The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Police

  • Tompolo’s meeting: Police block venue

    Tompolo’s meeting: Police block venue

    •Ijaw youths kick

    A team of armed policemen yesterday blocked the entrance to Izon Wari (Ijaw House), Yenagoa, venue of the cancelled meeting on the supposed resurrection of the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

    The meeting was summoned for yesterday by former militant commander, Government Ekpemupolo otherwise called Tompolo, but was called off on Friday on the advice of Governor Seriake Dickson and  largely on the strength of opposition by prominent former militants and a faction of MEND who alleged a sinister plot by the meeting’s convener.

    Ex-militants like  Victor Ben Ebikabowei, popularly known as Boyloaf, Africa, Pastor Reuben, Shoot-at-Sight, Ogunboss, Ateke Tom, Farrah and many other former ‘generals’, and ‘commanders’ as well as spokesman for MEND, Jomo Gbomo, had vowed to have nothing to do with  Tompolo or  his meeting.

    The governor, however, proposed an alternative forum for the ex-militant leaders at a later date.

    He promised to meet with them personally to discuss issues affecting them and other matters of overall strategic interest of the region and the country.

    He called for their understanding and cooperation.

    Tompolo denied any ulterior motive other than deepening the prevailing peace in the Niger Delta.

    “The tension generated by the meeting is uncalled for, diversionary and mischievous as no evil is intended in whatever form,” he said in a statement to douse fears over the meeting.

    However, policemen cordoned off the area yesterday just in case some militants might still want to defy the governor on the cancellation of the meeting.

    A truck and five patrol vans filled by fully armed operatives were sent to the area.

    It was also observed that strategic junctions leading to the Sani Abacha Expressway where the Ijaw House is located were manned by security men.

    As at 11am, the security operatives were seen monitoring the activities of motorists and commuters plying the area.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Asinim Butswat, said the presence of security operatives in the area should not be considered strange since the police maintain a nipping point there.

    He added that since Dickson had called off the meeting, the police expected the ex-militants to obey the governor’s directive.

    He said: “The meeting was called off by the governor. We have a nipping point. It was not in any way to stop them from meeting. The meeting was already called off by the governor and we believe that they have adhered to the position of the governor.”

    However, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide condemned the deployment of the police in the area.

    It called action illegal.

    Spokesman for IYC, Mr. Eric Omare, said the action signposted a return to the dark days of military dictatorship, saying: “This is illegal, unconstitutional and a draw back to the dark days of military dictatorship where Nigerians were deprived of their fundamental rights.”

    The IYC said Nigeria is in “a constitutional democracy where things are done according to law.”

    It added:”the 1999 Constitution which is the foundation upon which our democracy is built recognizes the right to freedom of assembly and movement. The Niger-Delta people whether as ex-agitators or youth groups have the right to assemble in a meeting and free movement.

    “Since yesterday, the 24th of July, 2015, all officers and administrative staff of the INC and IYC including Bayelsa State civil servants under the Bayelsa State Ministry of Ijaw National Affairs and Culture have been denied access to the premises.

    “This is a threat to our nascent democracy. Democracy is not only about having rice and beans to eat but the enjoyment of basic and fundamental rights which are enshrined and guaranteed in the constitution.

    “The military movement into the Niger Delta region, we have been reliably informed, would commence this week. The IYC, the Ijaw Nation and the Niger Delta people wish to alert Nigerians and the international community of this impending humanitarian disaster.”

    He accused the President of treating the people and the region as enemies and conquered zone.

    “President Buhari has demonstrated so far in office that he is not interested in the welfare of the people of the Niger Delta but only in the oil resources found in the region.

    “The IYC calls on President Buhari to order the military and police officers presently forcefully occupying Ijaw House, Yenagoa to immediately vacate the premises and stop forthwith the violation of the rights of people who have business to carry out at Ijaw House.

    “Political, opinion and religious leaders and the international community should prevail on Buhari to have regard for constitutionalism in the Niger Delta region and stop the violation of the rights of Niger Deltans.

    “The IYC would also take immediate legal and related actions to address these violations. Whether President Buhari likes it or not, the Niger Delta people would meet to determine their destiny in Nigeria.”

  • Police smash notorious robbery gang in Yobe

    Police smash notorious robbery gang in Yobe

    The Police Command in Yobe on Friday said it had smashed a notorious gang of armed robbery suspects terrorising motorists and commuters on the Nguru-Kano federal highway.

    The Commissioner of Police (CP) in Yobe, Mr Danladi Markus, who presented the gang to the public in Damaturu, said the robbers

    were arrested after an operation on the highway where a commercial driver was killed.

    He said the gang targeted businessmen from local governments in the northern part of the state as they went back home after

    business trips to Kano.

    He said: “In this particular incident, the suspected robbers attacked a businessman who was returning to Nguru from a business trip in Kano, where he purchased some wares.

    “The suspected robbers mounted a road block, opened fire on the vehicle, killing the driver while the businessman sustained injuries.”

    The commissioner commended the public for their cooperation which he said had assisted the police in Nguru to act swift,

    thereby arresting the suspects.

    He said the police recovered one locally made pistol, machetes, bows and arrows.

    Danladi added that the police command was determined to fight crime across the state with adequate support and cooperation from the public.

  • Police parade four suspected kidnappers in Ilorin

    Police parade four suspected kidnappers in Ilorin

    Kwara state police command Thursday paraded four persons for alleged kidnapping in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.

    The command said the four have allegedly been kidnapping people in Omu-Aran in Irepodun local government area of the state.

    The suspects are Musa Kadir, Isah Salihu, Suleiman Abubakar and Abdullahi Babatunde all of Rore village of Kwara state.

    Briefing reporters, spokesperson of the command, Ajayi Okasanmi (ASP) said the alleged kidnappers were arrested after they kidnapped a Sarikin Fulani, Aliyu Harande in Omu-Aran town.

    Mr. Okasanmi said the victim was kidnapped while praying in a mosque behind his house in the town.

    He added that the suspects were arrested by the command’s anti-kidnapping team whom he said swung into action after the receipt of the report of the kidnap.

    He explained that the suspects from whom he disclosed the Police recovered a vehicle and guns allegedly confessed to have been responsible for kidnap cases around Omu-Aran axis.

    Okasanmi said the case was still under investigation as efforts were still on to arrest the leader of the syndicate whom he said was still at large.

    The Police spokesman also disclosed arrest of three suspected cult members at Oke-Oyi area on the outskirts of Ilorin.

    He said the suspects whom he described as members of Eiye confraternity were rounded up when they were forcefully initiating some potential while items such as an axe, Eiye cult relics and criminal charms were recovered from them.

     

  • Police arrest 93 hoodlums in Lagos

    Police arrest 93 hoodlums in Lagos

    The Police in Lagos have arrested 93 suspected hoodlums at Oshodi on Wednesday as it continued with its raid of criminal hideouts in the metropolis.

    A statement by the state command of the Nigeria Police Force said on Thursday said the suspects were arrested by its Rapid Respond Squad (RRS).

    The statement quoted the RRS Commander, ACP Olatunji Disu, as saying that they were arrested at about 1 a.m.

    “A special team of crack police detectives and a team of RRS Decoy operatives raided Oshodi and the surroundings under the bridge.

    “Information at our disposal revealed that some miscreants are in the habit of robbing, snatching handsets and valuables from innocent citizens at night and day time.

    “In the process, 93 suspects were apprehended. The miscreants consist of 23 juveniles all of them males, 67 adults who had their abode under the bridge and 3 underage girls.

    “The miscreants were found playing cards, smoking herbs while some were sleeping. They were all arrested and transferred to RRS office for interrogation,’’ it said.

    The statement said that on arrival at the Taskforce office, Alausa, they were rigorously screened and 20 were able to substantiate their mission at the point of arrest and means of livelihood and were released.

    “Thirty-nine who could neither convince the police nor give satisfactory account of themselves were handed over to the Taskforce for necessary action.

    “In the spirit of fundamental human rights, the ministries of women affairs and education were invited to take custody of the 23 juveniles.

    “Others have been transferred to the Lagos State Police Command for further investigation,’’ it said.

  • Police arraign ‘pastor’, brother for fraud

    A fake pastor, Ademola Alade and his brother, Adewumi, have been arraigned at an Ado-Ekiti Magistrate’s Court for alleged N1.7 million fraud.

    The prosecutor, Sgt. Caleb Leranmo, told the court that the accused committed the offence on November 7, last year.

    He said the accused fraudulently obtained the N1.7 million from seven people, who were seeking employment into the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    Leranmo gave the victims’ names as Femi Olowo, Emmanuel Ojo, Ireti Ojo, Gbenga Oluwasuyi, Kayode Dada, Fisayo Olubumo and Ayodele Omosowon.

    The accused, who were arraigned on a four-count charge, pleaded not guilty.

    The defence counsel, Busuyi Ayorinde, urged the court to grant them bail.

    The Magistrate, Doyin Akosile, granted them bail of N50, 000 and two sureties.

    She adjourned the case till July 27.

  • Police burst baby factory, arrest robbery suspect in Abia

    The police in Abia State have clamped down a baby factory, Nma Charity/Maternity Rehabilitation Centre.

    The police were said to have acted on a tip off and rescued 14 inmates of the illegal home at Umukpeyi in Isiala Ngwa South.

    Police spokesman Ezekiel Onyeke said the ages of the victims ranged between 14 and 25.

    Onyeke said of the 14, four were suspected to have delivered some days earlier and the babies sold.

    He said the police raided the place but could not arrest the owner as she escaped.

    “Many of them claimed they were taken there by sympathisers after they were driven from their homes. 12 confirmed to be pregnant while two said they were there for confirmation,” Onyeke said.

    The police also arrested Michael Agbai for attempting to kidnap Mr. Onwuka Chidozie.

    It was learnt that Agbai and his group, after a failed attempt to kidnap Chidozie, went away with his Toyota Corolla (KTU 573 BG) and a wallet containing identity cards, N4,600 and his phones.

    They were however involved in an accident some kilometres from where the scene of the incident. One of them escaped before the police arrived.

    The police arrested Agbai, recovered the vehicle and a short gun.

    Police sources said the suspect is in detention and helping with information to aid investigations.

  • Police recover more explosives in Yobe

    Police recover more explosives in Yobe

    The police in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, said they have recovered more explosives in one of the vehicles of the suicide bombers arrested at a checkpoint in Damaturu two days ago.

    Police Commissioner Marcus Danladi told reporters at a news briefing that after a thorough search by men of the Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD) of the command on the scene of the attack, more explosives and arms were recovered.

    He said: “Besides the high calibre military bombs recovered from the body of the female member of the suicide squad, on Tuesday investigators were sent to the scene with police EOD experts to evacuate the carcasses for investigation.

    “Upon evaluation by the EOD men, six units of military mortal bombs and two heavy (50kg) improvised bombs, carefully concealed and primed, were recovered from the carcasses.”

    Danladi said two military GPMG; general purpose machine gun; 500 live ammunition of GPMG; two units of Ak 47 assault rifles and two magazines of Ak 47 rifles were recovered from the scene.

    The CP said the insurgents had an encounter with the police at Bara in Gulani Local Government.

    He condoled with the families of the policemen, who died during the suicide attack.

  • Police arrest 22 in Bariga raid

    The police arrested 22 persons and recovered some dangerous weapons from them during a raid of a dark spot in Somolu, Bariga, Lagos.

    The raid followed complaints by residents that the Bollar area of Oke-Alo in Gbagada “is a notorious spot for robbery, rape and bandits hide-out”

    Six of the suspects have been arraigned before a Yaba Magistrates court in Lagos. The police alleged in charge A/27/2015 that Solomon David Okon and five others conspired with others at large to steal N65, 000 from a woman and also assaulted her.

    The defendants were said to have unlawfully assembled to carry out criminal activities, offences punishable with terms of imprisonment under contrary to Sections 409 of Lagos State Criminal Law.

    The traditional ruler of Gbagada, Oba Gbolahan Timson and residents commended the police for flushing out the suspected criminals and for bringing sanity and security back to the area.

    He confirmed that the bollar dumping site had been taken over by “Armed Robbers, cultists and rapists’’ and named some of the alleged criminals are souk, Babsilgonia, Hammed of Idi-aba and among others.

    He called on police to intensity their raid on the dump site and other notorious dark spots in the area.

  • Delta bullion van accident: Police fail to arraign suspects

    The Ovwian Division of the Delta State Police Command yesterday failed to arraign the three suspects in the bullion van accident in which a woman, Mrs Onome Akporode, was knocked down last Monday.

    The accident occurred on Udu Road in Ovwian, Udu Local Government Area.

    The case was scheduled for hearing at the Otor-Udu Magistrate’s Court but it was adjourned till August 4, following the failure of the police to conclude investigations on the matter.

    Although the prosecutor declined to comment on the development, investigation by our reporter showed that the three suspects are: Tare Onome Joseph, Edozie Gabriel and Godwin Odobare.

    A source, who spoke in confidence for security reasons, said the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), on completing its investigations, would be in a better position to say whether or not Odobare was an accomplice in the case.

    The source said: “The VIO has not inspected the vehicles involved in the accident and the Ovwian Divisional Police Officer (DPO) failed to do the needful, which is a proper investigation on the case, before taking the suspects to court.

    “When the commissioner of police called him in the morning (yesterday), he said he was yet to do so and having been ordered to conclude investigation on the matter.”

     

  • ‘Police spend N1b to settle judgment’

    ‘Police spend N1b to settle judgment’

    The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase said the police have spent  over N1 billion to settle judgment arising from cases of right violations.

    Arase, who noted that officers had exploited the lapses in the policy on the use of force, warned that any policeman violating citizens’ rights would be penalised.

    He spoke in Abuja while opening a three-day workshop organised for senior police officers by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on the use of force and firearms.

    The inspector-general noted that with democracy, Nigerians were now more aware of their rights, a development that informed the need for reorientation on when and where to deploy force and firearms.

    Arase noted that there was a virtual policy vacuum in respect of how and when firearms should be deployed and the circumstances governing the use of force by officers.

    He argued that despite this lack of guideline, there was no excuse for the indiscriminate deployment of force and firearms by policeman.

    “We have paid out over N1 billion in garnishee proceedings in the last three years from judgment got against the police for right violations.

    “No person deserves to lose his life as a result of the absence of a clear policy guideline on the graduated use of a force policy by policemen.

    ‘’It is necessary to ensure officers are strictly held accountable on how they decide to deploy firearms. It is also necessary to ensure that officers are trained and certified as such before they are permitted to sign and possibly use firearms.

    ‘’The era of impunity has passed beyond the ken of recall. We must do our best to modernise tactical operational strategies to commensurate levels with international best practices,” Arase said.

    He explained that the workshop was part of ways to achieve the strategic objective of human rights-driven policing and meeting the obligation to safeguard life and property.

    The Ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria, Niger and Chad, Hans-Rudolf Hadel, said his country decided to support the police on the training because of its relevance to modern policing and the need to avoid the indiscriminate deployment of force by officers.

    He said if force must be used, it should be in accordance with the rule of law, respect for the affected citizen’s rights and the need to minimise damage.

    UNODC’s Semone Henri said the project was aimed at reforming the police to enable it function in a democratic environment, such as Nigeria’s.