The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Police

  • Police gun down armed robbery leader

    A leader of a six-team gang of armed bandits terrorising motorists along Ife-Akure Expressway simply identified as Abey has been gunned down by the police.

    The 28 year old popularly known as Iku (meaning Death) always robbed travellers of their money and valuables along this road.‎
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    ‎A team of Special Armed Robbery Squad (SARS) from Osun State Police Command was said to have fished him and his men out from his hide out in Modakeke‎.

    ‎Abbey, who also allegedly engaged in bank robbery was said to have been killed while trying to escape arrest by the crack  squad led by the SARS Officer in Charge, DSP Omoyele Adekunle.

    Adekunle disclosed that the three of the gang, Dayo Adebanpe 28, a motor mechanic from Ile-Ife, Kunle Adepoju, 23 an okada rider also from Ile-Ife, and Mathias Aleke, 27, also an okada rider from Modakeke  confessed that they, and their gang leader, the late Abbey, were responsible for the gruesome murder of one Dr Oluwasina Oyesomi who worked with a General Hospital in Ado-Ekiti, on January 30, 2015.

    He said the man was travelling from Ekiti to Ikirun in Osun State on a visit to his family via Ife-Akure Road when he was shot by the deadly late Abbey.

    It was gathered that his gang had on several other occasions maimed and killed their victims in the area until nemesis caught up with three of them three days ago following a tip off by some people of the activities.

    According to Adekunle, the suspects also confessed that they were the ones that carried out the robbery attack on a bank in Modakeke late last year after killing several people and carted away millions of naira.

    He disclosed that after the tip off, the SARS from the Osun State Police Command stormed the robbers’ hide out at Ife-Akure Road in the midnight where they were trying to block the road and holding up their victims.

    “As soon as they saw the police squad, they ran into the bush but were arrested by the police. During investigations by the police, they confessed that the late Abbey was their gang leader and gave the police information about his whereabouts in Modakeke.

    “When SARS got to Modakeke, they continued their investigations and got further tip off on the die-hard robbers and were able to locate his house close to a river through which he always escaped after embarking on any robbery attack.

    “They are armed robbers. Nemesis caught up with them at one of popular dark spot at Akilalo Junction along Ife-Akure Expressway three days ago when they were trying to block the road to rob travellers as usual and escape through the bush. Three of them were arrested by my men at the scene. They confessed to a series of robberies and mentioned their leader, one Abbey aka Iku. So, we stormed Abbey’s house in Modakeke  early Tuesday by 5.30 am to arrest him but he engaged us in a gun battle and died in the process,” Adekunle said.

  • 11-year-old housemaid raped to death in Abia State

    Controversy surrounding the death of a minor, identified as Anwulika Nathan (an 11year old girl) from Owo-Ahia Afor in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State in the house of her guardian has been reportedly causing ripples in the community.

    Awnulika, the last female child of Mr. Chinenye Nathan, a civil servant in the Abia State civil service was said to be living with one of the Commissioners in the Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commissions (ASOPADEC) family as their house help.

    It was gathered that the commissioner after raping the girl to coma rushed her to New Era Hospital, along Niger road and some distance from Amuzukwu Primary and Secondary Schools were she later died.

    Sources who confirmed that the people of Owo-Ahia Afor were pained over the girl’s death said that they were going to stop at nothing in deploying every measure to see that they get to the root of the matter.

    Another source from the community who pleaded anonymity alleged that their daughter was raped to death by the ASOPADEC commissioner.

    The source who confirmed that the police were already investigating the matter also accused the police of trying to sweep the matter under the carpet owing the “powerful” nature of the commissioner in the state.

    According to the source “Sometimes last week, we got a phone that Anurika Nathan, 11year old from Owu Ahia Afor, who is living with one of the ASOPADEC Commissioners was raped to death.

    “When we got to Umuahia, they were at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia. On reaching there, we saw her corpse in an ambulance covered with a T-Shirt with the inscription. One side of her body was open and we saw a lot of bruises on her knees, blood was coming out from her mouth and even from her private part.

    “After we waited for about an hour at the hospital, the young man (Commissioner) arrived with his official car and with the father of the deceased. They came in with a letter from New Era hospital, Umuahia stating the doctor’s report.

    “After a while, the Commissioner attempted to leave, but the woman IPO refused him going, insisting he must follow her to the police station (CPS, Umuahia). The man insisted he was going nowhere as he brandished an identity card showing the police woman that he is a Hon. Commissioner but the police woman stood her ground that he must go to the police station with her.

    “It was at that point that so many people gathered and with the assistance of the crowd, he was taken to the police station by keke after his driver refused to drive the car further.

    “Before they left for the police station, there was a melo-drama at the hospital premises when the said Commissioner could not pay the ambulance driver for the services he rendered, but for the driver’s threat to dump the girl’s corpse into his own official car he (commissioner) was forced to pay the ambulance man”.

    Continuing, the source added, “Before this time, the wife of the commissioner who we understand works in the same office with the father of the Anwulika was crying and when asked why she was crying, she said that prior to that incident, the  girl went to school and came back from school with bruises and before they could take her to the hospital, she died in the process, adding that “from the hospital, we went to the police station and they tried to bail him (commissioner) out that day, but it was not possible. Unfortunately, the girl was somehow related to prominent man in Abia government and I believe if not for this, from the way things had been going, the man could have been off the hook.

    “But of the man’s (commissioner) position in government, we (relations and families of the victim) are afraid that even the police would compromise dropping the matter.

    “We were able to come to the conclusion that the commissioner raped our sister to death because from the autopsy conducted, the cause of death was established to be rape.

    “Anwulika was living with the commissioner, she was his housemaid and he took her in January this year. It is not clear whether the girl died in the man’s house or at the hospital, but all we know is that the man took her to New Era hospital in his car but later brought her down to FMC in an ambulance and at FMC medics there tried to ascertain the cause of the death of the girl, considering the bruises she had her knees and blood that was gushing from her mouth and private part.

    “What we are calling for is for justice to prevail. The autopsy had been done at FMC which was confirmed at the CPS that the girl died as a result of rape.”

     

     

     

  • Firm donates drugs to police, community

    Drugs worth N2 million were donated to the 7 Squadron, Police Mobile Force, Sokoto and the  Wajakke community in Wamakko Local Government Area of Sokoto State by the Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN).

    The donation comprised assorted drugs which were presented to the respective beneficiaries by the Managing Director, Mr Alf Karlsen who was represented by the company’s Head of Human Resources, Alhaji Abubakar Bala.

    Making the presentation, Karlsen said the gesture was part of the corporate social responsibilities of the firm.

    The drugs included antibiotics, anti- malarial, analgesic; anti-fungal and four prostate leg supporters.

    The Managing Director said: “This is part of our goals to complement the efforts of the government in providing the health care needs of the people.

    He further explained that the gesture to the beneficiaries was in appreciation of the existing cordial relationship between the firm and the host communities.

    Receiving the donation, the Commander of the Mobile Police Squadron, Mr Yusuf Danlami, represented by Mr Isah Kabiru recalled the long standing cordial relationship between the Squadron and the organisation, even as he also commended the firm for its sense of commitment to fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities by extending the gesture to them.

    He also promised to utilise the drugs judiciously, pledging to continue to work round the clock to ensure the security of lives and property of the people of the state.

    In the same manner, Chairman of Wamakko Local Government Area, Alhaji Ahmed Kalambaina who spoke through the Director of Health, Alhaji Garba Aliyu commended CCNN for the gesture, promising the judicious use of the drugs.

     

  • Boy, 22, killed over alleged N42, 000 theft

    A middle aged woman, Christiana Edeh, has appealed to the Edo State Government and Inspector General of Police to help her unravel the cause her son’s death in police custody.

    Her son, Chibuike, was arrested on last Friday after management of Protea Hotel, where he worked accused him of stealing N42,000 belonging to a customer.

    His body was later found along Sapele road by a good samaritan who took him to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) where he was confirmed dead.

    The deceased mother spoke to reporters when she led a protest to the premises of the hotel demanding explanation about how her son died.

    Christiana told newsmen that she saw her son hale and healthy at the Police Area Command where he was detained and that the police asked the family to pay the N42,000.

    She stated that when the family took the money to the police at about 12noon, they were told to return at 3pm because all the policemen were on duty at the Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia stadium to provide security for Dame Patience Jonathan visit.

    According to her, “I last saw my son at the police station. There was no injury on his body. We were told the IPO was not around. My children went back and was told my son was not there at the police station. They said he was taken to Protea hotel. I earlier saw my son name on the police notice board but his name was not there around 3pm.

    “We were called at 10pm that his body was at the hospital. He told me he didn’t collect any money. The hotel management has not told us anything now.”

    Aggrieved family members shut down operations of the hotel and sat in front of the hotel gate weeping.

    Security was beefed up at hotel but the protesters forced their way in but did not destroy any property.

    Younger brother of the deceased, Ikechukwu, said it was somebody that informed them that the brother’s corpse was at the hospital.

    He said they observed that the brother had a broken neck, burnt on his back and several cut on his body.

    “We were told that the car dragged my brother for several meters and that the driver ran away.”

    A staff of the hotel who refused to give his name said the hotel management reported an incident that happened at the hotel and was yet to get report.

    The staff said a customer complained about missing item and refused to speak further.

    State Police spokesman, DSP Joseph Edogiawerie, said the deceased confessed to stealing the money and was knocked down by a Toyota Camry after retrieving the money.

    Joseph said the driver of the vehicle has been arrested but refused to give further details about the car and driver.

    His words, “A case of stealing was reported by the Management of Protea Hotel where the deceased was working. He was arrested at Adesuwa police station and while there, he made a confessional statement admitting stealing the money”.

    “Even the theft was captured by Protea hotel CCTV camera and he also told the police that the money was at the fence of the hotel and NNPC mega station along Sapele Road.The police went with him to recover the money.”

    “Ordinarily, the IPO and the CSO of the hotel went with him to recover the money and on getting to Protea hotel, he (Chibuike) took to his heels and in the process was knocked down by an oncoming Toyota camry car.”

    “The Toyota Camry car and the driver of the car are right at the central MTD.”

    On the burnt part of the victim, he said, “That is for investigation to do. I’m not detailed for the investigation and I wouldn’t know…Of course if a vehicle knock somebody down and even result in taking the life of that person, I don’t imagine that the body parts of that person will still be very much complete if we have to go by that.”

    “Police investigation is not done on the pages of Newspapers or on the tube of television. Since there is already a case that is pending, anybody that has any material information that will help in unraveling the mystery surrounding these issue should come forward to police, a case file is already opened on the matter instead of casting aspersion on police.”

  • Police fire tear gas

    Police fire tear gas

    •As Pillars beat Bayelsa Utd 2-0

    An accidental canister discharge from the police on duty almost caused a stir in the game between Kano Pillars and Bayelsa United at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano yesterday.

    Despite the ugly incident, Pillars won the game with two goals in the second half to beat Bayelsa United 2-0.

    Pillars named two of the five players injured during the robbery attack in their starting line up, the duo of Ubong Moses Ekpai and Reuben Ogbonnaya started while Gambo Mohammed, Eneji Otekpa and Adamu Murtala were not listed.

    The champions lacked fluidity in their passes and even when they made incursions the Bayelsa United backline stood firm and frustrated all their efforts to see the first half off at 0-0.

    A minute after resumption for the second half speedy frontman Adamu Mohammed benefited from a Rabiu Ali cross to give the champions the lead.

    Pillars built on the momentum gained from going ahead by piling pressure on Bayelsa United and they duly got rewarded five minutes later.

    Right full back Promise James whipped in a delightful cross turned into the net by Ubong Ekpai, one of the players injured from the robbery attack.

    Pillars piled on the pressure to increase the tally but Bayelsa United were let off the hook thanks to some woeful finishing from the frontmen of Kano Pillars.

  • Ex-militant leaders, police clash over oil pipeline contracts

    •Alegations not true, says gov’s ally

    The recently approved  waterways security and oil pipelines protection contracts  for ex-Niger-Delta war lords by President Goodluck Jonathan  has sparked a row between the ex-militants and Governor Dickson Seriake.

    The  former war lords are accusing the governor of  meddling in the pipeline surveillance contracts, and yesterday took to the streets of Yenagoa,the State capital, to protest the alleged meddling.

    Led by by a former commander of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND),  Eris Paul, popularly known as Ogunboss,the protests  stormed the streets as early as 6am  and took over  the Tombia roundabout area of the road, chanting war songs.

    A detachment of armed policemen raced to the spot and pushed to disperse the protesters.

    The ex-militants resisted the police action>Some of them allegedly shot at the policemen.

    What followed were  warning shots and firing of tear gas canisters.

    The protesters responded by hauling stones at the police and their vehicles.Some of the vehicles were vandalized in the process.

    Both sides  soon got locked in  a hit and run encounter with the policemen beating the protesters with batons and gun butts.

    The drama sparked a traffic gridlock and panic in adjoining roads.

    Several private  and shops were also vandalized  in the  melee .

    As the clash rage ,motorists and commuters  fled the scene  to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

    The clash later subsided.No fewer than 20 police patrol vans were sighted at the scene last night.

    An unconfirmed report said an ex-militant was killed and eight others injured in the fracas .

    Some of the protesters were said to have been arrested and taken to the headquarters of the police command in the state.

    Armed policemen  frisked  pedestrians  who passed by the area last night.

    Speaking on the protest, the National Chairman, 6166 Presidential Amnesty Phase II, ‘General’ Aso Tambo, blamed the development onGovernor  Dickson.

    He said the ex-militants were angry with the governor for allegedly encroaching on the pipeline security contract awarded to them by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

    He said:”Other states like Delta, Edo, Cross River, Rivers and Akwa Ibom are also involved because they have ex-militants like us. The governors  of these states did not encroach into these contracts.

    “In the case of Bayelsa, we don’t know why the governor wants to share the security contracts with the ex-militant leaders. He wants to take 50 per cent while the ex-militants will be given 50 per cent.

    “As at the time this contract was awarded, Dickson was not even a governor. These contracts were awarded as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) we signed  with the federal government that if we accepted  the amnesty offer, pipeline security jobs would  be given to us. That was why the jobs were given to us.”

    He added: “If the governor has people he wants to empower, the state has many resources through internally generated revenues and statutory allocations. Bayelsa is a room and parlour state.

    “We are even surprised that the state till tomorrow has not been developing  our state with all the trillions accruing to  the state. The governor should not interfere in  our contracts.

    “If he does so, we will continue to keep him restless. We will continue to suffocate him until the next  election and we will definitely not give him any room to come back.”

    Also speaking, Ogunboss, said  the angry ex-militants were against plot by Dickson to hijack their contracts.

    He said:”Apart from the show of incompetence by the present administration, Dickson is trying to hijack the job meant for the oil-bearing communities in the state.’’

    “Most of the Southsouth states have signed the allocation of the surveillance contract but Dickson is insisting that the job be awarded to a self-styled company known as Izon Ibe, a security outfit that we don’t know.

    “Dickson should concentrate on the use of state allocation and internally generated revenue to advance the good of the State rather than hijacking jobs coming to communities.”

    CA government House source  dismissed the  ex-militants’ allegations  as “parochial”.

    The  Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Asinim Buswatt, said the police did not clash with the ex-militants.

    He said the police only employed civil means to disperse the protesters adding that nobody died during the protest.

    “The police only shot tear gas canisters to disperse them.The police did not shoot live cartridges”, he said.

  • Police nabs three brothers for kidnapping

    Police nabs three brothers for kidnapping

    Three brothers of same parents have been arrested by men of the Edo State Police Command for engaging in kidnappings.

    The suspects which included twins are Odion, Akhere and Nicholas Stephens are said to hail from Ugbegun in Esan Central Local Government.

    They were reportedly nabbed after a kidnapped victim escaped from their den.

    Police sources said the brothers have carried out five different kidnappings and collected huge sums of money as ransom.

    Among their victims were a member of the Jehovah witness faith who was shot in the leg and kept in captivity for six days without treatment.

    They were said to have also kidnapped a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police who later escaped from their den.

    Speaking to newsmen during a parade, the suspects expressed regrets over their actions.

  • Tension in Bayelsa as ex-militant leaders, police clash

    Tension in Bayelsa as ex-militant leaders, police clash

    Bayelsa State was soaked in tension on Friday after the police and protesting ex-militants and their leaders clashed in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    The aggrieved ex-militants were said to have taken over the road to protest alleged meddling of their pipeline surveillance contracts by the Governor of the state, Mr. Seriake Dickson.

    Guns boomed and teargas filled the air as the agitating ex-militants tried to resist a push by hundreds of armed policemen to get them out of the popular Mbiama-Yenagoa road.

    Hundreds of ex-militants led by a former commander of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Mr. Eris Paul, popularly known as Ogunboss, took over the Tombia roundabout area of the road.

    The ex-militants were said to have stormed the roundabout at about 6am, made bonfires with two tyres and stopped all vehicular movement.

    The action of the ex-militant leaders who chanted anti-Dickson songs created traffic gridlock and panic in the area.

    It was gathered that matters went out of control when a truckload of armed policemen arrived the area to stop the protest.

    The policemen were said to have fired gunshots into the air and thrown teargas at the protesting youths.

    It was gathered that the agitating youths retaliated by hauling stones and other missiles at the police and their vans.

    The angry ex-militants were said to have vandalized the trucks of the police with Ricky stones and demobilized the truck with bonfires.

    The armed policemen were said to have further descended on them with heavy batons and butts of their rifles.

    Over nine vehicles were reportedly vandalized in the ensuing melee while some shops and a popular camp muphy relaxation spot were torched.

    It was further learnt that some of the ex-militants also fired their guns into the air forcing the police to apply more force against them.

    As the police and the ex-militant leaders battled, drivers and commuters were said to have fled their vehicles to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

    Many patrol vans and trucks of policemen were said to have arrived the area for reinforcement which compelled the protesters to retreat.

    Most of the ex-militants were said to have relocated to the house of Ogunboss while others fled to unknown places.

    Though some sources said an ex-militant was killed and eight others injured in the fracas that broke out, the claims could not be confirmed.

    Some of the protesters were said to have been arrested and taken to the headquarters of the police command in the state.

    A visit to the roundabout showed that the area was tensed with over 20 patrol vans of policemen and soldiers surrounding it.

    The armed men frisked most pedestrians and ordered them to raise their hands before passing through the roundabout.

    Speaking on the protest, the National Chairman, 6166 Presidential Amnesty Phase II, ‘General’ Aso Tambo, blamed the development on Dickson.

    He said the ex-militants were angry with the governor for allegedly encroaching pipeline security contract awarded to them by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

    “Other states like Delta, Edo, Cross River, Rivers and Akwa Ibom are also involved because they have ex-militants like us. The governors of these states did not encroach into these contracts.

    “In the case of Bayelsa, we don’t know while the governor is making it peculiar that he wants to share the security contracts with the ex-militant leaders. He wants to take 50 per cent while the ex-militants will be given 50 per cent.

    “As at the time this contract was awarded, Dickson was not even a governor. These contracts were awarded as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) we undertook with the federal government that if we accept the amnesty offer, pipeline security jobs will be given to us. That was why the jobs were given to us”, he said.

    He said they would never allow any governor to hijack the jobs threatening to make the stage uncomfortable for Dickson if he refused to stay away from the contracts.

    He said: “If the governor has people he wants to empower, the state has many resources through internally generated revenues and statutory allocations. Bayelsa is a room and parlour state.

    “We are even surprised that the state till tomorrow has not been developed to our state after all the trillions that had come into the state. The governor should not interfere with our contract.

    “If he does so, we will continue to keep him restless. We will continue to suffocate him pending when his elections will come and we will definitely not give him any room to come back.”

    Also, Ogunboss, said the angry ex-militants trooped to the streets to protest wrong policies of the present administration in the state and the plot by Dickson to hijack a multibillion dollar NNPC pipeline surveillance contract to communities in the state.

    “Apart from the numerous show of incompetence by the present administration, Dickson is trying to hijack the job meant for the oil-bearing communities in the state.

    “Most of the South-South states have signed the allocation of the surveillance contract but Dickson is insisting that the job be awarded to a self-styled company known as Izon Ibe, a security outfit that we don’t know.

    “Dickson should concentrate on the use of state allocation and internally generated revenue to advance the good of the State rather than hijack jobs coming to communities.”

    Contacted on the development, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Daniel Markson-Iworiso dismissed the claim of the ex-militant as “parochial”.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Asinim Buswatt, said the police did not clash with the ex-militants.

    He said the policemen only employed civil means to disperse the protesters adding that nobody died during the protest.

    “The police only shot tear gas canisters to disperse them.The police did not shoot live cartridges,” he said.

  • Police kill Ekiti ‘robbery kingpin’

    Police kill Ekiti ‘robbery kingpin’

    The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Ekiti State yesterday   killed a “robbery kingpin”, Gbenga Matthew, popularly called Orimeji Omo Bose.

    Orimeji was killed at 3 am in a gun duel between his five-man gang and the SARS team at Akodi-Edemo in Odo Ado.

    His body, which was tattooed with his nickname and other signs, was paraded at the police headquarters before being taken to the mortuary.

    Command’s spokesman Alberto Adeyemi addressed a news briefing on the development at 7 am.

    The deceased has been terrorising Ado-Ekiti and environs for over 12 years and was believed to be the mastermind of many robberies.

    Orimeji was arrested several times in the past and charged to court. He was among those that escaped  from the Ado-Ekiti prisons on November 30.

    Acting on a tip-off, the police swooped on the area a few minutes after being informed of a robbery operation.

    Orimeji and his gang was operating in the neighbourhood when the SARS men arrived. A gun duel ensued affter the gang fired at the police.

    Adeyemi described the killing as a “breakthrough”, urging the public to cooperate with the command by giving information leading to the arrest of criminals.

    He said: “Early yesterday morning, the officer in charge of SARS got a tip-off that robbers were operating in Akodi Edemo. The team got to the area and met a gang of five in operation. The robbers opened fire on the SARS team, which arrested them alive.

    “Two SARS officials were injured in the gun battle. Orimeji jumped down from the house and was trying to reload his rifle; it was at that point our men were left with no choice but to shoot him.

    “The other members of the gang escaped with injuries. We are appealing to the public and hospitals not to treat anyone with bullet wounds; they should instead call the nearest police station.

    “Leader of the gang, Gbenga Matthew, alias Orimeji, was a notorious robber with a 12-year track record.

    “We have arrested him on several occasions and charged him to court. He was among those that escaped in the last prison break in Ekiti.

    “We understand that Ekiti has three robbery gangs. We have smashed one by killing  Orimeji. We are intensifying efforts to get the other two.

    “About N120,000 and $3 were recovered from him. His rifle, a locally-made one, is also there with him”.

  • Under-funded police

    Under-funded police

    •It is one of our nation’s big acts of shame

    At the budget defence session at the Senate, Suleiman Abba, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), represented by Mamman Tsafe, his deputy in-charge of logistics and supplies, bemoaned the N5billion proposed for police vehicle maintenance and fuelling in the 2015 budget. He said the police required N24billion to effectively discharge its operational and other salient functions.

    The IGP at the session described the proposed sum as ‘grossly inadequate’ and we perhaps share his sentiment on this issue. The available statistics: The nation, according to the IGP as at today has 332,756 policemen; 6,693 traffic wardens; 11,999 civilian workers; and 3,756 police stations spread across the country. To make the Nigeria Police Force work effectively, government must adequately fund the institution. As things are, it is not sufficiently funded given the facts available on what was budgeted and what was released for spending. The funding of the force is not only decreasing despite its increasing workforce, but more worrisome is the expose on budgetary shortfalls and the fact that the ‘overhead and capital budget proposed did not reflect the actual need of the police.’

    For instance, out of the ‘N56 billion overhead proposed by the police in 2014, only N8 billion was approved out of which N5 billion was released. For capital budget, of a proposed N218 billion, N7 billion was approved and only N3 billion was released.’ In 2015, the budget estimate of the force is reportedly put at N329 billion, with the following breakdown: capital expenditure – N17 billion; overhead cost – N5 billion; and personnel cost – N306 billion. Judging from the antecedent of police budget shortfalls, it is almost certain that precise amount for each overhead would not be released to the force, which in itself portends danger to policing in the country.

    Rather than help resolve this nagging challenge, it is bad that the Senator Paulinus Nwagu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, in flagrant insensitivity to the country’s poor state of policing, in his annotations, advised the police leadership ‘to seek ways of generating internal revenue to augment what has been budgeted for its operations … going by falling oil prices and attendant cut in the budget of all government organisations.’

    What we gleaned from the outcome of that Senate committee appearance of the IGP is that the Federal Government has become overwhelmed by the burden of funding the institution. What services do the police render to the public from which they could make legitimate revenue? Is it from being peace enforcer or from the duty of guaranteeing safety of lives and property? This move can only throw the already rotten police into irredeemable corruption. This is not good enough, especially with the general elections barely two weeks away.

    It is only in this part of the world that we have policemen, who while on operational duty drive in rickety trucks and jalopies all over town, and getting money to fuel and maintain them from bribes collected from motorists and criminals. Consequent upon this, the policemen are usually negligent in the use of vehicles given to them and a need for re-orientation becomes inevitable in this regard.

    In most states where the police are doing well, it is because the state governments have taken it upon themselves to provide for their needs even though such is not part of their constitutional responsibilities. We call on the Federal Government to quickly accede to demands for state police, having failed in its constitutional duty of providing for this important institution of state.