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Tag: Police

  • BREAKING: Police, judicial workers clash at Osun High Court as sacked CJ Ojo resumes office

    BREAKING: Police, judicial workers clash at Osun High Court as sacked CJ Ojo resumes office

    There was a clash between policemen and striking judicial workers at the entrance of Osun State High Court, Oke-Fia on Wednesday, November 22, over the the embattled Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Ojo.

    The protest by judicial workers continued on Wednesday against the embattled Chief Judge after their Monday picketing over allegations of highhandedness and withholding of their wardrobe allowances.

    The clash unfolded as tensions escalated over the ongoing issues surrounding Justice Ojo.

    A crisis ensued when the embattled CJ, Justice Ojo resumed her office and the leadership of the union kicked against it, hence they attempted to harass her and forced her out of office.

    However, the security operatives guiding her resisted it, hence they shot tear gas at the workers who attempted to assault her.

    Read Also: Inspector dies as soldiers, officers clash at Adamawa Police headquarters

    The judicial workers led by the chairman of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Osun State branch, Comrade Gbenga Eludire advanced to the office of CJ to forcefully eject her but they resisted.

    Comrade Eludire declared an indefinite strike over the clash.

    Details shortly…

  • Inspector dies as soldiers, officers clash at Adamawa Police headquarters

    Inspector dies as soldiers, officers clash at Adamawa Police headquarters

    The Adamawa Police Command headquarters in Yola was attacked in the early hours of Wednesday.

    This followed a rift between police operatives and their military counterparts that started in the late hours of Tuesday, according to details obtained by The Nation. 

    A police inspector, Jacob Daniel, died in the course of the clash, which started at a check point around Target Junction in Jimeta and culminated in the attack on the police headquarters within the same Jimeta district of Yola.

    Yola residents woke up on Wednesday to speculations about the apparent ‘fight’ between the police and military, mostly the attack on the police headquarters. 

    But confirmation was not coming as neither the Police nor the military was returning phone calls and text messages sent to them.

    Residents close to the police headquarters reported sporadic gunshots, claiming soldiers that came with a patient were denied admission at the Police Clinic near the Police headquarters. 

    The soldiers reportedly proceeded to the headquarters to vent their anger.

    A resident of the Command headquarters neighborhood said fierce sound of gunshots which lasted nearly 30 minutes distorted the peace of the night.

    Reacting on Wednesday morning,  the Police Command confirmed the clash between its operatives and military men. 

    Adamawa Police spokesman SP Suleiman Nguroje, said Commissioner of Police, CP Afolabi Babatola, affirmed what he described as “the recent conflict between Police and Military Officers” at a  part of Jimeta called Target Junction, from where it escalated with the attack on the police headquarters elswehere in Jimeta.

    According to the statement, the conflict at Target Junction “resulted in exchange of fire and brutal attack on the Police Facility (command headquarters) and killing of Inspector Jacob Daniel.”

    The statement said the CP had ordered an immediate investigation into the matter with a view to ensuring peace and justice.

    Read Also: Police warn protest sponsors over impeachment moves

    It added:  “The CP warned that attacks on all security officers in the line of duty would no longer be tolerated under whatever guise, as the Command holds the lives of all security personnel sacrosanct, and such unwarranted  conflict would be strictly treated in accordance with extant laws.” 

    Commander of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Brig General Gambo Mohammed, said his men acted to rescue one of their officers taken away by police operatives.

    The Commander, giving the perspective of the military in the fracas, said on phone: “Police shot at our soldiers at a checkpoint. A soldier was injured and they (Police) went and hid him. The soldiers went to rescue the soldier they (police) shot and took away. They (Police) shot at us so they too (soldiers) fired back.”

  • Police warn protest sponsors over impeachment moves

    Police warn protest sponsors over impeachment moves

    Ondo Police Command has vowed to deal with elements that want to disrupt the peace in the State.

    It said it has uncovered that some political elements were bent on disrupting the peace of the State through concerted efforts and mobilization of unsuspecting youths of the state.

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    The warning by the police is not unconnected to the planned protest by supporters of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and his embattled Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

    Ondo Police spokesman, SP Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, in a statement, said specific reports revealed that sponsors sought to cause mayhem with a view to embarrass the state for certain selfish ends.

    “The State Police Command therefore, warn such elements within the State to retrace their steps or be made to face the wrath of the law, while assuring the law abiding citizens of their safety as they approach the yuletide season,” the statement reads.

  • Police arraign two for theft in Ekiti

    Police arraign two for theft in Ekiti

    The Ekiti State Police Command yesterday arraigned two persons – Emmanuel Chukwuebuka (23) and Bayode Olufemi (28) – at an Ado-Ekiti Magistrate Court for alleged theft.

    The defendants were brought before Magistrate Bankole Oluwasanmi for allegedly stealing building materials and a generator worth N720,000.

    Police prosecutor, Inspector Akinwale Oriyomi, told the court that the defendants, on November 12, about 11am, in Ado-Ekiti, conspired to commit felony to wit, stealing.

    Oriyomi alleged that the defendants ‘on the same date, time and place within the magisterial district, did steal white cement, 70kg of filler and Tiger generator worth N720,000, property of Durojaye Emmanuel.

    Read Also: Ekiti disburses N150m gratuities to 75 LG pensioners

    “The offence is punishable under sections 421 and 302 (1)(a) of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State 2021,” he said.

    Counsel to the defendants, Adunni Olanipekun, urged the court to grant her clients bail in the interest of a fair hearing, saying they would not jump bail. She assured that credible surety would be provided.

    Magistrate Oluwasanmi granted them bail of N80,000 with one surety each and adjourned the case till January 17, 2024.

  • How PDP lost election in Ogun for not bribing INEC, police – Obasanjo

    How PDP lost election in Ogun for not bribing INEC, police – Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost the 1998 local government election in Ogun state because he turned down plans by the party to bribe the police and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Obasanjo was a member of the PDP from its inception in 1998, he rose to become president of Nigeria on the ticket of the party between 1999 and 2007, Board of Trustees member, and remained till the build-up to the 2015 general elections when he publicly tore his membership card on 16th February 2015 in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.

    Recalling the 1998 electoral defeat of the PDP in his home state, the elder statesman said party leaders of the party had notified him that a certain amount of money had been arranged to be given to the police and INEC in connection with the election, but he rejected the proposal on the supposition that that INEC personnel and policemen are government workers who earn steady monthly salaries.

    The former president revealed this at the high-level consultation on ‘Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy in Africa’ which began on Monday, November 20, at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta.

    Read Also: Terrorism: Why Nigeria must reduce over-reliance on foreign military hardware – Badaru

    Obasanjo said he is not always comfortable with the phrase, ‘Nigerian factor’, when discussing democracy and other issues affecting development, noting that he came across the ‘Nigerian factor’ slang when the nation held the first local government election and his party (PDP) lost because politicians blamed him for the loss due to his unwillingness or refusal to take cognizance of the Nigerian factor while planning for the election.

    He insisted that the Western liberal democracy being practised in Africa has not given a thought to human nature and the African situation when foisting it on Africans, asserting that a hungry man will sell his vote for just N1000.

    He recalled: “When things go wrong, you said the Nigerian factor. The first thing I learnt in politics was this thing I called the Nigerian factor. In 1998, we had the first local government election. We had parties, and here in Abeokuta, we met in my office and they came up and said, ‘look, this is money for INEC, money for police.’ At a stage I said, ‘what nonsense! Is police not being paid, and INEC too?’

    “They said ‘that’s how we do it. I said ‘you cannot do that.’ So, they didn’t do that. And of course, we lost all the local governments. We lost all. And then they came to me and said, ‘Baba, you see? If you had allowed us to do it the way we used to do it, we would have won.’ m. And I felt guilty.

    “During the next election which was State Assembly, I just stayed in my house. I said ‘well, do whatever you want to do, I will not be part of it’. So, I didn’t even go. But, the result was the same. One of the people who got money didn’t even distribute it to where he was supposed to distribute it.

    “When you are hungry, whatever anybody tells you cannot go in. Poverty is a great enemy of democracy. Ignorance or lack of education is a great enemy of democracy. And we seem to be deliberately fomenting poverty and lack of education.”

  • Nigerians expect magic from ill-motivated police force, says IGP

    Nigerians expect magic from ill-motivated police force, says IGP

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on Tuesday, November 21, said that he inherited a police force that was virtually abandoned and suffered neglect over the years with ill-motivated personnel.

    The IGP, who spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives while participating in the sectoral debate, said despite the lack of motivation and operational facilities, Nigerians will not accept any excuse for failure but expect adequate performance from them.

    He said police personnel were operating in a very difficult environment as a result of the neglect they have suffered over the years, especially in the area of inadequate manpower and operational facilities.

    He said the police has almost 6000 divisional police headquarters across the country with each requiring a minimum of four operational vehicles, adding that while some have operational vehicles, many of such stations cannot boost a single operational vehicle.

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    He said while the United Nations’ recommendation is for one police to about 40 persons, the Nigerian police can only boost 1000 people to one policeman which is grossly inadequate, adding that the criminals in the country are aware of the handicap of the police force.

    He said: “Unfortunately, the citizens are not interested in any excuse for lack of performance by the police. They want us to perform and protect them and we are ready to do that. But we need your support.

    We need a well-motivated, well-educated, trained, and inspired workforce. In spite of the challenges we have, we are doing our best. But, there is no adequate funding because no agency can perform above available resources.

    He said the police have made several arrests, while some of those arrested are being prosecuted, but was quick to add that arrest alone cannot end acts of criminalities.

    He said: “No amount of arrest will stop criminalities. You arrest 100 today, and by tomorrow, 200 are emerging. What we need is interagency collaboration.”

    Details shortly…

  • Retirement directive unsettles adamant police officers

    Retirement directive unsettles adamant police officers

    There is anxiety in the police over plan to enforce the rule on mandatory retirement by officers.

    Those affected are officers above 60 years and those who have spent 35 years in the service.

    They are expected to send their letters of retirement to the appropriate police commands, according to a circular by Inspector General Kayode Egbetokun.

    However, the affected over-aged officers are trying to resist the move to enforce the order.

    The Police Service Commission  (PSC), which has frowned at the officers’ resistance to retirement, said it is contrary to service rules.

    There was apprehension among the officers, following the issuance of the internal memo by the Inspector-General that  the over-aged officers  should  proceed on retirement.

    Egbetokun said the names of the affected officers will   be published soon.

    In the memo circulating online, Egbetokun ordered police formations and commands to extract letters of retirement from  officers who are due for retirement, but are reluctant to leave.

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    The memo reads: “Cooperating with other government bodies in compliance with the directive of the honourable chairman, Police Service Commission, the IGP directs and draw the attention of all members of the force to the emerging and disturbing trend in the Nigeria Police Force wherein officers upon attainment of 35 years in service or 60 years of age refuse to proceed on retirement.

    “This is contrary to the provisions of the public service rule (PSR) 020810 i & ii which provides that the mandatory retirement age for all grades in the service shall be 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service no officer shall be allowed to remain in service after attaining the retirement of age of 60 or 35 years of pensionable service whichever is earlier all actions taken by the said officers for the Nigeria police are null and void as a result of expiration of service duration accordingly you are to immediately extract a letter of voluntary retirement from such officers.

    “The police authorities need to publish all officers that have violated their service retirement age.”

    The Head, Press and Public Relations of PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, who confirmed the circular, said the memo is authentic. 

    He added: “Those that are due for retirement, the IGP has said they should write and leave the service.”

  • Appeal Court Judgment: Police uncover plot to stage violent protest in Kano

    Appeal Court Judgment: Police uncover plot to stage violent protest in Kano

    The Nigerian Police yesterday said it has uncovered a plan by some political parties in Kano state to violently protest the Appeal Court judgment which upheld Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf‘s sack from office.

    Kano State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Usaini Gumel, said the plan is to enter the streets in form of a protest to the court ruling with the intention of shutting down the state in an action that may result in violence.

    He urged residents to be law abiding and report any suspicious movement, person(s) or item(s) they come across to the nearest police station or police emergency phone numbers.

    The commissioner, in a statement by the police spokesman, Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said the party supporters were using unconventional media platforms to mobilise people for the riot.

    The Court of Appeal in Abuja had on Friday upheld the nullification of the election of Governor Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) by the state election petition tribunal.

     The State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had, in its judgment of September 20 declared Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the duly elected governor of Kano state.

    Before the judgment in September, there was anxiety in the state as the sacked Commissioner of Lands and Physical Planning, Adamu Kibiya, threatened to kill the judges if their verdict would not be in favour of Yusuf.

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    Thus, Police Commissioner Gumel, working with the military and other heads of security agencies in the state, said he has been deploying personnel and equipment to identified strategic locations in the state to ensure the security of lives and property and forestall any attempt to cause disturbance or breakdown of law and order because of the governorship election legal battle.

    Gumel alerted that in spite of his efforts, political party fanatics were plotting to stage a violent protest against the latest judgment.

    He, however, warned that whoever attempts to disrupt the peace in Kano State will be arrested and punished.

    Gumel reminded that prior to the appeal court ruling, he invited the leaderships of NNPP and APC to the Kano State Police Command where they signed a peace accord on Thursday, November 16.

    “The objective of the peace accord was to maintain harmony and ensure that the political landscape in Kano State remained peaceful, irrespective of the judgment’s outcome,” he said.

  • Recruitment: Police turn down 190,741 applicants

    Recruitment: Police turn down 190,741 applicants

    • Lagos, Bayelsa, Southeast states shun job offer

    About one-third of those who applied to join the police in the ongoing recruitment process have been rejected.

    The Police Service Commission (PSC) said yesterday that 190,741 of the 547,774 applicants were dropped for failure to meet conditions such as age, inappropriate credentials and inadequate physical fitness.

    The nation’s commercial capital, Lagos, Southeast states and oil-rich Bayelsa, the smallest state, failed to show interest in the police job, to the disappointment of Chairman of PSC, former Inspector-General of Police Solomon Arase.    

    Arase, according to a statement by PSC spokesman Ikechukwu Ani, urged Southeast youths to change their indifference to Police work, adding that embracing anti-government criminal gangs will not lead them anywhere.

    He urged them to be concerned about what would be the fate of the region in future, warning that no development can thrive in terror-ravaged communities.

    Arase said the Commission would ensure that the recruitment is strictly based on defined criteria of merit and justice.

    Read Also: Court verdict: Police warn against disruption of peace in Plateau

    On the contrary, states in the North have a huge number of applicants.

    According to the statistics made available by the PSC, Kaduna State with 40,272 tops the list. Anambra is in the last spot with 1,664 applicants. 

    Adamawa State is second with 36,398, and Borno is third with 32,048. 

    Benue with 31,122 is fourth, Katsina with 30,202 is fifth, Bauchi with 30,604 is sixth and Kano with 30,004 is seventh.

    Ebonyi with 2,132 applications is next to Anambra from the rear, followed by Lagos with 2,324 applicants. 

    Bayelsa is fourth from the rear with 2,651 while Abia has 2,796 and fifth from the rear.

    Following the expiration of the six-week mandatory recruitment period specified by the Federal Character Commission, the portal, which opened on October 15, will close on Sunday. 

    Shedding light on the recruitment, Ani said in the statement that “of the 547,774 applicants, 358,900 were successful and have qualified for the next round of the recruitment, which include the physical, credentials, medicals and strict background checks of the applicants.”

    Ani added: “A total of 84,606 applicants were rejected for being overage. Applicants are expected to be between the ages of 18 and 25.”

    But he did not give the figures of those rejected for other reasons

    Arase expressed his satisfaction with the number of applications already received.

    He noted that the youths have decided to show incredible interest in pursuing a career in the Nigeria Police, adding that it augurs well for the “new police we are building.”

    It is not clear, however, whether the PSC will stick to the original plan of recruiting 10,000 constables per state given that many states do not have applicants up to that number.

  • Police arrest killer-suspect of poly student

    Police arrest killer-suspect of poly student

    Kwara State Police Command said it has arrested one person in connection with the murder of a female student of Federal Polytechnic, Offa.

    The deceased, Toyin Bamidele, was last Thursday allegedly killed by suspected cult members in front of her off campus home in Offa.

    Police Commissioner Victor Olaiya said: “One suspect has been apprehended in connection with the murder of the student. He is helping the police in their investigation.”

    Read Also:Court verdict: Police warn against disruption of peace in Plateau

    Olaiya said the command “received information on November 16, 2023 to the effect that an HND 1 student of the institution, Toyin Bamidele, living at Dapson Extension Area, Offa, aged 23, studying Food Technology, was found lying in a pool of blood on the premises of her rented apartment.