The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Edo State Commissioner of Police

  • Man nabbed for threatening to kidnap school principal

    A 27-year old man identified as Endurance Udebu has been paraded by the Edo State Police Command for threatening to kidnap the principal of Edeikholo Grammar school,Ubiaja, Mr. Ukhun Jacob.

    Endurance was alleged to have demanded for the sum of N400,000 from Mr. Jacob or he would kidnap and kill him.

    It was gathered that Mr. Jacob started looking for money to pay but was advised to report to the police.

    The suspect was arrested through high technical intelligence at Illushi, Esan South East Local Government Area.

    Read also: Kano election: Police dispel rumour on curfew

    Endurance told newsmen that he resorted to extort money from Mr. Jacob because he needed money for personal upkeep.

    He said he collected the phone number of the principal from a friend.

    Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Danmallam said the suspect would soon be charged to court.

  • ‘Why killers of Afuze DPO, others were not paraded’

    EDO State Commissioner of Police, Damallam Abubakar, has explained why he was yet to parade suspected killers of four police personnel in Afuze, headquarters of Owan East Local Government Area.

    Gunmen had on March 13 attacked the Afuze Police Division and the secretariat of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the area with explosives and shot sporadically. The explosives thrown at INEC office did not explode.

    They killed the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Ojo Kosenami, an expectant police officer, Sergeant Justina Aghomon, Inspector Sado Isaac and Corporal Glory David.

    The gunmen asked them to remove their uniforms before killing and locking them in a room. Danmallam who spoke to newsmen yesterday on the incident said operatives have arrested 13 suspects in connection with the killing of the DPO and three other officers at Afuze police station.

    The Edo Police boss declined to give further details until other suspects at large are arrested.

    “On the 12 of March, 2019, some criminals, cowards who went to hide under cover of darkness, attacked Afuze Police Station, killed the DPO and three others. “If you recalled my press conference with the executive governor of Edo State, Mr Obaseki, I promised the public that we will do everything within the ambit of the law to detect and apprehend the criminals. “We succeeded in the sense that we have 13 suspects under our custody.

    “The reason I do not want to parade them is that they are making useful information and I do not want anything that will jeopardise our investigations. We made arrest and they have confessed to have participated in the operation where they killed the DPO and the three others,” he said.

  • Edo cult killings: Police arrest 58 suspects

    Edo State Police Command said it has arrested 58 suspected cultists in connection with the cult war that has claimed over 20 lives.

    It said the suspects were arrested in various parts of Bénin City.

    Read Also:AAU killings: Council chief faults police on cult killings

    Security has also been beefed up at the popular Third Junction where suspected cultists and police engaged in exchange of gunfire after the killing of an ad hoc staff of Edo State Public Work Volunteer was killed in the area.

    Traders hurriedly locked their shops while passersby fled for safety.

    State Commissioner of Police, Babatunde Kokumo, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspects belonged to various cult groups.

    Kokumo said they have intensified their patrol and proactive measures to stop the killings.

    He however denied reports that over 20 persons were killed in the cult war.

    His words, “So far, we have nothing short of 58. As at the last count, we have 58 of them cult members of different cult groups; aye, vikings, black axe. The arrests cut across the various cult groups and we have arms and ammunitions recovered from them.

    “We have also increased our scope of intelligence, deployment has equally being made in all the nooks and crannies of the metropolis and we are doing more of feasibility policing so that it would serve as proactive measure on our part to prevent all these cult killings.

    “The killings emanated from inter cult rivalry clashes and this of course is not acceptable to us. We are not going to say that the cultists are killing themselves. We will not fold our arms to wait until the cultists start killing non cult members before we rise to the challenge so we are not taking it lightly. We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that we nip these criminal activities in the bud.

    “The figure you see in social media is misleading, very, very misleading, false, complete falsehood I will liaise with the CID who are handling it to get the actual figure. I have always said that investigative journalism will help us, yes there is need to tell our people what is happening around where we are but giving false information can be misleading.”

  • Alleged diversion of IDPs rice: Police invites Orbih for questioning 

    Alleged diversion of IDPs rice: Police invites Orbih for questioning 

    Edo State Commissioner of Police, Babatunde Kokumo, has invited Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Chief Dan Orbih, for questioning over allegations that the state government diverted rice meant Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    Chief Orbih had alleged that 4721 bags of rice meant for IDPs at Ohogua village in Ovai North East local government area were diverted.

    The invitation of Chief Orbih was based on a petition by Governor Godwin Obaseki on the need for the police to make Chief Orbih present facts of the allegations.

    Governor Obaseki had in the petition said Chief Orbih in a a radio interview ‘falsely and maliciously stated that the Edo State Government was involved in a criminal conspiracy to divert 4,721 bags of rice released by the Federal Government for distribution to IDPs in the state’.

    In the petition signed by Secretary to the State Government, Barr. Osarodion Ogie, the Edo Government stated that Chief Orbih further claimed that 300 bags of rice were diverted to a certain Senator in Ondo State.

    According to the petition, “It is instructive to note that in making these allegations to the general public, Chief Orbih claimed that he had facts and records to back up these criminal allegations.

    “The purpose of this complaints is to formally bring these weighty and unsubstantiated allegations to your attention and to request a thorough investigation with a view to establishing the veracity or otherwise of same.

    “It is the contention of the Edo State Government that Chief Dan Orbih should be called upon to provide evidence of the serious crimes he has alleged to have been committed by the Edo State Government and to furnish your Command with facts, details and proof of the allegations he has made in the public domain.”

    State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Chris Nehikhare who confirmed the development said Chief Orbih will appear before the police.

    Nehikhare said the Edo PDP also wrote a petitioned for criminal incitement of the public against the leadership and members of PDP by the Edo State Government.

    He stated that Edo Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Mr. Paul Ohonbamu and the Media Aide to Governor Obaseki, Mr. Crusoe Osagie have consistently issued press releases referring the members and leadership of PDP as bandits, rogues, liars and fraudsters who stole the resources of the people.

    “Edo PDP wants the police to investigate these matters and ensure that those behind these criminal incitements are brought to book.”

    Read Also: Rice, shoes for IDPs: Edo releases distribution roster

  • Woman hired assassins to kill ex-lover in Edo

    Woman hired assassins to kill ex-lover in Edo

    Men of the Edo State Police Command are on the trail of a lady who allegedly hired assassins to kill her ex-lover, Mr. Okundolor Omoruyi.

    Omoruyi, aged 39, was killed in May at Utagban quarters in Egor local government area few weeks after he arrived Nigeria from Italy.

    The lady whose identity was yet to be ascertained was said to have contracted the killers because she was jilted by the late Omoruyi.

    State Commissioner of Police, Haliru Gwandu, who paraded two suspects arrested in connection to the killing said another 18 years old girl was killed by the gang for recognizing one of them.

    He said a lady contracted the suspects to kill the Italian returnee.

    Gwandu assured that other suspects in the killing would soon be arrested.

    One of the suspect who gave his name as Odion Igbinogun gave the names of other fleeing suspects as Power and Moses.

    Odion said it was Power that pulled the trigger killing Omoruyi saying he was only asked to accompany them on the mission.

    He said the deal to kill Omoruyi was sealed at a bar but he could not recognized the lady that gave out the job.

    According to him, “My friend put me into this problem. He said I should follow them somewhere. When we got to a shop, he said I should collect the apron from the seller. I didn’t know how much was in the apron.

    “I later saw my friend brought out a gun and kill the girl. They later said we should go to another place where we killed the man.”

     

  • ASUU demands transfer of Edo CP

     

     

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma chapter, has called on the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to immediately transfer the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Haliru Gwandu.

    It said Edo State deserves a patriotic, resourceful and efficient policeman to lead the Nigerian Police Force in the state.

    ASUU also called on the IG to commence investigation of Gwandu and his activities in the state.

    The current face off between the Police Commissioner and authorities of AAU is coming after the dean, Faculty of Law, Professor Sunday Edeko, accused the police of illegal detention after brutalizing him with cutlasses and hammer.

    Gwandu who described Prof. Edeko’s allegation as tissues of lies announced the arrest of a Professor in the university for illegal possession of firearms.

    Chairman of the ASUU, AAU chapter, Dr. Monday Igbafen who spoke at a press briefing at Ekpoma yesterday accused the police Commissioner of blackmailing the university instead of investigating activities of his anti-cultism unit.

    Dr. Igbafen said investigation showed that one Dr. Oboh in the Department of Public Administration was arrested in February and later released without the police making a formal report to the university management.

    Igbafen wondered why the CP would use the arrest of a lecturer arrested in February to blackmail the university over an issue that happened in March.

    He challenged the CP to show the world the site where 14 dead bodies were recovered in Ekpoma.

    His words, “As a union, our members used to take Police briefing as a serious business. But from this Gwandu macabre dance, we know better and have resolved to take any briefing by the police with a pinch of salt.

    “Gwandu’ story is not only spurious and unfounded but a calculated attempt to bring our university to public odium. It is a clever attempt to cover up a lingering case of unwarranted arrest and unjustifiable brutalizations Prof. Edeko.”