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Tag: security

  • Fed Govt mourns slain security personnel

    Fed Govt mourns slain security personnel

    The Federal Government yesterday expressed sadness over the killings of security personnel at Umualumaku, Ehime Mbano Local Government of Imo State.

    The government said the death of the personnel would not be in vain, as government would ensure justice for them and their families. The government also promised thorough probe of the incident.

    The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who commented on the incident in  a statement signed by the Director of Press in the ministry, Afonja Ajibola, commiserated with the families of the deceased.

    The minister expressed shock over the ambush of the personnel of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Police and Military men who were on official duties.

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    He described the incident as a barbaric act by unknown gunmen, and assured the families of the deceased and Nigerians that the country would never forget their sacrifice.

    He said their loved ones would not be abandoned.

    Tunji-Ojo said the killing was a “terrible tragedy”, and assured the public of the government’s commitment to ensure justice was established and perpetrators brought to book.

    “I am deeply saddened by the tragic incident in Umualumaku community, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.

    “The loss of our security operatives is a terrible tragedy. It was a dark Tuesday for us as our men died in the course of duty. This is why I keep saying our security officers are doing a thankless job.

    “On behalf of the ministry, and on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we will ensure that their memories are not forgotten,” the minister said.

  • Activists to security agencies: caution parties against crisis

    Activists to security agencies: caution parties against crisis

    • Urge police to keep eye on Kogi SDP

    A Coalition of 25 Civil Society Organisations have called on security agencies to caution political parties against activities that could plunge states into serious crisis, ahead of the off-season governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states.

    The Civil Society Organisations, in a communique issued after a three-day election preview on the three states, specifically singled out the Social Democratic Party’s slant of activities in Kogi State as an example of what security agencies must caution stakeholders against.

    According to them, the wild allegations and ethnic profiling, which have become the hallmark of the SDP’s campaign in Kogi State, “are capable of compromising the peace and security of the electorate, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), election observers and other candidates in the state.”

    The CSOs said they came to this conclusion after painstakingly monitoring campaign strategies of various political parties participating in the November 11 governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo States.

    They pointed out that it was necessary to nip these activities in the bud to forestall possible security breaches and utterances that may provoke ethnic disaffection and electoral violence during the off-season polls.

    According to the communique signed by the Director of Research and Data Analysis of the coalition, Dr. Jaiyeola Isiaka, it was noted that the State’s police chief had cautioned SDP’s candidate.

    “The State’s Police Commissioner recently had reason to caution the same SDP candidate as published by many media platforms not to drag him into the politics of the wild allegations he has been making which have the potential to overheat the state prior to the election,” the coalition said.

    On how Bayelsa and Imo states have been faring since their campaign activities began, the communique said, “In Bayelsa State, the signs of security concerns are already surfacing but not so serious.

    “The tone of campaign language between the two leading candidates of the APC and PDP is becoming more accusatory and volatile.

    “Security agencies must monitor the supporters of both leading candidates of APC and PDP in order to forestall any serious breakdown of law and order before, during and in the immediate aftermath of the election. Possibility and rate of violence is 35 percent.

    “Imo State: This is the state that security agencies must pay serious attention to because of the seemingly worsening security situation in the state. The activities of the unknown gunmen are not helping matters at all. 

    “Security agencies must up their game in Imo state because it is a major flashpoint in this particular off-cycle governorship election.

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    Just yesterday (Tuesday), eight security operatives – soldiers and policemen were ambushed in the state, and allegedly killed and set ablaze. The possibility and rate of security challenges are projected to be 55% or more.”

    The groups, while revealing their projections on voter turnout in these states, said 35 to 40 per cent would come out to vote in Bayelsa, 20 to 25 per cent in Imo, while about 50 per cent turnout was expected in Kogi.

    On the election outcomes, the communique read, “The following projections are based strictly on delegates’ reports and research carried out by Coalition of Civil Society Organisations involved in this effort and are totally nonpartisan.

    “Bayelsa State: The incumbent Governor seems popular in the state and, judging by the reports of the Bayelsa State delegates at this preview, the election is a straight action between the candidates of the APC who is a former Governor of the state and the incumbent who is flying the flag of the PDP.

    The results are projected as follows: APC: 30 percent of the total votes to be cast; PDP: 40 percent of the total votes to be cast; others: 30 percent.

    “Imo State: The incumbent, who is the candidate of the APC, is a strong contender in this election. The influence of incumbency, among other things, is likely to work in his favour, all other things being equal. However, opposition Parties in the state are gathering significant momentum, especially the Labour Party.

    “Our projections are as follows based on independent reports by organizations based in the state – APC: 35 percent of the total votes to be cast; PDP, 25 percent; and LP, 30 percent.

    “Kogi State: Based on the reports of the Kogi State delegates at this conference and our research, the upcoming election in the state will be keenly contested among the candidates of the ruling APC, the SDP and the PDP.

    “Our projections are as follows on the basis of independent reports by organizations based in Kogi State: Accord, 15 percent of estimated votes; APC, 45 percent of the total estimated votes; PDP, 10 percent; SDP, 15 percent, others,15 percent percent”

  • Security guard bags life imprisonment over child defilement

    Security guard bags life imprisonment over child defilement

    An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court yesterday sentenced a 42-year-old Chief Security Officer of a company, Daniel Okon to life imprisonment for defiling a 4-year-old girl.

    Justice Abiola Soladoye held that the prosecution has been able to prove the offence of defilement against the convict beyond reasonable doubt.

    Okon was charged before the court on a one count charge of child defilement contrary to section 137 of the criminal law of Lagos State 2015.

    The State  Prosecuting Counsel, Olufunke Adegoke said the incident occured at about 11: 30 a.m., on April 21, 2017, in Aguda, Surulere. 

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    Mrs Adegoke told the court that the convict had unlawful sexual intercourse with the minor.

    Delivering judgment in the matter, Justice Soladoye held that the victim testified that she started shouting and crying when the defendant defiled her and that this attracted the neighbours.

    The court noted that the evidence of the child was also collaborated with her mother’s testimony and that of the doctor that examined her. 

    She held that what is crucial in the matter was for the child to be able to identify the defendant.

    The court held: “The evidence of PW 2, confirmed that she saw this defendant when he messed with her daughter’s virginity in 2017.

    “The mother said she heard a commotion and when she went to check she discovered that the defendant had messed with her daughter.

    “We went to the hospital where they confirmed that there was penetration and that she has been infected.”

    Justice Soladoye further held that the doctor, who was the 3rd prosecution witness, also testified that there was a vaginal discharge that the hymen was absent and that there was an opening.

    The court noted that the convict in his testimony denied knowing the girl and her mother and that he just went to use the toilet in the compound when he saw a little girl in the stairway crying.

    Justice Soladoye held that the defendant entered into a random compound and under the pretext of using their toilet, he saw a 4-year-old child playing around in the compound.

    She noted: “He took her and sexually assaulted her by inserting his finger into her vagina. 

    “The child started screaming and people heard and accosted the defendant and when the child’s mother came she picked her child and saw she was assaulted.

    She had the defendant arrested and the child was taken to the hospital.”

     The court held that the defendant is an  pathological liar and that he simply wanted to distance himself from the horrible act. 

    Justice Soladoye noted that during cross-examination, the convict claimed he did not know the victim and her mother noting that his evidence is laced with lies and an afterthought.

    “This assertion of the defence can not fly in the face of the overwhelming evidence before the court”, the court held.

    The judge said that there were three ingredients to prove the case of defilement of a child.

    “One is that the child must be underage, that the defendant had sexual intercourse with the child, and that the child can identify the defendant.  

    “When the victim came before this court she was 7 years old, but she was 4 years old when she was defiled.

    ” She said she started shouting from the toilet, in law a child can not give consent to intercourse.

    “She described how the defendant sexually molested her.”

    Justice Soladoye also blamed the mother of the survivor for being negligent for leaving her 4-year-old daughter unattended to.

    “This mother has herself to blame. children are precious and should be treated with tender care.”

    The judge therefore sentences the convict as charged.

    “Daniel Okon this court found you guilty of the offence of defilement of a minor.  You are here by sentenced to life imprisonment. Your name should be registered in the Lagos state sexual offenders register,” the judge said.

    During the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses including the victim while the convict testified for himself.

  • Adamawa and internal security

    Adamawa and internal security

    • By Zayyad I. Muhamma

    Sir: At its 8th meeting held in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on September 9, the Northeast Governors Forum expressed its concern about the new dimension of growing banditry in Bauchi, Gombe, and Taraba states. The governors called on the federal government to intervene. Among the six states in the northeast, Adamawa State would seem to be the exception. It is doing well in the area of internal security.

    The Adamawa State government employed three approaches. First, the Umaru Fintiri-led government looked at the areas affected by Boko Haram’s insurgency, and then developed post-war programmes with a comprehensive implementation strategy to fast-track the healing of the war’s scars. The government restored basic infrastructure and local economies, returning the affected communities to their peaceful and productive pre-war status. A simple example is the bubbling economic activities in townships like Mubi, Michika, and Madagali. Secondly, after the restoration of basic infrastructure and integration of the lives and livelihoods of the people, the government employed a quick rehabilitation of agricultural lands, places of worship, health centres, bridges, and schools, including the creation of productive employment for the teeming unemployed citizens, especially young people and women.

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    Over the years, developmental efforts in many states laid emphasis on urban development at the expense of rural development, which has led to a substantial rise in inequality among Nigerians—inequalities beget insecurity. What the Fintiri-led government did was balance urbanisation and rural areas’ needs. While Adamawa State’s capital, Yola, is being transformed into a working city that accommodates all segments of society and provides basic and modern infrastructure, other local governments are getting what they ought to have in the areas of agriculture, basic electricity, healthcare, and human development. What the government did was equate each community’s basic infrastructure needs with youth employment needs to curtail crime.

    For example, when the notorious Shila Boys re-emerged, the Fintiri government used a soft and hard approach: the government provided young people with cash grants, loans, and training on new skills through the Poverty Alleviation and Wealth Creation Agency (PAWECA) and the Adamawa State Social Support Programme (ADSSSP). Those who refused to change their ways were dealt with the hard way by law enforcement agents.

    There is a theory that says no one can experience perfect security because individuals or states are not perfectly secure or completely insecure, but the Fintiri model of community engagement, local people’s parley, and provision of basic needs has helped Adamawa State curtail farmer-herder conflicts, ensure peaceful co-existence and banish youth restlessness, within the state. The Fintiri model of internal security management is working; other states in the northeast sub-region can copy it.

    •Zayyad I. Muhammad,

     Abuja.

  • ‘Opposing Tantita Security detrimental to progress’

    ‘Opposing Tantita Security detrimental to progress’

    A group, the Nigerian Patriotic Youth Network International, has expressed concern about the ongoing controversy surrounding the renewal of Tantita Security Oil Pipeline Surveillance’s contract.

    It said opposition to its renewal was detrimental to the nation’s progress.

    In a communique issued at the end of a two-day meeting of the body held at DoubleTree, by Hilton Hotel and Suites, Houston, U.S.A. on September 9 and 10, the group said they were driven by their commitment to the growth, peace and development of Nigeria.

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    In the communique signed by Amb. Akpovire Ovuomaraini (International Coordinator, UK) and Amb. Ibrahim Shehu (General Secretary, U.S.A), the group condemned attempts to disrupt the contract awarded to Tantita, saying opposition to its renewal would embolden oil thieves in the Niger Delta.

  • Presidential election dispute: Heavy security build up at Appeal Court

    Presidential election dispute: Heavy security build up at Appeal Court

    The surrounding environment and roads leading to the Court of Appeal headquarters in Abuja have been effectively covered by security officials as at 7pm on Tuesday.

    Men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) were seen moving materials from the nearby Force Headquarters to the Appeal Court headquarters, the sitting venue of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) preparatory to Wednesday’s judgment.

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    By 7:30 pm on Tuesday, traffics on some roads, leading the to court, were drastically contained.

    It was learnt that access to the Three-Arms-Zone, where the court is located, will be restricted, begining from 6am on Wednesday.

    “We have sufficiently mobilised our men and materials for Wednesday ‘s exercise. We don’t anticipate trouble. We hope the politicians and their supporter will conduct themselves well.

    “We will talk and jointly assess the situation after the proceedings. I hope things go well,” the official said.

  • ‘Be on security alert’

    ‘Be on security alert’

    Security handling company, Majinfotek Nigeria and Overseas, has called on Nigerians to be alert.

    Chief Executive, Adedoyin Oyinkansola, spoke at a training for security experts.

    Oyinkansola said: “The downturn throws up challenges from elements, who, due to desperation, can kill, maim, kidnap, steal to disrupt peace”

    She added: “Our schools and worship centres should be priority now that schools are resuming.”

    Oyinkansola said each school through the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) should collaborate to give the school a fortified security architecture, which the security experts trained by her company would provide.

    The goal of the training, according to her, “is to transmit our vision of providing tailor-made security arrangements for every market we serve,” stressing that security challenges are sometimes peculiar to individual corporate institution, requiring tailor-made security architecture that will suit the environment they operate in. 

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    She added: “Through these trainees going to places across the country, we hope to deliver higher standard security solutions, providing peace of mind for Nigerians, as well as providing professional monitoring and follow-up services for those who engage them, to mitigate emerging security challenges for Nigerians and the operational environments they find themselves.”

    Chief Idris-Shonuga Oluwasheun, chairman, Majinfotek Nigeria, said to win the war against insecurity in the country, especially terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, vandalism, among others, investment in technology was critical in reducing the crimes.

    He said terrorism had become a big threat in many countries, noting: “We have in-built technology that can help detect some suspicious behaviour, even at a very long distance.”

    Oluwasheun said national security was equal to national prosperity, adding that 21st century security had gone beyond only physical manning of checkpoints by security personnel to the use of Majinfotek equipment.

  • Security operatives crack down on youths over oil derivation fund

    Security operatives crack down on youths over oil derivation fund

    Security operatives yesterday cracked down on youths who protested at the Government House, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, demanding five per cent of the 13% oil derivation funds.

    The youth, under the aegis of Niger Delta Advocacy Movement (NDAM), and Ibom Youth Council (IYC), blocked Wellington Bassey Way, the road leading to the Government House.

    They were, however, teargassed by security operatives when some of them started throwing sachet water into the premises of the Governor’s Office, while chanting war songs.

    The Nation reports that there was pandemonium, as residents of the area, including Eka Street, Asutan Street and Udoh Street ran for safety.

    A resident of Asutan Street said: “The protesting youths were many. The incident almost led to a stampede. 

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    “They were at the Wellington Bassey Way roundabout leading to the Government House when the police stopped them from proceeding to the Government House.”

    Security agents comprising soldiers, Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officials and the police led by the Commissioner of Police (CP), Olatoye Durosinmi, were strategically positioned at the Plaza area to ensure that the protest did not degenerate into violence. 

    “I am the Niger Delta Advocacy Movement Secretary. In collaboration with Ibom Youth Council, we have come to take our right that we have lost for 16 years.

    “Akwa Ibom youths have not been employed. We have suffered a lot. Our youths have not been empowered. That was why we’ve come out en masse to make sure the governor looks into our matter.

    “We are asking for five per cent out of the 13 per cent oil derivation funds. They have said they would call us for dialogue. But failure to do that we will take another step,” one of the protesters said.

    Police spokesman Odiko MacDon said: “The protesters were addressed by the Commissioner of Police and Commander 2 Brigade on the need to be peaceful. 

    “They have dispersed peacefully. So, there’s no need for anybody to worry.”

  • Widening borders of economic latitude, setting security structures in place

    Last week was, in its own way, exciting at the Presidential Villa because President Bola Tinubu continued to pull more surprises, sustaining the identity he cut for the administration from the very first day. You will also agree that the consistency has earned the epithet ‘the back-to-back era’. From sustaining the agreement with the organised Labour on sorting out the issues ancillary to the removal of fuel subsidy and staving off a threatening industrial strike, to taking a real first step towards sorting out the myriad of security issues thawing at the very life of the nation’s stability and peace, to taking the crusade on reviving and reorganising the nation’s economy to the global stage and many other issues. It was a very busy week, as usual.

    Like suggested the upper week, the President pressed on with his agenda of salvaging the fortunes of the country by ensuring to take all the right steps at every approach. First, to ensure the state machine grinds without halting, his team resumed negotiations with the organised Labour to forestall an industrial action. If you have been following events since the Bola Tinubu administration took off, you would have known that his first action as President was dealing a decisive treat to fuel subsidy by sounding its end in his inaugural speech. Fuel subsidy has been described as the one single drain on national resources, which would have forced Nigeria to collapse.

    Removing fuel subsidy, which has survived for more than forty years and has fed the greed of a small section of the social system, will not go without a fight, especially as its rippling effects will sorely affect the larger number. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the two umbrella representatives of the organised Labour in the country, kicked against the action, which they said was taken without giving adequate consideration to how it would affect the ordinary Nigerian. This informed the need for the negotiations between government and the Labour, which reached an advanced stage last week.

    At the end of the meeting on Monday, June 19, both sides announced they had agreed to a timeline for the implementation of the initial agreements from the previous talks, which led to Monday’s conclusions, which the TUC President, Festus Osifo, disclosed to journalists after the resumed negotiation meeting, saying “we are looking at five broad technical committees that will be subsumed into Presidential Steering Committee. There must be timelines in these terms of reference but maximum should not exceed eight weeks. By next week Monday, we will be here again, same time”.

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    Having secured the uninterrupted function of the state system, the President went on with the process of reflating the economy, achieving stability by fixing the security system and attempting to spark the fire of love for the country in the citizens. Imagine Nigeria, at this point and considering how the daily affairs are for the individual Nigeria, having the entire system ground to a halt by a nationwide Labour strike. Every Nigerian should be thanking God that government and Labour found rhythm.

    Having sorted the harmony with the Labour, the rest of the week faced other pressing national issues, mostly economic. On same Monday, the President moved to save another major crisis threatening the maritime/oil distribution system of the country. The administration, in its bid to pool as much resources as possible to help the country tackle the various crises, went out to demand freight taxes from vessel owners, mostly foreign, who have owed taxes for more than ten years, running into millions of dollars. But there was a resistance, the vessel owners did not want to pay and their way of saying that was by threatening to stay clear of the Nigerian waters, an action that threatened freighting of commodities to Nigeria, including fuel importation.

    The President, through his men, led by the Special Adviser on Revenue, Zaccheaus Adedeji, Special Adviser on Energy, Olu Verheijen, immediately intervened, negotiated an understanding, which staved off what could have been another devastating hit on the economy. “So, we’ve agreed to give the parties three months to come to the conclusion and we will also give a grace period of six months, when we will not enforce any of these laws, just to allow for reconciliation. In essence, no vessel or ship will be detained or delayed”, Adedeji told journalists.

    Meanwhile, the President has continued to further push the boundaries around the economy; besides what his advisory team has been doing by the sides, he has been leading the charge through meetings, calls, granting of courtesy visits and so on. Before he left for France on Tuesday, he received a couple of global economic players at the Villa, with whom he discussed areas of partnership and discussed his administration’s programme.

    For instance, he received the Founder of Bharti Airtel, Sunil Bharti Mittal, whom he assured of the safety of foreign investments in Nigeria; met with the United States’ Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Energy Resources, Geoffrey Praytt, to whom he expressed Nigeria’s concerns on restrictions accompanying energy transition, placed side by side with Nigeria’s natural endowment in oil and gas, and the irony of poverty in the country. Then the meeting with two of the richest individuals in the world; Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote and one-time richest man in the world, Bill Gates.

    Most of the meetings and courtesy calls have focused on the economy, something like someone who just opened a new business venture and is on a patronage drive. He took the patronage drive beyond the shores of the country on Tuesday when he flew to Paris, the capital of France, where he participated in the signing of a New Global Financial Pact. However, beyond just participating in the main event, he also needed to make the trip in order to showcase the potentials that Nigeria has to offer to investors. In the words of his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Tinubu went to France to also “network with international finance corporations and institutions, countries that are well healed that would facilitate or that could facilitate direct foreign investment into Nigeria”. 

    These days, people wake up in the morning to go check the news for the latest big step of Tinubu. They are usually looking to hear or read about a new declaration about an issue that has lingered eternally because of government’s indecision or lack of boldness, or the announcement of change of guards in many government’s formations. Last week, their back-to-back President did not disappoint because he actually took steps that got some people fired and another set appointed. On Monday evening, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) announced the appointment of a new National Security Adviser (NSA), Chief of Defence Staff, new service chiefs and an Acting Inspector-General of Police, an action which effectively sacked those who were in those positions till late that evening

    Almost two hours later, OSGF announced another shocker; the dissolution of the Boards of federal agencies, parastatals, institutions and government-owned companies, with the exception of those listed in the Third Schedule, Part 1, Section 153 (i) of the 1999 Constitution.

    A rundown of activities in the course of the week reflected activities in different shades, even with the fact that Tinubu traveled out of the country since Tuesday. His week started with a message to the men folk on Fathers’ Day on Sunday, celebrating them for the role they play in society and reminding them of their duties to country.

    Then Monday was parked with so many events and actions, probably because he was already scheduled to jet out the next day. It was on Monday he met with Mittal, Gates, Dangote, the US Assistant Secretary of State of Energy Resources, Mr Praytt. It was still same day he sacked the entire security team and replaced them with new ones, as well as freed up the appointive offices of the Boards.

    Though he traveled on Tuesday, his deputy, Vice President Shettima, did not allow a vacuum, he decorated the new Acting IGP, Kayode Egbetokun and carried on with whatever needed to be done in the house, like holding meetings with the British High Commissioner to Nigeria and a roundtable with governors, Dangote and Bill Gates on Wednesday and Thursday.

    Even as he is in France, Tinubu continued to pursue the national economic agenda of attracting foreign direct investments and solidifying the country’s outlook to the rest of the world. Before returning to Nigeria on Saturday, he met on Thursday, in separate meetings, with the Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim), Prof. Benedict Oramah; President of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Odile Renaud–Basso; Chairman of Indorama, Sri Prakash Lohia, then on Friday with the President of Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, and the President of Benin Republic, Patrice Talon, all on the sidelines of the Summit for New Global Financing Pact.

    So over all, the summary of the President’s activities in the course of last week will suggest that he was mostly preoccupied with getting the economy back on its feet, accessing various channels, locally and internationally. Then there will appear to be an attempt at setting up the structures of the administration, when one thinks of, not just the change of guards in the security sector, but also the dissolution of the Boards.

    The excitement promises to continue this week, especially as many will be looking out to see how the President celebrates the Ileya festival (Eid el-Kabir) in his new position.

  • Group: Security is a collective duty

    The Buhari Media Organization (BMO) has described security as a collective duty of Nigeria.

    In a statement highlighting the “steady, impactful and strategic progress made by the Buhari-led administration in restoring peace nationwide,” the group urged Nigerians to cooperate with the security agencies.

    In the statement by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju, and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, the group noted that “the security architecture of the country has been re-jigged for optimal success as experienced in the various operations by the security agencies with the aim of safeguarding the citizens, as enshrined in the Constitution.”

    BMO said that, “the government made significant military gains, reducing the number of Boko Haram attributed deaths from more than 5,000 in 2015 to less than 1,000 in the past couple of years.

    It added: “There is no country that doesn’t have its own share of security problems. It is left for those who superintend the affairs of that country to take decisive actions that will effectively nip such problems in the bud.

    “Before President Muhammadu Buhari’s arrival, Nigeria was a theatre of the absurd. Ragtag armies of insurgents carved out empires by dominating every security apparatus in that area. People in the North-East and North-West were becoming accustomed to the sounds of bomb blasts. Right from his acceptance speech, President Buhari directed the military to redeploy their operational bases to Maiduguri. This underscored his desire for a more secure  nation”.

    According to the group, “the government has taken decisive decisions to rid the country of criminals. Recently, the Kaduna-Abuja expressway became a springboard for criminals and kidnappers. The government launched into a strategic offensive code-named Operation Puff Adder, an operation that involves collaboration between various security agencies to rid the country of criminals.

    It stressed: “Operation Harbin Kunama, now in it’s 4th part, was launched to tackle banditry in Zamfara, and dislodge insurgents; operation Whirlstroke was launched to tackle the farmers/ herdsmen clashes in the the North-Central part of the country. Exercise Egwu Eke, aka Python Dance 1 and 2 was launched to dismantle criminals in South-East Nigeria. Operation Awatse was also  launched to fight pipeline vandalism in Lagos and Ogun states, Operation Lafiya Dole was Nigeria’s counter-insurgency exercise in the Northeast,

    “These exercises are in addition to other strategies, such as; the 40,000 Community Policing Officers (CPOs) to be recruited by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). The CPOs are expected to complement the Police in law enforcement functions within their localities by performing low-risk and non-sensitive duties.

    “The CPOs will be recruited from within the communities where the prospective applicants reside and an average of 50 CPOs are to be engaged in each of the 774 Local Government Areas.”