The Muslim Community in Lagos State has organised a special prayer for Lagos State Governor and his cabinet for God to continue to increase their wisdom in steering the affairs of the state.
The prayer, led by the Chief Imam of Lagos, Sheikh Garuba Akinola Ibrahim, was attended by the five divisional chief Imams across the state and other dignitaries.
They sought God’s intervention for an end to kidnapping, armed robbery and other vices in the state.
Sheikh Ibrahim decried the spate of kidnapping in the state, urging the security operatives to device better ways of tackling the issue.
According to him, the issue is becoming embarrassing, despite the government’s huge investment in the security.
He warned the kidnappers to desist from the act and repent so as not to incur the wrath of Allah.
“They (kidnappers) should fear Allah and allow peace to reign in the state. We commend the efforts of our security agencies in tackling crime in the state, but they need to do more to curb the kidnapping cases,” he said.
In a message to the occasion, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode urged Lagosians to shun ethnic, political and religious differences and work towards building a safer and better Nigeria.
Governor Ambode, who was represented by Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateeef, called on religious leaders to offer prayer for nation to overcome its challenges.
Speaking with reporters, Abdul-Lateeef assured Lagosians that the state government was not resting on its oars to end kidnappings in the state.
Basorun Musulumi of Lagos Basorun Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy, said the special prayers were offered for peace, unity and progress of the state.
Tag: Kidnapping
-
Lagos Muslims pray against kidnapping
-
How kidnapping can be curbed
SIR: Freedom House reports that Nigeria recorded one the highest rates of kidnapping in the world in 2013. The US Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013 indicates that kidnapping and related violence were serious problems in Nigeria. Also, the CLEEN Foundation, a Nigeria-based NGO that promotes public safety, accountability and justice, and conducts an annual national crime and safety survey in Nigeria, indicates that kidnapping for ransom has become ‘rampant’ in the last decade.
The following steps will help curtail kidnappings in Nigeria:
- Common Sense, VIGILANCE and Resilience! It is established that security is the primary responsibility of every government but every responsible individual has a role to play in his personal security and safety and must not throw caution to the winds. There is no better time than now for all Nigerians to be security- conscious and pay greater attention to their personal safety and security.
- It is trite that Nigeria is grossly under-policed. Whereas the United Nations recommends a Police to people ratio of 1:400, Nigeria can only boast of about 371,000 policemen, grossly inadequate for a country of 170 million people. The reasonable thing to do is not only to recruit more policemen but also ensure they are well-motivated and kitted.
- Tackle unprecedented unemployment. It is foolhardy to expect tranquility to prevail in a country rich in human and natural resources where official unemployment guesstimate was put at around 8.2 percent in the second quarter of 2015.
- Quick prosecution of culprits and quick dispensation of justice will go a long way in stemming the tide of kidnappings in Nigeria. As they say, “justice delayed is justice denied.” It portends danger when culprits waltz or wriggle out of prosecution and penalty.
In October 2010, a traditional ruler and a college provost were kidnapped in Ekiti State by a band of kidnappers. While taking the victims to a hideout in Delta State, a fatal accident occurred at Kabba in Kogi State and both victims were killed while the kidnappers were seriously injured. The kidnappers were arrested by the police and charged to court. The trial court ordered that the suspects be remanded in prison custody but they subsequently escaped from prison in 2014 during a violent attack on the Lokoja prison by unknown gunmen.
In September 2013, Nigerians were told that a combined security team drawn from the Nigerian Army and Department of State Security Service (DSS) arrested a notorious kidnapper, one Kevin Prosper Oniarah, also known as Kevin Ibruvwe, who allegedly masterminded the kidnapping of human rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, but two years down the line, no progress has been made in the prosecution of this alleged kidnapping kingpin. The foregoing says a lot about how kidnapping cases are handled in the country.
- Deploying state-of-the-art technological gadgets. When we say novel gadgets, it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Some simple security gadgets like pepper spray if well and timely deployed, can immobilise prospective kidnappers. A pen recorder can record evidence. Also, Nigerian security agencies MUST be several steps ahead of kidnappers in terms of deploying state-of-the-art equipment that can track GSM calls in REAL-TIME as is the case in most Western societies.
- Set up a well-equipped anti-kidnapping squad in all divisional Police offices across Nigeria and encourage information/intelligence sharing amongst the security agencies.
- Purge the security agencies of bad eggs even from the point of enlistment: Very stringent background checks MUST be carried out on prospective enlistees into the security agencies (the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Police, Department of State Security (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), other sister organisations, not forgetting the private security industry in Nigeria. Merit and passion for the profession must be the yardstick for recruitment into the security services as against the current norm where the aforementioned benchmarks are sacrificed on the altar of cronyism, godfatherism and the almighty “quota or federal character” system. The allegation by the HURIWA of direct or indirect involvement of security agents/ agencies in kidnappings in Nigeria must not be swept under the carpet. We call for a proper investigation and punishment of culprits where culpability is established.
- Public awareness and enlightenment campaigns: The National Orientation Agency, similar agencies, including electronic and print media platforms must embark on anti- kidnapping awareness campaigns.
- Gloria Chinwe.
-
We need fund to tackle kidnapping, says IG
Inspector-General of Police (IG) Ibrahim Idris has identified inadequate funding as the factor hindering the police from tackling kidnapping.
He noted that a lot needs to be done to follow up on prosecution of suspects in courts.
Idris spoke yesterday in Abuja during a seminar organised for Zonal and Command Police Public Relations Officers.
The theme of the one-day seminar was: “Public Perception and Improving the Image of Nigeria Police Force”.
On how funding has hampered the police in tackling kidnapping and some of its activities, the IG said: “Members of the National Assembly (NASS) are our survivors. Our progress depends on them because they need to pass our budget every year.
“I have said before now, the NPF is greatly underfunded and for us to give our best, we need to be properly funded. We need funds to pay for allowances, funds to address our administrative requirements and buy equipment.”“We also have the issue of kidnapping that has become a challenge to us. We need a lot of fund to tackle this challenge. We need fund to enhance our intelligence gathering and address information that are in public space. These are issues that need to be addressed for the police to achieve maximum results.
“For us to have maximum effect in conducting our activities, we need fund to carry out these activities.”
On negative perception the public have about the police, the IG said: “We should come up with strategy to change the negative perception people have about us. We as police officers have to conduct ourselves in a positive way.
“We have to beat our drum loud and clear so that the public can see that their investment in the police is not in vain. If we keep quiet, the negative things that few us do will overshadow the whole good.”
On arrest and prosecution of cases in court, the police chief said: “When you arrest people, follow them to court and allow people monitor and appreciate what we do because people believe that the job stops after we arrest and parade suspects.
“Follow the cases and get the outcome of the cases. Sentencing and serving terms in prison serve as deterrent for future would-be criminals. They would understand that there is a price to pay for crime because you are either sentenced to death or you spend term in prison.”
Idris warned his men against the use of social media for the purpose of showcasing themselves and also using it to divulge classified information.
He noted that such acts were detrimental to the country’s security.
On how police officers are perceived, the resource person from United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), Dr. Olu Ogunsakin, said: “The overall legitimacy of the police depends much more on citizens’ perceptions of how the police treat them than on their perceptions of police success in reducing crime.
“Public confidence in and support for the police depends more on citizens perceptions of police officers’ motives than whether the outcome was personally favourable to the citizens.
“If people do not believe that the police are fair, the police may lose legitimacy and people’s confidence and trust in the police can be eroded.” -
Four bags 14 years imprisonment for kidnapping
A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Minna, Niger State capital yesterday sentenced four persons to 14 years imprisonment without fine, for kidnapping.
Samson Yebo Taidi, Jibrin Mohamned, Abdulhamid Danladi, Noah Akinoluwa, and Chukwuemeka Elenza Daniel, were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Jibrin Zabbo on a one-count charge of conspiracy to commit kidnap and self-kidnapping contrary to Sections 3(1) and 6(1) of the kidnapping and cattle rustling law, 2016.
According to the State Prosecuting Counsel, Suleiman Bwari Wushishi, Taidi arranged his own kidnap with the others to get money from his parents. He added that Taidi travelled to Kuta with Mohammed and they stayed at Danladi’s house.
They demanded a N30,000 ransom from Samson’s parents.
When the charge was read to the accused persons, four of them pleaded guilty and were convicted while the fifth, who pleaded not guilty, was remanded in custody pending “the hearing and determination of the case against him”.
This is the first conviction to be carried out under the new law criminalising kidnapping and cattle rustling.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Nasara Danmalam has praised the judgement, saying it will reduce kidnapping.
“The conviction is the first test to the kidnapping and cattle rustling law. Arrests have been made in the past but had no headway because there was no relevant law to prosecute offenders. We are very comfortable with the law because of its penalty,” Danmalam said. -
Police arrest three for abduction, rape of Indian film actress
Indian police have arrested three people in connection with the alleged kidnapping and gang rape of a popular film actress in the southern state of Kerala last week.
“We have so far nabbed three persons, the driver of the actress and two others in the case. However, the main accused is still on the run,” a senior police official said Tuesday.
He added: “We have identified the main accused as the former driver of the actress and raids are being conducted to nab him.”
The incident took place late Friday night.
The film actress alleged that three persons took turns to rape her inside her own car that they had waylaid while she was on her way to dub a film.
The crime shocked the film fraternity in Kerala and sparked massive outrage in India, with many taking to social media to vent out their anger.
The Kerala government has assured that all the perpetrators of the heinous crime will be brought to justice at the earliest.
The 2012 brutal and fatal gangrape of a 23-year-old medical student by six men on a moving bus in Delhi had forced the Indian government to introduce stricter laws to deal with crimes against women.
-
Why kidnapping persists – Lawyers
Some lawyers in Lagos say the rate of unemployment, bad morals and inadequate security contribute significantly to the recurrent cases of kidnapping experienced in the country.
The legal practitioners spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.
“There is no particular region today in the country that is free from kidnapping.
“The economic reality today is that people are losing their jobs and a lot of people are not even employed.
“The high level of unemployment should give the government serious concern, because if you are idle, you become the devil’s workshop,’’ Mr Monday Ubani, one of the lawyers, said.
He said that unemployed youth could easily be recruited to carry out nefarious activities that were detrimental to the development of the country.
“The government should ensure adequate employment is created to reduce the issue of kidnappers in the country.
“The government should also ensure that the country is well policed with necessary equipment,” Ubani told NAN.
The lawyer, who gave tips on how to avoid being kidnapped, said people needed to be more security conscious of their environment.
“Watch the people you live with in your neighborhood and mind the kind of information you give out to people, because the information could be detrimental to your safety.“Also, watch how you boast. Know your relations well, because successful kidnapping cannot be complete without an insider,” he said.
Another lawyer, Mr Kayode Ademiluyi, identified bad morals as part of the factors contributing to the rising cases of kidnapping.
“Apart from the economy that is not too good, when children are not brought up with good values, they tend to join bad gangs,” he said.
Ademiluyi called on the government to increase the level of security in the country and urged individuals to be security conscious and alert.
Also speaking on the issue, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa urged the government to engage the youth and adopt the use of technology to stem the tide of kidnapping in the country.
Mr Kayode Akinsola, another lawyer, urged the police to be more proactive and enjoined everyone to continue to pray for the country’s economy to be back in good shape.
He, however, commended the government for its efforts at fighting kidnapping in the country.
NAN reports that several states, in the face of increased cases of kidnapping, have enacted laws with stiff penalties for kidnappers.
Lagos, one of the latest to do so, imposes penalties that include death for offenders, where a victim dies in the hands of his abductors, and life imprisonment for kidnapping for ransom.
-
Kidnapping: Epe lawmakers urge security agencies to stem tide
The two members of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Epe on Friday pleaded with the Police and Nigerian Armed Forces to help stem activities of kidnappers in the area.
The lawmakers, Segun Olulade (Epe 2) and Tobun Abiodun (Epe 2) made the plea in separate interviews with House correspondents at the Assembly complex on Friday.
The duo who spoke against the backdrop of the recent kidnap of seven people, comprising two guards and five farmers in a farm at Igbodu area of Epe on Feb. 14 by gunmen clad in military camouflage, lamented that the increase in crime justifies need for state police which the Assembly has been clamouring for.
Referring to the latest incident which occurred barely two weeks after some kidnappers invaded same community and abducted four persons, the lawmakers charged security agencies, especially the police, Army and the Navy, to rescue the victims. -
Kidnapping: Police to establish tracking machines in Lagos, Rivers
The Inspector- General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, says the force will establish special tracking unit in Lagos and Port-Harcourt to check kidnapping and other crimes.
Idris made this known when he was interacting with civil society groups and crime reporters in Lagos on Friday.
He noted that kidnapping was becoming more serious than other crimes in the country.
The IG said that the tracking machine established in Abuja had helped to resolve about 90 per cent cases of kidnapping with victims rescued and suspects arrested.
”Already, tracking machines have been deployed to states and will start functioning in few weeks’ time, so as to reduce pressure on those in Abuja.
”This will enhance the police anti-kidnapping drive.
”The machine in Port Harcourt, Rivers will cater for the South-South and South East zones, while the one deployed to Lagos would focus on the west,” he said.
The police chief also said that there were plans to reinvigorate the force forensic laboratories, noting however, that funds constraints were hindering its implementation.
Idris urged Nigerians to assist the police in tackling armed crimes, reiterating that the fight against kidnappers was a community fight.
According to him, it is not what the police alone can handle. It has become a community fight and can only be solved with the help of the people.
“When I assumed duty, one of the plans we came up with was to rehabilitate our forensic units. I outlined the challenges of the police and how to handle them.
”The thing is that we have been having funding challenges.
“We are trying to address it in a holistic manner. Very soon, we are going to have National Security Summit. Kidnapping seems to be a community problem.
“Over 90 percent of victims have been rescued. I agree that it is becoming a major challenge. It cuts across the entire country. It has to be addressed in various forms.
“It is not just the police or security agencies. Take for instance where the Turkish School students were kidnapped. That school is situated at the foot of a swamp.
”Despite that parents pay huge amount of money, the school did not invest much in security.
“So, we are going to use the summit to address these issues as well as others like the herdsmen and farmers issues.”These issues are further dividing us as a nation and we need to solve them.
You cannot have the maximum support of security in an area without the support of the public.
”Everybody has one thing or the other to make our society safe,” Idris said.He expressed the need for the media and civil society to be advocates of improved funding for the police through the Police Trust Fund.
“The funding of the police is costly. What we are trying to do is to pursue 50 percent of our budgetary requirement from other sources.
”We are also looking for other avenues where we can address the problem of the police.
“At the same time, we are hoping that the National Assembly will pass the bill establishing Police Trust Fund, by so doing, open up other sources for the police to generate money.
”It is already happening in Lagos (Security Trust Fund) and has been working wonderfully.
“We are aware that the Federal Government is financially constrained and so, we do not think it is right to over burden the system by creating other agencies.
”These agencies would require funding and create rivalry. But if more money is available for the police and more people recruited, we can achieve so much more,” he noted.
Idris also stated that there were plans to professionalise the police by establishing specialised schools such as Finance, Marine, among others for training.
He urged civil society organisations to support the police in training its personnel on professional conducts.
The IG expressed satisfaction at the scorecard of the rebranded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
“We are working hard to restore the integrity of the police. Earning the confidence of the people is important to us and we can only achieve that by changing the attitude of some of our policemen.
”By the time we achieve that, the people’s trust will be regained and things will be better.
“This is one of the reasons we make it compulsory for officers from the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and above to declare their assets.
”My management team and I declared our assets when we came on board,” he said.
On the strength of the police, Idris said that the service was understaffed and would need over a million policemen to meet United Nations standard.
”Thankfully, the government has given approval for yearly recruitment of 10,000 policemen. For so many years, there was embargo on police recruitment.
“Besides, the police lost so many personnel in the course of the Boko Haram insurgency. We were the worst hit and still we were not recruiting.
”All these affected the strength of the police,” the police chief said.
He revealed that of the N300 billion budgeted for the police in 2016, only N4 billion was eventually released.
-
IG seeks new approach to fighting kidnapping
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris has canvassed a fresh approach to battling kidnapping.
The fight against kidnapping, he said, would only be won if emphasis is placed on community policing.
Idris noted that security challenges confronting the country would be tackled if funding of the police and recruitment of officers are properly addressed.
The IG added that the police would soon organise a security summit to address kidnapping.
He said beyond arrest of suspects, the police would intensify efforts in the prosecution of suspects in court.
The police boss spoke in Abuja yesterday at a meeting with Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), Assistant Inspectors General (AIGs), Commissioners of Police and other senior officers.
On the spate of kidnapping with the latest victim being a retired Director of Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, the IG said: “Security is everybody’s business – both the police and the citizens. The kidnappers live among the people and that is why I said we are going to conduct a security summit to address most of the security challenges we are witnessing in this country.
“With the issue of kidnapping, what is obvious is that we cannot have policemen on every soil and that is why we always say that security is everybody’s business. Those communities around where kidnapping take place, if you suspect anybody, report to police because we have our presence in every local government of this country and they are ready to do their work.”
The IG, who admitted that the rate of kidnapping was worrisome, said: “It is becoming a worrisome situation and that is why we are trying to mobilise all sectors of the society to sit and address the issue of kidnapping.
“It goes beyond the role of police, it has gone beyond the role of community leaders, it has gone to the role of religious leaders, roles of people in schools and the kind of schools we enroll our children. I think these are things we need to address and I believe that with concerted efforts, we are going to see an end to kidnapping in this country.”
On other security measures put in place to tackle security threats, the IG said: “From our own end, we are trying to widen the scope of providing the security structures in various commands to be able to effectively tackle security challenges in this country and we have gotten a lot of offers in the areas of establishment of Mobile Police Squadrons.
“We established two Mobile Police Squadrons in Kafanchan and Minna and these measures are geared towards having structures on ground that can assist in addressing some of the security challenges we are having, especially in the area of herdsmen, cattle rustling, ethnic and religious clashes.”
On the essence of the oncoming summit, Idris said: “We are coming up with the summit because we want to discuss on a general platform how we are going to address some of the security issues. The reality is that you must have seen most of our presentations. When I went to Defence College, I told them that we can succeed with the issue of community policing when we address the ratio of one policeman to 400 citizens of this country.
“The summit will cover traditional rulers, religious leaders and every sector of the Nigerian community and that is an indication that security is everybody’s business. We all have a say in the security of this country because it requires joint effort.”
On the need to recruit more workforce, the police boss said: “Recruitment of Rank and File in this country stopped since 2010 and there is no way we can have an effective policing if we don’t have enough policemen to police the population and that is one of the areas we are addressing now.
“This administration has come up with the recruitment of 10,000 police officers and we are going to ensure that every year, we address the issue of recruitment and these are strategic issues that should be addressed in order to tackle effectively the efficiency of the police.
The IG, who lamented on the funding of the force, said: “The police need more funding for it to perform more effectively and we believe that the Security Trust Fund, which is before the National Assembly, should be given speedy attention because I believe that should be the concern of every Nigerian now.
“In this country, they have created virtually new security outfits. I think the latest is in the pipeline which is Peace Corp instead of creating additional outfit, people still refer to the police to take care of every security challenge in this country and I believe it is time for us to address the requirement of the Police so that we can effectively tackle security challenges.”
-
Kidnapping is beyond Police says, IGP
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris has said the fight against kidnapping in the country is beyond the Nigeria Police.
He said the fight would only be won if emphasis is placed on community policing.
The Police chief also noted that security challenges presently confronting the country can be tackled if funding of the Force, and recruitment of officers into the Nigeria Police Force is properly addressed.
The IGP also disclosed that the Force would soon organize a Security Summit that will help address the issue of kidnapping in the country.
It was also revealed that beyond arrest of suspects, the police would intensify efforts in the prosecution of suspects in court.
The Police chief said this in Abuja Wednesday during a meeting with Deputy Inspector General (DIGs), Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGs), Commissioners of Police and other senior officers.
On the spate of kidnapping in the country with the latest victim being a Retired Director of State Security Service, Mike Ejiofor, the IG said: “Security is everybody’s business, both the police and the citizens. The kidnappers live amongst the people and that is why I said we are going to conduct a security summit to address most of the security challenges we are witnessing in this country.
“With the issue of kidnapping, what is obvious is that we cannot have policemen in every soil and that is why we always say that security is everybody’s business. Those communities around where kidnapping take place, if you suspect anybody, report to police because we have our presence in every Local Government of this country and they are ready to do their work.
The IG who also admitted that the rate of kidnapping was worrisome said: “it is becoming a worrisome situation and that is why we are trying to mobilize all sectors of the society to sit and address the issue of kidnapping.
“It goes beyond the role of police, it has gone beyond the role of community leaders, it has gone to the role of religious leaders, roles of people in schools and the kind of schools we enroll our children. I think these are things we need to address and I believe that with concerted efforts, we are going to see an end to kidnapping in this country.
on other security measures put in place to tackle security threats in the country, the IG said: “From our own end, we are trying to widen the scope of providing the security structures in various Commands to be able to effectively tackle security challenges in this country and we have gotten a lot of offers in the areas of establishment of Mobile Police Squadrons.
“We established two Mobile Police Qquadrons; in Kafanchan and Minna and these measures are geared towards having structures on ground that can assist in addressing some of the security challenges we are having especially in the area of herdsmen, cattle rustling, ethnic and religious clashes we are experiencing in various parts of the country”.
On the essence of the oncoming summit, Idris said: “We are coming up with the summit because we want to discuss on a general platform how we are going to address some of the security issues. The reality is that you must have seen most of our presentation; when I went to Defence College, I told them that we can succeed with the issue of community policing when we address the ratio of one policeman to 400 citizens of this country.
‘The summit will cover traditional rulers, religious leaders, and every sector of the Nigerian community and that is an indication that security is everybody’s business; we all have a say in the security of this country because it requires joint effort”.
On the need to recruit more workforce, the police chief said: “Recruitment of Rank and File in this country stopped since 2010 and there is no way we can have an effective policing if we don’t have enough policemen to police the population and that is one of the areas we are addressing now.
“This administration has come up with the recruitment of 10,000 police officers and we are going to ensure that every year, we address the issue of recruitment and these are strategic issues that should be addressed in order to tackle effectively the efficiency of the Nigeria Police Force.
The IG who lamented on the funding of the Force, said: “the police need more funding for it to perform more effectively and we believe that the Security Trust Fund which is before the National Assembly should be given speedy attention because I believe that should be the concern of every Nigerian now.
“In this country, they have created virtually new security outfits, I think the latest is in the pipeline which is Peace Corp instead of creating additional outfit, people still refer to the police to take care of every security challenge in this country and I believe it is time for us to address the requirement of the Nigeria Police Force so that we can effectively tackle security challenges in this country”.
On prosecution of suspects arrested and paraded, the IG said: “We will be focusing on prosecution of suspects arrested because in the past, when we make arrest, we go on air and talk but we don’t follow up on prosecution and I have directed that henceforth, we are going to give a lot of publicity to prosecution so that people can follow the trend of how some of these people have been dealt with in the Law court which will serve as deterrent to others that would want to take similar step and that will send a signal that being involved in kidnapping does not pay.”