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Tag: Inspector General

  • Family petitions IGP over invasion of Lagos land

    The Adoyi Alashe Chieftaincy Family of  Lagos has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over the invasion of their land along the Oworonshoki-Oshodi Expressway, Anthony, by unknown persons.

    They said they have been under “palpable apprehension” since they were violently chased away with arms and ammunition last December 1.

    Through their lawyer Ayoola Julius, the family said one of their members sustained injuries.

    The petition was also sent to the Area Commander, Area H Police Command, Ogudu, Lagos.

    “Our clients the Adoyi Alashe Chieftaincy Family do not know these persons.

    “They have made concerted efforts from every other member of the family as to know how they came into their violent possession of the land, but no member of our client’s family is privy to their violent occupation of the said expanse of land measuring about 45 acres,” Julius wrote.

    The family said it visited the land last December 2 and 3, and that the persons who invaded the land have begun work on it.

    It urged the Police to promptly address the situation to avoid any unnecessary continued violent breach of the peace.

    “These persons have continued in their act of illegal and violent trespass by carrying out heavy construction works on the said expanse of land aided by violent arms-bearing persons who are prepared to unleash further terror on any member of our family.

    “It is, therefore, our humble prayer that you use your good office to arrest this violent and illegal occupation before things get out of hand as no one has the right to use violence to divest another of his vested rights,” the family said.

    The family’s right the land was affirmed by the Supreme Court on May 25, 1951, in a judgment by Justice Adetokunbo Ademola, which was duly executed.

    The Lagos State Government had also recognised the family as the land owner.

    In a May 5, 1995 letter to “the head of the family, Adoy-Alase Family, Obanikoro, Lagos”, the state invited the family to a meeting over the Obanikoro/Oke-Ira Drainage Scheme.

    The family, through Prince Rasaq Eshilokun, Chief Lateef Arubo, Prince Adeniran Falohun, Mr Yemi Ladega, Mr Jimoh Alaka and Mr Gbenga Osho, have filed a counter-claim at the Ikeja High Court.

    They are praying for an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the “the Unknown Developers” (fourth defendant) and Northwest Petroleum Retail Services Ltd (13th defendant) “from embarking on any construction of building and or any building project in respect of the subject matter particularly the land contained in survey plan No LA/188/635/2008/LA prepared by licenced surveyor Ademola Asipa pending the determination of the substantive suit.”

    The land, they said, is generally known as Abule Onigbongbo, with popular surrounding areas like Anthony Village, Mende, among others.

    The counter-claimants said there was no notice of acquisition issued by the state government in respect of their land, nor was any compensation paid to them, even as they did not transfer ownership to anyone.

    According to them, “the 13th defendant/respondent in this case is a subsidiary of Northwest Petroleum & Gas Company Limited and the name used in getting allocation from the Lagos State Government”.

    However, the family said its search of the Directorate of Survey shows that their land “is free from government acquisition and revocation”.

    The counter-claimants said unless the fourth and 13th defendants were restrained, the res would be destroyed while the family “cannot be adequately compensated”.

  • IG dissolves Special Tactical Squad

    The Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris has ordered the immediate dissolution of the IGP Special Tactical Squad (IGP-STS).

    The IG also ordered the re-deployment of all the personnel of the squad to other departments and formations of the Force.

    The disbandment may not be unconnected with the unauthorized raid of Chief Edwin Clark’s residence by some personnel in the unit.

    The Squad was headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Kolo Yusuf before the directive of the dissolution.

    Read Also: Police vow to arrest killers of ASP, others in Taraba

    A statement in Abuja on Friday night by the Force Spokesman, Ag. DCP Jimoh Moshood stated that senior officers attached to the erstwhile STS who were linked with complicity or played conspiracy roles in the unauthorized, illegal and unprofessional misconduct in the search of Clark’s residence in Asokoro are presently undergoing strict disciplinary procedures.

    Moshood also stated that the tactical operations and statutory core Police duties that the dissolved STS were charged with are now collapsed and will be carried out by other operational, investigative and response units of the Force.

  • IGP plans annual recruitment of 30,000 constables to meet UN standards

    IGP plans annual recruitment of 30,000 constables to meet UN standards

    Mr Ibrahim Idris, Inspector General of Police says the force is working out plans to recruit 30, 000 constables annually to meet the UN ratio of 1 policeman to 400 people.

    Idris who spoke in Sokoto Wednesday through the Deputy Inspector General of Police in-charge of Northwest zone, Maigari Dikko while on a supervisory tour of the state command of the force said the essence was to pro-actively and effectively carry out proper policing to ensure the safety of lives and property of citizens.

    “We want to effectively address and mitigate crime and criminal activities.” just as the IGP promised to re-engineer the force through solving the various challenges facing its operations ranging from training, welfare and comfort and other motivational ingredients to bring the best out of the officers and men.

    He maintained that if every thing worked as planned, ‎crime rate would be curtailed to the lowest.

    He further noted that Sokoto state has the lowest crime rate, especially in cattle rustling.

    He also observed that based on its policing statistics, Sokoto has remained the most peaceful with negligible record in terms of crime rate.

    “I sincerely wish to commend the state for it’s efforts in curbing crime rate ‎within the zone”

    However, Idris commended Sokoto state government on its amnesty to prisoners, urging the government to also closely monitor the release‎d prisoners to avoid their return to such crimes.

    “I am calling on other states especially within the zone to emulate‎ Sokoto state amnesty efforts”, he added.

    Earlier in his welcome address, the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Abdulkadir, said the crime rate in the state was low with rare cases of robbery, kidnapping, and abduction due to the proactive approach strategised by the command.

    “We have strategised ‎and divided our operations into five sectors for patrols between 2300hrs to 0400hrs on daily basis”, he explained.

    Accordingly, the CP said it has intensified high ways patrol making it safer for movement of people, goods and services.

    “Our anti-cattle rustling patrol teams on different locations in Sabon Birni, Isa, Rabah and Kebbe‎ LGs have drastically curbed the menace within the axis”, pointed out the Commissioner.

    However, Abdulkadir said the command was faced with numerous challenges particularly of manpower and patrol vehicles adding that” we have inadequate standard police station buildings  as some divisions operate from makeshift structures.”

    In the same vein, he said the state police headquarters constructed since 1969 was fast diminishing with cracked walls,” it needs total renovation and facelift with adjourning facilities otherwise it is on the verge of total collapse.”

  • Dismissed police officer asks court to jail I-G

    Dismissed police officer asks court to jail I-G

    A dismissed police officer, one Mr Michael Agha, on Tuesday asked the Federal High Court, Makurdi, to commit the Inspector General of Police to prison for disobeying court order.

    Agha who claimed to have been wrongfully dismissed from the force dragged the I-G to court to show cause why an order of committal to prison should not be made against him.
    The committal was because of I-G’s refusal to pay him all his entitlements as ordered by Court of Appeal, Jos Division on May 12, 1997.

    Joined in the suit were the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Benue Commissioner of Police.

    Agha in his affidavit filed before the Federal High Court, Makurdi, deposed that he enlisted in the Nigerian Police Force in 1977 and was unlawfully dismissed from the force in 1988, while serving at 13PMF, Makurdi, Benue.

    The explained that he was dismissed because he wore a Mobile Police face cap to the Police Headquarters, Makurdi on a day it was drizzling.

    He said an ASP asked why he wore a face cap when the then Commissioner of Police, a few days earlier had banned it.

    Agha said he explained to the ASP that he did not know about the ban, but the ASP took up the issue with him which eventually led to his dismissal from the force.

    Aggrieved by the treatment, he headed to a Makurdi High Court to contest his dismissal, where his case was thrown out.

    Agha appealed the judgment at the Court of Appeal, Jos, and the appeal was allowed.

    He said the appellate court on May 12, 1997 set aside the judgment of the Benue High Court and ordered that he be reinstated forthwith and paid all his entitlements.

    The applicant stated that all efforts to get the Police to comply with the judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal had failed.

    He therefore, headed to the Federal High Court, Makurdi, and filed a contempt proceeding against the I-G and two others.

    When the case was called for hearing, counsel to the applicant, Mr Tarfa Achinge, informed the court that the case was for hearing of Form 49 of the Judgment Enforcement Rules.

    He however, said that he got information from counsel to the 1st and 2nd respondents, Mr Gabriel Ebonyi, that a window of opportunity for an out-of- court settlement had shown up, and asked for adjournment.

    Ebonyi who did not oppose the application, promised the court that he would make further effort to get his bosses to comply with the judgment of the Court of Appeal without necessarily hearing the Form 49.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the Form 49 of the Judgment Enforcement Rules filed before the court required the respondents
    to show cause why an order of committal to prison should not be made against them.

    In his ruling, the judge, Justice Hassan Dikko, told counsel to the 1st and 2nd respondents to urge his bosses to take pity on the poor applicant and comply with the order of the Court of Appeal.

    Dikko adjourned the matter till April 5, 2017 for report of settlement.(NAN)

  • Court dismisses attempt to stop Ehindero’s arraignment

    Court dismisses attempt to stop Ehindero’s arraignment

    Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi of an Abuja High Court on Friday dismissed an application by former Inspector General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero, which urged the court to stop ICPC from arraigning him.

    Oniyangi also dismissed similar application filed by the suspended Commissioner of Police in charge of Budget at the Force Headquarters, Mr John Obaniyi.

    He also refused to vacate the leave granted the ICPC to arraign the duo.

    The duo had filed separate notices of preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court as well as the leave granted the ICPC to file charges against them.

    They had prayed the court to quash the six-count charge preferred against them by the anti-graft agency.

    The ICPC had filed a six-count charge of alleged corrupt embezzlement of N16 million against them.

    The ICPC said the amount was the interests generated from N567 million donated to the Nigeria Police by the Bayelsa Government for the purchase of arms, ammunition and riot control equipment.

    The accused persons could be imprisoned for seven years if convicted.

    Delivering his ruling, Oniyangi held that the anti-graft agency had, by the proof of evidence before the court, successfully established a prima facie evidence against the accused to warrant their being put to trial.

    “Prima facie evidence has been shown by the ICPC through the exhibits and statements of witness to proceed with trial,” he said.

    Oniyangi also held that the ICPC was competent to prosecute the accused, adding that the ICPC Act 2000, under which the duo were charged, was a valid law.

    Oniyangi said that the submission of Ehindero’s counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), that the ICPC Act 2000 was a non existing law, was not tenable.

    He said that the offence the suspects were charged with were known to written laws, stressing that it was not correct to say the ICPC was charging the accused under non-existent law.

    The judge further held that the commission is empowered to prosecute offences which fall under the penal and criminal codes.

    Oniyangi, therefore, dismissed the objections and subsequently ordered that Ehindero and Obaniyi be arraigned.

    After the ruling, Oniyangi read the charges to Ehindero and Obaniyi.

    They pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Oniyangi, refused to grant bail to Ehindero and Obaniyi on liberal terms as made in an oral application by Ozekhome.

    He granted them bail in the sum of N10 million each and one surety in like sum.

    Oniyangi ordered that the surety must swear to an affidavit of means.

    He also said the accused persons should be detained in prison if they failed to meet the bail conditions.

    Oniyangi adjourned the case to Nov. 12 for accelerated hearing. (NAN)