The Nation Newspaper

Tag: policemen

  • Six held for allegedly killing policemen

    The Sokoto State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of six persons in connection with the alleged killing of Police Inspector Nura Hashimu.

    They are the managing director and five other workers of Pinnacle Hotel, Sokoto.

    Confirming the arrest when briefing reporters on the circumstances that led to the death of Hashimu, police spokesman Al-Mustapha Sani said the late Hashimu was the son of the late Police Commissioner Hashimu Yauri.

    He said the deceased died after he was allegedly beaten up by the hotel’s security guards on August 1.

    Sani said: “The deceased reportedly lodged in the hotel for about five days preceding the incident.

    “The late officer was asked to leave the hotel after complaints by his co-lodgers that his room was always rowdy.”

    He added: “He had earlier packed his belongings, put them in a tricycle and left the hotel. But he later returned angrily.”

    According to him, the deceased quarrelled with the managing director after he went back.

    This, Sani said, resulted in a fight.

    His words: “It was at that juncture that the security guards pounced on the deceased and beat him up.

    “The officer was later taken to the Specialist Hospital, Sokoto where he was confirmed dead.”

    He said the deceased was taken to the Usman Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto for post-mortem.

    The spokesman said the suspects were being detained at the police command for investigations.

     

     

  • Edo: Four policemen arrested over businessman’s death

    Four policemen from the Special Anti-Robbery squad unit of the Lagos State Police Command have been arrested over the death of a car dealer, Benson Obode, in their custody in Benin City, Edo State.

    The four policemen – Adeleke Adedeji, Oniyon Musa, Henry Sobowale, and Abena John had arrested Benson on May 21 and also dumped the corpse of Benson at the Central Hospital Mortuary on same date without informing the family.

    Late Benson was arrested for allegedly buying a stolen Ash Colour Peugeot 306.

    It is not yet certain how Benson died in police custody but his landlord, Monday Omosigho, who was earlier arrested, said he saw Benson being tortured by the police at the Edo police headquarters.

    Lagos State Police Command however told some journalists from a private radio station in Benin City after two months of enquiries that Benson died from ‘mob action’.

    Family of late Benson had traveled to Abuja, Portharcourt, Lagos and Kaduna police commands in search of Benson without any knowledge that Benson has been killed.

    Police sources told the Nation that the four policemen were being currently being detained in Lagos and would soon be transferred to Benin City.

    Elder brother to late Benson, Solomon, said the family has been briefed about the arrest but said they were many unanswered questions like the whereabouts of the N200,000 and ATM cards on his brother the day he was arrested.

  • Deceased policemen’s families get benefits

    Deceased policemen’s families get benefits

    The Coordinator of Operation Yaki, a Kaduna State security outfit, Col. Yakubu Yusuf (rtd), yesterday gave N100,000 each to the families of the three policemen, who died in service.

    He said this is part of the contributions to cushion the effect of their deaths.

    Col. Yusuf said besides the money from the government, there would be life insurance entitlements running into millions of naira, which is to be given to the next of kin  of the deceased.

    The deceased policemen included Inspector Israel Obey, Solomon Garba and Aminu Mohammed, who were killed by an oncoming trailer when they were maintaining peace and order on a roadside leading to the venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries in November last year.

    The late Obey had his wife, Deborah, as his next of kin. Aminu had his son, Yusuf, as the next of kin and Garba picked his daughter, Deborah, as his next of kin.

    Presenting the cash to the deceased’s relations the Operation Yaki boss advised them to use the money judiciously, pending when the insurance cover benefits would be released to them.

    He said: “I use this opportunity to once again console the families of our deceased officers. I reassure officers of the state government’s commitment to the welfare of the operatives. This presentation is in line with the provisions in the operational blueprint of this outfit.

    “In addition to this token from the government, there is life insurance policy covering the operatives. It is hoped that this entitlements will be redeemed soon.

    “I hope the families of the deceased officers will seek solace in the Lord and put what happened behind them.”The next of kin thanked the government for giving them the benefits. They urged the Operation Yaki coordinator to fast-track the life insurance benefits, to meet bigger challenges.  “

     

     

     

  • Policemen detained for shooting at bus

    Policemen detained for shooting at bus

    THERE was panic in Ilupeju, Lagos yesterday as policemen shot at a passenger-laden commercial bus.

    The policemen are being detained at Ilupeju Police Station on the order of Lagos Command spokesman Kenneth Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP). Nwosu told our reporter last night that what the policemen did was wrong.

    The policemen pursued the bus from Ikorodu Road into Adegboyega Street in Ilupeju, shooting, as passersby and residents running for cover.

    They fired at the Oyingbo-bound vehicle, with number-plate KRD 516 XF when the driver allegedly refused to stop as ordered. The bullets hit the front tyre which got burst while the bus was on motion.

    The incident happened at 9am on the one-lane Coker Road in Ilupeju in Odi Olowo-Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA). The bus was carrying traders who went to buy food stuff at Mile 12 Market in Ketu.

    When the driver eventually stopped in front of a church on Adegboyega Street, four policemen, riding in a pick-up marked, “Police Ilupeju Division” with number-plate MUS 04 AW, descended on the driver and his conductor, with the butts of their rifles.

    The passengers fled the scene to avoid being beaten by the policemen, who also used the sharp ends of their guns to deflate the bus remaining tyres. It took the residents’ intervention to rescue the driver from the policemen.

    Tempers rose when the residents demanded to know the offence of the driver, who was identified as Fatai Olatunji. The policemen tried to whisk him away, but residents resisted the move. The officers were also prevented from towing the bus to their station. Hot arguments ensued between the residents and the policemen, which almost led to confrontation.

    Afraid of being attacked by the mob, one of the officers, Adams Ajih with Force Number 358918, called their station, claiming that the driver attempted to kill them.

    Speaking to our reporter, Ajih said: “The commercial bus driver took the wrong lane and faced the police vehicle. We tried to stop him but he fled. This is why we chased the bus. But, it is not true that we fired shots at the vehicle. Rather, the driver attempted to kill us by driving on our lane.”

    When our reporter told the policemen that Coker Road is one-lane, Ajih insisted that the driver was driving on “one-way road”.

    Olatunji denied taking one-way, alleging that the policemen attempted to extort money from him.

    Olatunji said: “I was coming from Ketu and passed through Ilupeju to avoid the traffic gridlock on Ikorodu Road. As  I drove on Coker Road, I discovered a vehicle had broken down on the road. I moved to negotiate to the opposite lane to avoid the faulty vehicle and rejoin the lane in the front; then, I saw the police pick-up coming from the opposite direction.

    “I moved back a bit to allow the policemen go, since they have the right of way. But, they asked me to stop. I asked what my offence was, but they could not mention anything.

    “One of them came down and broke my side mirror. Another officer also shot at the vehicle, which made me drive away from the scene. The policemen made a turn and ran after my bus. I later found out the front tyre had burst after being hit by bullets.”

    A passenger, who gave his name as Taofeek, said the passengers were terrified by the policemen’s action.

    As the mob grew, the policemen left, saying they were going to get a towing-vehicle to remove the bus from the road. They did not return.

    Another officer identified in the police vehicle is Monday with Force Number 362282.

     

  • Boko Haram: 27 missing policemen yet to be declared dead, says I-G

    Boko Haram: 27 missing policemen yet to be declared dead, says I-G

    Twenty seven policemen missing after terrorists attacked Gwoza, in Borno State in August, last year, are yet to be declared dead, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase said yesterday.

    Arase responding to questions from reporters after inaugurating the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Police Property Development and Construction Company Ltd. (NIPPDCC).

    The IGP explained that the police will follow its tradition of declaring officers that got missing in battle dead after the lapse of a period of time which he declined to give.

    He said: “About our colleagues, who are missing in Gwoza, there is a tradition in the police force.

    “When officers are missing in battle, we do not declare them dead or missing until after a period has lapsed.

    “So, we are still waiting for that period to lapse, and if we cannot find them after that time, then, we will formally declare them either dead or missing,’’ Arase said.

    Thirty five policemen were declared missing on August 20, 2014, after the insurgents attacked Gwoza, where one of the police training schools is located.

    However, on 26, August 2014, the Police spokesman, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu, a Commissioner of Police told reporters that eight of them were found, leaving 27 still missing.

    Earlier, he said that the current police management was passionate about the welfare of the inspectors, rank and file, who were mostly operational personnel.

    Arase stressed that the welfare of those categories of personnel needed to be given priority to stamp out corruption in the force.

    He announced that 36,000 of them would by next week proceed on training preparatory to their promotion.

    “We have a social contract with our inspectors, rank and file,’’ he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria  (NAN) reports that the seven-man board is chaired by the IGP.

    NAN also recalls that the IGP, on June 4, mandated the Police Works Department to build 6,000 units of modern houses for the rank and file personnel.

    Five hundred units of the houses are to be located in each of the 12 police zonal commands across the nation.

     

  • Suspected oil bunkerers ‘kill’ three policemen, tanker driver

    Suspected oil bunkerers at Oguda in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State yesterday allegedly killed three policemen and a tanker driver, whose identities are yet to be ascertained.

    The Nation learnt that Oguda, near the boundary between Kogi and Edo states, is a haven for bunkerers, who siphon petroleum products from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC’s) pipelines.

    A source said although he could not narrate what happened, the police might have engaged the bunkerers in a shootout.

    The source said sporadic gunshots were heard from the direction where the illegal bunkering took place, adding that residents and passersby saw bodies hours after the shootings subsided.

    Police Commissioner Adeyemi Samuel Ogunjemilusi said it was not clear what happened, “but I suspect it was the handiwork of bunkerers.”

    He solicited information that would enable the police apprehend the suspects.

  • 3 policemen, tanker driver killed by Kogi oil bunkerers

    Three policemen and a tanker driver whose identities were yet to be ascertained were said reportedly killed by suspected oil bunkerers at Oguda in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State.

    It was gathered that the Oguda area close to the boundary between Kogi and Edo State is a haven for bunkerers who siphon petroleum products from the NNPC pipeline.

    A source said though he could not narrate what exactly happened, the police may have engaged the bunkerers who always carry out their illegal activities in the area in a shootout.

    According to the source, sporadic gunshots was heard from the direction where illegal bunkering activities normally take place, saying that people only saw the corpses hours after the shootings.

    Confirming the incident, the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Adeyemi Samuel Ogunjemilusi said it was not clear what happened but suspect it was the handiwork of bunkerers.

    He however solicited for useful information that would enable them police apprehend the culprits.

  • Three policemen, nine vandals die in gun battle

    At least, three policemen and nine suspected vandals were reportedly killed during gun battle.

    The police said about 20 suspected vandals were said to have engaged in battle in Igando, Lagos. The hoodlums were said to have sabotaged two underground Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines from where they siphoned petroleum products.

    It was gathered that the hoodlums in speed boats strategically positioned themselves in the creeks to ward off intruders during their operation.

    But the IGP Special Taskforce on Anti-pipeline Vandalism from Abuja stumbled on them.

    The hoodlums, it was learnt, opened fire on the policemen allegedly, killing three of them.

    The police team returned fire, killing nine of the suspected vandals; some were injured.

    Others were said to have escaped in their speed boats.

    A senior police officer confirmed the story, but added: “I cannot tell whether anyone died.”

  • Gunmen kill three policemen, others in bank raid

    Gunmen kill three policemen, others in bank raid

    It was like a movie scene. Gun-totting robbers dressed in military camouflage invaded yesterday a First City Monument Bank (FCMB) branch in Lekki, Lagos, shooting sporadically.

    Customers, motorists and road side vendors scampered for safety.

    The robbers trained their guns on a police van parked beside the bank.

    The policemen fought back, but three of them were killed.

    Police spokesman, Ken Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed casualty figure, but eyewitness said no fewer than eight persons, including the policemen, and a banker were killed.

    Many motorists abandoned their vehicles on the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge for dear life during the gun battle between the police and the robbers around 5pm.

    The robbers were said to have entered the bank, held customers hostage and carted away a large sum of money.

    Eye witnesses said on their twitter handles that the gunmen came prepared and overwhelmed the police.

    One Akintayo Disa (Teeboy), who posted pictures of the robbers allegedly taken through his Hi Resolution Canon EOS 1100D, claimed that they escaped through the waterways.

    He said the gunmen left after shooting sporadically for over 10 minutes and holding people hostage

    “The armed men, he added, shot someone around the waterfront.

    He said: “It appeared somebody got ‘whacked’. Crowd gathered around the waterfront. “The guys came prepared.  Car to car assassination taking place at Lekki 1, Road 14 Junction.”

    An eyewitness, told our correspondent on the phone that the robbers raided a bank at Lekki Phase 1 and attempted to escape through the link bridge to Ikoyi when they encountered policemen.

    Another witness, Ijeoma Okolie whose office is a few metres from the bank, said more than three people were killed.

    She said the robbers escaped in a speed boat after the bank operation.

    “It happened around 4:50pm or 4:55pm. We have closed for the day but we wasted about three minutes before leaving. It was while we were still waiting that we started hearing gunshots. So, we did not leave again.

    “It was terrible. The armed robbers were just shooting anyhow. They killed three policemen and one other person. They took their time and it seems they have studied the area very well because they just jumped into a boat and left.

    “The attack caused serious traffic on the road because most people abandoned their vehicles and ran for safety. So, for the robbers to have left through the water, it means they planned their movement thoroughly, “she said.

    One Oludayo said about four policemen and three civilians were killed by the robbers whose number he gave as 12.

    The civilian casualty, he said, included a member of staff of the bank, a nearby fish seller and a passerby.

    One Rose-Mary Motunrayo, who said she passed through the road more than an hour after the incident, described it as “really bad”, adding: “May God continue to help us.”

    But FCMB’s spokesperson, Louis Ibe said he was not aware of any attack when The Nation contacted him on telephone.

    Nwosu said the robbers sustained gunshot wounds, appealing to the public to report anyone with such injuries.

    He said the Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, had visited the scene, adding that investigations are on.

  • ‘Policemen’ seize PVCs from owners

    ‘Policemen’ seize PVCs from owners

    A swoop on the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) has begun in Lagos, investigations revealed at the weekend.

    This has created another dimension to the battle over the PVC use for the elections slated for March 28 and April 11.

    While the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) insists on its use, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is opposed to it.

    This is in spite of the test run at the weekend, of the card reader that will enhance the PVC use.

    A group of people usually dressed in police uniform or sometimes in vests with police inscription, have been found to be collecting PVCs from some people ostensibly with the intention to disenfranchise them.

    The people mostly at the receiving end are commercial motorcyclists aka okada riders, mostly of northern extraction, in the commercial capital.

    What these PVCs collectors do is to pose as policemen enforcing the ban on okada on some major streets. After collecting the motorcycle from the rider by force, they then ask him to bail himself by submitting his PVC, failing which his motorcycle, which is his means of livelihood, would not be released.

    As soon as he releases his PVC, his motorcycle is released to him and his PVC taken away.

    Yesterday, Mohammed Suleiman, one of the few victims who agreed to speak on record – Others are afraid to be quoted for fear of reprisal – said he was arrested at Aguda, Surulere.

    According to him, the men posed as plain clothes policemen and that those arrested were mostly Hausa riders.

    He said: “I’m a victim. I was arrested in Aguda area. They told me to bring my PVC before they would release my ‘machine’ to me. When I gave them my PVC, they collected it and refused to return it but they gave me back my motorcycle.

    “They did not take me to the station but some of our people were taken to the station before the bikes were released to them on collection of their PVCs.” He however did not mention the police station.

    He added: “I think they are aware that many of us carry our PVCs on us and where one cannot produce it on the spot, they ask the person to go and bring it to enable him get back his motorcycle. They arrest us for flimsy reasons – like over speeding or that we ply roads where motorcycles are not permitted.”

    An Arewa youth leader in Lagos, Kabiru Ahmed,told our reporter on telephone last night: “We have received such complaints from some of our members and we are investigating. Anybody found culpable in this will not be spared. We will defend the Hausa community in Lagos. We will stand for our people. No policeman can intimidate us.

    “Collection of PVCs to release okada is a violation of their fundamental human right. We will not allow our people to be intimidated. They will perform their civic responsibility.”

    Lagos Police Spokesman Kenneth Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), denied the involvement of his men in the nefarious act.

    “There is no iota of truth in such claim of our men’s involvement in that kind of act. What is our business with PVC? What will the police do with the PVC?” he queried.