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Tag: NSCDC

  • IGP orders probe of slain NSCDC staff

    Acting Inspector-General of Police IGP Mohammed Adamu has ordered speedy investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of an Assistant Superintendent of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Ogar Jumbo.

    The slain officer was allegedly beaten and killed by policemen in Nyanya area of Abuja during the week.

    The Police chief also assured that there will be no cover up in the investigation.

    The Police, in a statement in Abuja by the Force Spokesman, ACP Frank Mba assured the families of the deceased that everything humanly possible will be done to ensure justice prevails in the case.

    Read Also: IGP bans covered vehicle number plates

    The IG also said the NSCDC along with the family of the deceased, may, for the purpose of transparency, nominate any medical doctor of their choice to witness the autopsy, at the appropriate time and venue.

    The Police said the autopsy will help the investigators to have a definitive understanding of the real cause of death of the deceased.

    The IGP however called for calm from the family and friends of the deceased and the entire public, reiterating that the case will not be swept under the carpet.

  • NSCDC sues for peace over death of officer

    Following the death of Ochigbo Jumbo Ogar (ASCI), an officer formerly serving at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, the commandant in charge of the command, Solomon Iyamu, has appealed to his officers and men to take the incident as an act of God despite the fact that the unjust killing was perpetrated by men of a sister agency.

    He made the statement while addressing the personnel at his Wuse Zone 5, Office, Abuja, after receiving the Commissioner of Police FCT Command, Mr. Bala Ciroma, who paid him a condolence visit to commiserate with the commandant and his officers and men over the loss of one of their colleagues.

    According to a statement he personally signed and made available to The Nation, Iyamu commended the Commissioner of Police for his prompt response to the situation which led to both of them visiting the Asokoro General Hospital to get first-hard information of the incident which in the aftermath led to the order of immediate detention of the police officers involved in the heinous crime by the Commissioner of Police.

    Read also: Why cult killings can’t stop in Edo, by suspect

    He told the personnel that the Commandant General had assured him that he is currently on top of the situation and the matter is being seriously addressed by the CG and the Inspector of General of Police, Alh. Abubukar Adamu, with the resolve that the perpetrators will be brought to book and the family will get justice.

    The commandant stated that the CG, Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu, had also directed all personnel of the corps to be law-abiding and not take laws into their hands in the name of any vindictive action as the matter is under control and there is need to exercise restraint despite the flying tempers among personnel in order to avoid an escalation of the situation because there is no existing rancour between the police and NSCDC.

    In his words, Iyamu said: ‘There is no alternative to peace. Therefore, all of you should continue to see the police as our partners in progress with the mindset for cooperation and synergy towards achieving our common national goal.

  • Dedicated vessels to fight illegal fishing underway, says navy

    Following rising cases of Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing in the country, plans have been concluded by the Nigerian Navy (NN) and the Federal Department of Fisheries for the acquisition of dedicated vessels to contain the trend.

    This was disclosed by the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas during an interview at the ongoing Senior Leadership Symposium in Lagos.

    Ibas, who was represented by the Naval Chief of Policy and Plans Rear Admiral Beegroy Ibe-Enwo at the three-day event introduced as part of the 2019 OBANGAME Express, said the navy was having closer relationship with the Fisheries Department for a more formidable front.

    Acknowledging the worsening security situation in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), Ibas noted collaboration between the navy, maritime stakeholders in the country and regional forces were addressing the issues.

    He added that 30 vessels were arrested last year, an improvement on the 37 and 45 arrests recorded in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

    He said the NN had as of last December handed over 247 cases to prosecuting agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) of which 51 had been successfully prosecuted.

    “The NN’s seamless collaboration with related agencies has helped to create effective deterrence to criminals through the arrest and prosecution of various criminals.

    “Within the past three years, over 80 errant vessels have been arrested for various acts of illegality. MT TECNE and MT NIPAL were caught in the act stealing crude oil from the crude oil loading facilities in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

    READ ALSO: Nigerian Navy takes delivery of patrol vessels

    “Suffice to state that the NN arrested a total of 30 vessels in 2018 for involvement in various forms of illegality in the nation’s maritime domain.

    “This indicates on the face value a downward trend when compared with 37 and 45 arrests recorded in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

    “These arrests have served as deterrence and helped to support a more buoyant national economy. For instance, NNPC data indicate that crude oil losses from pipelines reduced from N51.28 billion in 2015 to N4.17 billion in 2017,” said Ibas.

    On the international front, he acknowledged the contributions of allied nations including the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK) and France for their footprints of support which have been eloquent towards encouraging and bolstering domestic and regional collaboration in practical terms and on sustainable basis.

    Commending the US Naval Forces Africa (US NAVAF) for hosting the symposium, Ibas said there could not have been a better time for regional partners to talk than while the joint sea exercise was ongoing.

  • We didn’t kill any suspect in Ondo, says NSCDC

    THE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ondo State Command, has refuted the claim that it killed a suspect, Rasak Ahmed, in its custody.

    The deceased was allegedly arrested for having carnal knowledge of his eight-year-old daughter in Akure, the state capital.

    Its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Samuel Oladapo, said the command decided to react after it was reported in some national dailies that the command allegedly beat Ahmed, a middle-aged man, to death in its custody.

    Oladapo said the suspect was arrested on Sunday following a complaint by his son, Ibrahim, that his father was having intercourse with his sister.

    He said: “The suspect was arrested by our men at our out-post station and brought to the state headquarters on Monday for proper investigations.

    “And during our investigation, Ahmed confessed to the offence and attributed it to devil’s work.

    “Before he was detained in the cell, he was complaining and begging that he should be allowed to put on his ‘buba’ and ‘sokoto’ because he had cold, which we obliged.

    “Meanwhile, he was brought to the headquarters around 6pm and surprisingly, when one of our men approached his cell to deliver food brought by one of his relatives, he was found dangling on iron door of the cell being a short man, having torn his cloth to hang himself.

    “It was unfortunate that he was the only inmate in the cell which made it easy for him to carry out the dastardly act,” he stated.

    He added: “NSCDC is civil and does not torture suspect, let alone killing a suspect. The moto of NSCDC is civil. We do not torture because it has not been our tradition and it is against our mandate.”

    The PRO noted that the corpse had been deposited in a government hospital for autopsy, saying that police had commenced their investigation to confirm the cause of the suspect’s death.

    He, therefore, urged members of the public to disregard the report, stressing that this was not the first time that the command would be handling incest cases.

  • Security: Police propose joint training with NSCDC

    The Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Muhammed Adamu, has called for joint training between the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to ensure synergy during security operations.

    According to the The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adamu made the proposal during a courtesy visit to his office on Saturday in Abuja by NSCDC Commandant General, Abdullahi Gana.

    The IGP assured that the force would continue to ensure that the purpose of policing the country was achieved.

    He commended the leadership of the NSCDC for its resilience in ensuring that the 2019 general elections turned out peaceful.

    Earlier, Gana said the collaboration with the police, being the head security agency, would help reduce the rate of crime and criminal tendencies in the country.

    He pledged the corps’ commitment towards a united Nigeria, noting that officials of the NSCDC would leave no stone unturned to achieved the needed peace in the country. (NAN)

  • Security agencies hold show of force in Abia

    A combined team of various security agencies in Abia State on Friday held a Joint Show of Force (JSF) exercise in the major cities of Aba and Umuahia respectively.

    The JSF exercise which is coming about 24hrs to the Presidential and National Assembly elections saw members of the security agencies parade major streets of Aba and Umuahia in a convoy, including some of the flashpoints suspected to be operational base of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and breeding of hoodlums.

    The exercise in Aba which started at the Abia Area Command of the Nigeria Police Force had the presence of personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Army, personnel of Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Mobile Police Force (MPF), among others.

    Sources within the security circles who spoke to our reporter anonymously said that the essence of the security patrol was to sending warning signals to people or group of persons that might want to foment troubles in tomorrow’s election and to also assure Abians and Nigerians who are ready to exercise their franchise of the readiness of the military and other security agencies to protect lives and properties of citizens of the state.

    Addressing the personnel at the end of the patrol, an Assistant Commissioner of Police in-charge of Aba Area Command, Peter Okpara thanked the personnel for comporting themselves while the operation lasted.

    Okpara charged them to be professional in the discharge of their duties at their various places of primary assignments Saturday, also reminded them of the need to protect INEC staff, the voters, and themselves.

    “Tomorrow is the D-Day. The security agencies are on ground to discharge their duties according to the constitution. You must protect INEC officials, election materials, voters, foreign observers and also protect yourselves.

    “You shouldn’t be biased; there’s no friendship in election. Do your work the way it should be done. No brother, no party affiliation, no religion, no tribe.

    “Comport yourselves tomorrow. From 12midnight, all of us must be on duty till the election materials leave for Umuahia.

    “You must be careful because the world is watching us. If this election goes well, others will take the glory. But when it goes bad, they will blame us and that is why we must be professionals. We will not fail. Be in your duty post as early as possible for without your presence, no INEC staff will work until you come.”

    Meanwhile, information reaching us has it that non-sensitive materials including card readers were distributed to various LGAs on Thursday.

    Spokesman of the electoral umpire in the state, Mr. Oyetunji Bamidele said that the commission has put every measures on ground to ensure that there was free, fair and credible election in the state, urged over 1million Abia voters to come out enmass to vote for the candidate of their choice, adding that adequate has been put on ground to protect the lives and properties of the people.

    “We are fully prepared. We started distributing non-sensitive materials on Wednesday. Distribution of sensitive materials will be distributed by Friday morning at about 8am.

    “Our security arrangement is superb. It is being coordinated by Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election and Security. We have put adequate measures to ensure that everything went according to plans.

    “We are urging Abians to ensure that they go about to perform their franchise. The police are equal to the task. We have about 1.9million voters in Abia State. We are urging them to come out and ensure that they exercise their franchise.”

    Meanwhile our reporter who also visited markets in Aba and Umuahia reports that while the Ubani Market in Umuahia was scanty, that could not be said to several markets including Ariaria, Ahia Ohuru, Cemetery markets respectively as many people were seen purchasing one commodity or the other.

    Others including Madam Ifeyinwa Offor said that they were in the market to buy what their family would use until next week.

    Mrs. Offor and others, who expressed fears over the 2019 elections, said that though they wanted to come out and cast their votes, they would wait indoors and observe the situation of things before they can come out to vote, that is, if there was no violence of any kind.

    Another buyer who gave her name as Anne said that she would have come to shop for her provision store in Cameroun next week, but later changed her mind to come to Aba on Wednesday to buy what she wants to stock in her shop because of the uncertainty surrounding this weekend’s election in Nigeria.

    The story was the same in some of the banks visited as customers beseeched the banking halls trying to carry out their final financial transactions before the election which curfew starts 6am Saturday.

    The Automated Teller paying point of banks and motor park venues witnessed large turnout of customers who were trying to make withdrawals.

  • Breaking: Fire guts smart card readers at INEC office in Anambra

    Barely four days to the Presidential and National Assembly elections, fire on Tuesday gutted two containers housing Smart Card Readers for the conduct of elections at INEC headquarters in Awka, Anambra.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that men of Anambra Fire Service were still battling with the fire as at the time of filing this report.

    Combined personnel of the Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Security (DSS) were on ground to ensure there was safety and orderliness around the vicinity.

    Confirming the fire, Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, the Independent National Electoral Commission Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Anambra, said he was yet to ascertain the extent of damage.

    Orji said the sensitive materials affected were smart card readers meant for the general elections.

    “I don’t have the details of how the fire started; all I know is that there was a fire incident involving the containers that house some of our sensitive materials.

    “We have to do an assessment before we can ascertain the extent of damage, we have been storing equipments in that facility since 2011,” he said.

    NAN reports that this incident is the second in the South East as INEC office in Isiala Ngwa, Abia was penultimate week gutted by fire by unidentified persons. (NAN)

  • Security operatives begin stop and search in Ekiti

    Members of the Nigeria Police Force, Armed Soldiers and other sister security agencies Friday started thorough operation stop and search in Ado Ekiti, following the killing of a policeman in the capital city on Thursday by a gang of armed robbers.

    The policeman, Sgt Kamoru Momoh, was shot dead along new Iyin-Ilawe road by these bandits who had earlier robbed a filling station at Basiri area of Ado Ekiti around 8.13am on that day.

    The robbers were said to have besieged the petrol station and carted away cash worth over a million naira.

    It was gathered that the robbers upon sighting the police Hilux Van driven by the late police officer, which seemed to be on their trail, had blocked the road at the NTA junction with their vehicle and rained bullets on the policeman and got his head shattered.

    The killing, according to the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti

    Command, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu could be connected with the massive flushing operation carried out by a special task force under the aegis of ‘Operation Make Ekiti Safe’, where many criminals had been killed with some apprehended and detained for trial.

    Read Also: Robbers kill policeman in Ekiti

    “This could be a reaction to the series of cleansing operations carried out by our special Joint Task Force in recent time. Those with criminal tendencies might want to go after our men in reaction to our actions, but we won’t be deterred,” he said.

    Among other security operatives carrying out the operations were: Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigerian Immigration Service, Department of State Services (DSS), among others.

    Their operations were visible along Ado-Ilawe road, Ado-Iyin road, Ado-Ijan –Ikare road, Ado-Ikere-Akure road, Ado-Iwiroko-Ifaki road and the inner city like Ijigbo, Okesa and Okeyinmi areas.

    They stopped all motorists moving into Ado Ekiti metropolis and checked their identities while motorbike riders were made to disembark and pushed their machines for as long as 50 metres before being allowed to take off.

    The Police spokesman, who reacted to the thoroughness of the Special Forces’ operations since Thursday, dismissed the insinuation that such could be as a result of the killing of the police sergeant.

    Ikechukwu said: “Stop and search was part of the operations of the special task force . I think they have the constitutional power to carry out routine checks on people moving in and out to test their compliance to simple rules.

    “Let me emphasize here that this special force stated its operations in Ekiti two months ago and since that time they have been carrying out their jobs in a civilized way, no harassment, no intimidation of any member of the public.

    “As its name suggest, operation keep Ekiti Safe, it has to perform the task of making Ekiti peaceful and habitable for all and stop and search is one of those ways to ensure this.

    “Again, if you observed critically, you would realize that they didn’t mount any roadblock that suggested that they were not out to suffer motorists or extort anybody. They are only carrying out their statutory routine checks,” he said.

    He urged members of the public not to be disturbed by the operations, saying the operatives are only after criminals and those with sinister motives of making destabilising the peace of the State.

  • Police, Army, others in show of force in Lagos

    In preparation for the forthcoming general elections, the police, army and other security agencies on Saturday patrolled major highways in Lagos metropolis in a show of force.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the operation, which was divided into five groups, was led by the state Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal and other heads of security agencies.

    Addressing journalists after the operation, Edgal said that the show of force was to demonstrate to residents the readiness of the security agencies for the elections.
    “This is a friendly show of force in preparation for the general elections. This is to show to Lagosians that they can depend on security agencies in Lagos for their safety before, during and after the elections.

    “We are showing to the public that we are ready for the elections. It is not only the police that would provide security but other sister security agencies, including army, NSCDC, Lagos Neighborhood Watch and the FRSC are in collaboration for this exercise.

    “We have about 2,350 officers participating in this friendly show of force by all security agencies. This is aimed at reassuring Lagosians of the command’s ability to adequately secure them before, during and after the election.

    “We are assuring Lagosians that we will exhibit the highest level of professionalism as this exercise will continue so as to assure them of a peaceful election.

    “This is also to showcase our ability not only on land but air. We are utilizing six gunboats and in partnership with the Airforce, while Rapid Response Squad (RRS) also use the choppers for aerial surveillance,” he said.

    NAN reports that over 100 patrol vehicles, including Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC), were involved in the exercise.

    NAN

  • NSCDC recovers N31.5m debts in Jigawa in 2018

    he Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC ), Jigawa Command said it recovered more than N31.598 million debts in the state in 2018.

    The Spokesman of the command, Mr Adamu Abdullahi said this in a statement in Dutse on Wednesday.

    Abdullahi said that the amount was recovered following complaints the command received from aggrieved creditors.

    “Between Jan. and Dec. 2018, the command was able to recover the sum of N31.598 million debts,’’ Abdullahi said.

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    He said that the command’s Peace and Conflict Management (PCM) Unit had amicably resolved the disagreements between the debtors and their creditors.

    According to him, the command has handed over the recovered funds to their rightful owners after the resolution of the disagreements.

    Abdullahi promised that the corps would continue to intensify efforts to ensure that residents of the state lived in peace and harmony with one another.