Tag: Police

Preparations for the 15th Biennial Police Games (BIPOGA 2026) have gathered momentum as the Local Organising Committee (LOC) held a high-level, two-day strategic conference and facility inspection in Asaba, Delta State, ahead of the nationwide sporting event scheduled for between February 7 and 14, 2026.

The inspection tour held at the weekend was led by the Chairman of the Force Sports Planning Committee, Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, Fom Pam Joseph.

It focused on tightening operations, logistics, and coordination ahead of the games.

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Senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), including AIG Suleiman Abdul, CP Dantawaye Miller, CP Hassan Gwani, CP Osifo Emefiele, and Delta State CP Aina Adesola, were in attendance alongside members of the LOC.

Spokesman for Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, revealed in a statement on Saturday that key issues such as venue readiness, security architecture, accommodation, transportation, medical support, and logistics took centre stage, with emphasis on delivering a seamless and professionally run national sporting event.

Sequel to the strategy session, SP Edafe said the committee inspected designated sporting venues across Asaba, evaluating infrastructure, safety standards, and overall preparedness for athletes and officials expected from police commands nationwide.

“The LOC reaffirmed its readiness to deliver a secure, orderly, and memorable BIPOGA 2026, assuring participants and the public that all arrangements are firmly on course,” the spokesman indicated.

The Nigerian Police in Cross River State Police has refuted widespread claims alleging brutality by the law enforcement agency at the Cross River state capital.

According to the police, the video currently circulating on social media alleging police brutality by personnel of the Operation Anti-Kidnapping Unit (popularly known as “Dragon”), is a false narrative.

The Command  however,  clarifies that  the incident that occurred on 15 January 2026, at about 12:45 p.m., where a team of the Operation Anti-Kidnapping Squad, was on routine township patrol around the Ettagbor axis when they sighted a white Mercedes-Benz vehicle bearing a suspicious and improperly assigned registration number, which aroused their suspicion. And attempts to verify ownership, occupants and other checks have been twisted falsely.

According to the police, “The team attempted to stop the vehicle to question the occupants and determine the car’s true ownership. However, the occupants refused to stop and instead drove into a popular telecommunications gadget complex known as “Tonimas,” located opposite the University of Calabar, with the patrol team following closely behind.

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“Upon further questioning and an attempt to convey the vehicle and its occupants to the base for proper investigation, the suspect resisted lawful arrest and began to incite gadget vendors, students, and passers-by, falsely alleging that the Police were attempting to arrest and extort him unlawfully.

“This action caused the situation to become tense. The team, observing the growing hostility, called for operational backup. Before the arrival of reinforcement, some members of the public became violent and pelted the officers with stones and sticks.”

Information from the Police indicates that, upon the arrival of operatives from Operation Sting, Anti-Cultism, and Paramilitary Intervention (Operation Okowor), the suspect was eventually subdued and placed inside a patrol van. However, he jumped out of the vehicle and attempted to flee, violently resisting arrest. In the course of the struggle, his shirt was torn, and he also tore the uniform of one of the Anti-Kidnapping operatives.

At least two police officers attached to the Distress Response Squad (DRS) of the Enugu State Police Command were killed on Thursday night after gunmen attacked their patrol team in Enugu, the state capital.

The incident occurred at about 8.00 p.m. along Agbani Road, in the Detective Police College (DEPO) junction.

According to police sources, the assailants suddenly opened fire on the patrol vehicle without provocation while the officers were on duty along the street.

The police operatives reportedly responded to the attack, leading to an exchange of gunfire that forced the assailants to flee with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.

During the incident, the patrol vehicle was set ablaze, while two officers sustained severe gunshot wounds.

They were rushed to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention but were later confirmed dead by medical personnel.

It was further gathered that the gunmen made away with AK-47 rifles and some ammunition belonging to the slain officers.

Reacting to the attack, the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, ordered an intensified manhunt for the perpetrators, whom the police described as suspected IPOB/ESN-linked criminal elements.

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He directed tactical and intelligence units of the Command to deploy all available resources and sustain the trail of the fleeing suspects to ensure their arrest and prosecution.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the Command disclosed that a Lexus RX 330 SUV earlier snatched from a resident and used by the assailants during the attack has been recovered.

The vehicle was said to bear multiple bullet holes from the exchange of gunfire.

CP Giwa also appealed to members of the public with credible information that could aid the arrest of the suspects to promptly report to the nearest police station or contact the Command through available channels.

He assured residents that the Enugu State Police Command remains resolute in its commitment to ensuring that those responsible for the attack are brought to justice and that criminal elements do not undermine public safety in the state.

The Ondo State Police Command arrested more than 2,500 suspects in 2025 for offences ranging from murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, vandalism and drug-related crimes.

The Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, disclosed this on Friday while briefing journalists at the Police Headquarters in Akure on the command’s activities during the year under review.

CP Lawal said 50 suspects were arrested for murder, 49 for armed robbery, and 85 for kidnapping, while 407 others were apprehended for vandalism and stealing.

He added that no fewer than 365 suspects were arrested for cult-related activities.

Lawal further revealed that 250 suspects were arrested for unlawful possession of substances suspected to be hard drugs, while 1,434 others were apprehended for various other offences.

The police commissioner attributed the successes recorded by the command to collective efforts and the support of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, and the Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. 

He noted that Ondo state enjoyed relative peace during the period under review due to proactive policing strategies and intelligence-led operations carried out in collaboration with sister security agencies.

CP Lawal further disclosed that a substantial number of police personnel underwent advanced training in intelligence gathering and analysis, which equipped them with modern techniques for proactive policing, early threat detection, and informed operational decision-making.

In addition, he said the command conducted specialised training for 150 members of the Owo Security Network (OSN), a community-based vigilante group working overtly and covertly with the police to strengthen the state’s security architecture.

Giving a breakdown of exhibits recovered, CP Lawal said the command seized 105 firearms, 92 vehicles and motorcycles, 27 unregistered or forged vehicle documents, 10 stolen vehicles, and 200 rounds of ammunition. 

He added that 102 items were also impounded for various traffic and security-related offences.

“These collective efforts have contributed significantly to a safer environment and a measurable decline in high-impact crimes, thereby creating conditions conducive to sustainable social and economic development,” he said.

Read Also: Police intercept explosive-making materials, foil trafficking attempt in Kano

CP Lawal disclosed that most of the suspects are currently facing prosecution in various courts across the state and urged residents to continue supporting the police with credible and actionable information to prevent crime.

The police commissioner also paid tribute to officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, describing them as gallant, dedicated, and courageous.

“Their sacrifices will never be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families,” he said.

He, however, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to the protection of lives and property, assuring residents that the police would sustain the fight against crime across the state.

The Kano State Police Command has intercepted suspected explosive materials and illicit drugs in two separate operations.

On January 13, police officers attached to Rijiyar Lemo Police Division executed a search warrant at a residence in Tudun Bojuwa Quarters of Fagge local government area, discovering 6 rolls of detonating codes, 20 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, and 220 sachets of Exol tablets.

In another recent operation, police officers attached to Anti-Daba Unit intercepted a tricycle rider at Sani Mainagge Quarters of Gwale local government area with 3,700 pieces of electric detonators. The suspect, Ibrahim Garba, aka ‘Manyan Baki’, 49, of Zamfara State, confessed to facilitating the movement of the materials from Nasarawa State.

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Police spokesman Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa said detectives were still investigating the incidents and interrogating the suspects.

Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Adamu Bakori commended the officers for the good job. He urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the nearest police station.

He also advised the public not to touch suspicious items, but to keep a safe distance and report any suspicion immediately.

The Police Command, in Kebbi, says it has arrested a 30-year-old man, Suleman Mamuda, for allegedly killing his wife, Umaima Maidawa, 25, in Bayawa Village, Augie Local Government Area of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Bashir Usman, said in a statement issued in Birnin Kebbi on Friday that the incident occurred on Monday at about 6:30 a.m.

Usman said the suspect allegedly used the wooden handle of a hoe to strike his wife, resulting in her death.

” The suspect fled the area after the incident but was later traced and arrested following police investigation and credible information received from members of the community.

” The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Umar Mohammed-Hadejia, has directed that the case to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for discreet investigation and prosecution,” Usman said.

The PRO urged the members of the public to promptly report incidents and continue to support law enforcement efforts aimed at maintaining peace and security across the state.

(NAN)

The Police Command in Kano State has intercepted suspected explosive materials and illicit drugs in two separate operations in different parts of metropolitan Local Government Areas of the state.

This is contained in a statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, CSP Abdullahi Kiyawa, in Kano on Friday.

Kiyawa said on Monday, Police Officers attached to the Rijiyar Lemo Police Division on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, executed a search warrant at a residence in Tudun Bojuwa Quarters, Fagge LGA, where two big sacks containing suspected incriminating materials were discovered.

He explained that a team of experts from the command’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal, Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) conducted recognition and identification of the suspected materials.

One of the sacks was discovered to contain six rolls of detonating codes while the other contained 20 parcels of dried leaves suspected to be Cannabis Sativa, and 220 sachets of suspected Exol tablets, adding that investigation was in progress.

Kiyawa said that in the  second operation, a team of Police Officers attached to Anti-Thuggery Unit of the command while on an intelligence-led surveillance patrol, intercepted a tricycle rider at Sani Mainagge Quarters, Gwale LGA, with three bags containing  suspected heavy materials.

Read Also: Police intercept explosives, drugs, arrest suspects in Kano 

He said a team of experts from the command’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal, Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) conducted recognition and identification of the suspected materials, where electric detonators numbering 3,700 pieces were discovered.

The commercial tricycle rider led to the arrest of a suspect, identified as Ibrahim Garba, aka ‘Manyan Baki’, aged 49 years, of Zamfara, who confessed to facilitating the movement of the materials from Nasarawa State en route other places.

Kiyawa explained that already, the command had launched an intensive investigation into the matter.

The Commissioner of Police,  Ibrahim Bakori, commended the officers involved in the operations and urged the public to remain vigilant.

He called on the public to continue to report any suspicious movements, items, or activities to the nearest Police Station or through the command’s emergency numbers: 08032419754, 08123821575, 09029292926.

Kiyawa added, “The public is advised not to touch any suspicious item seen, keep distance, and immediately report it to the Police.”

(NAN)