The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Police

  • Police dismisses rumoured explosion in Abuja

    Police dismisses rumoured explosion in Abuja

    The Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday dismissed the rumour of a bomb explosion at a shopping complex in Lokogoma, a settlement in the Federal Capital Territory.

    The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, who dismissed the rumour during an interaction with journalists in Abuja, described the unfortunate incident as a false alarm.

    Mba said that no case of bomb explosion was reported in or around the FCT, noting that investigations by security operatives had indicated that the incident was a mere fire outbreak.

    “It is unfortunate that some people have gone to town to report that it was an explosion; it was a mere fire outbreak at a shopping complex in Lokogoma.

    “Reports reaching us showed that the fire, triggered by an electrical fault, started from a laundry shop at the shopping complex.

    “It was also said that part of the building was razed by the fire and the explosion.

    “The big sound that caused the false alarm came from the compressor of the air conditioning system at the shop,”he said.

    Mba also said that no lives were lost in the incident except for the property contained in parts of the building razed by the fire.

    He urged residents of the territory to disregard the rumour and move on with their legitimate businesses, assuring them of police’s readiness to protect their lives and property.

    The police spokesman, however, advised property owners to always provide safety equipment in their buildings and to ensure strict adherence to safety precautions and to avoid similar occurrence in future.

    The News Agency of Nigeria gathered that a loud explosion was heard at the Lokogoma area of the FCT early Tuesday morning.

     

  • 2013 AfricaN Cup of Nations South African Police to secure Eagles

    2013 AfricaN Cup of Nations South African Police to secure Eagles

    The South African Police Service has assured football fans of adequate security at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations tournament which takes place from Jan. 19 to Feb. 10.

    “Everything is in place with regards to security; we started planning for the tournament as early as May this year,” the Deputy Minister of Police, Maggie Sotyu, told newsmen in Pretoria on Tuesday. Both national and international screening regarding the participating 16 teams has been completed. Security will be provided for all the teams, including Bafana Bafana 24/7,’’ Sotyu said.

    “We will strengthen security at all ports of entry during this period, especially our borders, airports, seaports and border points. All the teams would be provided round the clock security; from the airport to their hotels, their training sessions and to match venues; to ensure maximum security for them,’’she said.

    Sotyu also disclosed that a permanent detachment of police officers will be deployed to all the hotels where the participating teams will be staying. She also said that Home Affairs was ready to handle the movement of both people and goods simultaneously at the country’s various entry points.

    “We also have our own police officers that we’ve trained, with regard to assisting at the ports of entry; in case we need more man power. Buses carrying players will be escorted by the police at all times; each and every movement of the buses carrying the teams will be covered by the police,” she said.

    The deputy police minister also said that special courts to try criminal cases during the tournament will not be set up this time around.

    “Dedicated investigators would be in place to focus on the cases that may come up during the tournament. While there would be the normal procedure of handling the cases, especially criminal cases during the tournament which would be prioritised in the courts of law,’’ Sotyu said.

    On the issue of crowd control she pointed out that the police were going to put adequate measures in place to keep the crowd under control in and outside the stadiums.

    Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Elias Mawela, the Chairperson of the National Joint Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) said part of the security concept to effectively contain any form of hooliganism was also in place.

    “Part of our security concept to deal with hooliganism in and around the stadiums would entail the positioning of ‘spotters’ amongst the spectators to identity the so-called hooligans. Once they have been identified, they are to remove them from the stadium and taken into police custody.

    “We would ensure that we have a rapport with the intelligence community that we are working with in the region, consisting the Southern African Regional Police Chief Council Organisation (SARPCCO), and Interpol. They will also assist us to monitor the movement of people coming to our country for the tournament,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that SARPCCO is an official forum comprising of all the police chiefs in the Southern Africa region. Mawela added that known football hooligans from neighbouring countries would be apprehended before they set foot in South Africa.

    “We are not going to lower our high standards, which we are known for in the hosting of landmark events,’’he said.

    He stressed that alternate plans would be adopted for the security guards, who will be working at the stadiums.

    “We have plan D and even plan E, for the private security guards. We have a reserve group at a national level that can be moved around the country at short notice. We have contingency funds in place to ensure the quick dispatch of personnel to the affected stadium. There will not be any problem with regards to this issue,” Mwela said.

    NAN reports that the 2013 AFCON will hold from Jan.19 to Feb. 10 in five centres across South Africa, the country will be hosting the competition for the second time since 1996.

  • Police arrest robbery syndicate in Jigawa

    The Jigawa State Police Command has arrested four men suspected to be members of a syndicate that specialised in armed robbery and shop breaking in some parts of the state, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

    The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Theophilus, said at a news conference in Dutse, that the syndicate operated in Yayari village in Buji Local Government Area of the state.

    Theophilus said the suspects operated with two others earlier arrested about two weeks ago in the state, adding that investigation into the case had begun.

    He said some of the suspects in Takur, Dutse Local Government Area, were arrested based on information by members of the public.

    The commissioner said they made confessional statements that they broke into the house of one Mr. Attah Emmanuel and Adamu Hussaini of Miyyati Allah quarters in Dutse.

    Theophilus said a police patrol team in Duste also recovered a motorcycle with registration number QB 543 YKS, belonging to one Francis Akpede of the State Security Service.

    The commissioner said in the course of investigation, a suspect from Karaye Local Government Area of Kano State was arrested while riding on the motorcycle.

    He said the suspect alleged that he was sent from Malunfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State “to come and be stealing such items in Jigawa.’’

     

  • Gunmen free 30 detainees in Abuja police office attack

    Gunmen free 30 detainees in Abuja police office attack

    -Police re-arrest 25

    -Presidency orders security alert

    -UK issues travel
    advice to citizens

     

    The Presidency yesterday ordered a 24-hour security alert nationwide, following an early morning attack on the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in the Federal Capital Territory by unknown gunmen.

    The gunmen killed two policemen and set free more than 30 high-profile suspects.

    But the police said they arrested two of the attackers and 25 of the fleeing suspects.

    Inspector-General of Police M.D. Abubakar has set up a panel to probe the incident.

    Also yesterday, some embassies, especially the United Kingdom , warned their citizens against travelling to Kaduna State, following the Jaji bomb explosions and the attack on SARS.

    The UK also asked Britons to restrict their movement to some parts of Abuja

    But the Presidency has directed all security agencies, including the police, to place the nation on a 24-hour alert.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The government is deeply worried about the resurgence of bombings and attacks by gunmen since it decided to rule out dialogue with any militant group and placed ransom on some leaders of the Boko Haram sect.

    “The Presidency has directed all military formations, security/intelligence agencies and the police to beef up security nationwide. This directive became necessary because the recent gains recorded by security agencies have overwhelmed some of them.

    “I can tell you that there will be tight security nationwide with priority placed on volatile states in the Northeast, Northwest and Northcentral.”

    No group has claimed responsibility for the SARS invasion, which bears the imprint of the Boko Haram (western education is sin) sect.

    A source said it was difficult to ascertain who the gunmen were because the suspects in the SARS included armed robbers and other dangerous criminals.

    “Gang members of each group of suspects could have mobilised to invade SARS,” said the sources, adding: “The luck we had was that SARS is heavily fortified and our officers and men were able to launch a counter-attack against the gunmen.

    “Unless a group comes out to claim responsibility, we have to wait for the outcome of the Special Investigative Panel raised by the IGP.

    A statement by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, gave an ight into the attack.

    The statement said: “In the early hours of Monday (at about 2am), unknown gunmen in large number attacked the premises of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command. Policemen on duty responded swiftly and engaged the gunmen in a gun battle that lasted for some minutes, at the end of which the gunmen were successfully repelled.

    “However, in the confusion that ensued, about 30 suspects in the detention facilities of SARS broke out of the cells and attempted to escape. Tactical and coordinated efforts to re-arrest the fleeing suspects yielded instant result.

    “So far, twenty five (25) of the suspects have been re-arrested while five (5) suspects originally being held in relation to robbery related offences are currently at large. Two (2) Policemen died during the operation while two (2) of the attackers have been arrested.

    “It needs to be emphasisd here that no suspect held for terror related charges escaped from SARS detention facilities. No explosive or IED-related materials were used in the botched attack.

    “Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP MD Abubakar, CFR, NPM, mni has personally visited the scene of the incident to assess the situation.

    “He has equally ordered a high-powered investigative panel headed by a Senior Police Officer to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident

    “Similarly, the IGP has ordered water-tight security around all government and Police related facilities nationwide.

    “The Police High Command uses this medium to appeal to Nigerians for calm while reassuring them of the Force’s reparedness to perform its constitutional and statutory responsibilities of providing adequate security for the state and the entire citizenry.

    “The Force, therefore, enjoins the public to continue to go about their lawful duty without fear or intimidation as adequate strategies have been put in place to guarantee the general security and safety of all Nigerians.”

    It was also learnt that some cells being used by some militant groups and criminals have been identified and demolished in the FCT and its environs.

    The source added: “We are on the trail of some groups and sect commanders who had been operating in the FCT-Niger State axis. We will rout them out of their operational bases.

    “We will ensure that we protect lives and property in the FCT and its environs.”

    But, despite the assurance, some embassies were yesterday gripped with anxiety.

    A diplomatic source said: “Some embassies made consultations on the need to liaise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the actual security situation in Abuja .

    “They became anxious because SARS is not far away from Asokoro District, which is hosting some embassies. And the embassies in Asokoro District felt the impact of the crossfire between the gunmen and SARS police.”

    While the enquiry is in progress, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK, through its High Commission in Nigeria, at about 5pm yesterday updated its travel advice to its citizens following the Jaji and SARS incidents.

    The travel advice reads in part: “This advice has been reviewed and reissued with amendments to the Travel Summary (bomb attack on 25 November on church in Jaji, Kaduna State : security incident at police station in the Guzape area of Abuja ). The overall level of the advice has not changed. We advise against all travel to some areas of Nigeria and against all but essential travel to other areas, including Kaduna , and Zaria cities .

    “We advise against ALL travel to: Borno State ; Yobe State ; the riverine areas of Delta; Bayelsa; Rivers; Akwa Ibom; Cross River State ; Warri city; and Kano city.

    “We advise against ALL BUT ESSENTIAL travel to: Bauchi State ; Jos city; Riyom and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas in Plateau State ; Gombe State ; Mubi Town in Adamawa State and the area north of Mubi town that borders Borno State . Non-riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States ; Abia State ; Kaduna City ; Zaria City.

    “There was a bomb attack on 25 November on a church in Jaji, Kaduna State . Initial reports state that this resulted in a number of deaths. You should exercise vigilance and caution, and monitor the local media for further information.

    “In the early morning of 26 November there was a security incident involving a police station in the Guzape area of Abuja . The nature of the incident is still unclear, but we advise British Citizens to avoid the area for the time being.

    “There was a bomb attack on a church in Kaduna City on 28 October, resulting in deaths and injuries. You should exercise vigilance and caution, and monitor the local media for further information.

    “There have been violent clashes between ethnic groups in Agyaragu, Nassarawa State on 22 November which has led to a number of deaths. British nationals in the area should exercise vigilance and caution, and monitor the local media for further information.”

  • Police have failed Nigerians, says Ajimobi

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi yesterday justified the call for the establishment of state police.

    He said the federal-controlled police have failed to maintain internal security in the country.

    The governor called for the amendment to the 1999 Constitution to accommodate the establishment of state police. He said it was the only way to address the nation’s security challenges.

    Ajimobi spoke at the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan (UI), while delivering a lecture, entitled: “The police issue in federal Nigeria: A shoe wearer’s perspective”.

    He said: “It is suffice to say the Boko Haram uprising in the North, the kidnappings and mob killings in the Southeast and Southsouth, as well as the ceaseless armed robberies and assassinations in the Southwest have raised questions on the ability of the police to secure Nigeria.

    “The current command structure of the police prevents governors from truly serving as Chief Security Officers of their states. They merely wear that title like an honorary chieftaincy title.

    “Governors, who have been entrusted with securing their states by the electorate, deserve to have the powers and facilities to meet the expectations of the electorate.”

    Explaining that the police had been abused by past federal administrations for political ends, Ajimobi cited the arrest and deportation of Alhaji Abdulrahman Shugaba of the defunct Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP), who was a former Majority Leader of the Borno State House of Assembly, by the Federal Government-led National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the Second Republic.

    He said the police featured prominently in the manipulations of the 1983 elections in Oyo, Ondo and Imo states.

    Ajimobi said: “Since 1999, the police had been used by the Peoples Democratic Government (PDP) government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to harass and intimidate governors, who either belonged to different parties or were not in good terms with the former president.

    “The instances include the abduction of former Anambra State Governor Chris Ngige and the police-assisted impeachment of many governors, including former Oyo State Governor Rashidi Ladoja. Instances of police culpability in the rigging of elections against opposition parties have also been rampant.”

    The governor said one of the major consequences of the abuse of police power and inadequacy of the force was the emergence of multiple groups, ranging from neighbourhood vigilance groups to organised pseudo-security outfits, such as the Bakassi Boys and the Odu’a People’s Congress (OPC), among others.

    Ajimobi dismissed fears that governors would use state police to oppress their political opponents and that states lack the resources to maintain the police.

    He said: “If the fear of abuse of police power is enough reason not to create state police, then the Federal Government, which has repeatedly abused such powers, does not deserve to monopolise police power.

    “If Nigeria is persuaded that states should perform police functions, the revenue allocation formula will have to be restructured to reflect the withdrawal of such function (or part of it) from the Federal Government and its enlistment as a state function.

    “Besides, the deployment of resources by the state is a function of the priorities of the government. I am yet to see a government that has not listed security as a priority.”

    The governor said the N319.65 billion allocated to the police in the 2013 budget triples that of Oyo State’s Budget for 2012.

    He said: “We need to ask, as a nation, if we have a national bureaucracy to effectively deploy N319.65 billion in a single agency of government.

    “Besides, my experience is that in spite of this staggering allocation, state governments have had to support the operations of the police in their respective states.

    “Without going into details, let me state without any fear of contradiction that state governments today, alongside the Federal Government, are jointly responsible for the operations of the Nigeria Police.

    “This expenditure has no place in their legislative list, yet governors incur significant expenses to support police functions in their respective states.”

    Ajimobi said the provision for state police should come with checks and balances that would preclude governors from abusing the Force.

    Also at the lecture were Prof. O. Nwolise; Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Olawale Ogunkola; and the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Mechanised Division, Ibadan, Maj.-Gen. M. D. Abubakar.

  • Police arrest 50 over Taraba crisis

    The Taraba State Police Command has arrested over 50 suspected militia men over the ongoing religious riots in the state, police spokesman Amos Olaoye said yesterday.

    The police said the suspects were heavily armed with charms and ammunitions, adding that they were dressed in military uniforms when they were apprehended.

    Christians and Muslims on Sunday clashed in Ibi Local Government, resulting in the death of five people.

    The rioters burnt down churches, mosques, commercial and residential buildings.

    The death toll rose to 10 yesterday as the violence continued to spill to other communities.

    It was gathered that the suspects are mercenaries believed to have been hired from other states.

    Olaoye said: “By mere looking at the suspects, you would definitely agree that they are not from Taraba. They are hired men from other states and not from Taraba because the weapons they are carrying are more sophisticated than those of our security personnel here.

    “They (suspects) are neither from Ibi nor any other part of Taraba.”

    He explained that the police were investigating the “root cause” of the crisis.

    Eyewitnesses said the riots started when a church vigilance group allegedly killed a Muslim who insisted on going through a checkpoint set up to prevent attacks on the church buildings during service.

    Many other people, including two pastors, were said to have been killed in reprisals.

    Ibi local government Chairman Isiaku Adamu said the crisis has a political undertone.

    Many residents were fleeing the crisis area for refuge in the neighbouring local government areas.

    A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed on the areas to ensure law and order.

     

     

  • Our police must protect helpless Nigerians now!

    Our police must protect helpless Nigerians now!

    SIR: Since the last general elections in the middle of last year, no day passes, it seems, without one story of bestial murder or the other. Only days back, some of our compatriots were wasted by some anarchists as they were praying to God in Kaduna. While the security agencies nauseatingly reassure us after each killing that they are winning the war against terror, evidence around us shows clearly that they have no idea on how to stem the routine indefensible mass murders of our defenceless people.

    Political leaders from the presidency to the councilors move about with an armada of armoury as if Nigeria is truly at war. The politicians, without doubt, believe that they are more important than the people, otherwise they would not be protecting themselves with the weapons and security personnel who ought to make Nigeria safer for all Nigerians. The time has come for us to condemn in the strongest term possible the irresponsible shirking of the constitutional duty of the state to protect its citizens.

    The state is useless if it cannot protect the people. Yet, in our country today, armed robbers, religious zealots, kidnappers and all sorts of criminals take and waste lives with an ease that is truly scary. All the government tells us is that it is on top of the situation and that the killings are unfortunate and unacceptable.

    We know that they are unfortunate at least to the victims and their loved ones. But are they really unacceptable to the security agencies that now seem to have accepted them as a way of life in our country? All they do is to rush to the scenes of the brutal carnage and cordon it off. Is that all that security entails? The Federal Government should declare a state of emergency in the security sector.

    I do not want to be misunderstood. I am not asking the government to declare curfews or harass citizens by merely deploying soldiers on our roads. No. I am not asking for a police state or postponement of elections when they fall due. The elements of the emergency must include immediate scaling down of the security detail of our public officials to no more than 1 personnel for chairpersons of the Local Government Councils, 10 for Governors and their deputies and no more than 50 for the President.

    Ministers and Commissioners should arrange their own security at their own cost, just as we do. Our security officials should be deployed to do what they were commissioned or recruited to do, namely providing security for Nigerians and not just for the politicians. At another level, we must begin seriously to think of making it a constitutional right of all Nigerians to bear and own arms.

    The present hypocritical situation where only the criminally minded and their patrons monopolise the use of arms is nothing but itself a crime of aiding and abetting the routine killing of defenceless Nigerians. That, I should say, is a crime against humanity. The government has already made people defenceless; the law must not make us be without defence. Of course there could be other elements. But these are our own immediate proposal.

    The recent gruesome murder of four undergraduates of the University of Port Harcourt and students at the Polytechnic in Mubi reveals how low we have sunk as a people. It shows that the lives of Nigerians now count for nothing. We would like join other people to demand that the culprits be brought to justice speedily to send a very strong signal that that type of animalism is not going to be tolerated henceforth.

    The police must get their acts together. They should bring proper charges against the suspects before a court of competent jurisdiction. Bungling of the case will be regarded as aiding and abetting crime.

    • Bamidele Aturu,

    Legal practitioner, Surulere,

    Lagos.

     

  • Police declare ‘kidnap kingpin’ wanted in Anambra

    The Anambra State Police Command has declared wanted a suspected kidnap kingpin, Okechukwu Nwaforagu (aka Ochiagha Nkpor, meaning War Lord).

    The police said Nwaforagu hails from Umusiome Village in Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area.

    There have been incessant kidnap cases in Anambra State, despite efforts by the police and the Peter Obi administration to stop the menace.

    The police said Nwaforagu is six feet, two inches tall, adding that he has allegedly been implicated in over six high-profile kidnap cases.

    A statement yesterday in Awka, the state capital, by police spokesman Raphael Uzoigwe, said the suspect has also been involved in murder.

    The statement said Nwaforagu has been linked with unlawful possession of firearms, which he allegedly gave his gang members for armed robbery.

    The police said anybody who passes useful information to the police on the suspect would be rewarded.

    “Any person(s) that has useful information leading to his arrest should contact the nearest police station in the country or call 08037061958 or 08030954493,” the statement said.

    Some senior police officers told The Nation yesterday in Awka that Nwaforagu is a ring leader like Ifedike (aka Ofeakwu), whose buildings were recently demolished by the Obi administration.

    A police officer, who spoke in confidence, said: “This man has given this command serious headache and we are living no stone unturned in making sure that he is apprehended. Let him continue running. We are ready to send people abroad. If he relocates, we will go there to arrest him. That man is a terror and we cannot allow him to continue in this country.”

     

  • MASSOB chief sues Army, police

    An Otuocha High Court I in Anambra State, presided over by Justice V. N. Umeh, will begin hearing in a suit filed by a chieftain of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Arinze Igbani, against the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police.

    Igbani, the MASSOB Regional Administrator for Onitsha Region 4, sued Army officers, including the Commander of the 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, Col. Taritimiye Gagariga; the Adjutant at the 302 Regiment, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) for allegedly breaching his fundamental rights.

    The MASSOB chief is relying on Sections 33, 34 (1) (a), 35 (6), 36 (5) and 41 of the 2010 Constitution, as amended, to enforce his rights.

    Joined in the suit, brought pursuant to Order 11, Rules 1,2,3,4 and 5 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009, as co-respondents, are the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).

    In his statement of claims, Igbani, through his counsel, Charles Ugo, is praying the court to declare that the respondents violated and are violating the applicant’s fundamental rights.

    He is seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the respondents either by themselves, their servants, agents, privies or subordinates from further arresting, detaining, intimidating, harassing and threatening his life.

    The applicant is asking for N10million as damages against the first, second, third and fourth respondents – jointly and severally – for an unwarranted infringement of his fundamental rights as well as another N15million as damages for his medical treatment.

    The applicant also sought a mandatory order commanding the respondents to jointly and or severally tender an unreserved apology in writing to him for an unwarranted infringement of his fundamental rights, and for the the Army to sponsor his medical treatment abroad, as recommended by a medical expert who is currently treating his fractured leg which was badly shattered by the soldiers during the invasion of the hospital.

    Also in his affidavit in support of the claims, Igbani noted that he was involved in an auto accident in April and had a fractured leg and as a result was admitted in an orthopaedic hospital located at No. 3 Ezeakunne Street, Okpoko Layout within Onitsha suburb.

    Igbani noted that on September 4, 2012, a team of armed soldiers from the office of the first respondent, led by the second respondent, invaded the hospital at about 9 a.m. and started shooting sporadically in the air for a minute and half and at the same time surrounded the compound and was ready to shoot anyone who dared to move out of the hospital premises.

    He contended that the soldiers arrested six persons who came to sympathise with him, forced out his fractured leg hung and rested in an iron for medical treatment and pushed all of them into their waiting Hilux Army patrol van and drove off to Army barracks where they were flogged with ropes, kobokos, belts, planks and subjected to severe torture and humiliation, to the extent of shattering the fractured led with their boot and gun butt.

    He said they respondents who also stripped him naked, did not have any pity on him as an injured person hence they included him among those frog-jumped from time to time by different group of soldiers, until the first respondent ordered that they be transferred to Onitsha Police Area Command, from where they were moved at about 6.30 p.m. to the State Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Awka.

    He said they were later charged to an Onitsha Chief Magistrate court few days after for engaging themselves in an unlawful assembly called MASSOB and were granted bail.

    He contended that MASSOB is the same thing with Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) in the West and Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in the North, adding that none of these bodies has been proscribed by the military or the federal government, except MASSOB which has no bad record and which does not carry arms or bomb anywhere like the Boko Haram does in the North.

     

  • Gunmen kill two in Zaria, say police

    The Kaduna State Police Command has confirmed the killing of two people, following an attack on the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Sabon-Gari, Zaria.

    Police spokesman Aminu Lawal, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said the attackers, who are yet to be identified, also injured two other people.

    He said investigation has begun on the matter.

    The police identified the victims as Mr Benjamin Sule and a director of the Cosmopolitan Hotel, Mr Nnamani Daniel.

    It also named the injured as Uba Mamuda and John Oguche.

    An eyewitness said the gunmen attacked the hotel between 9.30pm and 10pm on Saturday.

    The witness said the attackers arrived at the hotel on a motorcycle and opened fire.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the bodies of the deceased were taken to the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika.