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Tag: Ibrahim Idris

  • 28,000 Policemen, 18 armoured vehicles, others for Rivers rerun

    28,000 Policemen, 18 armoured vehicles, others for Rivers rerun

    …Police neutral in the exercise says IGP

     

    The Inspector general of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris Thursday confirmed that no fewer than 28,000 police men have been deployed from other states of the Federation to compliment men of the Rivers state Police command in the tomorrow’s outstanding Legislative seats election rerun in the state.

    Idris also said 18 armoured tank vehicles, 350 hilux vehicles, 20 dogs, 28 gunboats several state commissioners of police, DIGs among others are already in the state to ensure peaceful, free, fair and credible elections.

    The IGP gave this statistics Thursday in Port Harcourt, while briefing officers and men of the police on the exercise.

    The Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of operations, Habila Joushark had stated this in a stake holders meeting organized by INEC in Port Harcourt, Wednesday.

    A total of 37 rerun elections into the vacant seats of the state National and state Legislature would be conducted in seven of the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAS of the state Saturday).

    Idris said commissioners of police have also been deployed from states to Mann the three senatorial districts of the state where the elections would hold.

    The LGAs are Andoni, Akuku-toru, Bonny, Etche, Ikwerre, Khana and Gokana, it is not clear yet if election would be held in Tai. INEC said election in Tai LGA has was concluded in the March 19 rerun, and result already announced. But the ruling PDP in the state is insisting that elections were yet to be conducted in Tai, maintaining that the March 19, attempt was aborted by wide spread violence.

    IGP assured that all necessary and needed arrangements have been made for a peaceful and credible election in the state and appealed to politicians and their supporters to support the efforts of the police and other sister agencies to achieve the desired, free, fair and credible poll.

    He pledged the police and other security agencies neutrality in the exercise and said total restriction of vehicles and human beings both in land and water would begin 12 midnight across the state.

    He warned policemen attached to politicians not to accompany their principals irrespective of who to the polling units, stressing that their presence to the polling units would scare voters.

    Earlier the INEC chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu in a stake holders meeting in Port Harcourt had said that card reader would be used for the accreditation f voters in the election. Represented by the Federal Commissioner, south South, Muhammad Lecky, Yakubu assured that the INEC has sufficient Card Readers for the elections, and said that in case of any failure, the incident forms would be filled out to ensure no eligible voter was disenfranchised.

  • Police to commence renovation of barracks

    Police to commence renovation of barracks

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris has said that the Force will commence the renovation of barracks across the nation soon.

    He also noted that the renovation will be in order of priority.

    The IGP who was represented by DIG in charge of Logistics and Supply, Maigari Dikko disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday during the flag-off campaign on barracks sanitation with the theme; ‘Our Barracks go Clean, Health is Wealth’.

    He said: “We are embarking on a very aggressive and massive renovation of barracks that is going to be prioritized. I don’t know about the status of this very barracks (Gwagwa) but I am sure this may not be the worst. If we get the list from FCT, we are going to start with the worst ones and from there; we will come down in the order of priority”.

    The IGP while assuring Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) of continuous support that would better the lives of personnel of the Force also suggested that the cleaning exercise be done in all the states and proof in form of video recording of the event be sent to the POWA president.

    Also speaking, the wife of the IGP, Princess Asmau Idris decried the deplorable state of barracks in Nigeria.

    She said: “The practice of sanitation in our police barracks has been dormant in the past years and we are flagging off this event so that our policemen and their families will be in good physical and mental condition thereby boosting their productivity level.

    On the essence of the sanitation, she said: “I wish to draw our attention to the damage done to the image of the Nigeria Police Force by the poor conditions of our barracks with respect to neatness. Our barracks are expected to be centre of excellence and pride of the nation.

    “I know that it is a disciplinary offence in the police if a policeman does not turn out neatly. However, I am not aware of any sanctions of policemen whose environment is dirty. If they were, our barracks would be much neater than they look now.

    She further said: “We intend to carry out inspections in our barracks regularly to ensure adequate cleanliness and I appeal to our women to help sustain this campaign in the interest of all of us in keeping and ensuring that our barracks are kept clean.

    “We want to pass a message to our women and youths in the barracks to imbibe this culture which has been long forgotten. The attitude people have about barrack children is bad, we should learn to change that and let them know that we are disciplinary families and we will ensure tdiscipline in our barracks.

    “Our youths in barracks should help keep our environment clean and abstain from any act that will bring bad image to their families and Nigeria Police in particular”, she added.

  • 128 policemen killed in three months – Idris

    The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, said 128 policemen had lost their lives to criminals in various parts of the country in the last three months.

    Idris said this in a statement issued by the Force Spokesman, DCP Don Awunah, in Abuja on Wednesday.

    “In the past three months, the Force has lost 128 personnel in various parts of the country due to activities of undesirable elements in our communities,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the IGP as saying in the statement.

    “These line of duty resultant deaths, occasioned by unwarranted attacks by religious bigots, bandits, hoodlums and militants must be reversed and the trend halted,”

    The IGP also condemned the wanton destruction of police infrastructure and public assets.

    “The recent cases in Dankamoji village in Maradun local government area of Zamfara, Abagana in Anambra, and in Okrika waterways in Rivers where personnel were killed, arms carted away, structures and equipment destroyed are cases in point,” he said.

     

  • Reps grill IGP missing guns, cash exhibits

    Reps grill IGP missing guns, cash exhibits

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris was interrogated for close to two hours Wednesday by the House of Representatives over four missing riffles and N1.9m cash exhibits.

    House Committee on Public Accounts (PAC) asked the IG to explain the reasons behind the failure of the Police account for the missing exhibits and pistols.

    According to the Committee Chairman, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), the Auditor General of the Federation report of 2010 to 2013 unearth four missing guns along with the cash exhibits with 55 queries raised against the Nigeria Police during the period.

    “During the audit examination of arms and ammunitions of the Nigeria Police in 2012, it was observed that four different brands of pistols were missing as contained in the Auditor General’s report.

    “Also that cash exhibits of N928,000 in 2011; N100,000 in 2012; another  N720,000 in addition to a Dell laptop worth N250,000, totaling N1.998m all went missing,” Chinda said.

    The IG could not respond to the queries as he took permission from the Committee to allow him take his leave to attend to other State matters.

    Assistant Inspector of Police (AIG) in charge of Budget, Abdulsami Iyaji, who stood in for the IG, while  responding  to the queries said in June 2009, an officer was issued a pistol was attacked and killed by robbers in Lagos.

    According to him, the robbers went away with the pistol, while the officer that was issued woth the second pistol was declared missing in action.

    On the third pistol, Iyaji said the affected officer, while on official assignment lost it during an attack by a gang of armed robbers, while the fourth pistol was lost in an hotel robbery attack on the Inspector it was issued to in February 2008 in Lagos.

    He however said the affected inspector was indicted and sanctioned.

    On the missing cash exhibits, AIG Iyaji said an officer, who failed to give account of N928,000 was investigated and arraigned in court even after retirement.

    On the other hand, he said while N100,000 cash exhibit was given to the rightful owner,  N720,000 was erroneously stated as it was actually N250,000, which he said was still available and in custody of the police.

    Furthermore, Iyaji denied the existence of a case of a Dell laptop worth N250,000, saying  there was no such record in the Nigeria Police.

    He however noted that there was a fire outbreak somewhere in Police warehouse, which  might have consumed the exhibit during the incident.

  • El-Rufai to IGP: Nip insecurity in the bud

    El-Rufai to IGP: Nip insecurity in the bud

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris has been charged to contain security challenges especially the crime of kidnapping across the country.

    Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasri El-Rufai made the plea when the IGP visited him at his office.

    IGP Idris was in Kaduna for the opening ceremony of sporting events among security agencies under the Ministry of Interior.

    Commending the police’ professionalism in handling security issues in Kaduna, El-Rufai condoled the police boss on the death of some personnel during the crisis in Godogodo, Jama’a LGA of the State.

    He emphasised the need for comprehensive national solution to kidnapping and other violent crimes which have destructive effects on growth and development.

    In his remark, Idris pledged the police’ commitment to maintaining law and order in line with international best practices.

    He decried the lack of adequate police personnel to cater for the populace, adding that the current strength of the police runs short of the United Nation’s recommendations of a Police officer to four hundred citizens.

    Idris, who commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the ongoing recruitment of 10,000 persons into the police, expressed hope that it would be an annual exercise to augment the short fall arising from retirement and death of personnel in service.

    He urged the governor to assist the police in the search of personnel declared Missing in Action (MIA) while mediating in communal conflict in the state.

  • Nigeria loses N127bn annually to cybercrime

    Nigeria loses N127bn annually to cybercrime

    Nigeria loses N127billion to cybercrime annually, it was learnt Monday.

    An expert has also expressed fear that Nigeria may lose more if the government and security agencies fail to draft out strategies to tackle the menace.

    Speaking in Abuja on Monday during a workshop on Cybercrime and Forensic Investigation, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris noted that the Force is worried with the spate of the crime.

    The IGP who was represented by AIG Umaru Shehu said: “The criminals are constantly looking for ways to take advantage of the loopholes in the new cyber technology. They devote more energy and resources into committing national and international crime that are difficult to prevent and detect.

    On how they operate, he said: “It should be noted that, these criminals are well organized and are willing to invest in modern technology so that they can commit identity theft and privacy invasion, fraudulent electronic transaction, cause havoc through insertion of computer virus and malware infections in personal and corporate computers to get upper hand or blackmail and distributed denial of service attack.

    “More worrisome, is the radicalization and violent extremism, terrorism perpetrated through cyberspace, website hacking and defacement.

    Commeneting of some of the impacts of the crime, the Police chief said: “Compared to traditional crime where criminals can rob one or two banks in a day, ICT has made it possible to rob hundreds of banks in less than an hour, while the perpetrators seats comfortably in their homes or offices.

    He however assured that the Force is building on existing forensic and cybercrime facilities in order to successfully tackle the crime.

    Also speaking on the impact of cybercrime, the representative of Department for International Development (DFID) Prof. Olu Ogunsakin said: “the impact of cybercrime on Nigeria is so vast that annually, we lose about N127billion to criminals that use the internet to sabotage the economy and in essence, I think this will continue to rise until the government and security agencies come together to find a way to curb the menace.

    “We should make sure that the public is quite aware of the impact of cybercrime because it is something that is borderless and it affects everybody and somebody irrespective of location.

    “This crime is borderless and it is something that affects the economy especially the infrastructure that we are trying to doing and in turn it affects everything.

    Prof Ogunsakin while stating that Nigeria can curb the menace if it develops cyber technique on how to eradicate the growing menace added that there is need to collaborate with countries that have strategies.

    “All over the world, you will also realize that a lot of countries are suffering from it, so we need to collaborate with people because as of now, we do not have a national strategy on how to deal with this crime and we need to start from somewhere”.

  • Criminals will not escape Justice – IGP

    Criminals will not escape Justice – IGP

    The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has assured Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force is ever ready and more determined to ensure that all those who engage in vicious crimes do not escape justice.

    A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Don Awunah, said the IGP listed the crimes as: kidnappings, armed robbery and other criminal activities.

    Awunah said this stance was what made the operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) to swing into action to check such crimes.

    He said the team had on Oct. 12 launched a massive onslaught on the kidnappers of some residents of GRA Phase II, Port Harcourt main town, Borikiri General Area and YKC axis of woji in Rivers.

    “This feat yielded prompt outcome as the hoodlums were arrested as a result of due diligence and intelligence exhibited by members of the Police Force complimented by public spirited citizens eager to curb crimes in the society.

    “The suspects who were responsible for most kidnappings in Port Harcourt, were arrested at different locations in Rivers,’’ he said.

    Awunah said the suspects arrested during the operation were: Daniel Gabriel, the gang leader, Alaso Igodo, Akeodi Aselemi and Ayibinmoter Livinus, among others.

    He said items recovered from them were: One 1 AKA 47 Rifle with bridge NO. 0731, Four 4 AKA 47 Magazines with 42 live ammunitions, Four Face Masks and One Green Mazda saloon car used by the syndicate as operational vehicle.

    The Force Spokesman also recalled that some residents of an Estate in Isheri area of Lagos State were kidnapped on Sept. 27 and that the Intelligence Response Team swung into action and arrested four of the kidnappers.

    “The spirited effort of the team led to the arrest of the fifth gang member, Temmi Enormi, 31. The suspect was arrested in Lagos State on Oct. 7 and confessed to being a member of the Isheri Landlord kidnapping and was confirmed by other gang members earlier arrested.

    “The I-G wishes to restate the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force in ensuring that all forms of crimes, particularly kidnapping for ransom and other violent crimes are brought to a bearable and tolerable state throughout the country.

    “He urges Nigerians to always be law abiding and regard themselves as stakeholders in the fight against crime and criminality,’’ Awunah added.

  • IGP decries ‘alarming rate’ of cybercrime

    The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has described as alarming the rate of cybercrime in Nigeria.

    The IGP also attributed the increasing trend of cybercrime to greed.

    He spoke during Interpol Cybercrime Training for Practitioner Investigators from African Countries held in Abuja on Monday.

    To curb the increasing trend and outsmart the perpetrators, Idris noted that he has established a Cybercrime Unit within the Interpol National Central Bureau in Nigeria that will tackle the challenges of cybercrime down to local government level.

    He also disclosed that efforts are being put in place to equip the unit with the tools and techniques to boost its capacities in fields such as IP crime enquiries, identity fraud, online tracking of suspects, electronic crime scene investigation and the forensic examination of computers, computer networks and mobile devices.

    Speaking on the cybercrime and essence of training, the IGP, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation, Hycent Dagala, said “investigating offences in the cyberspace has assumed a major policing requirement in Nigeria and I guess other jurisdictions across Africa.

    “Cybercriminals have enjoyed a long start ahead of law enforcement agents and inflicted serious injuries on the citizens we are sworn to protect. While we continue to grapple with traditional methods of policing, emerging trends in crime now deploy new skills and technologies. We must in turn, therefore, develop new ways and methods to adapt to current challenges.”

     

  • Edo: IGP orders restriction of movement

    The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has ordered restriction of movement during Wednesday’s governorship election in Edo State.

    He also ordered the activation of the revised operation plan for the election.

    The operation plan, according to a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by the Force Spokesman, Don Awunah, is expected to guarantee free, fair and credible election, secure electoral process, enable eligible voters exercise their franchise freely and voluntary, protect election materials and officials and ensure adequate security before, during and after the election.

    The statement reads: “The IGP has directed the Commissioner of Police in Edo State to enforce the restriction of vehicular movement from 12:00 midnight Tuesday, 27th September, 2016 to 6:00pm, 28th September, 2016 except those involved in essential duties who must be properly identified.”

    The Force also noted that adequate resource and personnel will be mobilized and deployed to execute the election conclusively.

    “In order to achieve the expected outcome of credible election acceptable to all stakeholders, the police will deploy 25,000 conventional police officers for the election.

    “Tactical teams comprising of Police Mobile Force [PMF], Counter Terrorism Unit, Explosive Ordinance Disposal, Special Protection Unit, Force Animal Branch, Police Air wing [Aerial patrol) and Marine Police Unit [Riverine Patrol) will also be deployed,” the statement added.

     

  • Brutality: IGP faults Amnesty Int’l report  

    Brutality: IGP faults Amnesty Int’l report  

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris has described a recent Amnesty International report alleging torture in Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) detention cells as bias and unfortunate.

    Similarly, the IGP claimed that the police management was not given room to air their side of the story before Amnesty rushed rushed to foreign media.

    A new report by the International agency alleged that the elite Nigerian police squad (SARS) set up to combat violent crime tortures detainees to extract lucrative bribes and confessions.

    According to the report, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad demands bribes, steals and extorts money from criminal suspects and their families and is “fomenting a toxic climate of fear and corruption.

    Reacting to the report in Abuja on Wednesday, IGP Idris‎ said the Amnesty International has taken a bias position against the Nigerian Police Force, adding that the report did not reflect the position of the Police.

    ‎While alleging that the Force was not given a chance to respond to the allegations in the report before it was made public, the IGP explained that recently, Amnesty International and other Civil Society Groups requested to inspect SARS detention facilities and other police detention centres across the country and were allowed to do so only for them to say the cells were prearranged and kept clean because they were coming.

    However, IGP Idris warned police commanders and other senior officers to ensure their officers and men operate within international best practices as the Police will not tolerate any action that would bring embarrassment to the Force.