The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria Police Force

  • Police over-power robbers on Zuba/ Kaduna Express

    Police over-power robbers on Zuba/ Kaduna Express

    Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force on escort duty ran into a gang of armed robbers on Tuesday along Zuba/Kaduna Road at about 02:00 a.m.

    According to the Force, a gun duel ensued and two of the robbers were fatally wounded while others fled after they were over-powered by the police personnel.

    “The area was combed but no arrest was made.

    “Three (3) AK-47 rifles, one hundred and four (104) rounds of live ammunition, N57,130 cash and a red coloured Toyota Corolla car with registration number KSF 58 AJ, were recovered from the hoodlums,” the Police said.

    The force added that injured suspects were taken to University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada where they were confirmed dead, and their Corpses were deposited at the same hospital mortuary.

    [news_box style=”3″ display=”tag” link_target=”_blank” category=”256″ tag=”Robbers” count=”8″ show_more=”on” show_more_type=”link”]

  • DPO jailed 10 years over fuel subsidy protester’s death

    DPO jailed 10 years over fuel subsidy protester’s death

    Justice Olabisi Akinlade of a Lagos State High Court sitting in Igbosere on Monday sentenced a former Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr. Segun Fabunmi , to 10 years in prison for manslaughter following the death of one Ademola Aderintola Daramola during the January 9, 2012 fuel subsidy protest in Lagos.

    Justice Akinlade also found Fabunmi, a dismissed Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), guilty of shooting three other persons – Alimi Abubakar, Egbujor Samuel and Chizorba Odoh, during the protest, thereby causing them grievous bodily harm.

    She sentenced him to five years on this count, but both sentences are to run concurrently.

    Fabunmi, of No. 12 Oyewole Street, Ogudu, Lagos, who joined the police in 1984, was arraigned on May 5, 2013 by the Lagos State government on a seven-count charge bordering on murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm.

    At the time of the incident, the defendant was the DPO of Pen Cinema Police Station, Agege and had led out his men to Yaya-Abatan area of Ogba following intelligence report that there was a disturbance in that area and that hoodlums were breaking people’s windscreens and holding innocent people hostage.

    He had testified that when he got there, there was break down of law and order and that immediately the hoodlums saw him and the seven other policemen on his team, they started throwing bottles, sticks, cutlasses, stones and Molotov Curtails.

    Fabunmi said he was attacked by the mob, during which the rifle containing 60 bullets went off. But he denied shooting the deceased or anyone else.

    The court agreed with the defendant that there was indeed a mob at the scene of the incident, but concluded that his testimonies on whether or how an attempt was made to snatch his AK47 rifle and who fired the weapon were conflicting.

  • Dambazau canvases strong police force

    Dambazau canvases strong police force

    The Minister of Interior, Retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, on Thursday canvassed for a strong police force for effective policing of Nigeria.

    Dambazau stated this during a familiarisation visit to the Nigeria Police Force headquarters, Abuja.

    “Police is the most strategic as far as internal security is concerned.

    “The issue of Public safety and internal security mostly rests squarely on the shoulders of the police, the others are merely complimenting their efforts,“he said.

    He charged the police leadership to work toward changing the bad perception of Nigerians about activities of the police.

    “We must do a lot to change the perception about the Nigeria Police Force.

    “We want to have strong police force that will be able to face emerging modern challenges.

    “We have a plan to look at the short and long terms in repositioning the Force,“he said.

    Dambazau stressed the need for a strong policy on carrier projection in the force.

    On prison congestion, the minister said that the police had a major role to play in the decongestion of Nigerian prisons by ensuring in depth investigation of cases.

    He also said that there was a need for the police to investigate allegations thoroughly before taking the matter to court, to avoid delay.

    “Where you don’t have detailed and almost near perfect investigation it will become very difficult to prosecute and more people will be awaiting trial, “ he said.

    The minister charged the police to articulate policies that would enhance the welfare of both serving and retired officers.

    Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, stressed the need to review the funding mechanism for the police.

    Arase said that it was only through adequate funding of the police that the performance gap in policing could be addressed.

    He reiterated the force’s support to the administration of the minister to succeed in its quest to reposition the police.

  • Lagos inaugurates security equipment

    Lagos inaugurates security equipment

    The Lagos State government will today inaugurate some security equipment to rebrand and reposition its Rapid Response Squad (RRS).

    In a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, three helicopters, patrol vehicles, power bikes and other security gadgets acquired by the Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration will be inaugurated.

    The equipment to be handed over include three helicopters, two patrol boats, 100 motorcycles, 13 BM power bikes, 60 Ford salon cars, 55 Ford Rangers, 40 Toyota salon cars, 10 Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs, 31 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) as well as police uniforms and other kits.

    Ayorinde says today’s ceremony will underscore the government’s seriousness in ensuring the security of lives and property.

    “With these security equipment, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has demonstrated his firm commitment and ability to safeguard the lives and property of every Lagosian.

    “The government is convinced this gesture will further boost the morale and capacity of the police, RRS and other security agencies . It is an attestation to the efficacy of the state’s Security Trust Fund and we believe that this will send a clear signal that criminals and robbers no longer have a hiding place in the state.

    “It is noteworthy that the government has stepped up its enforcement of traffic laws and declared zero tolerance on pot holes, a decision that has brought to 282 the number of roads so far rehabilitated in the past five months.

     

  • Anambra Police nabs fake DSP

    Anambra Police nabs fake DSP

    • Confirms  arrest of 43 MASSOB Members
    • As AIG Gwary storms Anambra

    Anambra state police command, has arrested a 32-year old man, Abdul Makong, a native of Gari-Lamido in Taraba state for impersonating as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).

    According to the state Police Commissioner, Hosea Karma, the arrest followed a tip off when he went to the palace of a traditional ruler in Awka-South Local Government Area of the state, urging the people to bring some money so that he could recruit interested members into the force in the community.

    He said the impersonator had been going about extorting money from unsuspecting members of the public to assist them get recruited into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

    Karma made this known on Tuesday in Awka, after receiving assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of zone 9 Umuahia, Usman Gwary.

    Furthermore, he disclosed that the command had also arrested 43 members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).

    While parading the suspected fake police man, Karma said that the suspect had just finished a prison term in April after he was convicted in 2013 in connection with the same offence.

    He however, warned members of the public to beware of the like of Makong, adding that recruitment into the Nigeria police force had transparent process devoid of any corrupt manipulation.

    Speaking with reporters, the suspect confessed that he just came out of the prison last April, adding that he was a graduate of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, where he obtained a degree certificate in Political Science in 2008.

    He alleged that he was forced into crime because he could not get a gainful employment opportunity, adding that it was a friend who lured him into impersonation.

    Addressing officers and men of the state police command yesterday, the AIG, Usman Gwary said that his visit was in response to the directive of the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Solomon Arase that he should tour police headquarters in the zone to lecture them on the new security policy of the current administration.

    He said that South East zone from the recent investigation conducted by a special team set up by the IG, was rated among the most peaceful zones in the country.

    Gwary however, warned officers and men of the state command not to condone act that would compromise peaceful security atmosphere prevailing in the state.

    Furthermore, he warned them to ensure that they do not allow MASSOB members to disturb the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the state, even as he commended the state police Command in its efforts in flushing out criminal elements from the area.

    Again, the Police boss Urged them to adopt religiously the various security policies marshaled out by the IG.

    He also called on the police command to work seriously in collaboration with other sister agencies, while commending the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano for the various forms of support his administration had given the police command.

  • New Police Commissioners for Lagos, Rivers, Ogun

    New Police Commissioners for Lagos, Rivers, Ogun

    The Inspector General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase has ordered the posting of new Commissioners of Police to Lagos, Ogun, Rivers and other formations in the Force headquarters.

    In a statement issued by the Deputy Force PRO, Abayomi Shogunle, the new posting is expected to reduce the crime rate in the affected states.

    The statement read: “It is expected that the new postings will reverse the crime wave in the affected states and also strengthen the administration in the Force headquarters formations”.

    The commissioners affected by the posting and the states they are posted to are; “CP Ajani Fatai Owoseni; Lagos State, CP Chris Ezike; Rivers State, CP Abdulmajid Ali; Ogun State.

    Other CPs posted to formations in the Force headquarters are: “Dan Bature; Intelligence FCIID Abuja, CP Valentine Ntomchukwu, CP Admin department of Logistics and Supply, Abuja, Hyelasinda Kimo Musa; CP Fed. Special Anti Robbery Squad, Abuja, CP Kayode Aderanti; CP Admin, department of Operations Abuja, CP Ibine; CP Port Authority Eastern Command; CP Ogbusua Aja Oleh, CP Provost,

  • Policemen detained for shooting at bus

    Policemen detained for shooting at bus

    THERE was panic in Ilupeju, Lagos yesterday as policemen shot at a passenger-laden commercial bus.

    The policemen are being detained at Ilupeju Police Station on the order of Lagos Command spokesman Kenneth Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP). Nwosu told our reporter last night that what the policemen did was wrong.

    The policemen pursued the bus from Ikorodu Road into Adegboyega Street in Ilupeju, shooting, as passersby and residents running for cover.

    They fired at the Oyingbo-bound vehicle, with number-plate KRD 516 XF when the driver allegedly refused to stop as ordered. The bullets hit the front tyre which got burst while the bus was on motion.

    The incident happened at 9am on the one-lane Coker Road in Ilupeju in Odi Olowo-Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA). The bus was carrying traders who went to buy food stuff at Mile 12 Market in Ketu.

    When the driver eventually stopped in front of a church on Adegboyega Street, four policemen, riding in a pick-up marked, “Police Ilupeju Division” with number-plate MUS 04 AW, descended on the driver and his conductor, with the butts of their rifles.

    The passengers fled the scene to avoid being beaten by the policemen, who also used the sharp ends of their guns to deflate the bus remaining tyres. It took the residents’ intervention to rescue the driver from the policemen.

    Tempers rose when the residents demanded to know the offence of the driver, who was identified as Fatai Olatunji. The policemen tried to whisk him away, but residents resisted the move. The officers were also prevented from towing the bus to their station. Hot arguments ensued between the residents and the policemen, which almost led to confrontation.

    Afraid of being attacked by the mob, one of the officers, Adams Ajih with Force Number 358918, called their station, claiming that the driver attempted to kill them.

    Speaking to our reporter, Ajih said: “The commercial bus driver took the wrong lane and faced the police vehicle. We tried to stop him but he fled. This is why we chased the bus. But, it is not true that we fired shots at the vehicle. Rather, the driver attempted to kill us by driving on our lane.”

    When our reporter told the policemen that Coker Road is one-lane, Ajih insisted that the driver was driving on “one-way road”.

    Olatunji denied taking one-way, alleging that the policemen attempted to extort money from him.

    Olatunji said: “I was coming from Ketu and passed through Ilupeju to avoid the traffic gridlock on Ikorodu Road. As  I drove on Coker Road, I discovered a vehicle had broken down on the road. I moved to negotiate to the opposite lane to avoid the faulty vehicle and rejoin the lane in the front; then, I saw the police pick-up coming from the opposite direction.

    “I moved back a bit to allow the policemen go, since they have the right of way. But, they asked me to stop. I asked what my offence was, but they could not mention anything.

    “One of them came down and broke my side mirror. Another officer also shot at the vehicle, which made me drive away from the scene. The policemen made a turn and ran after my bus. I later found out the front tyre had burst after being hit by bullets.”

    A passenger, who gave his name as Taofeek, said the passengers were terrified by the policemen’s action.

    As the mob grew, the policemen left, saying they were going to get a towing-vehicle to remove the bus from the road. They did not return.

    Another officer identified in the police vehicle is Monday with Force Number 362282.

     

  • Edo CP threatens to dismiss officers over distress calls

    Any Police Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers in Edo State that failed to answer distress calls from members of the public may be dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force.

    This sack threat was yesterday issued by State Commissioner of Police, Mr Folunso Adebanjo, during the decoration of 13 newly promoted officers.

    The state police boss noted that he has been inundated by reports about Area Commanders and DPOs not receiving distress calls from members of the public.

    Commissioner Adebanjo who described the attitude of Area Commanders and DPOs as unacceptable said they were nndangering the lives of citizens.

    According to him, “The police must be proactive and that is what the Inspector General of Police is saying every day. As CP Edo, I stay with my phone 24 hours because the IG or members of the public can call me at any time, so if I as CP answer all calls, who are you not to do the same?”

    “Armed robbers, cultists and even those raping under age children must repent or leave this state. The police in Edo state will in this 2014 deal decisively with criminals. So I urge all officers to be up and doing because it is only when you show dedication to your duties that the bad once will know that Edo state is not a haven for them” he stated.

    Speaking on behalf of the promoted officers, Chief Superintendent of Police Eze Gabriel said the promotion would propel them to work harder for the people of the state and Nigeria as a whole.

  • Police retirees

    Police retirees

    •There is no reason why their retirement benefits should be delayed

    he hard-nosed confirmation by Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (rtd), Minister of Police Affairs, that 4,000 retired police officers are yet to receive their pension looks like a fairy-tale but is indeed real. More damning was his amplification that the figures could be higher because more files of other deserving retired officers are still being treated. This is a sad reminder of a nation’s ingratitude to police personnel who served the nation in their prime, only to be forsaken upon retirement.

    Why should it take months for any serious nation to complete the verification of retirees? The way the situation stands, the minister was not even sure of the precise date that the back-log of gratuities would be paid because the bio-data capturing is still in progress. This means that the suffering of police retirees would continue for some time.

    Over time, data irregularities and inefficient pension administration have been the bane of pension management, compelling the government to initiate verification exercises to correct the anomalies. We recollect that an earlier general exercise for the Federal Civil Service, supervised by Mallam AbdulRasheed Maina, over two years ago succeeded in uncovering a colossal N5billion that could have been stolen through payment to ‘ghost’ pensioners.

    While we do not begrudge the Ministry of Police Affairs for toeing the same line, such should not be used as an excuse for delaying pension and gratuities of police retirees. The condition of service in the police force is presently dehumanising and it would be a collateral damage for police retirees to be further dehumanised by not getting their entitlements promptly.

    The minister’s complaint in his 2012 report that the Nigeria Police Force is faced with the challenge of poor funding is suspect. So, what have both the ministry and the police pension office done with previously approved budgets for the police? The question becomes pertinent in view of the Police Pension Office scam of a whopping sum of N32.8billion siphoned by some of its top officials. If such amount can be illegally diverted without the supervisory ministry knowing, the reason why police pensioners’ gratuities and pension are delayed or sometimes denied can easily be deciphered.

    No wonder that a police ministry which has not been able to turn police colleges across the country into model training institutions still has the effrontery to be demanding for more funds. It is trite budget principle that the projects that were implemented and how efficiently previous budgets were utilised go a long way in determining the quantum of allocation for succeeding year’s appropriation. So, the issue is not about the ministry suddenly realising that it needs more funds because of an expose by a media organisation, on the sordid state of Police College, Ikeja. What about how budgeted police pension developed wings? An explanation should be given on this too.

    The mind-boggling fraud that is ravaging the country’s pension system, of which the police is an integral part, is patently abominable. Expectedly, this would make retirement from the police and other institutions meaningless because the bulk of benefits to be enjoyed by retirees notoriously ended up in private pockets of serving top civil servants and politicians.

    We consider as appalling the mismanagement of police affairs, more importantly, police pensioners’ wellbeing. Both have been objects of intensely condemnable graft from unscrupulous top government officials. Under the prevailing situation, the guarantee of a people-friendly, efficient and effective police becomes an illusion.