The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Police

  • Police parade two NSCDC staff for bunkering

    The Police on Thursday in Abuja paraded two officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for allegedly dealing in illegally refined Petroleum products.

    The police also paraded two other suspects for unlawful possession of firearms, conspiracy and violence during the last River State House of Assembly supplementary election.

    The two NSCDC staff paraded are – Ogah Oviedo and Angel Kilosomemo.

    Items recovered from them include a patrol van belonging to the Corp and 350 litres of illegally refined diesel.

    Briefing journalists in Abuja, the Force Spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, said “the IGP’s Special Task Force on Petroleum and illegal bunkering on March 7 at about 2100hrs while on patrol intercepted a patrol van belonging to the NSCDC loaded with suspected illegally refined Petroleum products along Otuasegha area of Yenagoa.

    “The two suspects volunteered confessional statements admitting to be personnel of the NSCDC attached to critical infrastructure department, Bayelsa State command and that the van belongs to their HOD Lawrence Ndubushi.”

    Moshood noted that the office of the suspects has been informed and the police investigation team is awaiting their response on the case before arraigning the suspects in court.

    Those paraded for electoral violence in Rivers are – Brigg Dinabo and  Harry Omeba  and items recovered from them include two AK 47 rifles, three magazines, 24 rounds of live ammunitions, two expended ammunition shell, 50 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) tags and one Acura Jeep with registration no AFM875FN.

    The Force spokesman added: “On Saturday, February 25, 2017 during the rerun of the Rivers State legislative election, suspected thugs unleashed violence on voters, shooting indiscriminately and thereby hijacked ballot boxes in gross violation of the electoral act.

    “In the process the two suspects were identified and arrested by SARS patrol team at Etche, Rivers State.”

    He said investigation is ongoing to arrest three other suspects who are still at large.

    They are Samuel Nwanosilla, Odiane Princewill and Roland Sekibo.

  • No bomb planted at American Embassy in Lagos – Police

    No bomb planted at American Embassy in Lagos – Police

    The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Fatai Owoseni, on Thursday said there was no bomb planted at the American Embassy in Lagos.

    Owoseni told newsmen that the suspected bag kept in one of the vehicles at the Consular General Office, Victoria Island, only contained medical equipment.

    “We got a call at about 7.40 a.m this morning concerning the strange bag. I immediately dispatched the anti-bomb team, Marine Police and Anti-Terrorist personnel to the scene.

    “The anti-bomb team professionally removed the bag from the vehicle. After scanning the bag, they discovered that all items inside were medical tools.

    “We are, however, investigating the reason why the bag was left there and who is the owner. We don’t want to leave anything to chance.

    “We want to also allay the fears of people in Lagos and the diplomatic communities that there is no cause for alarm. There is no bomb planted at the American Embassy in Lagos.

    “The police in Lagos assured foreigners and citizens of their safety. We are ever ready to live up to our constitutional responsibilities.

    “Since the bag was removed from the embassy, normal activities have resumed,” Owoseni said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items in the bag displayed before newsmen by Owoseni, included bandages, scissors and plaster.

    The content of the bag was taken to anti-bomb office for further investigation. (NAN)

  • Bricklayers, Police collaborate on inspection

    Efforts to eradicate incidents of building collapse in Lagos State has given birth to a collaboration between the Lagos State Bricklayers Association and the Nigeria Police Force, Lagos Command. The partnership involves inspection to building construction sites. This was revealed during a courtesy visit the association paid the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, in his office recently.

    The President of the association, Mr. Abel Kayode, said as a quick solution to the menace, there is the need for setting up a task force of building artisans, backed by the police to visit and inspect sites in their localities. The taskforce, he further explained, would inspect foundation digging, block setting, concrete casting, and the use of bamboo in scaffolding, among others with the aim of arresting the activities of quacks. This collaboration is to avoid harassment and intimidation of artisans that would be involved in the exercise.

    “The frequent collapse of buildings in the state with its attendant loss of lives and properties have always been blamed on bricklayers. But bricklayers have been in existence almost since creation, providing shelter for everyone. Now, with the frequency of building collapse in the country, we are beginning to lose our integrity while quacks dominate our profession and if the nation fails to recognise the role of artisans, infrastructural development will be adversely affected,” Kayode said.

    Owoseni, who was represented at the meeting by CSP Lewi Suleman, said the Nigeria Police Force was in support of the association’s attempt at reducing building collapse in the state, adding that all area commands within the state would be notified.

  • Breaking: Body of drowned medical doctor recovered

    Breaking: Body of drowned medical doctor recovered

    Body of the medical doctor who jumped into the Lagos lagoon last Sunday, Allwell Oji has finally been recovered.

    According to a statement by the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA)  the body was  recovered at about 4.00 p.m on Wednesday by the Marine Police.

    The recovered body was subsequently identified by some of his family, including the driver  in the presence of the Commissioner of Police Lagos State, Mr Fatai Owoseni and will be handed over to the family while investigation continues.

    LASEMA’s General Manager Mr. Adesina Tiamiyu met with the family members to express condolences on behalf of the State Government and declared the search closed.

     

    Details later.

  • Four arrested as Police, NAFDAC smash fake bread syndicate in A’Ibom

    The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) working in collaboration with the Police has smashed a syndicate specializing in producing unwholesome bread with pirated materials in Akwa Ibom State.

    Although the prime suspect, simply identified as Emeka is on the run, no fewer than four persons were arrested when the Police stormed the factory at Ekpemiong Itak community in Ikono Local Government Area of the State.

    Worried by the development, officials of NAFDAC have sealed the depot, carting away hundreds of fake breads, including fake wrappers and labels of other quality breads with which he used as cover to sell his illicit bread.

    The Senior Regulatory Officer (SPO), Mr. Abutu Michael, who led the inspection team on behalf of the head of NAFDAC in the State, Mr. Collins Ogedegbe, admitted that such cases have been rampant in the State.

    “We have been handling these kind of cases in the State”, he said, adding that the agency would stop at nothing to ensure the enforcement of quality control regime on food products in the State.

    With sealing of the place, the NAFDAC SPO said investigation has begun to ascertain whether the company’s operations complied with the regulatory demands of the agency.

    “We are going to check for the company’s name in our documents whether it has been registered; whether it conformed to the regulatory framework”, he explained, adding that if found guilty at the end of investigation, necessary penalties would be slammed on the suspects.

    One of the bread brands faked by the company, Gestric bread, belongs to the former Deputy Governor of the State, Obong Chris Ekpenyong.

    Speaking yesterday on the matter, Ekpenyong recalled that he was moved to investigate when: “people started complaining that the quality of my bread is no longer what it used to be.

    “What we discovered was that this company used the name, labels and wrappers of my bread to produce his fake bread, thereby making customers to believe it is my bread.

    He, therefore, urged the Police to immediately prosecute the suspects, saying: “if effective action was not taken to check the dumping of illicit foods in the country, people will continue to die of ailments from unidentified sources.

    The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in-charge of Ikot Ekpene, Mr. A.S. Bello, who confirmed the incident, said the suspects would be charged to Court.

    He appealed to the civil society to compliment the services of the Police in the task of riding the society of fraudsters and criminal elements by volunteering information suspicious characters in their neighbourhoods.

  • Police yet to recover doctor’s body

    Police yet to recover doctor’s body

    •Another body fished out of lagoon

    Police yesterday fished out a body from the Lagos lagoon, but contrary to expectation it was not that of Dr Allwell Oji
    Oji jumped into the lagoon on Sunday evening and divers have since been searching for his body.
    On learning that what they thought was Oji’s body had been found, people thronged the Marine Police Unit on Marina to catch a glimpse of it.
    It was gathered that the police recovered the body around 10:30am. It was dressed in a blue jean and t-shirt. It was without shoes.
    The skin had paled and started peeling off.
    Onlookers concluded it was the doctor’s because some fishermen in the area said they were not aware of anyone jumping into the lagoon except the doctor.
    Immediately the body was found, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) contacted Mrs. Chinyere Oji for identification. The family’s representatives got to the scene at about 12:30pm.
    But when they were shown the body, they told the officials that Oji was taller than that.
    It was gathered that his driver, Henry Ita, who was brought to the scene, said the clothes his boss wore on Sunday, were different from those on the body.
    The officials then handed over the body to LASEMA, which passed it to officials of State Environment Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU).
    LASEMA General Manager, Adesina Tiamiyu, who was at the scene with Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni, said the search for Oji’s body was still on.
    He urged fishermen, business persons and other Nigerians that ply the Lagos waterways to report any floating body to the Marine Police.
    Tiamiyu said anyone with information about a body on the waterways could also call the Emergency Toll Free Numbers 767 or 112.
    He reiterated that the recovered body was not Oji’s.
    “A body was recovered today (yesterday) from the lagoon; the body was recovered by the state marine office of the Lagos State Police on Awolowo Road. About five members of his family were there with the driver; also, the Commissioner of Police, General Manager of Inland Waterways and other relevant agencies were there. The family members looked at the body and confirmed it was not the body of Dr Oji; the clothes on the recovered corpse did not tally with what Oji was said to have been putting on. The unidentified body was handed over to LASEMA officials and taken away by the State Environment Health Monitoring Unit (LASEHMU),’’ he said.
    According to him, the search for Oji’s body continues while any other investigation that will lead to the identification of the recovered body will be handled by the police.
    Adeniji Adele Divisional Police Officer Ayodele Umujose, a Superintendent (SP), confirmed that investigation would continue since the body was not Oji’s.
    He said: “The family checked and the body wasn’t their son’s, so this means that investigation is still on.”
    Asked about Ita’s fate, the DPO said the driver would be released at the “appropriate time”.
    He said: “The driver has given us his statement. He is still helping us in our investigation. He would be released at the appropriate time.”
    The Nation also learnt yesterday that Oji was suffering from sickle cell anaemia.
    It was learnt that about three months ago, he sat a post-graduate examination but had “a crisis inside the exam hall.”
    The information was shared in a group chat on a social media platform by another doctor who claimed he and Oji were course mates during the post-graduate programme.
    The source said: “Quite unfortunate. I know Dr. Oji very well. We were course mates at a post-graduate course we completed three months ago. He had some health challenges then (seizure disorder in a known sickle cell) and was always alone.
    “His parents gave him the jeep and employed the driver for him. During one of our exams, he sat beside me and had a seizure episode. He quickly signalled me and I raised the alarm. Our exam was delayed by 20mins resuscitating him. That episode brought us closer that’s why I am really shocked.”

  • Police, family bicker over suspect’s death in custody

    Operatives of the Festac Police Division in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos mainland, have been accused of torturing a suspect, Albert Okechukwu, to death.

    Okechukwu, an indigene of Aguleri, Anambra State, was arrested last Friday at Alakija, along the Badagry Expressway.

    He was said to have just come into the country with his relative, Alex Ejimofor from their Port Novo, Benin Republic base, when policemen stopped and accosted them.

    According to the victim’s brother, Onyeka, their phones and laptops were searched by the policemen, who accused them of being fraudsters and attempted to extort them.

    Onyeka said the duo, in their early 20s, rebuffed the policemen and denied parting with money, which got the security agents angry.

    He claimed the policemen descended on the two men, hitting them with batons and gun butts.

    But the police denied the allegation, insisting that the suspects were mobbed by motorcyclists at Alakija for attempting to dispossess one Salisu Abdulahi.

    The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Festac, Olukole Oladeinde, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), told The Nation that policemen only went to the scene to rescue the suspects from mob action, adding that Okechukwu died while he was being rushed to the hospital.

    He said: “It’s untrue that policemen tortured the man to death. That’s what the family is claiming to paint the police bad. What actually happened was that they were being mobbed at Alakija for attempting to steal a motorcycle belonging to one Salisu Abdulahi.

    “The two men were being driven on a motorcycle. From what policemen gathered at the scene, they did something to Salisu and he became unconscious. Then, they wanted to steal his motorcycle.

    “Other motorcyclists at the bus stop noticed what happened and descended on them. A police traffic warden, who was at the scene and tried to mediate, was assaulted. It was the traffic warden that called for reinforcement and policemen from the Area Command went.

    “When they got to the scene, the two suspects had been beaten to a pulp. They were seriously injured but were rescued. While they were being taken away, the mob pelted them with stones. They even stoned policemen too because they said the police would collect money and release them.

    “The suspects were brought to my station and while we were rushing them to the hospital, Okechukwu died. So, how is it policemen that tortured him to death?

    “Their relatives had come to the station, accusing the police of killing him and we have explained what happened to them but they don’t want to accept it. The other suspect has been charged to court because Salisu later came to the station and made official entry.”

    But another relative of the victims who identified himself as Chukwuemeka described as falsehood, claiming that they have been denied access to Ejimofor.

    He said: “This is what the police just came up with to deceive people. We were at the station on Monday and they told us nothing like that happened. They even denied any of our brothers were in their custody and that they haven’t heard the names. But they didn’t know that a policeman was the one who called and told us that Okechukwu was tortured till he died in the police station.

    “We were told that they discovered some things in their phones and laptops which made them suspect they were Internet fraudsters. How can they snatch motorcycle when they don’t know their way around Lagos? What would they have done with the motorcycle? Who would they have sold it to?

    “They have been trying to persuade us to bury the matter but we would follow it up. Now, they have taken Ejimofor to court without telling us. He was charged to Ojo Magistrates’ Court today (Tuesday) but they had claimed he was not in their custody. We want justice.”

  • Police arrest man with fresh woman skull, hands in Lagos

    The police in Lagos have confirmed the arrest of a middle-aged man found in possession of a fresh woman head and two hands at Muwo area of Badagry.

    An eyewitness, Mr Solomon Adube, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Badagry that the suspect was seen carry a sack with blood dripping from it.

    “The man was seen carrying a bag with blood dripping from it but when he was asked what was in the bag, he claimed it was bush meat, saying he had just finished hunting.

    “The people insisted on seeing the bush meat but he didn’t oblige, so we suspected foul play and the bag was collected from him.

    “Upon searching the bag, a head and two hands of a lady was seen in the bag and that was how people descended on him,’’ he said.

    “The timely intervention of policemen from the Area K Command, Morogbo saved the suspect from being lynched by angry mob,’’ Mr Deji Sebonji, another eyewitness told NAN.

    Lagos State Police spokesman, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, told NAN that investigation was underway to ascertain the identity of the victim.

    He added that the matter would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti

     

  • 46 killed in Ile-Ife clash – Police

    The police on Monday said 46 people were killed in recent week clash in some parts of Ile-Ife, Osun State.

    The police also paraded 20 suspects who were directly or indirectly involved in the killing and destruction of property during the fracas.

    The Force, while displaying several gory pictures of some of the casualties in the clash, noted that knives and axes were used to kill some of the victims.

    The Force Spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood, while briefing journalists on Monday, said at least 96 people were taken to Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital for treatment.

    “81 people were treated and discharged while 15 are still on admission and receiving treatment,” Moshood stated.

    Those paraded by the police are – Eluwole Akeem, Eluwole Kuburat, Ayoola Abimbola, Bello Wahab, Prophet Taiwo Fakuwajo, Oba Ademola Ademiluyu, Elufisan Akintoye, Peter Omisope, Adefisan Isaac and Adelekan Kehinde.

    Others are – Elufisan Akintoye, Omisanmi Isaac,  Olarewaju Daniel, Seyi Akinyombo, Adejube Monday, Olarewaju Adebayo, Akanbi Adeyinka, Obimakinde Samuel,  Alhaji Zakariyau Abdulyekini, Bamidele Elusanmi, Jimoh Sakiru, Clement Kehinde, and Clement Kehinde.

    Exhibits recovered from the suspects included knives and axes.

    The Force spokesman added: ” The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, deployed Police Special Intervention Force, comprising five units of the Police Mobile Force, five Cells of Counter Terrorism Unit, Conventional Policemen, Special Anti -Robbery Squad, Intelligence Response Team, Technical Intelligence Unit, SIB, detachment of EOD and Police K9 (Sniffer Dogs Section), with their Headquarters in Ile-Ife, led by the Commissioner of Police in charge of PMF, Force Headquarters, Abuja.

    “The operation covered the entire Ile-Ife and environs, and other flash/trouble spots in Osun State, and was successfully executed leading to the arrest, detention and investigation of 38 suspects out of which 20 suspects were found culpable for direct and indirect participation in the killing of innocent people, maiming and destruction of properties of the victims worth millions of naira. They will be prosecuted on completion of investigation,

    “The remaining 18 suspects have been released unconditionally for lack of prima facie evidence against them.”

  • Police review security strategies in Edo

    Edo State Police Commissioner Haliru Gwandu and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in-charge of Zone 5, Abubakar Adamu Mohammed, have reviewed security strategies, following killings.

    Four persons including a pastor, a businesswoman and an ex-council chairman were killed in the state within three days.

    Addressing reporters after a meeting, Mohammed said they discussed the situation and how to tackle it.

    He said the recruitment of 10,000 policemen would solve manpower shortage.

    His words: “Situations are dynamic. Crime is dynamic; the strategy we put in place has to change. I sat down in police commissioner’s office and we discussed the crime situation and strategies to overcome it. We have discussed strategies to combat crime.”