The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Criminal activities

  • Amaechi warns against use of tricycles, motorcycles for criminal activities

    Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has warned operators of motorcycles popularly called Okada and Tricycles also known as Keke NAPEP to guide against the use of the means of easy transport for criminal activities, measures are already being put in place to check such criminal activities.

    Amaechi also asked the leadership of the Amalgamated Commercial Tricycles and Motorcycle Owners, Repairs and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) to check the infiltration of its rank by criminal elements across the country who pose security risk to Nigerians.

    Represented by the Mrs. Anthonia Ekpa, a director in the Ministry of transport at the inauguration of the new leadership of the association in Abuja, the Minister also asked the association to embark on the training and rebranding of its members in line with international best practices.

    Amaechi  said that aside the many road infractions often committed by members of the association, its ranks were being infiltrated daily by questionable persons who pose security threats across the country, adding that regulations are underway to check this recurring decimal.

    He disclosed that the ministry was working to ensure reduction in the cost of operation through the introduction of solar powered tricycles, saying “you will have to ensure that your member operate within the laws of the land and within international best practices, such as it is obtainable in other parts of the world.

    “The ministry is also worried that some miscreants will use tricycles and motorcycles, posing as members of this very reputable organization to cause havoc and security challenges across the country. This is why we want to extract a commitment from the new president that your members will work with the ministry to be retrained and rebrand like our counterparts in other countries.”

    In his remarks, Chairman Senate committee on Land transport, Senator Olugbenga Ashafa tasked operators to be law abiding, placing safety above all else and sticking to designated routes, while commending members of the association for voting enmass for President Muhammadu Buhari in the just concluded elections.

     

  • Obaseki to meet NSA over violent crimes in Edo

    Obaseki to meet NSA over violent crimes in Edo

    …As Army deploys personnel to security flash-points

     

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, is to meet and discuss with the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Mongonu, on ways of tackling the upsurge in criminal activities in parts of the state.
    Obaseki disclosed this in Government House, Benin City, on Wednesday, while fielding questions from journalists on the measures his administration has put in place to check the violent crimes in parts of the state.
    He said the meeting with the National Security Adviser will provide the opportunity for him to discuss areas of security collaboration, and raise the bar in intelligence gathering and proactive surveillance in the state.
    The governor called on residents of the state to go about their normal businesses without panic, and assured that adequate arrangements have been made to effectively tackle the recent upsurge in security challenges experienced in the state.

    He said that the Nigerian Army has since deployed its personnel to the areas where the crimes were committed, as well as, other flashpoints in the city, to forestall reoccurrence.

    “We have useful information about those who we suspect, were involved in the incidents of last few weeks. I want to assure Edo people that normalcy has been restored and they will not likely see the occurrence of such incident again,” he said.
    He added that all arms of government will need to collaborate in sharing of intelligence and trust to ensure efficient security arrangement in Nigeria.
    Recall that security concerns arose in Edo following the killing of three police officers attached to the Chief Executive Officer of Ogba Zoological Garden, Mr. Andy Ehanire and his subsequent kidnap and the kidnap of prominent musician, Osayomore Joseph.
    The incidents led to protest in Abuja by Edo indigenes calling for the redeployment of the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, Haliru Gwandu Abukar.

     

  • Lagos Assembly tasks Ambode on kidnapping, criminal gangs

    Lagos Assembly tasks Ambode on kidnapping, criminal gangs

    Lawmakers at the Lagos State House of Assembly have advised Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of the state to properly secure the state against kidnapping and other criminal activities.

    This was part of the resolution of the House at plenary Monday after a motion moved by the Majority Leader, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade and others calling the attention of their colleagues to the activities of kidnappers and criminal gangs in the state.

    It was resolved through the motion that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode should take all necessary steps aimed at involving the Nigeria Air Force, Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Army to checkmate kidnapping in the state.

    Ambode was directed to arrange with the state Commissioner of Police and heads of other security agents in the state to increase security patrol and to station Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and other security equipment in Maya, Epe and other strategic areas of the state.

    The Governor was also enjoined to ensure the prosecution of those arrested in connection with gang wars in the state.

    Contributing to the motion, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu said that it is apt and that it has captured the mood of the state.

    He stated that criminals in the state come up with a lot of strategies despite the huge amount of money the state government has spent on security.

    The lawmaker however, advised that the security men should be equipped with gun boats and other devices to fight crime on water.

    Also, Hon. Tobun Abiodun emphasised that the government should do its best to drive the criminals from the state as he said that they have now moved to places such as Epe, Ikorodu and Badagry.

    Tobun further advised the state government to consider aerial surveillance as he said that the criminals now operate in the creeks.

    However, Hon. Tunde Braimoh observed that the security challenge is not peculiar to Lagos State and that it is a common phenomenon in a metropolitan state like Lagos.

    In his comments, Hon. Olumuyiwa Jimoh advised that the state should attach importance to having more marine policemen as he said that the state’s waterways were porous.

  • Only state police can halt criminal activities, says lawmaker

    Member of the Lagos state House of Assembly, Hon. Segun oLULADE has said the only way to bring an end to criminal activities in the country is for the Federal Government to allow states have their own police.

    Olulade who represents Epe 2 constituency, argued that creation of state police would address the problems of high-profile killings, kidnappings and crimes in general, insisting that it would also help to create jobs and instil sense of security among the populace.

    While noting that creation of state police would enable indigenes of any community to identify “who is who”, he explained that he whole heartedly support the creation of state police for the very simple reason that it will check the incessant cases of abuse by policemen and the high and mighty in society.

    Olulade who was reacting to the recent rescue of the Oniba of Iba, Oba Goriola Oseni, commended the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode for his administration’s role on the safe return of the monarch.

    “The state government has been doing a lot in procuring arms and ammunition for the police and the issue of welfare of these policemen is something that is paramount to this administration.”

  • Lagos reaffirms zero tolerance for criminal activities

    Lagos reaffirms zero tolerance for criminal activities

    …Urges residents to volunteer vital information to security agencies

    The Lagos State Government on Friday reassured residents of its ability to combat all forms of crime within the State just as it reaffirmed its commitment to prompt response to all crime incidents reported by residents to the various security agencies.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Communities and Communication, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, made this known at the monthly Interactive session themed ‘Securing our Communities’ organized by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs for Community Development Committees (CDCs), Neighbourhood Watch, Community Development Associations with other relevant Stakeholders and held at Ikorodu Division of the State.

    Bamigbetan urged residents not to hide any vital information on crimes from security agencies saying that “information gathering is an integral part of securing the environment as it is fuel on which both offensive and defensive operations are based.

    ”If proactive information intelligence is not provided to security agencies about a threat, the threat will eventually manifest,’’ he said.

    He emphasized that the State Government has marshaled enough equipment and resources, human and material, to wipe out criminality in the entire State and is exploring ways to foster a structured relationship with all informal Security Agencies with a vision to holistically and collectively combat crime in the State.

    The Special Adviser assured Ikorodu residents that the State Government has zero tolerance for crime, be it kidnapping, stealing, and other criminal acts, urging them to remain calm as the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) was on top of the security challenges being faced presently.

    “Lagos State Government has established a RRS Marine Police and is now working with the Naval authority to ensure that the creeks are taken care of; monitoring and surveillance of these areas has increased and Lagos State is contributing its own quota to ensure that both the Marine police and Naval Authority are able to respond to challenges facing our creeks,’’ he said.

    Earlier, the Sole Administrator, Ikorodu Local Government, Mr. Gbolahan Ogunleye, earlier in his address assured all the security agencies in Ikorodu Division of his administration’s support in ensuring that operations are carried out judiciously adding that “security is everybody’s business and we all need to work hard to ensure a crime free society”.

    In his own contribution, representative of the State Security Service, Ikorodu Division, Mr. Funsho Adeleke, implored residents not to leave security issues to Government alone because people in the neighbourhood have vital information about those who reside in their various localities.

     

    Adeleke therefore urged all residents in Ikorodu to volunteer vital and useful information that will be helpful to the office of the State Security Services for effective follow up in ensuring that every area of the State is safe and secured.

  • Curb criminal activities or face consequences, IGP tells police chiefs

    Curb criminal activities or face consequences, IGP tells police chiefs

    Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has ordered all zonal Assistant Inspectors General of police (AIGs) to curb incessant criminal activities in their areas of jurisdiction or face the consequences.

    Abubakar, who met with the top brass of the police at the Force Headquarters on Tuesday, decried what he described as increasing spate of lawlessness in certain parts of the country, particularly in the north east.

    The IGP, however, cautioned the officers against high handedness in the handling of the job, saying that the fundamental rights of the citizens must not be trampled upon in the process of enforcing the law.

    Abubakar harped on the need to keep the streets free of criminal elements ahead of the Yuletide celebration.

    He specifically charged Commissioners of Police in charge of Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kaduna and Taraba to be on their toes against the Boko Haram sect.

    His words: “Given the situation we met on ground, I think there is progress. But we need to state that there are challenges, particularly in Borno, Yobe and Taraba in the northeast and Kaduna and Zamfara States in the northwest.

    “All these incessant killings, kidnappings and armed robberies must stop. We must work on the excesses of our men; we have seen appreciable improvement but we still need to do more.

    “In the cases of bribery and corruption, we have improved but I have observed that there are some states where it seems the issue of bribery and corruption has not gone down. Henceforth, I am going to hold the Commissioners of Police responsible for this.”

    The IGP attributed the delay in trying suspects arrested for acts of terrorism to the delay in passing the Anti Terrorism Bill, but added that the suspects are undergoing intense interrogation.

    He hinted that an inter-agency committee comprising all the security agencies has been set up to properly screen the suspects and determine their culpability, stressing that a Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) is representing the police in the committee.

    Abubakar said the police authorities were still working on the next line of action against the dismissed former Commissioner of Police, Zakari Biu, who was alleged to have taken illegal actions that led to the escape from police custody of a terror suspect, Mr. Kabiru Sokoto.