The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Police

  • Ondo Police Command gets N106m patrol vehicles

    Ondo Police Command gets N106m patrol vehicles

    THE Ondo State Police Command has taken delivery of provide 13 new Toyota Hilux Patrol jeeps worth N106m to aid it in its renewed effort to clamp down on criminals and criminal activities in the state.

    The Senator representing Ondo South District, Boluwaji Kunlere, who donated the vehicles to the command, said he decided on the project in his bid to assist the police in security and crime prevention. That was just as he pledged to complete all the projects he is executing in the south district before the expiration of his tenure.

    According to Kunlere, a lawyer and former secretary of the peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the vehicles were for the use of police divisions within his senatorial district to prevent crime. While lamenting the rampant cases of kidnapping in the district, the Senator urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the materials.

    The lawmaker noted that security should not be left in the hands of the government alone, stressing that it should be the responsibility of all and sundry.

    The senator said the donation of the13 new Hilux vans was not to score cheap political popularity but a part of his practical demonstration to the fulfillment of his promise to provide effective representation by securing the environment for his people.

    The police command through the Commissioner, Isaac Eke hailed Kunlere for his gesture which he described as the first of its kind in the country, urging other well-meaning individuals to emulate his benevolence. Eke promised that his command would make judicious use of the vehicles to combat crime in the state.

  • Police arrest three armed robbery suspects in Edo

    The Edo Police Command has arrested three armed robbery suspects along Uwa Street, in the Oredo Local Government Area of the state.

    The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Joseph Edoigiawerie, named  the trio; Samson Obi, Terry Ekokota and Esther James.

    They were arrested following a tip-off. “A search conducted on them led to the recovery of two locally-made guns, two live cartridges and some charms from the suspects,” the police said.

    The suspected armed robbers were also said to have confessed that they were planning an operation before they were apprehended.

    In a related development, the command has recovered one locally-made single-barrel gun, 13 live cartridges, one Army camouflage cap and three wraps of weeds, suspected to be Indian hemp.

    The statement said the items were recovered from the vehicle of two fleeing suspects.

    The suspects, both male, were said to have abandoned the car on sighting some officers of the command, who were on a routine patrol in the Oluku area of Benin.

    “The policemen on routine patrol at Oluku were informed about the suspicious movements of two men seated in a Cordoba car with registration number AG 678 AKA?,” Edoigiawerie said in the statement.

    The state police command, while appreciating the public for providing useful information to it, however, said in the statement that efforts “are in progress to fish out the fleeing suspects.”

  • Police rescue three-year old from kidnappers in Rivers

    Police rescue three-year old from kidnappers in Rivers

    •Two suspects arrested

    The Rivers State Police Command has rescued a three-year old boy, Emmanuel Obasi, from kidnappers.

    The youngster was reportedly abducted by gunmen at his Rumuekini home in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area on December 15.

    Police spokesman, Ahmad Mohammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the development in a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    He said the minor was rescued yesterday from the kidnappers’ hideout at Rumuodogu II.

    Mohammad said three of the hoodlums, including the minor’s co-tenant who allegedly masterminded the abduction, were arrested.

    Police Commissioner Dan Bature reportedly handed over the boy to his father.

    Mohammed restated the command’s commitment to responding to emergency calls.

    The police spokesman urged the public to always volunteer useful security information to the police.

    He said: “The Rivers State Police Command wishes to inform the public of another safe rescue of a three-year old male child kidnap victim.

    “On December 22, at 1500 hours (3pm), police operatives tracked and stormed the kidnappers’ hideout at Rumuodogu II, Port Harcourt, where the child, Emmanuel Obasi, who was kidnapped on December, was kept.

    “Two suspected kidnappers, Ben Elenwo and Ogele Akiyo, were arrested at the hideout, which led to the arrest of their comrade in crime, Ibezin Isih, at another location.

    “The idea of kidnapping little Emmanuel was conceived and initiated by Ogele Akiyo, who is victim’s co-tenant, while Ben Elenwo, who posed as the child’s school teacher, executed the kidnapping.

    “Emmanuel Obasi has since been handed over to his father by Police Commisioner Dan Bature in his office…”

     

  • Police kill pirate in Rivers gun battle

    The Rivers State Police Command has said it killed at the weekend a member of a sea pirate gang that engaged the police in a gun battle on the Opobo waterways of Rivers State and recovered arms from the bandits.

    In a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, the command’s spokesman, Ahmad Mohammad, a deputy superintendent of Police (DSP), said the incident occurred on the Opobo waterways in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area.

    The police spokesman said other members of the gang escaped, abandoning their belongings.

    He said items recovered from the hoodlums include three speed boats, general pump machine gun (GPMG), a G3 rifle, ammunition, assorted phones and cash.

    Mohammed said a policemen patrol team found the hoodlums robbing a passenger boat on the water channel and accosted them, resulting in the gun battle.

    The police spokesman said the command was determined to ensure tight security for life and property in the state, especially during this festive period.

    He urged the public to support police efforts to protect law-abiding residents and their property.

    Mohammad said: “On December 19, at 1.30pm on the Opobo Queen Town Sea, policemen on patrol engaged sea pirates while they were robbing innocent Nigerians.

    “At the end of the gun duel, one of the robbers was fatally wounded while others abandoned the operation and managed to escape.

    “Items recovered from the operation include one general purpose machine gun (GPMG), one G3 rifle, 85 rounds of live ammunition, five assorted phones and N22,450. Three speed boats belonging to the robbers were also recovered.

    “This singular feat has demonstrated the capability of the command to provide security across the State including the waterways.”

     

  • Tricyclists accuse police of ‘new extortion tricks’

    Tricyclists accuse police of ‘new extortion tricks’

    Commercial tricyclists popularly known as ‘Keke Marwa’ in Isolo, Jakande Estate and environs in Lagos State yesterday decried what they called “new extortion tricks” by policemen.

    They described the trend as worrisome, noting that all efforts to reach the police command with their complaint have yielded no result.

    An official of the tricyclists’ union, who craved anonymity, told The Nation yesterday that members of the union had been reduced to “mere slaves” of the policemen.

    According to him, the officers, who are always on the road, now extort money from them by proxy.

    He said: “We cry out every day about the merciless extortion by the police, but no one seems to care or even listen. We are more or less working for them the way things are. Imagine that I alone pay them about N7,000 every month. Take the total number of all ‘Marwa’ operators around this area alone; then you will get an idea of what we lose to them.

    “Our association has a way of forcing us to pay a certain amount to some police officers, but these are the very ones who would unleash their junior officers upon us to perpetrate all manner of extortion. It is not that we accept or like it; it is just that we must pay it if we must remain in business. There was a time one operator confronted them but he lost his hand after spending months in the hospital. Some others who prove stubborn get their machines seized. These are the very unlucky ones. Once the machine is taken away to their stations, you will sweat and pay at least, N10,000 before you can retrieve it.”

    Another cyclist, who gave his name as Raufu Salau, said: “This is the situation which we have been enduring; we have written letters and made appeals. No one seems to care or listen. I should quickly add that we are not talking of a problem of one or two years. We are talking of what we have been facing for more than five years. We keep enduring. But for how long must we endure an error?”

    A landlord said their interventions had worsened the operators’ plight, noting: “Police don’t want anyone to come in-between them and those they are tormenting.”

    He said: “Once or twice I have tried to plead with them on behalf of some operators but they hated me for it. They would cock their guns and threaten to shoot. But these are not armed robbers; they are doing their own legitimate businesses.

    “Their excuse most times is the cyclists take the wrong way and thereby cause obstructions. But must you (the police) always apply the bayonet to force road users to order all the time. In the process of hitting people with the butt of your gun and the gun discharges, who is to blame for that? Nigerians must rise against what I see as open-day enslavement of all of us. We are all helpless and government is looking the other way. They know what we are saying.”

    A senior police officer described the allegation as “strange and unfounded,” adding: “The old times are gone in policing. Since the deployment of our commissioner, Mr Kayode Aderanti, and even before him, every policeman in the state knows that extortion is outlawed.”

  • Police rescue kidnapped bank manager in Rivers

    The Rivers State Police Command has rescued the kidnapped Choba, Port Harcourt Branch Manager of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Plc, Mr. Standfast Barnabas.

    It was gathered that policemen from the command, who acted on a tip-off, stormed the kidnappers’ den at Rumuola, Port Harcourt, where the banker, who was kidnapped on December 13, was kept.

    It could not be ascertained if the banker’s kidnappers had collected a ransom before the police invasion.

    But his colleagues at the Choba branch, near the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), kept sealed lips over what they called a very sensitive matter.

    The rescue of the bank manager was confirmed yesterday in a telephone interview by the Rivers police spokesman Muhammad Kidaya Ahmad.

    Ahmad said: “On sighting the policemen, the kidnappers engaged them in a gun duel. Unfortunately, luck ran against the kidnappers. Three of them bowed to police superior firepower and were fatally wounded (shot dead). One was injured and the one in possession of their operational firearm managed to escape.

    “One locally-made pistol was recovered after a search was conducted at the house (in Rumuola, Port Harcourt).”

  • Maid, driver ‘kill’ lawyer

    Maid, driver ‘kill’ lawyer

    •Police: we’ll get fleeing suspects

    A notable lawyer and insurance practitioner, Mrs Ola Adeola, has been killed in her Lekki, Lagos home.

    She is the daughter of a former Chief Justice of Ogun State, Justice Ebenezer Craig.

    The slain lawyer was allegedly killed Sunday night by her driver and house maid at her 108, Omisore Lane, Oniru Estate home.

    Her throat was slashed, a source told The Nation.

    Both the driver and housemaid were said to have disappeared, while the victim’s corpse has been deposited at a morgue.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Lagos State Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the incident.

    He, however, said two persons had been arrested in connection with the matter.

    “The report is true and I can confirm to you that we are fully on it. We have arrested two persons and they are in police custody as investigations kicks off full-swing on the orders of the commissioner of police.

    “In fact, following his order, the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba on Lagos Minland,” Nwosu told The Nation.

    He added: “The police are on their toes to arrest two fleeing suspects in connection to the case and the commissioner has mandated us to get everyone involved arrested for prosecution.”

  • Gunmen kill community leader in Edo

    A community head in Edo State was on Saturday night killed by gunmen who invaded his residence at Ugbowo area of Benin City.

    The deceased, Mr John Asemota was the Odionwere (clan Head) of Power-line community at Ugbowo.

    The seven gunmen were said to have attacked the late Asemota’s residence at about 9:30pm during which they shot him in the head and back.

    The deceased son, Mr Osemudiamen Asemota who narrated the incident to journalists also said three of his father’s tenants were also shot.

    He said while his father died at the spot, his tenants were rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) where they are presently receiving treatment.

    Osemudiamen said the incident was reported at the Ogbowo Divisional Police headquarters with the Police responding promptly by coming to the scene shortly after the incident occurred.

    According to him, “It was the police that took my father’s body to the mortuary, while they also rushed those shot to hospital for medical attention.”

    He however ruled out possibility of robbery, alleging that his father was killed over community matter.

    Police officers at Ugbowo Divisional Police Headquarters confirmed the incident but refused to comment on it.

    Though he pleaded anonymity, one of the officer who was drafted to the scene of the incident, said the matter would be handled appropriately.

  • Police to probe alleged torture

    Police to probe alleged torture

    The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has ordered investigation into the alleged torture of couple by a police officer in Lagos State.

    The police said their attention was drawn to a viral report alleging police incivility to a Lagos couple.

    It was learnt that the couple, Mr and Mrs Ejeh Smith, were allegedly brutalised by a police officer, Dada Ogunsanya, in Lekki when they were returning home.

    The police explained that the investigation into the matter was in line with their commitment to protect and uphold the human rights of all Nigerians.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja by Force spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu, the police said: “The attention of the police high command has been drawn to a viral media story alleging police incivility to a couple in Ikoyi, Lagos.

    “…IGP Suleiman Abba has ordered a full scale investigation into the matter in line with his avowed commitment to protect and uphold the human rights of all Nigerians and residents therein.

    “The police officer involved has been identified and is already undergoing administrative trial.

    “All other officers, whose conduct did not speak well on the incident, are also being sanctioned, preparatory to further necessary action.”

    The IGP stressed that the police would not condone any abuse of human rights.

  • Yuletide: Police bans knockouts in FCT

    The Nigeria Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory has banned the use of fireworks and knockouts during the yuletide.

    The police explained that the ban is due to the prevailing security situation in the country, adding that the act will increase fear and panic.

    The police threatened to arrest and persecute anyone who is found guilty.

    This is contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, Peter Okechukwu.

    The statement reads: “In view of the prevailing security situation in the country, the FCT Police Command wishes to inform the residents and visitors of the FCT that the use of fireworks and knockouts during the Christmas and New Year celebrations is banned.

    “Any violator, if arrested, will face the full wrath of the law.

    “Parents and guardians are hereby, warned to prevail on their children and wards to desist from this act, as it heightens panic and fear.

    “Police patrol teams and undercover detectives have been deployed throughout the territory to monitor and arrest any violator.

    “Furthermore, Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers are under strict instruction to arrest, detain and prosecute any perpetrator of this act.”