The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Police

  • South African police disperse anti-migrant rally with rubber bullet

    South African Police used rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse anti-immigration demonstrators and their opponents in the country’s administrative capital of Pretoria, local media reported on Friday.

    The presidency called for calm, however, the newspaper Times Live reported that a student caught between police and protesters had been injured.

    Before the interventions, hundreds of demonstrators had been locked in a stand-off with migrants, both sides armed with rocks and sticks, broadcaster eNCA reported.

    The rally followed the reported looting of dozens of foreign-owned shops in Pretoria earlier this week.

    More than 130 people were arrested within 24 hours, police representative Khomotso Phlahlane said in a press conference broadcast live by eNCA.

    Tensions between migrants and locals have been reported in several communities, the presidency said in a statement, calling for restraint.

    “It is wrong to brandish all non-nationals as drug dealers or human traffickers. Let us isolate those who commit such crimes and work with government to have them arrested, without stereotyping and causing harm to innocent people,’’ the statement quoted President Jacob Zuma as saying.

    The Nelson Mandela Foundation criticized “the growing behaviour of `othering’ among Africans,’’ adding that the country’s late first democratic president had firmly condemned xenophobia.

    South Africa, which has an unemployment rate of about 25 per cent, has seen sporadic violence against migrants from other African countries, who are accused of taking jobs.

    Attacks against migrants claimed nine lives in April 2015.

    The regional superpower had about 2.4 million migrants in 2013, the largest number in southern Africa, according to the International Organisation for Migration. (dpa/NAN)

  • INEC report on Rivers rerun and police

    INEC report on Rivers rerun and police

    SIR: The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a report on pages 1 and 4 of The Nation of February 22 with the above title.

    Consequent on the conduct of the Rivers rerun election of December 10, and the attendant irregularities and violence witnessed during the election, the Nigeria Police Force set up a joint investigative panel made up of Senior Police Officers and Officers of Department of State Security Service on December 22, 2016, to investigate all the misconducts, identified infractions, incidents of violence and other actions and inactions of Police personnel and INEC officials, other security agencies and stakeholders who were deployed for the Rivers rerun election.

    The panel was further mandated to also investigate the prevalence of violent crimes, such as armed robbery, kidnapping/hostage taking, and hijack of election materials and attacks on electorates, INEC members of staff, ad-hoc personnel and other stakeholders that were involved either directly or indirectly in the conduct of the election. The joint investigation panel submitted its report to the Inspector General of Police on February 7.

    The Nigeria Police Force identified and proactively took action against six Police Officers who were indicted by the investigative panel to have compromised, engaged in serious misconduct, misused fire arms, and for other conducts in violation of the Electoral Act and other enabling laws during the Rivers rerun election.  They were arrested, investigated and subjected to internal disciplinary measures and after being found guilty were dismissed from the Force and paraded before the media on January 6 awaiting prosecution. Other agencies whose personnel were also indicted by the Joint Investigation Panel are expected to do the same to their personnel indicted without any further delay.

    Twenty three INEC Electoral Officers and two administrative officials who were indicted by the panel were arrested, investigated and total sum of one hundred and eleven million three hundred thousand naira (N111, 300,000) confessed to have been collected from the His Excellency, the Governor of Rivers State, Barr. Nyesom Wike was recovered from them. They were released on bail to the Director of Human Resources, INEC Headquarters Abuja.

    The report as quoted above is a disservice to the Nigeria Police Force because all the issues raised were discovered by the Joint Investigative Panel and have been dealt with. The story is therefore misleading, malicious and capable of misinforming members of the public on the statutory roles of the Nigeria Police Force in election security, restoration of law and order, and the protection of lives and property throughout the country.

     

    CSP Jimoh O Moshood,

    Force Headquarters, Abuja.

  • Police reopen PDP secretariat for Sheriff

    Police reopen PDP secretariat for Sheriff

    The police authorities on Thursday reopened the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff.

    Sheriff, who was accompanied by some members of his National Working Committee (NWC) and a retinue of aides and supporters, arrived the secretariat at 6:00 p.m.

    He made his way straight to his office but could not stay beyond 15 minutes, as thick dust had covered every piece of furniture in the building.

    Addressing journalists in his dusty office, Sheriff said he only came to access the situation on ground, with the view to resuming work on Tuesday.

    “We came to see what renovation and cleaning to be done. While that is going on, we would continue with our consultation. We will do everything humanly possible to ensure that nobody is victimised for holding different opinions,” Sheriff said.

    He reiterated his resolve to take the party back to the people at the grassroots, adding that “it is not enough for some people to sit in Abuja here and say they want to choose party leaders for the people in the village.”

    The secretariat was sealed off in June 2015, at the peak of a fierce leadership tussle between Sheriff and the Ahmed Makarfi -led National Caretaker Committee of the party.

     

  • Police launches manhunt on kidnappers of Germans

    The Nigeria Police have launched manhunt on kidnappers of two a German Archeologists.

The Germans were kidnapped in the early hours of  Wednesday by unknown gunmen in Janjala area of Kaduna state.

The gunmen allegedly kidnapped Prof. Peter Breunig, Mr. Johannes Behringer and killed two  locals.

To however forestall future incident, the Police have asked foreigners to request and obtain police escorts to protect them any time they are embarking on research, mining, and related endeavours outside the towns and cities across the country.

The police noted that the researchers went to escavation site with locales instead of the police escort assigned to them.

The police however noted that efforts are being made to search and rescue the two victims unhurt and arrest the pepetrators.

On the efforts made, the Force Spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood said yesterday in Abuja: "The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris concerned with the unfortunate incident of the kidnap of the two German Archeologist, in an excavation site at Janjala area of Kagarko LGA of Kaduna, deployed Special Police Forces comprising the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), the Anti Kidnapping Unit, the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), the Police Mobile Force, Police Surveillance Helicopters and Special Investigation Team on kidnapping and terrorism Cases under the Command of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations to Janjala Village under Kagarko LGA of Kaduna State to search and rescue the two Germans unhurt and arrest the perpetrators.

"The team is already on the ground working in synergy with the Kaduna State Police Command and the local indigenes of towns and surrounding villages where these German Archaeologists were kidnapped. 

Moshood further expalined: "Though the two Germans archaeologists have Police officers attached to them for their protection at the NOK Archaeology Research Project Centre, they did not go with the Policemen to the excavation site where they were kidnapped.

" Two locals in the company of the German archaeologists were killed during the kidnap attack.

The Force Spokesman also noted the special forces and police investigators deployed are in contact with the colleagues of the victims and have provided additonal security for their safety.

 To also achieve prompt result, the DIG in charge of Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department has also been mandated to cordinate the investigation aspect of the operations.

On the proliferation of arms and how it has increased the rate of kidnapping, Moshood said: "the IGP has directed that senior police officers should mop up arms and ammunition from unlawful hands.

 "We have the prohibited firearms and the ones that people can use for gaming and others that are restricted but even then, they are suppose to obtain licence. He said they should mop it up.

"The crisis within the sub-region is a problem to Nigeria because there is conflict in Libya, part of Sudan, we equally have in Central African Republic and we have problems of insurgency. We are mindful of these facts and that is why the IGP has directed that the arms be mopped up.  

On whether the kidnappers have contacted families of the victims, the police said: "the IGP acted promptly because the kidnap was done early hours of Wednesday and as I speak, Police helicopter is on ground surveying, combing all the mountainous difficult terrain to ensure that we rescue these victims. 

"For the purpose of the safety of the victims, I won't divulge what we have achieved so far so that we can have success without delay. The IG has howver assured that they would be rescued alive.

A source close to the investigation told The Nation that kidnappers are yet to contact families of the victims.

He said : "the team are already in Kaduna and we are still working on tracking the kidnappers. The kidnappers are yet to contact us or families of the victims and that is what is stalling us".
  • ‘My ordeal with kidnappers in Abuja’

    ‘My ordeal with kidnappers in Abuja’

    An Abuja resident, Mustapha Ramalan who alleged a failed kidnap attempt on him on Tuesday, has narrated his ordeal on the social media.

    Mustapha on his tweeter handle @mustafaramalan said the incident which took place on Obafemi Awolowo, Jabi right beside Briscoe Motors, happened when he was driving home from the gym at about 1200 hrs.

    According to Mustapha, a green scruffy looking taxi stopped him in the middle of the road.

    “Out jumped two men, one in mufti and the other in mobile police uniform directing me to STOP. The taxi driver sat.

    “The taxi was a green Toyota model Abuja taxi, with no number plates. It had a car dealer ‘DKD’ number sticker.

    “The man in mufti moved to my passenger window and demanded I park because Ii was making a call. He was right so I obliged.

    “I noticed the police man’s uniform did not carry his names which is very odd. Still, I didn’t question their motives

    “I apologised. But he seemed angry & insisted that I enter their car and said: “you must come with us to a mobile court”.

    “The man in mufti moved to my passenger window and demanded I parked “bcos I was making a call. He was right so I obliged.

    Below are the extracts from his tweets #Abujakidnappings:

  • Police fault INEC’s report on Rivers rerun polls

    The Police on Wednesday faulted a report recently released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the rerun Rivers legislative election.

    The report indicted the police and other security agencies.

    Reacting to the report, the police in a statement issued by the Force Spokesman,  CSP Jimoh Moshood, maintained that the Force is apolitical, will not engage in any political partisanship and will continue to ensure that election security is guaranteed across the country.

    The statement reads: “The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a report on pages 1 and 4 of The Nation Newspaper of today, 22nd February, 2017 titled: “ INEC REPORT ON RIVERS RERUN INDICTS POLICE, OTHERS.”

    “The Nigeria Police Force as the lead agency in election security in the country recognizes the need to ensure that the rule of law, policing based on International core values with integrity, principles of democratic policing in conformity with the electoral acts prevail in all its operations as regard elections, and protection of life and property across the nation.

    “Consequent on the conduct of the Rivers Rerun Election of 10th December, 2017, and the attendant irregularities and violence witnessed during the election, the Nigeria Police Force acted promptly and proactively by the  setting up and inauguration of a joint investigative panel, made up of senior police officers and officers of Department of State Security Service with proven integrity by the Inspector General of Police,  on the  22nd December, 2016, to investigate all the misconducts, identified infractions, incidents of violence and other actions and inactions of police personnel and INEC Officials, other security agencies and stakeholders who were deployed for the 10th December, 2016 Rivers rerun election.

  • Gambia’s ex notorious intelligence chief, deputy arrested

    Police have arrested Gambia’s former head of the national intelligence agency and his deputy, part of President Adama Barrow’s attempts to re-establish democracy in the small West African nation, a police spokesman said Wednesday.

    Spy chief Yankuba Badjie and director of operations Omar Jeng were detained on Monday and being investigated for potential abuses of power, spokesman Foday Conta told dpa.

    Badjie took over at the intelligence agency in 2013, with Jeng as his deputy.

    During this time, the intelligence agency carried out kidnappings, arbitrary arrests, torture, killings and rape, according to international human rights activists.

    Barrow has released dozens of opposition activists from prison since he took office on January 19, replacing Yahya Jammeh, who had ruled the Islamic Republic for the previous 22 years with an iron fist.

    Jammeh caused weeks of political impasse by refusing to accept the result of the December presidential election.

    After weeks of regional pressure and the threat of arrest by West African troops that had entered Gambia, Jammeh eventually conceded defeat and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea.(dpa/NAN)

  • INEC report on Rivers rerun indicts police, others

    INEC report on Rivers rerun indicts police, others

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released a damning report on the December 10, 2016 Rivers State rerun.
    The police compromised the integrity of the election, an INEC administrative inquiry said.
    The report cites obstructive involvement of security agencies as one of the factors that led to the failure of the electoral process in some local government areas.
    Part of the 37-page report reads: “One of the low points of the Rivers’ rerun of the 10th December, 2016 was the flagrant intervention of security operatives in the process.
    “This was widely identified by staff of the Commission and independent observers alike as one of the major factors that led to the failure of the process in some local government areas.
    “There were too many security agencies involved in the process outside the framework of the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). It was not clear whether many of them were acting as part of their various organisations, or as groups and individuals serving political interests.
    “Most importantly, many of them showed profound political partisanship. Ironically then, security operatives, who were expected to protect the process, turned on it.”
    The INEC committee report described as strange the conduct of senior police officers deployed in the state to ensure a peaceful conduct of the rerun.
    It said: “But most mid-boggling were cases of hostage taking, hijack of materials and physical attacks on INEC officials by security operatives.”
    The five-man committee, chaired by INEC’s National Comissioner Prof Okechukwu Ibeanu, named in its report a particular police officer, who it said tried to lure INEC officials away from their duty posts.

  • Police arrest 35 suspects in Jigawa

    Police arrest 35 suspects in Jigawa

    THE police in Jigawa State arrested and charged 35 suspects to court between January and February.
    Commissioner of Police Rasheed Akinunde stated this when he addressed reporters after the monthly officers meeting and review.
    Akinunde described kidnapping and robbery, as well as rape at the Gwaram and Taura axis “as the most notable challenges of the command”.
    “The police rescued four abducted persons and arrested three kidnappers. We also arrested six suspected armed robbers and six rapists in the period under review.
    “The command recorded one homicide case, seven armed robbery cases, four kidnapping, six rape cases, and one case of impersonation and illegal possession of fire arms.
    “The police concluded preliminary investigation and charged all the suspects to court for prosecution,” Akinunde said.
    Rasheed maintained that the achievements was because of the command’s efforts in curtailing crime as a Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) is deployed in Gwaram and other high risk areas.
    He praised the government, people, policemen and other stakeholders for their support to the command.

  • Dismissed police officer asks court to jail I-G

    Dismissed police officer asks court to jail I-G

    A dismissed police officer, one Mr Michael Agha, on Tuesday asked the Federal High Court, Makurdi, to commit the Inspector General of Police to prison for disobeying court order.

    Agha who claimed to have been wrongfully dismissed from the force dragged the I-G to court to show cause why an order of committal to prison should not be made against him.
    The committal was because of I-G’s refusal to pay him all his entitlements as ordered by Court of Appeal, Jos Division on May 12, 1997.

    Joined in the suit were the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Benue Commissioner of Police.

    Agha in his affidavit filed before the Federal High Court, Makurdi, deposed that he enlisted in the Nigerian Police Force in 1977 and was unlawfully dismissed from the force in 1988, while serving at 13PMF, Makurdi, Benue.

    The explained that he was dismissed because he wore a Mobile Police face cap to the Police Headquarters, Makurdi on a day it was drizzling.

    He said an ASP asked why he wore a face cap when the then Commissioner of Police, a few days earlier had banned it.

    Agha said he explained to the ASP that he did not know about the ban, but the ASP took up the issue with him which eventually led to his dismissal from the force.

    Aggrieved by the treatment, he headed to a Makurdi High Court to contest his dismissal, where his case was thrown out.

    Agha appealed the judgment at the Court of Appeal, Jos, and the appeal was allowed.

    He said the appellate court on May 12, 1997 set aside the judgment of the Benue High Court and ordered that he be reinstated forthwith and paid all his entitlements.

    The applicant stated that all efforts to get the Police to comply with the judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal had failed.

    He therefore, headed to the Federal High Court, Makurdi, and filed a contempt proceeding against the I-G and two others.

    When the case was called for hearing, counsel to the applicant, Mr Tarfa Achinge, informed the court that the case was for hearing of Form 49 of the Judgment Enforcement Rules.

    He however, said that he got information from counsel to the 1st and 2nd respondents, Mr Gabriel Ebonyi, that a window of opportunity for an out-of- court settlement had shown up, and asked for adjournment.

    Ebonyi who did not oppose the application, promised the court that he would make further effort to get his bosses to comply with the judgment of the Court of Appeal without necessarily hearing the Form 49.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the Form 49 of the Judgment Enforcement Rules filed before the court required the respondents
    to show cause why an order of committal to prison should not be made against them.

    In his ruling, the judge, Justice Hassan Dikko, told counsel to the 1st and 2nd respondents to urge his bosses to take pity on the poor applicant and comply with the order of the Court of Appeal.

    Dikko adjourned the matter till April 5, 2017 for report of settlement.(NAN)