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  • Agency trains police unit on new trends in SGBV investigation

    Agency trains police unit on new trends in SGBV investigation

    • DSVA engages religious leaders on menace
    • By Adebisi Onanuga and Elizabeth Eze

    Lagos State government has  trained over 40 police officers on best practices for investigating and prosecuting incidents  of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

    Participants at the three- day  training session were  drawn from the State’s Family Support Units (FSUs) and other formations including Force Criminal Investigative Department CID Alagbon and Panti (D10).

    The Executive Secretary Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, (DSVA), Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi said the engagement was designed to acquiant them with emerging trends on domestic and sexual violence and know how to relate with them when the needs arise.

    “Sexual and Gender-Based Violence is a globally pervasive human rights violation which the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared zero tolerance for all forms of this menace.

    She explained that the  police has an indispensable role to play in ensuring survivors are able to access justice, perpetrators are held accountable which is critical in serving as a deterrence.

    “The truth of the matter is that cases are not won in court, they are won at investigation stage and so we need the police to conduct thorough investigation when these cases are reported to their stations.

    “They must know the best practices for interviewing survivors and the intricacies involved and the investigation techniques in facing the alleged perpetrators at the scenes of the crime, connecting the suspect to crime.” she said

    She maintained that the State is working assiduously to ensure that going forward there are solid investigations conducted by these personnel as the state is craving for an increase in conviction and increase faith in the system.

    Facilitator at the training, Mrs Atinuke Odukoya of the Centre for Women’s Health and Information (CWHI)  took the participants on the issues of socialization, culture, social norms, value system and how they impact on how the police officers within the family support units respond to issues of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.

    She said “We all know that things that we have behind our minds are in terms of how we have been raised or how our society has raised our expectations and attitudes with behaviours and how we are supposed to respond to issues, those impacts affect the way we respond to cases that survivors bring to the station when they come.

    “One of the things that we needed them to see is the fact that these people that you are responding to, they are coming with a lot of trauma. So it’s not in your place to determine because of how you feel or how you think or what you think is the way they should be dressed or the way they should talk on how they should be able to  respond to cases.”

    Odukoya enjoined the officers to look beyond ethnic coloration while making judgment and to see that objectivity is key and investigating the cases with all objectivity towards ensuring that justice is served “because justice is a form of prevention.”

    An SGBV Consultant, Mrs Juliet Olumuyiwa Rufai took the participants on issues such as “Guiding principles of SGBV Roe Play and the approach to SGBV Response, Survivor -centered and Multi-Sectoral.

    She highlighted the approaches to look out for when handling SGBV cases.

     In his presentation, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)Lagos state, Dr Babajide Martins highlighted the relevant laws in relation to their areas of investigation and put in perspective what is expected of them in terms of implementation, investigation and apprehension of offenders and preparing them to give good testimonies when they are invited in court by the directorate.

    He said some of the challenges are the process of getting officers to come and give evidence  in court , stressing that the training session will avail them the opportunity to know what their roles are and what is expected of them when they are coming to give evidence in court.

    Read Also: Lagos agencies to provide PWDs with SGBV services

    Some of the participants called for more sensitization at community levels as well as reaching out to religious and traditional rulers to cascade the messages to the people.

    In a related development, the DSVA has engaged about 200 religious leaders on SGBV as well as the role of religious clerics in preventing and responding to the vicious menace.

     Mrs  Vivour-Adeniyi lectured the clergy men on the provisions of the Protection Against Domestic Violence Law, 2015, the Criminal law of Lagos state, 2015 ( as amended)  as well as the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law, 2021.

    She took the participants through the different section  the laws, in order for them to be knowledgeable about the intricacies of the document,  including section 261 which is on sexual assault by penetration and 137 which is about unlawful sexual intercourse with a child that attracts life imprisonment without option of fines among others.

    She explained that one of the major aims of the Domestic Violence law is to prevent domestic violence from happening and that can  be achieved through a restraining order granted by the court. 

    “The truth is that sexual and Gender-Based Violence is not a respecter of age, class, grade or religion. Indeed, anybody can perpetrate it and anyone can also become a victim, so it is important to engage religious leaders from this perspective.”

    “We know sometimes you serve as first responders whenever issues of Gender-Based violence are reported. it is therefore important for us to let you know the relevant laws that exist and support services available that your congregation can take advantage of anytime the need arises.”

    Vivour-Adeniyi added that there are 22 specialised police stations in the state that can be reached on issues of Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, while informing the participants that the High courts and Magistrate courts that have criminal jurisdiction are the appropriate courts that can grant a restraining/ protection Order against an abusive partner / spouse

    According to her: “We have Protection Against Domestic Violence law 2015 as amended, that law basically seeks to prevent reoccurrence of violence by encouraging survivors to approach the court and obtain what is called protection or restraining order. We also have the Criminal Law of Lagos state which is to regulate criminal conduct.

    The Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law 2021 which introduced some new provisions like child pornography,  sex for grades, frustrating investigation, concealment of an offence were also considered. It is our hope that this engagement will further broaden the knowledge for participants to assert their roles on how to make a case for survivors as well as make necessary referral to relevant responder agencies and seek justice for them.

    The Presiding Chaplain, Chapel of Christ Delight Lagos State, Rev Dr Oladele Ajayi said that the church has been and would continue to be at the fore front to ensure several marriages that are on the verge of collapsing are restored.

    He said “The reality is that we have this problem around and as a pastor we have seen so many issues on domestic violence, either complaints by a wife or husband it could be emotional financial or physical abuse at some point we have to engage to the level of separation. We must continue to inform them about the laws of the land as well as the punishments that can be meted out against  anyone that perpetrates any form of abuse and people should desist form stigmatising those that have come out to speak of being abused.”

    The Chief Missioner Nasirullahi-li-Fathi society NASFAT, Imam Abdul Azeez Onike, said Islam preaches peace and tranquil ambience between couples and frowns at any act that can jeopardize peaceful coexistence among the people.

    Onike said many islamic organisations including NASFAT have been working with numerous NGOs to enlighten and advance the campaign against any form of Gender-Based violence, and prevent anything that can breed peaceful homes.

    He appreciated the state government for taking up the initiative that will improve family ties and bring about a perfect society that devoid of rancour, enmity and ensure sanity among the citizenry.

     A continuous call for sensitization by the government and stakeholders was made as the participants advocated for an end to Domestic and Sexual Violence and also enjoined victims and survivors to break the culture of silence and escalate the case to the appropriate quarters in order to access justice.

  • Southwest speakers demand state police, power devolution

    Southwest speakers demand state police, power devolution

    The Southwest Conference of Speakers has called for the immediate creation of state police and devolution of powers.

    The conference said doing so would address the hydra-headed insecurity and other socioeconomic challenges facing the country.

    In a communiqué issued at the of their meeting in Ikogosi-Ekiti, the speakers said more power should be given the sub-nationals to further enable them deliver dividends of democracy to their people.

    The communiqué was co-signed by the Conference Chairman and Ekiti State House of Assembly Speaker Adeoye Aribasoye, as well as Speakers Adebo Ogundoyin (Oyo), Olamide Oladiji (Ondo) and Adewale Egbedun (Osun).

    The speakers stressed the dire need for holistic collaborations among the Southwest governors to address the prevailing security challenges in the region.

    Read Also: Southwest speakers demand state police, power devolution

    They also called for increased regional integration efforts to enhance economic growth and development across the six states in the region.

    The communiqué reads: “The Speakers endorse the devolution of power to states, especially in the realm of security, and emphasise the importance of state policing as a means to enhance security and law enforcement at the local level.

    “The Conference calls on the Federal Government to urgently address the rising economic concerns, particularly the shortage of food, and urges citizens to support government efforts in finding lasting solutions to these challenges.

    “The Conference agrees to host a legislative summit to address critical issues affecting the Southwest region and to foster collaboration and cooperation among the legislative assemblies of the Southwest states.

    “We hereby affirm our commitment to these resolutions and pledge to work collectively towards the advancement and prosperity of the Southwest region.”

  • Neglected federal police

    Neglected federal police

    A heart-rending armed robbery experience of a professor friend led us to the police to seek for help only to discover that the police themselves need help. But before the tale about the damning neglect of the police which this column hopes would change under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT), let me share the story of my friend’s encounter with armed robbers which should interest the governments, law enforcement agencies and the general public. 

    My friend, a university professor was mopping up funds from all possible sources to help his son meet the financial requirements to migrate to Canada as a professional. To make things a bit easier, the monies where accumulated into one of his current account which has an internet banking application. According to him, he had planned to do the transaction with the accumulated funds last Friday, but shifted the business to this week’s Monday.

    The professor after working till about midnight went to bed, hoping to rise early in the morning to tidy up his papers. Around 2am, he was rudely woken up, with a gun pointed at him and his wife, by young men most likely in their mid-twenties. They were advised to cooperate, and bring out all the dollars in the house to avoid being hurt. Speaking in his native dialect, he asked the wife lying beside him, whether she did not lock the doors, and she said she did.

    When asked by the robbers what he said to her, he replied he was asking her to calm down and cooperate with them. The robbers numbering about five took time to search through the entire rooms of their children, who have all outgrown the house. While two of the robbers were searching other places, two were in his room interrogating him and searching his room. They asked for his ATM cards, after which they asked for the pin numbers.

    The fifth person with a POS was meticulously reconfirming the pin numbers against the cards, and recording them. Using accounts of the professor’s recent transactions, the robbers made minor transfers to reconfirm the authenticity of the pin numbers. With a few hot slaps, the professor gave out all the correct pin numbers. The robbers moved to his study and after searching for dollars, carried his laptops, and most-maliciously took all the hard discs containing researches and other materials saved in the past 20 years.         

    The robbers who climbed into the compound through the barbed back fence abutting the Festac Town canal, clinically removed the window burglary irons to climb into the house. Around 5am, after a gruelling three hours forced rendezvous, the robbers went out through the back door and the gate abutting the canal, without the house security man and neighbours being aware of their visit. In addition to some cash, ATM cards, wines, wrist watches, the robbers also took along a bag of rice. By the time professor and his wife were able to reach their son few minutes after the robbers left, for him to block the accounts, six million naira had been taken from two accounts.

    Five million was wired from Access Bank which had a limit of one million per day to UBA, and from there to an Opay account. Another one million left UBA to the same UBA account that received the haul from Access. From the professor’s experience, potential victims of armed robbery do not need to have cash at home to be robbed, with the largely untraceable online bankers, without office address, as unaccountable receiver-managers. Dazed and traumatized, he proceeded to the police to lodge a report.

    At the police station, he narrated his ordeal, and a sympathetic head of division told us that the FESTAC canal has become an albatross as a number of robberies have taken place along the axis. When I enquired what the police is doing about the burgeoning axis of crime, he said he has alerted the marine police, but they are hamstrung with no boats to patrol the waters. Further enquiries later about the state of police welfare opened the Pandora box. From multiple sources, I was informed that the police buy their uniforms and other official gears.

    The stations pay their electricity bills, and for alternative power, buy their own generator and fuel it. To pursue the necessary court order for Post No Debit on the indicted accounts, costs have to be incurred, and there are no budgetary allocations. The police lamented the nefarious activities perpetrated by internet robbers with the aid of so-called banks like Opay, which are regarded as online banks. We were told of several atrocities such online banks have helped fraudsters to perpetrate without trace.

    Read Also: Southwest speakers demand state police, power devolution

    The so-called online banks are opened with phone numbers, without the rigorous requirements of personal information associated with opening of bank accounts in registered banks. The online banks operate like bees which sting and fly away. Even before making efforts which would cost the victim some costs, the police were honest that the chances of recovering the monies were slim. They said if it were the regular banks, the recipient can easily be traced, but not an online banker.

    Ruminating over the ongoing political and legislative effort to decentralize the police structure, one wonders whether the fate of the federal police would get better or worse, after. It is strange that 25 years after the return of democratic rule, the police have not fared better that their experience under military rule. Under the military, the common belief is that the police are intentionally undermined, so as to justify the military doing police work and showcasing superiority. They are also supposedly undermined so that they will not be in a position to prevent military coups.

    If there were reasons to undermine the police during the military regimes, what are the reasons for underfunding and undermining the police during the two and half decades of civilian governments, since 1999? It is absolutely ridiculous that policemen have to buy their uniforms, maintain and fuel their operational vehicles, and incur other operational costs, and yet are expected to be efficient in the discharge of their duties. It is perhaps such debasing working conditions that make the policemen prefer to work for the big-men, who give them extra pecks for doing houseboy work.

    While working to gift the nation a decentralized police, the federal government must also fund the existing police reasonably. One wonders the fate of policemen in rural areas, if those in the urban centres are suffering the listed deprivations. While funding is a major constraint, the age-long neglect appears more as a premeditated determination to gift the nation an inefficient police, to allow the criminality amongst the ruling class, whether military or civilian, to fester.

  • Police nab two bank robbery suspects in Rivers

    Police nab two bank robbery suspects in Rivers

    The Rivers State Police Command has arrested two bank robbery suspects allegedly notorious for stealing motorcycles and robbing bank customers of their hard-earned money.

    The suspects, Ikenna Obiko, 30  and Isichukwu Eneji, 24, were arrested at Olu Obasanjo area of Port Harcourt while riding a motorcycle.

    The suspects were said to have  confessed to the crimes, adding that they robbed their victims inside parked cars using master keys.

    They were said to have further admitted to stealing parked motorcycles by using ignition wires to start them.

    The suspects, the police said,  confessed of robbing unsuspecting bank customers of their money after withdrawal at banks and ATM centers.

    The command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that the two suspects were recently linked to a robbery case involving a Noodles vehicle where they took N100,000 from the driver.

    Iringe-Koko said investigations revealed that the two suspects had, within this year, stolen three motorcycles, one of which was currently at the Borokiri Police Station in Port Harcourt.

    She said: “Two of the motorcycles were stolen from where their owners parked them along Choba Road and Eliozu respectively.

    “Both suspects, now in police custody at the Borokiri Police Station, hail from Oguta in Imo State. While Ikenna is married to a wife and two children, Isichukwu has a wife and three children.

    Read Also: 65 CSOs pull out from planned Labour’s nationwide protest

    “Police investigations show that the suspects both relocated to Port Harcourt last year following the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) crisis in Imo State and other parts of the South East.

    “While Ikenna said he was lured into crime by one of his community leaders (now deceased), Isichukwu said his late uncle tutored him in the act of robbery.”

    Iringe-Koko said the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, had directed that the two suspects be charged immediately in an appropriate court of law.

    She said the police boss urged members of the public to continue to be law-abiding and support the police in the fight to rid Rivers State of crimes and criminality.

  • Not only state police

    Not only state police

    It would amount to a significant shift in policy, if the current federal administration settles for the establishment of state police. This is especially so, given the positions of previous regimes on this important but controversial initiative in policing.

    Heightened prospects for the setting up of state police emerged after a meeting last week between President Bola Tinubu and 36 state governors on the state of the economy and lingering insecurity.

     Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris told the media after the meeting: “There is also a discussion around the issue of state police. The federal government and the state governments are mulling the possibility of setting up of state police”.

    Though discussions are still at the infancy stages and will only take shape after more deliberations with stakeholders, it is perhaps the first time the federal government will be showing positive disposition to the setting up of state police. That makes the matter intriguing.

    The initiative is bound to come up with new challenges in view of its linkage with some contentious issues of our federal order. But then, meaningful progress may be hampered if steps are not taken to equally address some structural defects in the system of government we currently operate.

    That is the first challenge. The other has to do with anticipated opposition to the proposition due largely to vested interests and the policy directions of Tinubu’s predecessors on the matter. All these will impact on the level of progress the federal and state governments make on state police.

    But these should not discourage the new initiative because it is an integral component of the federal system of government we currently operate. So, there is nothing strange about the proposition except that our lopsided and badly skewed federal system of government that operates in its most aberrant form has been its greatest obstacle. The lethargy by our leaders in embracing some of the pristine components of federalism is a consequence of this convoluted order. With such disposition, it is little surprising that discussions on state police have overtime been mired in controversy.  The situation is unlikely to be different this time around.

     Before now, former president, Obasanjo had displayed clear preference for community policing. Thus, in 2004, he launched the pilot phase in Enugu. Its objective was to establish a clear departure from traditional policing that was reactive and incident-based; to a problem-solving oriented policing that is proactive, with the community as the cornerstone of policing objectives.

    Community policing also drew the appeal of ex-president, Buhari such that in 2017, the then Inspector General of Police IGP, Ibrahim Idris launched the Community Policing Re-engagement Strategic Guidelines. The guidelines would make for proactive approach to policing and active engagement of local communities to reduce crimes and anti-social behaviours. He also inaugurated a seven-man community management committee to oversee the initiative.

    This policy got further fillip in 2020 when the then IGP, Mohammed Adamu unveiled its structure to involve local communities in crime fighting.  He said at the occasion that community policing was designed to allow communities take responsibility for the project by setting up advisory committees made up of traditional rulers, faith-based organizations, traders, women and youths.

    But even as Buhari showed preference for community policing, he did not hide his strong aversion for the setting up of state police. He had in a television interview in 2022 completely ruled out such initiative. ”State police is not an option”, he said in the wake of calls from Nigerians and some governors for state police and rising insecurity across the country.

    He did not stop there but went on to draw parallels with events at the local governments to show the dire challenges bound to be exacerbated if and when   state police is instituted.

    Hear him: “find out the relationship between the local governments and the state governors. Is the third tier of government getting what it is supposed to get constitutionally? Let the people at the local government tell you the truth; the fight between local governments and the governors”.

    By this analogy, Buhari was apparently drawing attention to the challenge of funding that will ensue when state governors are made to shoulder the responsibility of funding state police. That is not all as it further raises the question of the capacity of the states to fund such initiative without certain adjustments in the revenue allocation formula. These are some of the fundamentals that will be part of the calculations in the final decision to set up state police.

    Community policing and state police are by no means mutually exclusive as both entail some form of decentralization in policing functions. But whereas the federal government retains its unitary control over the police institution through community policing, state police will entail the devolution of some of those powers to the sub-national units.

    That can only be brought about through constitutional amendment that delists the police from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrency of both the federal and state governments. That will also entail clearly spelt out relationship that should exist between the federal and state police, source of funding and safeguards in case of conflict of functions.

    The move will invoke a wide gamut of fundamental changes in the structure and organization of our federal contraption. Because it will entail far-reaching changes, it is not an exercise that can be completed in a hurry. Sufficient time must be given to the initiative so as not to rush into recommendations that may turnout counterproductive.

    There are genuine fears on prospects by state governors to deploy the new initiative to unwholesome means. Their current abuse of the state vigilante services to hound political opponents; greed for power and do-or-die politics do not leave anyone in comfort that state police will not become another monster in the hands of the governors. Some have even predicted anarchy as most of the party thugs in the ruling parties may form the nucleus of the initial intake into state police. Such a flawed recruitment process will ultimately manifest negatively in the harassment of political opponents and non-indigenes especially during elections.

    These fears are real. But they are not sufficient to countermand the imperative of the state police institution. It is true that our politics is rancorous; deadly. But that is because our processes and institutions are weak.

    Read Also: Lagos Police warn intending protesters against road blocks

    Yes, the federal system of government we currently operate is disproportionately strong. But its weaknesses lie in the overconcentration of powers virtually controlling life and death. It is federal in principle but actually unitary in practice. Many of the functions that are performed better by sub-national units in such arrangements were appropriated by the central authority leading to glaring inefficiencies.

    The issue in focus is a case in point. The evidence is clear in the escalating insecurity across the country and the agitation for state police. So it is not just enough to fault state police on account of possible abuses to which state governors are likely to subject that institution. The federal police has not also fared any better in this regard.

    Our concerns should be why our politics is that rancorous, intolerant of opposition; why the bitter competition to capture power by hook and crook? And why is it possible for politicians to subvert the rules of electoral engagement and get away with them? These are the real issues to contend with. The way they are tackled will resolve most of the obstacles that impede economic and political development in the country.

    My take is that our national politics is that deadly and rancorous because of the lure to corner the huge resources at the centre. Prebendalism in the face of the inability of the system to discourage corruption in public offices is the greatest challenge to real progress.  Diluting and whittling down the enormous powers at the centre will reduce the viciousness of our politics.

    Devolution of powers and fiscal federalism will take care of the fears about state police. It calls for restructuring through far-reaching constitutional changes, not just one that isolates state police. The tendency by state governors to appropriate state police for self-serving objectives can be obviated though constitutional safeguards.

  • Police arrests Abuja’s notorious armed robber

    Police arrests Abuja’s notorious armed robber

    Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command attached to Utako Divisional Headquarters have arrested one Attah Godwin ‘m’ 33 of Kogi State in connection with a robbery attack on one Ogo Chukwuemeka ‘m’ 27 of Kuchigoro, Abuja.

    The police said the suspect attacked the victim while he was trying to board a vehicle to Kuchigoro at Berger Mosque, Utako, stabbed him on the chest and shoulder with a knife and dispossessed him of his phones and other belongings.

    A statement on Sunday by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh reads: “The police operatives on patrol, having received the information, in concert with the locals gave the suspects a hot chase and caught up with him. The exhibits were recovered from him and the victim was taken to the hospital to receive medical attention.

    Read Also: NDDC begins distribution of palliatives in Delta

    “While investigation is still ongoing, the Commissioner of Police FCT, CP Benneth C. Igweh psc, mni wishes to reiterate his unflinching commitment to ensure residents of FCT enjoy a safe and enjoyable environment. He equally urges residents to report suspicious activities through the following emergency lines ; 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653, and 08028940883; PCB: 09022222352”.

  • Lagos Police warn intending protesters against road blocks

    Lagos Police warn intending protesters against road blocks

    Ahead of the nationwide protest billed to start on Monday, the Lagos Police Command has issued a warning to participants to avoid impeding free flow of traffic.

    Commissioner of Police (CP) Adegoke Fayoade gave the warning in a statement by the command’s spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, on Sunday.

    He warned that anyone or group of persons found infringing on the rights of other citizens would be dealt with in accordance with the law.

    The statement assured law-abiding residents that necessary measures had been put in place for their safety and those of their properties, adding that there would be free flow of traffic and a peaceful environment for carrying out their respective lawful duties.

    According to the police, the planned strike was capable of grounding commercial activities and obstructing free flow of traffic.

    “The command will live up to its mandate of ensuring that no person or group of persons is allowed to infringe on the fundamental human rights of others, especially the rights to freedom of movement and right to dignity of human persons.

    Read Also: NDDC begins distribution of palliatives in Delta

    “CP Adegoke, therefore, warns all intending protesters that anyone found infringing on the rights of other Nigerians will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

    “CP Adegoke once again enjoins all peace loving Lagosians to go about their lawful duties without fear of harassment or intimidation, reiterating that adequate security assets have been strategically deployed to ensure their safety and security,” it said.

  • Police arrest two bank robbery suspects in Rivers

    Police arrest two bank robbery suspects in Rivers

    The Rivers Police Command has arrested two bank robbery suspects notorious for stealing motorcycles and robbing customers of their hard-earned money.

     The suspects Ikenna Obiko, 30 and Isichukwu Eneji, 24; were reportedly arrested at Olu Obasanjo area of Port Harcourt while riding a motorcycle.

    The suspects were said to have  confessed to the crimes, saying they specialised in robbing victims of their money and property inside parked cars using master keys. 

    They were said to have further admitted to stealing parked motorcycles by using ignition wires to start them and confessed to robbing unsuspecting bank customers of their money after withdrawal at banks and ATM centers. 

    The command’s  Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that the two suspects were recently linked to  robbery case involving an Indomie Noodles vehicle where they took N100,000 from the driver. 

    Read Also: State Police: Policing in other climes with federal systems of government

    Iringe-Koko said investigations revealed that the two suspects had, within this year, stolen three motorcycles, one of which is curently at the Borokiri Police Station in Port Harcourt. 

    She said: “Two of the motorcycles were stolen from where their owners parked them along Choba Road and Eliozu respectively.

    “Both suspects, now in police custody at the Borokiri Police Station, hail from Oguta in Imo State. While Ikenna is married to a wife and two children, Isichukwu has a wife and three children.

     “Police investigations show that the suspects both relocated to Port Harcourt last year following the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) crisis in Imo State and other parts of the South East.

    “While Ikenna said he was lured into crime by one of his community leaders (now deceased), Isichukwu said his late uncle tutored him in the act of robbery”.

    Iringe-Koko said the Rivers Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, had directed that the two suspects be charged immediately in an appropriate court of law. 

    She said the police boss urged members of the public to continue to be law-abiding and support the police in the fight to rid Rivers State of crimes and criminality.

  • Police dislodge gang of ex-convicts turned kidnappers

    Police dislodge gang of ex-convicts turned kidnappers

    The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a gang of unrepentant ex-convicts alleged to have regrouped to start kidnapping and car snatching business.

    The suspects were alleged to have operated along the Mile 3 and Rumuokoro areas of the Ikwerre Road axis, Port Harcourt.

    It was gathered that the gang was formed by Chinonso Emmanuel, 37, inside the Port Harcourt Maximum Security Correctional Facility where its members were remanded for various crimes.

    Emmanuel, who was jailed for attempted murder between 2016 and last November 3, rose to prominence in the penitentiary and became a ‘korofo’ i.e. a hostel leader and used his influence to assemble a group of men who would serve a purpose outside the prison walls.

    Immediately after his release, Chinonso was said to have started executing some criminal plans he made while in detention.

    Under the guise of being a mechanic in Rumuokoro, he began reconnecting with the ex-offenders he had met in prison.

    According to one of the arrested gang members, Onyemachi Samuel, 33, Chinonso used his position to bring favours to those he had plans for. He spoke of a time when he had a skin infection and was stranded in prison, and Chinonso approached him and offered help, giving him a bar of medicated soap to deal with his malady.

    Samuel said he felt indebted to the leader such that when he was released last December, he accepted Chinonso’s offer when he reached out to him.

    Samuel also told the story of another gang member, Emeka.

    Emeka had been sent to solitary confinement for bad behaviour within the prison. While he was there, Chinonso offered him membership of the gang and in exchange, he began sharing his rations with him.

    Another member of the gang in Police custody, Prince Dengo, 27, was imprisoned for gravely injuring a person in a street fight and was released on the 12th of December, 2023.

    Shortly after his release, he was approached by Chinonso around Rumuokoro where he had begun working as a motor park tout popularly called agbero.

    Chinonso, it was gathered, also scouted for recently released ex-offenders. With them, he put together a gang that appeared to be growing in mettle until the Rivers State Police Command quashed them.

    The gang was arrested when they attempted to kidnap one Theresa Anyanwu on January 14.

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    On the day of the operation, they gathered under the Rumuokoro Bridge to develop a strategy on how to identify and kidnap potential victims. They resolved that they would hire a tricycle and use it to follow flamboyant cars discreetly before snatching them from the drivers.

    They spotted Theresa in a Lexus SUV and began trailing her in the hired tricycle. When she got to Woji, they saw an opportunity to swerve in front of her. She stepped on the brakes as they got in front of her, and they proceeded to alight from the tricycle and boarded her car.

    They bundled her into the back of her car as one of them took the wheels and zoomed off, but the victim did not stop fighting them off.

    She managed to open the back door and stuck her leg out. The gang member charged with securing her pulled her back, but she had already drawn considerable attention from onlookers.

    Some commercial tricyclists noticed the commotion as the vehicle passed them and gave a chase.

    The gang noticed they were being followed, abandoned the victim and the car and took to their heels.

    In the confusion that ensued, the gang leader, Chinonso Emmanuel’s phone fell out of his pocket into the victim’s car. The phone was then used to make arrests of the gang leader and other members.

    Recovered from the gang were one machete and two daggers, while a locally made gun they confessed to have acquired recently was still in the custody of a yet to be apprehended member.

  • Police apprehend officers over N30m theft in Abuja

    Police apprehend officers over N30m theft in Abuja

    The police have arrested some officers attached to the Special Tactical Squad in Abuja for extorting the sum of thirty million, three hundred thousand naira (N30,300,000) from a member of the public.

    The incident was brought to the notice of the Force via the X platform.

    Following the arrest, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the commencement of disciplinary proceedings to ensure that justice is served swiftly and decisively.

    The IGP said the disciplinary measures underscore the zero-tolerance stance of the Nigeria Police Force towards any form of misconduct or corruption within its ranks.

    According to a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi yesterday, “the Nigeria Police wishes to reveal and announce that significant progress has been made in apprehending the officers and their accomplices responsible for this unprofessional conduct, as the squad who initially escaped upon commencement of investigations have been arrested and are currently in custody.

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    “The IGP also emphasised the imperativeness that those found to have violated the trust placed in them by the public face the full consequences of their actions, as such behavior not only tarnishes the reputation of the Force but also undermines the collective efforts to maintain law and order in our country.

    “The Nigeria Police Force remains resolute in its quest to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and accountability.

    “As guardians of public safety and the rule of law, we are deeply committed to ensuring that all officers adhere strictly to ethical conduct and demonstrate staunch integrity in the discharge of their duties.

    “The NPF recognises that transparency and accountability are paramount in maintaining public trust and will continue to take decisive action against any misconduct within our ranks”.