The Nation Newspaper

Tag: security

  • Assembly summons CP, other security chiefs

    The Oyo State House of Assembly has summoned the commissioner of police, special adviser to the Governor on Security Matter and other security chiefs over robberies in Ibadan.

    It reached the resolution during plenary, following a motion by Mr Akeem Ige representing Ibadan South East Constituency, on curbing night robbery attacks on citizens.

    Ige said security threat unleashed on the people by  robbers in the Ibadan metropolis must be stopped.

    He enjoined the House to take measures that will stop robberies and restore peace.

    Contributing to the motion, Bimbo Olawunmi Oladeji from Ogbomosho North Constituency thanked the mover of the motion, saying: “I want to remind you the similar case in my constituency which was promptly addressed by the police and nipped in the bud. Therefore, there’s need to invite security operatives to the Assembly and fashion ways to stop the activities of men of the underworld.”

    The Speaker, Michael Adeyemo, summoned the police commissioner, special adviser to the governor on security matters and others following the House’ resolution.

  • Ikpeazu urged to improve security in Aba

    Ikpeazu urged to improve security in Aba

    THE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State has asked Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to address insecurity in Aba, the state’s commercial hub.
    Chairman and Publicity Secretary Donatus Nwankpa and Comrade Ben Godson, at a news conference, decried “persistent harassment, loss of valuable items and incessant kidnapping of residents and visitors”, which they said was not only worrisome, but counter-productive to growth.
    Nwankpa said: “It is disheartening that the state, which celebrated the defeat of the dreaded ‘Osisikankwu’ and his gang, is witnessing the resurgence of sinister groups who have continued to terrorise innocent people.”
    He attributed the “incessant kidnapping and robbery” in Aba and its environs to the failure of the government to manage security, saying “we are not impressed that despite the concentration of the Army in most parts of the state, these hoodlums go about brazenly, carrying out their nefarious act and making the state look as if no security agency exists therein.
    “The Army, police and other security apparatus should rise up to the challenge and arrest the security challenges in the state. I call on the government to respond to the yearnings of its citizens because its primary responsibility is protect lives and property of people – any government that cannot provide such is a failure,” he added.
    Godson said if nothing was done to nip the crime in the bud, fears are that Aba would be returning to the era “where people preferred doing business in neighbouring states.”

  • ‘Neighbourhood Corps improving security, emergency response’

    ‘Neighbourhood Corps improving security, emergency response’

    The Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) has improved security and emergency response in the state, to further boost security in the state, Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Mr Oluseye Oladejo has said.
    Oladejo said this while giving account of activities of his ministry last Friday.
    The government, he said, had commenced another round of recruitment into the corps. The exercise will see an additional 5, 700 people getting employed by the Corps.
    The recruitment, he said, was part of government’s efforts to ensure a well secured and business friendly state, adding that the LNSC will serve as a panacea for efficient and effective policing of the communities and the pathway to economic prosperity, social stability and improved quality of life of people in the state
    Describing the LNSC as a new innovation that is envisioned to become a model community safety corps to the admiration of Lagosians and the nation at large, Oluseye said the establishment of the agency would go a long in complementing the efforts of the existing security agencies in the state and also guarantee return on Investment for business owners.
    He urged the public to join hands with the corps as they are also members of the community working for a safer Lagos.
    Similarly, Oladejo said to reduce emergency response time and tackle emergencies frontally, the various departments and agencies that are saddled with the responsibility of managing safety and emergency have been moved to “Oshodi Safety Arena.”
    He explained that the move would improve co-ordination, synergy and reduce response time to safety and emergency issues across the state.
    The commissioner said an upgrade at the Command and Control Centre, Oshodi will facilitate effective response to emergencies.
    He said: “We have upgraded the technology at the centre to receive calls simultaneously. We have also improved the capacity to receive calls and transfer to the appropriate agencies that would respond to the emergency situation on a 24-hour basis. This has in no small measure boosted the “Golden Time” in response to emergencies.
    “A new dispatch centre for the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has been established in the Lekki axis of the state. The Lekki facility will include a jetty for water rescue activities and will help to improve the response time around Lekki/Epe and its environs when operational. The facility will be inaugurated soon.”

  • Ikpeazu urged to improve security in Aba

    Ikpeazu urged to improve security in Aba

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State has asked Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to address insecurity in Aba, the state’s commercial hub.

    The Chairman and Publicity Secretary, Donatus Nwankpa and Comrade Ben Godson, at a news conference, decried what they described as “persistent harassment, loss of valuable items and incessant kidnapping of residents and visitors”, which they said was not only worrisome, but counter-productive to growth.

    Nwankpa said: “It is disheartening that the state, which celebrated the defeat of the dreaded ‘Osisikankwu’ and his gang, is witnessing the resurgence of sinister groups who have continued to terrorise innocent people.”

    He attributed the “incessant kidnapping and robbery” in Aba and its environs to the failure of the government to manage security, saying “we are not impressed that despite the concentration of the Army in most parts of the state, these hoodlums go about brazenly, carrying out their nefarious act and making the state look as if no security agency exists therein.

    “The Army, police and other security apparatus should rise up to the challenge and arrest the security challenges in the state. I call on the government to respond to the yearnings of its citizens because its primary responsibility is protect lives and property of people – any government that cannot provide such is a failure,” he added.

    Godson said if nothing was done to nip the crime in the bud, fears are that Aba would be returning to the era “where people preferred doing business in neighbouring states.”

  • Security essential for tourism development, says association

    The National Hotel Association of Nigeria on Thursday identified security as a vital element in the development of the tourism sector.

    The National Secretary of the association, Mr Jijiwon Akpovwovwo, said in Kaduna that security gives tourists the zeal to tour around.

    According to the hotelier, security is critical to the development of a nation, because it creates stability and attracts not only tourists, but investors.

    Akpovwovwo suggested that the provision of adequate security would go a long way in also improving other sectors of the economy.

    “The tourism sector contributes about 10 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and helps in generating employment.

    “Since tourists love visiting sites that are well protected, I urge government at all levels to provide adequate security in all the tourist sites,” he said.

    He, however, commended the present security measures put in place by the Federal Government.

    “I strongly believe that this will go a long way in encouraging investors and further boosting the economy.

    “However, I wish to state that the matter of security should not be left for the government alone, rather, it should be considered as our collective responsibility.

    “We must all work towards achieving a secure and stable nation; we must encourage what will be beneficial to the country,” he said.

    “Countries like Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Mali, China and Israel make a lot of money from tourism

    “Harnessing these potentials will surely help in developing our economy and assist in reducing the recession,” he said.

  • Enugu police sensitise tricycle operator on security

    ‘He advised the group to close ranks with the police for a safe and secure environment and state by cooperating with them and reporting promptly any threat to security of their environment as well as their smooth operations to the police and other relevant
    security agencies’

    The Enugu State Police command has interacted with commercial tricycle operators, sensitising them on the need to be law abiding, and safety and security conscious as well as partnering with the police in fighting crime.

    The one-day sensitisation on security for the operators was held at the IMT Campus II Park. Attending were no fewer than 600 tricycle operators.

    The police spokesman in Enugu, Ebere Amaraizu, a Superintendent who represented the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Dan-Mallam Mohammed told them that there was need for them to be law abiding in order to run away from issues that will put them in conflict with the law.

    He advised the group to close ranks with the police for a safe and secure environment and state by cooperating with them and reporting promptly any threat to security of their environment as well as their smooth operations to the police and other relevant security agencies.

    He also informed participants that the state command under the close watch of CP Dan-Mallam Mohammed has intensified action against any form of extortion of cyclists by police personnel at stop and search as the command has promptly mobilised its x-squad and monitoring unit to that effect and with a view to fishing out any erring personnel for necessary disciplinary action

    He released the commands distress call numbers and social media contacts for easy partnership with the group and advised operators to report through the appropriate authority about any perceived case of extortion.

    The state chairman of the Association Comrade Benjamin Ikah had thanked Amaraizu for the sensitisation which he described was a right step from a right direction and also thanked Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his support for the cyclists in the state.

    He advised his members to be law abiding and not to engage or encourage criminal activities and above all not to take laws into their hands.

    There was also road traffic sensitisation by the officials of Federal Road safety Corp Enugu state command where relevant traffic guide were released to operators.

  • Security agents, gunmen clash in Aba

    Security men comprising soldiers and policemen yesterday clashed with six gunmen on Aba-Owerri Road, near Eziukwu in Aba, Abia State.

    The Nation learnt a member of the gang died in the gun duel, while two others, who were injured, were arrested by the police while trying to escape.

    Another account said two persons died on the spot. It said the gunmen robbed David Ogbole of his Toyota Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) registered as Lagos EPE 568 EM, at Powerline, Ogbor Hill. The hoodlums were accosted by the police on Factory Road, near Aba-Owerri Road.

    The incident, according to an eyewitness, lasted about 30 minutes, causing a gridlock, as motorists abandoned their vehicles and ran.

    Sources at the Aba Area Command said two vehicles used by the hoodlums were intercepted.

    The gunmen, it was gathered, waylaid a popular pastor in Aba at a railway crossing between Eziukwu, by Factory and Aba-Owerri Road and attempted to kidnap him.

    The kidnap was foiled when one of the divisional police officers in Aba and his team ran into the gunmen and engaged them in a gun duel.

    Items recovered from them included locally made pistols.

  • ‘Proliferation of security agencies, threat to national security’

    ‘Proliferation of security agencies, threat to national security’

    A former Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Mr Lawrence Alobi says the proliferation of security agencies in the country is a threat to national security.

    Alobi, who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, observed that creating more security agencies could breed rivalry and fragmentation of resources meant for the existing ones.

    He said that the Federal Government should put in more energy towards strengthening the Nigeria Police Force, rather than creating more security outfits.

    Alobi noted that the police force was the principal security agency in the country and needed to be strengthened to effectively carry out its statutory responsibilities.

    “The Federal Government should put its resources and strengthen the police force; if strengthened and equipped, well trained and catered for,you will get a good result,” he said.

    He expressed concern over the recent passage of a bill by the National Assembly to establish the Peace Corps of Nigeria.

    He advised political leaders to be guided in carrying out their functions and should avoid being sentimental in handling national issues.

    “Our government and political leaders should be well guided; they should not allow sentiment to becloud their sense of judgment and reasoning,` `he advised.

    Alobi also noted that the military was being utilised to assist the police, adding that such measure had its negative implications.

    “Here in Nigeria, the military is used to carry out the functions of the police, which is not healthy for our democracy; we should not militarise law enforcement and policing.

    “It makes the military to deviate from their statutory function. It makes the public to feel that only the military can perform, and then undermine the strength of the police,” he said.

    He said that intelligence sharing among security agencies in the country would be ineffective unless there was a law making it mandatory.

    “The issue of sharing intelligence information is not mandatory; it is discretionary. If there is a law that makes it mandatory, there wouldn’t be conflicts among the security agencies.

    “The DSS’s role is to gather intelligence and pass it to the police to act. When they gather intelligence and act at same time, there will be conflict,“ he said.

    Mr Mike Ejiofor, a security consultant and former Director of DSS, also said that the proliferation of security outfits would adversely affect the existing security agencies.

    He said that it would be out of place to create more security agencies when the regular security agencies were not being adequately funded.

    He said that the police and the DSS were the security agencies charged with intelligence gathering in the country.

    “Our regular security agencies must be adequately funded because we have so many security challenges in the North-East, Niger Delta, South – South and South- East,” he said..(NAN)

  • Credibility, security and prosperity

    SOME Nigerian protesters in Abuja reportedly claimed that the Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives should be allowed to do their work without hindrance by the executive arm of government which is the Buhari Administration which came to power in the 2015 presidential elections. Similarly in the British Parliament Opposition leader Corbyn railed against the visit of the British PM May to Saudi Arabia which he accused of using British arms and ammunition to commit mass killing against defenceless civilians in war- torn Yemen, leading to a humanitarian tragedy of gargantuan proportions.

    In the Middle East the new US President Donald Trump at last acknowledged that the US has sent missiles to the sources of chemical weapons used to kill Syrians by the government of Bashar Assad , thus emphatically reversing the Middle East policy of his predecessor whose red line for the Assad regime was violated while the former US President Barak Obama indulged in rhetoric and hand wringing to the consternation and anger of a keenly watching civilized world .Also in the US, the president Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi to dinner even though he has admitted expecting a difficult hosting of the Chinese strong arm because of what he called Chinese stealing of American jobs. On the surface these raised issues look normal and innocuous and should not lead to any raised eye brows. But that is not really the case.

    This is because they are issues bordering on the topic of the day namely credibility, security and trade. The topic provides their context as they cannot exist in a vacuum which nature diligently and naturally avoids. Elucidating on that fact therefore is the kernel of our discussion today. Starting with the pro National Assembly protests, to the British PM’s reply to the Opposition leader as well as the return of American arms to the battlefield in Syria, dominated on Assad’s side by the Russians and the missiles attack threat posed by North Korea to global peace, we shall show today that credibility matters in leadership and politics and that trade and prosperity can only blossom in an environment that is safe and very well secured.

    We go back to the pro-National Assembly protests and call them a massive and failed charade which is not shared by most Nigerians. This is because the National Assembly has feet of clay in terms of credibility and leadership and Nigerians have not lost their memory over how the present senate leadership evolved and the many charges for corruption that the senate president is facing and pursuing in the law courts.

    In spite of these, he has not resigned his position to clear himself of all charges as should be expected in any mature democracy. To claim now that the existence of the National Assembly is the only measure of our claim to be a functional democracy is a fallacy because the members of the National Assembly are tenured representatives of their various constituencies and have no locus as representatives of their own personal and selfish interests, which seems to be their rationale for representation in our funny and bizarre democracy today. That surely is not acceptable to most Nigerians who also concede that the senate must function but definitely at best like a disabled institution given the albatross of corruption charges on the neck of its leadership.

    The senate must do its work without hindrance from the executive but the legislature must know it has a credibility problem arising from the emergence of its leadership and learn to accept the dictum in law that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands. Surely credibility matters in matters of state and governance and no pro legislature protests can change that in any democracy in any part of the world including our very own Nigeria. At the British House of Commons the Opposition leader Corbyn accused the PM Theresa May of ignoring the human rights record of Saudi Arabia and paying a visit to a regime that has no regard for human and feminine rights. The British PM, to me gave an eloquent reply by saying that she was going to Saudi Arabia to secure British business interests and to create more trade and prosperity for the UK as Britain cannot be on the sidelines of global business sniping like dog whilst the traffic of world trade passes it by.

    On her visit to Jordan she said that by helping Jordan through trade and improving its economy, Jordan would be enabled to take care of migrants fleeing to Europe and the UK and that too would mellow down the threat of lack of integration of Muslim migrants fleeing wars in the Middle East and exacerbating the security dangers that Europe and Britain are facing from the dangerous and unprecedented influx of refugees nowadays.

    That again appears like nipping the refugee problem in the bud and is comparable to the earlier visit of Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel to some African nations bordering Somalia, like Ethiopia and Kenya, to help such nations’ economies so as to stem the tide of refugee influx to Europe at the source. Such moves are pragmatic, diplomatic innovations that can only make for a more secure world not only in Europe but also in the nations and societies that the mass of migrants are bolting from, for dear life. With regard to the US missile attack on the facility in Syria, – the Shayrat airbase – from which the plane that dropped chemical gas on Syrians took off , it seems to me that the US has restored its credibility with both friends and enemies in the Middle East.

    Especially with the opposition in Syria which applauded the strike and the Russians which called it an act of aggression against a sovereign nation Syria, which Russia fully supports. But then the Russians were told about the raid by the Americans but they did not send any plane to stop the Americans . The UK naturally has supported the American missile attack which is expected to deter the Assad regime in Damascus against future use of chemical weapons. The Trump presidency has thus restored credibility to American foreign policy and Middle East diplomacy which was highly fractured by the Obama’s foreign policy of highlighting American values over the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime and just doing nothing to deter a repeat.

    This is what the Trump government has done and I give it kudos for making the Middle East safe by just one act of punitive deterrence over the potential or real use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime, or any government in the Middle East for that matter. Predictably when the US President Donald Trump hosted the Chinese President Xi he was at his best in public relations.

    This was in spite of the fact that he campaigned on dealing with China for its well known unfair trade deals. He went on to say he would look for reciprocity in dealing with the Chinese on world trade. But he should be cautious because the Chinese are the biggest global investors in US treasury bills or treasuries. If reciprocity means an eye for an eye, which is Moses’ law then the Chinese too can play the ball of reciprocity to the detriment of US business and economic interests. With regard to trade imbalance and stealing of American jobs the new US president needs to be tutored on the concept of outsourcing which he has labeled job stealing. It is American companies outsourcing jobs to China which has a huge population.

    Outsourcing is just about buying skills you don’t have and it is a hard nose business decision with the goals of efficiency and profitability driving it and that surely cannot be called job stealing. Anyway, the Chinese President Xi told his American counterpart during this week’s visit that –‘we have a thousand reasons get China- US relations right and not one reason to spoil China – US relations ‘The Chinese President later invited Trump to visit China. For now both Trump and Xi are credible world leaders popular in their nations and that is good for world trade and security. Better still, global peace will get a boost if both can use their new found amity to formulate a strong policy that will deter the rogue regime in North Korea that is, like ISIS, threatening the entire world with annihilation and disturbing our collective peace of mind. Once again, long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

  • Abia to partner Navy on security

    Abia to partner Navy on security

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has restated his administ-ration’s eagerness to partner the Nigeria Navy to enable the state achieve internal security.

    Speaking in Umuahia, the state capital, while receiving a delegation of the Navy led by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Naval Training Command Apapa Lagos Rear Admiral Ifeola Mohammed, Ikpeazu appreciated what the navy is doing in terms of ensuring that Abia remains one of the safest states in the country.

    Ikpeazu who was represented by his Deputy Sir Ude Oko-Chukwu said that the state is at the forefront of championing the made in Nigeria products, adding that his government had at inception ensured that goods produced in Abia state are of high standards.

    He said that it was the reason that brought about the shoe clusters and leather garment in Aba which has the capacity of producing enough shoes for the Nigerian Army, Navy and NYSC members and urged them to take advantage of the cluster and its products.

    Ikpeazu commended officials of the Nigeria Navy further for their plans to expand its facilities in the state which will lead to improvement on the infrastructural development and security of the state.

    He assured them that his government would do all in its power to enable them achieve their expansion drive as well as remove all the bottlenecks involved in the issuance of certificate of occupancy.

    Earlier the FOC, Rear Admiral Mohammed said they are on a working vist to the state to ascertain ways of collaborating with the state government on the way forward especially in the area of internal security.

    Admiral Mohammed however thanked Governor Ikpeazu for his support of the Nigeria Navy in the discharge of her constitutional roles in the area of infrastructural development in the state and donation of utility vehicles to the college.

    The FOC restated the commitment of the navy in supporting the efforts of the state government in ensuring effective security of lives and property in the state and appealed to government to assist them complete the ring road within the Finance and Logistics college at Owerrinta and a guest house in Umuahia.

    He said that there is need for the state government and the naval school at Owerrinta to have a synergy towards flushing out criminals in the state and thereby create an enabling environment for the made in Nigeria products to thrive.

    Admiral Mohammed maintained that the pride of the state which is the made in Aba products need all the required security for those who would want to patronize them to come and make the state increase its isn’t ally generated revenue.

    He said that his visit was approved by the Chief of Naval Staff, adding that the navy has the plans to establish Admiralty University at its current college at Owerrinta, “This university when operational will also admit Abia indigenes and increase the number of graduates in the state”.

    In his reaction on the visit of the FOC to The Nation, the commandant of the College, Navy Captain Abdullahi Aminu said that he appreciates the Chief of Naval Staff and the FOC for their support in the fight against criminals in the state.

    Capt Aminu said that security of the environment and the state they operate in is paramount to the navy and pledged to work harder in the fight against criminality in the state, while warning criminals to relocate or face their Waterloo.