The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Police

  • Slain woman’s son accuses police of shielding ‘killers’

    Slain woman’s son accuses police of shielding ‘killers’

    •’We’re interrogating our personnel’ 

    Family of slain yam cake (Ojojo) seller, Kudirat Adebayo, yesterday accused the police of attempts to shield their men who allegedly killed her.

    The woman was hit on the head by stray bullet from policemen who were chasing some internet fraudsters popularly known as Yahoo Boys at Mushin tollgate on Tuesday evening. She died on the spot.

    Her son, Abayomi alleged that the Olosan Divisional Police Officer (DPO) is trying to exonerate his men of the alleged dastardly act.

    Abayomi, who is Lagos State Coordinator for Christian Youth Association of Nigeria (CYON), said the DPO told him that he cannot pinpoint the policeman who fired the fatal shot.

    The DPO, he claimed, said the deceased might have been killed by the criminals’ bullet.

    He said he was told to await the result of an autopsy that would be conducted on his mother, adding that the DPO said she might have died of heart attack and not bullet wounds.

    Abayomi said:  “When we got back to the station the DPO told us he could not give us the true picture as he was still investigating. He said he could not pinpoint the person who shot the gun. He said the autopsy would indicate what killed my mother. The policeman who shot my mother is popularly known as Chiboy and he was with a guy called Prince.

    ”The DPO admitted they were his boys but said he could not give us details until they remove the bullet in my mum’s body and confirm it was that of policemen. The mortuary management said the autopsy will take three weeks. They also said I have to sign to pay N1000 daily for accommodation. The DPO has changed the case. He said it was hooligans that were fighting but there was no fight at all.”

    Reliving his last moments with his late mother, Abayomi said: “I was at her shop around 3pm but she had not prepared her Ojojo. She said she felt weak and was not ready to fry. So I told her I was hungry and she said I should go home that my sibling had cooked. I left there and went for a meeting close by. I was still at the meeting when I heard gun shots. ”We felt it was from a party of Yahoo guys and didn’t bother. I did not know my mother had been gunned down. They said the shooter was attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) at Olosan Police Station and his duty was to arrest Yahoo guys. As he was chasing the guys, he shot sporadically and killed my mum.

    ”My last word to her was that I would be back. I had finished eating and was going back to her. I even told her I was insolvent and she said I should see her when going to collect some Ojojo for her grandchildren.  My children were in church then if not they would have been with her on holiday and might have been hurt as well.”

    Abayomi appealed for justice, noting that he neither has the resources nor voice to fight alone. He said: “My case is like a crippled person that wants to clap.  How do I do it if I don’t know people who can help me fight for justice? I don’t have money. My youngest sibling is in SS2, the other one just finished shoemaking training and is trying to gather money for freedom.

    ”So, the burden is on my neck. Do I want to train my siblings or sponsor a case without back-up? I am a social media person and I help people with their own cause with some results. So this happening to me is like a dream I don’t expect. I believe social media and the press can help me fight this. I don’t know what to do.”

    Salamoni Akeem, an aide of former House of Representatives member, Kako Are, who visited the bereaved family yesterday, said: “We have been together for over 10years now. We were together with the mother even on Friday at the exact spot she was shot dead. I even tried to buy Ojojo from her. I sent a proxy because if she knew I was the buyer, she wouldn’t let me pay.

    ”She prayed for us before I left that night. I was so shocked when I got a call around 9:30pm that she was shot. One of the reasons we are here is to get to the bottom of this thing and stop this attitude of our policemen. I still believe we can trust our policemen but we need to remove the bad eggs among them first. If they see a culprit that they need to apprehend, that doesn’t warrant them to be shooting sporadically in the midst of innocent lives struggling to survive.

    ”Our policemen need orientation. Many people have tagged Mushin as a den of hooligans, which I don’t believe is true. The citizens need to be protected at all costs and not harassed or threatened.”

    The command’s spokesman, Olarinde Famous-Cole, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) said: ”We are investigating, trying to get behind the scene information. We are trying to know the best way to handle the matter. We are currently interrogating the policemen allegedly involved and have launched a manhunt for the suspects.

    ”We cannot say for sure what happened and who was involved until the completion of investigation. The matter has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) at Panti, Yaba. You would get details as soon as we have concrete facts.”

  • 33,037 police officers promoted in nine months

    33,037 police officers promoted in nine months

    33,037 officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force have been promoted since the inception of the administration of the Ibrahim Idris as the Inspector General of Police.

    Details of those so far promoted was revealed on Wednesday by the Force Spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood during the decoration of twelve newly promoted officers at the Force headquarters in Abuja.

    Giving details of the promotion in the Force in the last nine months, Moshood : “Seven Deputy Inspector General of Police  (DIGs) were promoted, 27 Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGs), 40 Commissioners of Police  (CP), 86 Deputy Commissioner of Police  (DCP), 118 Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACPs), 12 Chief Superintendents of Police,785 Superintendent of Police, 3,144 DSPs Deputy Superintendents of Police  and 191 AssistantSuperintendent of Police  (ASP).

    Others affected belong to the rank of Inspectors and Rank and File.  They are; 7,628 Inspectors, 20,667 Sergent, and 332 Corporals.”

    Those however affected in the latest promotion are eleven officers who were elevated from the rank of  Deputy Commissioner of Police  (DCP) to the rank of Commissioners of Police while one was elevated from the rank of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).

    The officers include; CP John Amadi, CP Undie Adie, CP Olugbenga Adeyanju, CP Patrick Garba, CP Joseph Agaji, CP Akinpelu Olajumoke, CP  Attabor Aromeh, CP Augustine Ezechukwu, CP Ududo Ududo, CP Busari Aramide, CP Johnson Kokumo and ACP Akinbayo Olasoji.

  • Idris warns police officers on unlawful arrest, detention

    The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has warned police officers against unlawful arrests and detention of innocent Nigerians.

    Idris gave the warning at a meeting with Commissioners of Police and above in Abuja on Wednesday.

    He directed all commissioners of police in the states to ensure close supervision of operations of all units in their commands to avoid this unpleasant situation.

    “You should ensure close supervision of operations of all units stationed in your commands,” he said.

    Idris said all police units in the state were under the supervision of the commissioner who supervised activities of the command.

    He expressed concern over the conduct of some police officers who were arresting suspects and detaining them without recourse to thorough investigation.

    Idris attributed the recent achievements recorded by the police to the synergy between it and other security agencies in the country.

    “Police is having a robust synergy with other security agencies, this is seen in operation jointly carried out by the police and the security agencies,” he said.

    He said such joint operations had resulted in the arrest of 18 suspects and recovery of cache of arms in Benue.

    NAN

     

     

  • Lagos task force arrests fake army officer at Lekki

    Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) has nabbed a fake Nigeria Army officer, Mr. Usman Yaya who obstructed the enforcement unit of the Agency from performing their legitimate duties around Lekki, Lagos
    The Chairman of the Task Force, Olayinka Egbeyemi, a Superintendent of Police, disclosed that the fake Nigeria Army Officer was nabbed by the enforcement team of the Agency Monday evening during the demolition of shanties accupied by miscreants and hoodlums around White Sand School Lekki, Lagos.
    According to a release signed by the Public Relations Officer of the task force, Adebayo Taofiq, the Chairman disclosed that the suspect obstructed the enforcement team and beat-up one para-military officer attached to the Agency.
     Egbeyemi stated that the suspect who impersonated as a Staff Sergeant in the Nigeria Army wore an Army cap on a mufty dress.
    He stated further that after diligent investigations it was discovered he was a fake Nigerian Army officer who has been terrorising innocent members of the public around the area.
    The Chairman enjoined members of the public to stop impersonating as security personnel as everybody has equal right before the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
    The suspect has been chargef to court on the directives of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni.
    The suspect, Yaya  aged 27yrs from Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State confessed that he stole the Nigeria Army cap from his brother at Abuja.
    He confessed further that since he came to Lagos in February, 2017 becausehe does not have any money left on him he decided to be wearing the Nigeria Army cap to extorts money from innocent members of the public particularly commercial buses plying Victoria Island to Lekki every evening.
    He claimed that it was his brother, a Staff Sergeant with the Nigeria Army, whom he lived with at Abacha Barracks in Abuja that owns the cap.
     Yaya said he was staying with his friend one Jona Johnson around White Sand School, Lekki, Lagos
    He however pleaded with the government to temper justice with mercy as he is ready to stop the illegal dealings and return the Nigeria Army cap to his brother at Abuja.
    A commercial bus driver who simply identified himself as ‘Gani’ for security reasons said Yaya and his friend have been terrorising them along Lekki-Epe Express Way for about a month now.
    Gani a commercial bus driver said they collect N100 each from every commercial bus plying the area every evening.
  • N20m damage against police

    N20m damage against police

    An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ikere-Ekiti yesterday awarded N20 million damage against the police for the arrest, illegal detention, torture and brutality of a 51-year-old woman, Mrs. Sola Aregbesola.
    Mrs. Aregbesola was brutalised by some police officers attached to Ilawe Ekiti Police Station in Ekiti Southwest Local Government Area in October.
    The Ilawe-Ekiti resident was detained for 72 hours at Ilawe Police Station over an issue that bordered on a love affair between her husband and another woman.
    Justice Isaac Olusegun Ogunyemi also awarded another N250,000 cost against the police, which covers the litigation expenses.
    Justice Ogunyemi said: “Considering the preponderance of evidence before this court, I declare the actions of the police against the plaintiff as illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional.
    “I award a N20 million damages together with another N250,000 covering the litigation expenses against the police.”
    The judge cautioned the police, saying “they must exercise restraint in their actions as enforcers of the law”.

  • Police need support – Idris

    The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, on Monday said the police need support in order to address the security challenges in the country.

    Idris stated this when German Ambassador to Nigeria, Bernhard Schlagheck, donated three Toyota Hilux vehicles presented by his home government to the Police at the Force headquarters in Abuja.

    The German government also disclosed its readiness to train more officers of the Nigeria Police Force.

    Speaking after the vehicles were handed over to the police, Idris said: “This is a show of the partnership between the police and the German Government.

    “The gesture is commendable, because they have been involved in improving our training schools and they are doing a good job by supporting us and ensuring that we provide the best training and good atmosphere.”

    “We need more support because Nigeria Police Force is a big organization. We are over 300,000 in terms of strength, spread over the length and breadth of Nigeria and we obviously need support from our foreign partners, friends and from other agencies of government in Nigeria.”

  • Police confiscates N4.6m worth of  Indian-hemp in Jigawa

    Police confiscates N4.6m worth of  Indian-hemp in Jigawa

    Police in Jigawa state on Monday arrested two persons and confiscated substance suspected to be Indian-hemp valued at over N4.6 million.

    This was disclosed by the state’s police commissioner, Mr Rasheed O Akintunde while parading the suspects to news men in Dutse Monday.

    The suspects are Sunday Lawrence, 26 and Shu’aibu Abdullahi, 27.

    Mr Rasheed O Akintunde explained that “On 31st of last month (March) at about 12:15am, a police patrol team at Malam Madori local government area of the state intercepted a vehicle with registration XB 572 AKK along Malam Madori – Yobe highway”.

    According him Sunday Lawrence is an indigen of Kaduna state residing in Kwanar Ganduje in Kano and Shu’aibu Abdullahi of Gashuwa, Yabe state.

    The police boss added that the suspected Indian-hemp was rapped and celled like a books, “Surprisingly, 462 kilograms of a substances recovered in the vehicle. The case will be transferred to National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation”.

    Paraded alongside with suspected drugs traffickers include two suspected kidnappers who robbed one Alhaji Umaru Adamu of Kawada Fulani settlement his motorcycle, handset and kidnapped his wife Hauwa Alhaji Umaru.

    He added that “Alhaji Umaru Adamu reported to the case at Gwaram police station, the police swung in to action and arrested two person rescued the captive and recovered the stolen items.

    Akintude maintained that “Jigawa is relatively peaceful, the nature of cases recorded in March as the command is proactive in tackling any perceived security problem.

     

  • Police confirms foiled suicide attack on Maiduguri

    The police in Maiduguri, Borno State, have confirmed the attempted suicide attack on Maiduguri by two suicide bombers.

    Police spokesperson Victor Isuku said only the bombers died.

    He said: “Today, at about 04.38hrs, two male suicide bombers detonated their Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) by Bukar Gujari filling station in Muna Garage, Maiduguri, killing themselves alone. A truck was partly damaged.

    “Also at Dusuma village in Jere council, a suicide bomber detonated his IED almost at the same time, killing himself. One person was injured.”

  • Police confirms foiled suicide attack in Borno

    Police confirms foiled suicide attack in Borno

    The Police in Maiduguri, Borno State have confirmed the death of two suicide bombers near a fuel station in the state capital.
    The incident according to the Borno Police Public Relations Officer DSP Victor Isuku, the two bombers only killed themselves without causing any harm to the community apart from a nearby truck which was partly damaged.
    The statement read; “Today, at about 0438hrs, two male suicide bombers detonated IED strapped to their bodies by Alh Bukar Gujari Filling station in Muna Garage area, Maiduguri killing themselves alone. A truck was partly damaged.”
    “Also at Dusuma village in Jere LGA , a suicide bomber detonated IED strapped on him almost at the same time , killing himself, while one person was injured,” the Police said.

  • CP to officers: Stop demanding money for bail

    The Commissioner of Police in Kano State, Rabiu Yusuf, has warned officers and men against demanding for money or any form of favour before granting bail to suspects.

    Yusuf also cautioned policemen against illegal investigation of cases, unlawful detention of suspects and prolonged detention, saying they should respect human rights in the course of all investigations.

    The police commissioner spoke at a lecture and parade with officers and men working at State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Divisional Crime Officers and Investigation Police Officers (IPOs) in the state.

    Yusuf, according to a statement issued by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Magaji Majiya, said the era of bribery and corruption was over in the police circle.

    “Nobody should accept or demand money or any form of favour for bail,” Yusuf said.

    “Any senior police officer found engaging in corrupt practices will be queried and sent to the Force Headquarters for disciplinary action.

    “Inspectors and rank and file found wanting will be sanctioned appropriately.”

    He urged them to exhibit professionalism and diligence during investigation by collating all relevant evidences and witnesses and forward the case files to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for Legal advice where applicable.

    NAN