP

    I’m not in Ekiti to fight Fayose – New Ekiti CP

    A new Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Chafe, has assumed headship of Ekiti State Police Command dismissing insinuations that he was deployed to destabilize the administration of Governor Ayo Fayose.

    Addressing his maiden press conference at the command headquarters in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, Chafe who was transferred from neighboring Kogi State he is in his new duty post to fight crime and make the state safe for investment.

    Chafe also denied being posted to Ekiti State to rig the 2018 governorship election in favour of a particular political party saying he only knew that the election will hold in the state after his assumption of duty.

    He said: “I am not under any instruction to come here to fight anybody. Even when I was transferred, I did not even know that Ekiti election is coming soon; it was when I got here that I knew that election is coming here soon.

    “I value my profession and personality above any other thing. Even if you check all the elections that had been conducted recently, President Buhari didn’t interfere in police works. So, I am here to perform my statutory duties.

    “I am a Nigerian and wherever I go to, I see myself as part of that community and I can’t come here to cause trouble. I have worked in all the six geopolitical zones of the country and I have good records.”

  • Kogi gets new CP

    Kogi gets new CP

    The Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris Tuesday deployed a new Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu to take charge of the Kogi State Command.

    Until his redeployment, Inalegwu was the commissioner of police in charge of Ekiti State Command.

    He takes over from Mr Abdullahi Chafe Ibrahim who has been deployed to the Ekiti Command.

    Chafe, who described the incoming CP as an experienced officer, called on officers and men of the command as well as the general public to cooperate with him to enable him succeed.

    In his remarks, the incoming CP, Mr Wilson Inalegwu promised to collaborate with all critical stakeholders to make Kogi safer for the people.

    He said that the command will give attention to visibility policing, effective patrol and intelligence gathering, amongst other strategies to address security challenges in the state.