TWO policemen and their driver were reportedly killed yesterday when soldiers opened fire on their bus at Festac Town in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
A motorist driving an Honda Accord car and a security guard also fell to the soldiers’ bullets.
But the police claimed that their men were not killed, but injured.
The incident occurred at the 7th Avenue via T Close/4th Avenue, where the soldiers have been stationed since Monday’s gun battle with pipeline vandals.
The guard, Mohammed Idris, was hit in the eye as he dashed back to his duty post from where he went to buy noodles on hearing sounds of gunshots.
The Nation learnt that the officers were led by Inspector Muhammed Adamu Area ‘E’ Command, FESTAC Town.
They were said to be chasing the Honda Accord driver, who they mistook for a robber.
They fired at him to stop but he drove on.
The Nation learnt that the soldiers returned fire, thinking that they were being attacked.
Many fled as guns boomed. Some hurriedly closed their shops; others remained indoors.
An eyewitness said the policemen were trailing a man who went to a bank on 23 Road.
“The guy drove a green Honda Accord marked AAA354DW coming from the bank where he went to exchange hard currency. The policemen I learnt were tracing him from the bank in a shuttle bus. Some people said the officers are fond of using shuttle bus to operate.
“On getting to where the soldiers mounted a road block due to Monday’s gun duel with some vandals, the policemen shot. They traced the man into the soldiers’ barricade, shooting sporadically. The soldiers returned fire, killing the two policemen inside the shuttle bus and the driver,” he said.
The driver identified as Murphy drove a FESTAC Shuttle bus marked JJJ602XM.
Another eyewitness said the late Idris went to buy noodles from a nearby makeshift shop.
“The shop is close to his security post. When the people there heard gunshot, some ran away, the shop owner laid down to avoid being hit. Idris was trying to rush back to his duty post when he was hit by the stray bullet on the right eye. He died on the spot,” he said.
According to the witness, the policemen were in mufti and police jacket.
The Nation learnt that officers from Area ‘E’ came to evacuate the bodies.
Police spokesman, Joe Offor, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), described the incident as an act of omission.
He denied that the policemen were dead, saying they are in hospital.
Offor said: “At FESTAC Town, a man was attacked after he had withdrawn money from a commercial bank. As he was leaving the bank with the money, two men on motorcycle accosted him and made away with the money.
“Some sympathisers alerted the police at FESTAC Division. By the time the police got there, the robbers had fled.
“Somehow, some mischievous guys in the area saw a moving Honda Accord and started shouting that he was the thief.
“Meanwhile, the driver of the Honda did not know he was the one they were talking about and was still moving at his own pace.
“When he got to the checkpoint mounted by the soldiers, who were stationed along 7th Avenue because of pipeline vandals, he made to drive through.
“But the soldiers thinking that the driver was truly a robber, who was trying to escape, opened fire on the moving vehicle. The bullet hit two of our men and the civilian.
“Contrary to rumours making the rounds, our men didn’t die. They were injured and they are currently receiving treatment at the hospital.”
Two policemen were reportedly killed and several motorcyclists injured in Wednesday’s clash in Ajao Estate at Ejigbo, Lagos, it was learnt yesterday.
There was tension in the estate, following the clash.
The hoodlums burnt an armoured tank and a patrol vehicle belonging to the Lagos State Task Force on the Environment.
The clash started at 7.15pm following the arrest of some motorcyclists around the Canoe axis. It was learnt that the task force officials stormed the area to arrest some motorcyclists and impound their motorcycles.
The motorcyclists reportedly mobilised their colleagues and thugs in the area against the policemen in a shootout.
The Nation gathered that there were sporadic gun shots from Afolabi Bus-stop in the estate across the Canoe Bridge linking Ejigbo.
It prompted other motorists to scamper for safety.
Police spokesman, Joe Offor, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) said nobody was killed but some policemen were injured and have been treated.
He also said the motorcyclists were obstructing lawful duties.
Offor Said: “The armoured tank has been removed from the junction and also, 64 motorcycles have been impounded. 11 motorcyclists have been arrested and will be charged to court.”
Mr. Bala Hassan, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone 2, on Monday assured policemen of better welfare to boost their performances toward protection of lives and property.
The AIG gave the assurance at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, during a familiarisation tour.
“Why I’m here with you today is to meet you personally and to tell you that the new AIG has arrived because some of you have not met me.
“My first message is to draw your attention to the fact that to whom much is given, much is expected.
“You will recall that since the Inspector-General (I-G), Solomon Arase, came on board, he has been taking care of your welfare,’’ he told the officers and men of the police.
“My wife told me that the only thing that will make a policeman happy is promotion, I don’t know where she read that from but it’s true that if you give a policeman promotion, he will give you his best.
“When I came in newly, the first thing I was told to do is to go and conduct interview for promotion at Police College from Corporals to Sergeants and Sergeants to Inspectors and I am sure there is more.
“If the promotion is regular, this means the force has done something to motivate us to do our work.
“The people of Lagos State do not expect anything less than high quality service from us.
“The safer highway is to police the highways leading the boundary with Ogun so that there will not be crime.
“And the I-G has told me that before you go on patrol, you should be given fair ration or something to drink.’’
Hasasn said that the directive was to make sure that when you were on the highway, you don’t start blocking roads unnecessarily because road block had been banned.
He added that all the police needed to do was visibility policing as directed by the I-G.
“Allowance will also be given to policemen on safer highways patrol so that they will have something to encourage them to give better service to the nation.
“Similarly on welfare, you will recall that the police force is building some houses so that junior officers will have somewhere to stay after retirement.
“The housing estate has started in Katsina, Enugu and the Goodluck Jonathan Estate at Idimu, Lagos, where you will only pay 10 per cent at first and pay the rest gradually.
“The I-G has allowed you to go and read. You will still work Mondays to Fridays but you can receive lectures at weekends if you are admitted at National Open Universities,’’ Hassan said.
It did not start today. But, the trend is becoming worse by the day. In the past few months, there have been many cases of policemen either killing their colleagues or innocent citizens in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Yobe. Nigerians are wondering whether policemen should undergo periodic psychiatric tests to determine their mental state. Beyond dismissing and prosecuting culprits, how else can the police make its officers to be less harmful to those they are meant to protect? JOSEPH JIBUEZE sought lawyers’ views.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase has his work cut out – he and his topmost officers must figure out how to tame trigger-happy men among the rank and file. The police, which are expected to protect citizens, seem to have become a danger to society. Their colleagues and the citizens are not safe from these trigger happy cops
In 2008, global watchdog Amnesty International (AI) released a report titled: Nigeria Police kill at will, which documented cases of torture and shooting of suspects in custody. The group said the police were notorious for shooting suspects, and torturing them to death.
AI said: “The Nigerian Police is responsible for hundreds of unlawful killings every year. Police don’t only kill people by shooting them; they also torture them to death, often while they are in detention.
“The majority of the cases go uninvestigated and the police officers responsible go unpunished. The families of the victims usually get no justice or redress. Most never even found out what happened to their loved ones.”
The situation seems to have worsened. Not only do the officers kill innocent citizens, they also shoot their colleagues.
Officers go crazy
In the past few months, trigger-happy cops have gunned down people across the country. One of such incident occurred on September 17 when Corporal Musefun Aremu, of Isheri-Oshun Police Station shot a tricyclist and his wife, Comfort.
The tricyclist (Keke Marwa operator), Godwin Ekpo, is still battling for his life at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.
Ekpo was reportedly returning home from chuch with his wife and their four children when Aremu stopped them. He allegedly demanded for N200 from Ekpo for being on the road beyond the stipulated time. But Ekpo was said to have explained that he was returning from church and that the time was just 8pm.
As they attempted to drive off, Aremu shot at them with an AK 47 riffle. The bullet pierced through Comfort’s skull, killing her. The bullet was said to have hit the husband.
Aremu (28) has been arraigned. He reportedly claimed that he never meant to kill the woman, denying that he also demanded money from them.
He said: “We were stationed at Obalagbe when we saw the Keke Marwa coming at about 12 midnight, which was against the stipulated time for them to operate. When we stopped him, he refused. Rather, he hit our vehicle in an attempt to escape.
“All I did was to aim at the tyres of the Keke Marwa. Unfortunately the bullet hit the woman from behind and also hit the man in the jaw. I never meant to kill anybody. It was just a mistake. If he had not run, I would not have fired,” he said.
Threat to other officers
Trigger-happy policemen are not only a threat to innocent civilians, they are also a threat to themselves. Last Friday, a police Constable, Ibrahim Musa, of the Nangere Police Division reportedly shot dead two of his superior officers following a quarrel at Tarajim Village in Yobe State.
Musa was said to have angrily opened fire and shot Inspectors Mohammed Musa and Ishaku Elam with an AK47 rifle. After shooting his colleagues, he turned the gun on himself and attempted suicide. He was said to have died of injuries from the gunshot at the Potiskum General Hospital.
Shot for ‘love’
On April 30, a jealous policeman took his own life after killing his lover and a colleague for allegedly cheating on him. The lady, who sold GSM recharge cards, was said to be double-dating the two married policemen.
The incident took place at Karu, a satellite town in Abuja. The killer cop, a sergeant, was said to be the lady’s primary lover. However, his colleague working with him on the same patrol team, was also dating the lady without his knowledge. When the sergeant got wind of the development, he confronted his girlfriend.
As they were arguing, the jealous sergeant reportedly shot the lady twice in the chest. As onlookers tried to come to terms with the unfolding incident, the sergeant again shot his colleague, killing him. Onlookers fled, fearing the gun might turn on them. Having certified that the two were dead, the sergeant reportedly turned the gun on himself and fired a shot to die instantly.
Other acts of trigger-happiness
In May, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, identified as Mohammed, allegedly shot dead a tricycle driver, Akeem Aranse, during an argument at Akowonjo area, on the outskirt of Lagos.
Mohammed was said to have boarded a commercial motorcycle (okada), which was hit by the tricyle operator on Karimu Laka Street in Egbeda.
The incident reportedly led to an argument which degenerated. It was reported that passersby had tried to settle the skirmish, but the police officer remained adamant.
The officer was said to have eventually brought out his pistol and shot the tricycle driver. Thirty-one-year-old Akeem, who was said to have been shot in the chest, reportedly died on the spot.
Extra-judicially killed?
On May 19, four police corporals Adeleke Adedeji, Abena John, Henry Shobowale and Oniyo Musa, who were reportedly investigating a case of armed robbery incident that took place in Agege, Lagos, went to Edo State as part of the investigation.
They were on the trail of those who robbed Alhaji Babangida Isa of his Toyota car, mobile phones and other valuables. In Edo, they narrowed their trail to Benson Obode, who was found at the Aduwawa area of Benin. In the cause of arresting the suspect, who was accused of receiving the stolen car, he was shot and killed.
Following a public protest by his family and some members of his community in Benin, a petition was written to the IGP, who ordered an investigation. The FCID consequently commenced investigation which led to the officers’ arrest.
‘Police killed our son’
The late Ikechukwu
The family of a polytechnic student killed in Umuahia, Abia State on September 10, Ikechukwu Uwagbaokwu, accused policemen from the state command of the murder. They petitioned the state Commissioner of Police Joshak Habila over the gruesome murder of the 21-year-old Imo State Polytechnic student.
The family alleged that on September 10, Uwagbaokwu, a Marketing student, went to bed at about 9:00pm but at about 10:50pm there were persistent banging on the door of their family house.
Ten fierce-looking, uniformed policemen had taken strategic positions around the house. They reportedly came in a Hilux pickup van and black Camry Saloon car. When they broke open the first room, they did not see Uwagbaokwu. But on sighting him after forcing open the wooden door to his room, the policemen allegedly shot him. He died on the spot.
The deceased’s father, Mr. Emmanuel Uwagbaokwu (54), said: “I am not suspecting, but those who killed my son were policemen from Ehimiri Police Station, Umuahia.
“Immediately I reported the matter to Ehimiri Police Station and the DPO there denied sending his men to duty to that area that night, he, however, ordered some police team to follow us to the scene of the incident. On the way, the team dodged us and did not reach our house.”
The state command have denied the killing and the family have urged the IGP to order an investigation into the incident.
‘Shot over N100 bribe’
On August 7, a commercial bus driver in Port Harcourt, David Legbara, was shot and killed for allegedly refusing to part with N100 bribe. The policeman was said to be attached to Kala Station.
The deceased’s wife was delivered of a baby boy two months after the murder.
ThankGod Legbara…whose father was allegedly gunned down by an officer
The baby, named ThankGod David Legbara, will grow up without a father, no thanks to a trigger-happy policeman.
Legbara’s death led to huge protests. Angry commercial drivers under the aegis of Rivers State Association of Road Transport Workers took to the streets. Former Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, in a statement, confirmed that a police officer on stop-and-search duty shot the victim.
The widow, Gift, said: “That day I felt like dying. I said ‘God, where will I start from? I don’t have anybody. He was the only hope I had; he was the breadwinner of his family…
“As a commercial driver, he drove another man’s vehicle and rendered account daily. But later he got a vehicle to drive on hire purchase and he had completed the terms of agreement, meaning that the bus now belonged to him before he was killed.”
‘Killed with a gun’s butt’
It was reported on September 1 that police officers in Ondo State allegedly killed Aderonke Eze, a widow, who owns a beer parlor close to her residence in Akure. She was allegedly killed with a gun butt by police officers from the Ala unit of the Oda Divisional Police Station.
After her death, the policemen allegedly dumped her remains at the General Hospital’s morgue in Akure. It was learnt that the killer police officers, seven in number, stormed the streets around 6:45pm in a Hilux van with plate number NPF 4236 B. Eyewitnesses said the policemen were in the habit of raiding the street and arresting young boys suspected to be marijuana, or “Indian hemp smokers.”
Any way out?
The above are just a few instances of how dangerous some police officers have become to the society. Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Abuja, Arase said it was likely that some officers could be suffering from temporary insanity.
He said it was likely that an officer, who had been standing in the sun for over 12 hours could go temporarily crazy. He urged the public to show understanding and not argue with or provoke such officers.
Arase vowed to ensure that such officers are disciplined appropriately. But some analysts say more needs to be done beyond dismissing and prosecuting killer-cops.
National Coordinator, Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN) Okechukwu Nwanguma, recalled that in 2006, a female Divisional Police Officer in Onitsha, Anambra State, tried to compound felony by covering up a police corporal, Daniel Ayuba, who shot dead a lady, Nkechi Obidigwe, at a police checkpoint on Zik’s Avenue, Fegge, Onitsha.
It took an impartial investigation to indentify the killer police corporal, who confessed during an orderly room trial. The DPO had denied that her men were responsible and claimed that it was MASSOB members that shot the girl. The matter was later taken over by the State CID Awka following a petition by the family members and the public outrage it generated.
Three officers at the checkpoint were fished out, arrested and detained. Autopsy revealed that a police bullet AK47 killed the victim.
To rid the police of such excesses, Nwanguma believed there must be no cover-ups. He said: “It appears that the culture of cover up of crimes and stalling of prosecution is entrenched more within the Nigeria police than in other uniformed services.”
The Police Service Commission, he said, should also be prompt in disciplining erring officers. He recalled that it took the PSC close to 15 months to discipline the DPO in charge of Pen Cinema, Agege, Olusegun Fabunmi, who allegedly shot Ademola Aderinto during the January 2012 fuel subsidy protests in Lagos.
“The performance of the commission was dismal. Police accountability under the past PSC was practically absent. And this failure by the PSC to discharge its constitutional mandate of enforcing discipline and accountability within the police accounts for the impunity, which protects perpetrators,” he said.
The NOPRIN chief said how decisive errant officers are dealt will help deter others. According to him, on September 20, 2012, a 36-year-old Ugochukwu Ozuah, an engineer, was allegedly shot and killed by a policeman five days after his wedding. The incident occurred on Gbagada Expressway, Lagos as the victim went to drop off a classmate. His killers are yet to be brought to book despite promises by the police hierarchy that they will be fished out and prosecuted.
“Failure to bring perpetrators of abuse to account sustains the climate of impunity that encourages others to commit abuse. There is the need to streamline the various internal disciplinary procedures in the Nigerian Police Force into a manageable framework that could easily be used by aggrieved citizens seeking redress for police misconduct, as well as using data emanating from such mechanisms in tracking police officials, who are subjects of unusually high numbers of citizens’ complaints.
“There is also the need to strengthen external oversight of the police. The PSC evinced under the Constitution and the PSC Act of 2001 is an independent and impartial institution. A body which is established with the constitutional mandate to recruit, promote and discipline all police personnel other than the IGP in an independent and impartial manner, is expected to be composed and headed by non partisan individuals of unquestionable integrity.
“What we need is a civilian-led PSC that has the courage to investigate all public complaints and cases of police abuse. Appointing a retired Inspector-General undermines and subverts this mission and renders the PSC ultimately into another department of the NPF.
“This is not good for the Police; it is inconsistent with the structure and purpose of the Constitution and the PSC Act of 2001; and defeats the whole essence of the establishment of the PSC as a civilian oversight body on policing in Nigeria,” Nwanguma said.
He said it is wrong for the PSC to opt to refer all complaints of extrajudicial killing back to the police for investigation. He said there is also the need for the immediate review of Force Order 237 on the use of firearms.
Nwanguma said there is also the need to continue the process of changing officers’ mentality which emphasised force, violence and brutality. Rather, officers should have a democratic mindset that emphasises service and partnership with the community they serve.
President, Women Arise for Change, Dr. Joe Oke-Odumakin, who is involved in Comfort’s case, said the police should subject its officers to periodic psychiatric tests, as extrajudicial killings were becoming unbearable.
She also wants the police to bear the cost of training children of victims sent to their early grave by the police.
Lawyers’ views
Akeredolu
A former NBA president Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) said the fact that other ranks in the police have become a threat is no news. According to him, their pastime has always been to turn their guns on tax payers they are paid to protect and whose monies are used to procure the ammunition. He said officers need re-orientation.
“A lot of work needs to be done to make officers and men of the NPF appreciate their role as the people’s police and not a police force. The word ‘force’ is certainly a misnomer in the present democratic dispensation.
“Periodic psychiatric test is only desirable for suspicious officers and men. But how well placed is the institution itself to detect derelicts among its rank? An important question. Officers and men who are at the brink of flipping to the other side sure need great assistance.
“Does the institution care for them? Are they well placed to do the needful in ensuring that they operate under minimum favorable conditions that will support stable mental disposition? These are posers to ponder on.
Akeredolu said where officers or other ranks run foul of the law, they should be properly indicted and tried. Their prosecution, he said, should not be left to the ordinary and usual police prosecutors, who are more likely to compromise.
“The Office of the Federal Attorney-General in collaboration with the Police Service Commission must set up a special prosecution unit to handle grave matters of this nature involving the police and the people. Proper prosecution and commensurate conviction would certainly deter future occurrence.
“Above all the Nigerian Police no doubt need full re-orientation from head to toe, starting from their recruitment criteria,” he added.
For Dr Joseph Nwobike (SAN), the reason for the incessant killing of civilians by armed policemen and, lately, of
Nwobike
policemen by armed policemen is the direct consequence of impunity and the failure of professional value system within the police.
He said it was unfortunate that policemen, who by their training, ought to apply themselves and disposition towards the protection of lives and property now pose a risk and challenge to lives and property.
“In the light of the above, periodic mental or psychiatric evaluation of policemen, even where carried out properly, will not impact on the trend. The reason is simple: there is no evidence that those policemen who unlawfully kill others suffer psychiatric ailments.
“The solution requires integrated reordering of the value system amongst policemen. This will involve training and retraining of police officers and men on a continuous basis with a view to building a responsive policing culture,” Dr Nwobike said.
Ofuokwu
Constitutional lawyer Mr Ike Ofuokwu described the conduct of trigger-happy policemen as a monumental national embarrassment, which has persisted for so many years because the victims, who are often innocent and helpless citizens, have taken it as a norm and crude way of life.
“The defective criminal justice system has not in any way helped the situation with its very slow apparatus of administering justice. The police force itself are always foot dragging and reluctant to release recalcitrant officers to justice save when there is overwhelming public outcry.
“Such policemen should be made to face trial speedily and maximum punishment inflicted whenever they are found guilty, in addition to making them pay compensation to the victims or their dependants.
“Their DPO’s or supervising officers should also be demoted or summarily dismissed. In addition, subjecting all policemen at the point of recruitment to psychiatric test should be a condition precedent to engaging them.
“Periodically all serving policemen and officers of the law, who carry arms, should be subjected to a yearly psychiatric evaluation. Finally, it is long overdue for a fundamental overhaul of the Nigerian Police so as to align them with best global practice. What we have today majorly are bandits in police uniform,” Ofuokwu said.
The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, yesterday said the Police lost 435 men and officers to crime fighting across the country in six months.
He spoke at an event organised by the Osun State Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) at the Leisure Spring Hotel, Osogbo.
Arase urged Nigerians to support the Police in combating crimes, saying since hoodlums live among the people, the police need information from them to curb crimes in the society.
He said: “I don’t believe mounting road blocks on our highways can prevent crimes. And I know that the public perception of road blocks gives bad impression of the police. Road blocks have not succeeded in curbing crime in the country rather it has been giving a bad impression of the police. The impression of the public on road blocks is that it is an avenue to extort money from them.
”This is the public we want to get information from. This is the public we want to help us, the same we are terrorising on the roads. What do you think the public will think of the police? Will the public help us in combating crime when we terrorise them?
”But I must say that if I don’t want corruption among my men, the society must come in to help them. It is not a crime to give pure water to police on patrol on our roads to combat crime for eight hours.
”This is where we are soliciting the help of the state governors and chairmen of local councils across the country to help us out in boosting the morale of police in the country.”
The Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, urged the IGP to integrate the traditional rulers in fighting crimes in their various domains.
According to him, “the traditional rulers as custodian of their domains know what happens, families involved and the children involved in crimes but it is a pity that no function was ascribed to them.”
Also, the Chairman of Osun State Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Comrade Amitolu Shittu, demanded the empowerment of the body to get rid of criminals in the state.
Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the challenge of insurgency and kidnapping could be overcome in Nigeria if there was an effective synergy between the Police and the Department of the State Security Service (DSS).
The governor spoke when Arase, visited him at the Government House in Osogbo before the PCRC event.
Aregbesola said: “The Police and the DSS must synergise. They must share intelligence because perpetrators of kidnapping and people who carry out the act of insurgency are human beings. With adequate intelligence, it will be easier to penetrate their ranks and liquidate whatever evil plan they have before the carry it out.
“I am appealing to the two agencies which are today Federal Government agencies to realise the need for the two of them working together in the interest of effective maintenance of peace and order, particularly on the issue of kidnapping which is assuming a frightening dimension.
“If their acts have been nipped in the bud at their nascent stages, we would not have the monstrous expression of them as we see now. So please, I plead for the two civil security agents that are vital for the maturation of our democracy.”
The governor also called on the Inspector General of Police to provide additional six area commands in the Federal Constituency in the state to make nine Police area commands.
He said: “We are happy that our administration has brought better atmosphere of peace, we will improve on the ambience of peace and security, we are working towards total eradication of crime in our state.
“The IGP can still help us in the discharge of responsibility of police by providing area commands in each of our Federal constituencies, just nine, we have three now, Osun needs nine, why am I requesting for nine when threat to peace are limited.”
Arase lauded Aregbesola for his appreciation of the police by providing them with equipment to discharge their duties effectively.
The family of Ikechukwu Vincent Uwagbaokwu, a polytechnic student killed in Umuahia, Abia State on September 10, has accused policemen from the state command of the murder.
The Uwagbaokwus have also petitioned the state Commissioner of Police Joshak Habila over the killing.
The police denied the accusation.
The family of the slain student, in their petition through their counsel Dr. Godwin Chionye, accused the police of the gruesome murder of the 21-year-old Imo State Polytechnic student.
The petition read in part: “On the 10th of September, 2015, Mr Ikechukwu Vincent Uwagbaokwu, a Marketing student of Imo Polytechnic went to bed at about 9:00pm but at about 10:50pm there were persistent banging on the door of the family house of the Uwagbaokwus.
“When Mr Anthony Uwagbaokwe [brother of deceased] came out to see who was banging on their door, he saw about ten fierce men in police uniform who had taken strategic positions in all the surroundings of the house.
“One of the men in uniform who came with a Hilux pickup van and black Camry Saloon car, hit the door of one of the occupants [names withheld] and forced it open, and when the occupant came out, the men in police uniform, who refused to identify themselves, said that he is not the person that they are looking for.
“The police went to the direction pointed to by the man they first met who allegedly directed them to the place they were looking for and the armed policemen forced the wooden door open and on sighting Ikechukwu Vincent Uwagbaokwu, one of the policemen shot him and he died immediately.
“Our clients raised alarm but nobody came to their rescue. The matter was reported to Ehimiri Police Station in whose jurisdiction this area falls, but the police could not give any useful assistance as they denied sending policemen out on that day to effect any arrest.”
The family’s lawyer said that after the incident his clients reported the matter to the Ehimiri Police Station where the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) gave them order to deposit the deceased at Madonna Mortuary in Umuahia.
In his reaction, the father of the deceased, Mr. Emmanuel Uwagbaokwu, a 54-year-old house builder, said, “I am not suspecting but those who killed my son were policemen from Ehimiri Police Station, Umuahia”.
Uwagbaokwu who was crying, said, “Immediately I reported the matter to Ehimiri Police Station and the DPO there denied sending his men to duty to that area that night, he however ordered some police team to follow us to the scene of the incident. On the way, the team dodged us and they did not reach our house”.
He called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase to order for full investigation in order to unravel the killers of his son.
“My son Ugochkwu, who was sleeping at the corridor allegedly heard when one our neighbours [names withheld] showed them Ikechukwu’s room”.
Reacting to the allegation, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Ezekiel Onyeke in a telephone chat denied the involvement of the police in the killing of the student.
Two men, Lawal Hakeem, 43, and Abiodun Ibrahim, 32, have been arrested for allegedly impersonating policemen at Mile 2, Lagos.
Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Commander Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said the suspects were arrested by patrolling policemen because of their “suspicious” movement.
The suspects, he said, claimed to be police officers on being accosted.
Disu said: “The RRS operatives continued interrogation, after a while, one of them, Hakeem, showed his cloned police identification card. The RRS men looked at the I.D card critically to discover that it was a fake I.D. Immediately both of them were arrested and bundled into the squad’s vehicle and driven to the headquarters for further investigation”.
At the station, Disu said, Ibrahim confessed he is not a police officer but Hakeem’s intimate friend. Ibrahim said he was trying to settle a dispute between Hakeem and a motorist when the policemen arrived, Disu added.
Hakeem, who lives at Shittu Ajiron in Ajangbadi in Ojo Local government area, confessed that he was a police officer before he deserted in July last year.
“I got enlisted Nigerian Police force on April 4, 1989 with force number; 180939 before I was deserted from the Force last year due to absenteeism from work after the death of my wife. Since that time, things have not been easy for me. I was only parading myself as police officer only to find means of livelihood. I am appealing to the Nigerian Police force to forgive me and I swear I will not do the same again’’, he appealed.
The Police said the suspects would be charged to court soon.
Happy days are coming for about 40, 000 police officers cutting across all cadres who have been earmarked for promotion over the next two months.
Police Inspector General, Solomon Arase, said yesterday in Lagos that those to be promoted are from Constable to Inspector.
In the same vein, the Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the promotion of 260 Senior Police Officers to different ranks.
The promotion, according to the Commission, is based on merit, availability of vacancies and maturity on a rank.
Arase said that it is the rank and file doing the major jobs such as arrests, investigations and other special duties and therefore deserve to be rewarded.
He said: There has been a backlog of promotions between the Constable and Inspector cadre involving about 36, 000 of them. Two groups are already undergoing their promotional courses.
“Within the next two months, about 40, 000 policemen between the rank of Constable and Inspector will undertake promotion exercises and be moved up to the next rank.
“If we are able to solve the problem of the rank and file in the Police, half of the issues we are dealing with which is corruption would be resolved. Corruption is borne out of insecurity.”
Speaking on the promotion of police officers, Head of Press and Public Relations Unit of PSC, Ikechukwu Ani said: “One Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) (Medical) was promoted to the next rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) while 205 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSP) were elevated to the rank of Superintendents of Police (SP).
“54 Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASP) (Veterinary) were upgraded and promoted to the rank of Superintendents of Police (SP)”.
PSC’s chairman, Mike Okiro, said the commission will continue to encourage the Nigeria Police Force through regular and timely promotions.
Okiro advised the officers to reciprocate the gesture by committing themselves to greater productivity and efficiency in the service of the nation.
He also urged them to operate at all times within the confines of the law and to be guided by the extant rules and regulations of the Police Force.
Some British security experts have arrived the country to provide expertise training for men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force across the country.
Speaking at the opening ceremony on the Special Weapon and Arms Training (SWAT) for the first batch of policemen at the Mobile Police Training College, Ila-Orangun, Osun State, the college’s commandant, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Dankwara Mohammed, said the programme was timely, particularly with the Muhammadu Buhari administration renewed effort to put total end to the Boko Haram insurgency and other insecurity challenges facing the nation.
He said the force was collaborating with the foreign security experts under the aegis of IBT Associates Limited, a consultancy firm, which is in partnership with Field Security Services.
Mohammed further said the special training programme, which would hold in batches, was designed for all the men and officers, cutting across the rank and file of the force.
He said the training would comprise a combined unit of counter-terrorism, the close protection unit and the anti-bomb, among others.
He praised the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, for the initiative which, he said, would upgrade men and officers of the force.
He said the training, no doubt, would reposition the force to tackle rising crimes in the country and make its men be in control to crack the Boko Haram insurgents, kidnappers, armed robbers and other violent criminals in the country.
He said:“The SWAT is a programme for most responsive action initiated by the British and American police. The Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, considered it necessary to upgrade the combat readiness initiative for the members of the force.”
Mohammed said the training programme would take four weeks for each batch of participants, adding that the first batch had been inaugurated on July 29.
The commandant advised the participants to take the programme serious for effective result, warning them against malingering and to obey the college rules and to maintain discipline throughout the duration of the programme.
He urged them to consider themselves lucky and privileged as the elite of the Nigeria Police to be trained by the British police officers.
While speaking further on the nature of the programme, the commandant said: “As soon as members of the first squad who are currently in training finish the programme, another squad would fall in immediately. Each squad is traditionally 63 in number. It is a continuous training programme. Possibly, all the police officers from the rank of inspector will be trained. That is the target of the IGP.”
Inspector-General Police (IGP) Solomon Arase has urged men of the Rivers State Police Command to bust criminal gangs from their hideouts to secure the state from criminals.
There is a preponderance of illegal arms and ammunition in the Southsouth, especially in Rivers State.
The police must do everything possible to ensure they were mopped up, Arase said.
The police chief spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, when he addressed men and officers of the command, civil society groups and other stakeholders during his maiden visit to the state.
Arase was in Rivers State to receive 64 units of patrol vehicles donated to security operatives, including the police, Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The vehicles are meant to boost the agencies’ fight against crimes and criminality.
Arase said records would not be re-written negatively in the security history of Nigeria, adding that it had never been heard that criminals overpowered the security agencies of any country, including Nigeria.
The IGP urged the police to ensure that criminals were frustrated out of the state.
He hailed Police Commissioner Chris Ezike for fighting criminals since he assumed office on June 2.
Arase urged him to step up the fight.
He said: “I am here today to first share with you the policy thrust we’re having in the Nigerian Police Force and to commend you for the hard work you have done in this past one month to ensure that Rivers State does not degenerate into the state of anomie.
“I also thank Chris Ezike for providing the leadership that has brought the state to the part of sanity.
“I want to commend you …for all you have done in this past one month to reignite the indomitable fighting spirit of the Nigerian Police Force. There is no way we will allow criminal gangs mand groups to overwhelm the state. It has never happened in the history of any law enforcement agencies. I think it will not happen in Nigeria of our time.
“We will not allow these culprits to take over this state or the citizens. Economic development cannot take place in any society, if the society is not safe and secure.
“I want to commend all of you for all you have done in this last one month and to say that the one month state of emergency that has been declared is not enough to sanitise the security situation in Rivers to my satisfaction. It is because of this I am going to extend it by another one month.” Ezike told Arase that the state had a high number of illegal firearms in circulation.
The police commissioner said they were suspected to be the offshoots of the March and April general elections.
But he assured that the command would recover such arms.
