The Nation Newspaper

Tag: The Nigeria Police Force

  • Elections: Police task politicians on peaceful conduct

    Ahead of 2019 general election, the Nigeria Police Force has urged all political parties in Kano and their supporters to avoid acts capable of breaching peace in the state.

    The Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr Muhammad Adamu, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, in charge of Research and planning, Mr Aminchi Baraya, made the call at an interactive session with stakeholders in Kano on Tuesday.

    The interactive session was aimed at ensuring a hitch-free election, maintain adequate peace and tranquility in the state.

    “I have deployed all the DIG’s to the six geo-political zones in the country to oversee the general election.

    “My officers have been trained on how they are expected to conduct themselves during the election, adding that the NPF is prepared to ensuring that the election is free, fair and credible.

    Adamu appealed to the public to vote peacefully and conduct themselves responsibly at the polling units, adding that after voting, everyone was expected go back home.

    Speaking earlier, the Kano Commissioner of Police, Mr Wakili Muhammad, commended the stakeholders for participating in the interactive session.

    He also called on various stakeholders in the state to join hands with the command in the fight against drug abuse in the state.

    NAN reports that the AIG Zone 1, Mr Dan Bature, governorship candidates from some of the political parties as well as other stakeholders attended the meeting.

    Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders, Hajiya Hauwa El-Yakub, Kano central senatorial candidate under New Progressive Movement (NPM) pledged to cooperate with the security agencies to ensure a hitch-free exercise.

    She, however, appealed to the Federal Government to intervene in fighting political thuggery, in order to have peaceful elections not only in Kano state but across the country.

    “You cannot take away drugs from political thuggery, candidates from various political parties use youths to get what they want during the election,”She said.(NAN)

  • Police deny its personnel protested

    The Nigeria Police Force has denied a social media report that its personnel deployed to the North East to complement the military in the fight against Boko Haram protested.

    A social media report alleged that about 2,000 personnel of the force undergoing training in the North East dropped their weapons in protest.

    A statement by the Force Spokesman, acting DCP Jimoh Moshood on Wednesday in Abuja, refuted the protest allegation.

    He said the personnel have all successfully passed out from training and have been deployed more than a week ago.

    “The force wishes to state that the video was mischievously doctored and circulated to mislead the public.

    “There was no protest by any of the 2,000 personnel undergoing Special Forces training in the North East,” he said.

    Moshood said that the personnel have been deployed to the frontline in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

    He enjoined members of the public to discountenance the video. (NAN)

  • 16 policemen dead, 20 rescued from bandits in Zamfara

    The Nigeria Police Force has disclosed that 20 of its personnel that were captured during an attack in Mahanga forest in Birnin Mogaji in local government area of Zamfara State have been rescued.

    The Police however said it lost 16 of its personnel during the attack on the community.

    A statement in Abuja by the Force Spokesman, Ag. DCP Jimoh Moshood said the men who were rescued and the corpses of the 16 policemen were found after the rescue operations carried out by the Police Joint Intervention Force.

    The Nigeria Police Force had over the weekend  said it killed 104 bandits and destroyed 50 hideouts located in three camps and also recovered 500 cattle and 79 sheep during the attack.

    To tackle the activities of the bandits, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris deployed the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Habila Joshak to Zamfara to lead the team.

    Giving an update on the Joint Operations ongoing in the State, Moshood said:”The Police Joint Intervention Force under the command of Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations deployed by the Inspector General of Police to Zamfara State to rout-out all armed bandits and other criminal elements in the state is making progress in the operations.

    “The search and rescue operations embarked on by the Police Joint Intervention Force to rescue the missing Police Personnel after the 29th November, 2018, onslaught on the armed bandits in which 104 armed bandits were killed, 50 bandits hideouts in three camps destroyed and 500 cattle and 79 sheep from the possession of the armed bandits resulted in the successful rescue of 20 Policemen alive, while 16 Police Personnel were found dead after the rescue operations carried out by the Police Joint Intervention Force.

    Read also: Senate rejects report linking Fulani herdsmen, Benue militia to killings

    “Police Special Forces personnel, Counter Terrorism Unit, Police Mobile Force, Federal SARS personnel with three surveillance patrol helicopters have commenced an on-going operation being strengthened to rout-out the remnants armed bandits and other criminal elements in the caves and mountains in the identified bandits hideouts in some locations in Zamfara State.”

    Moshood also stated that the IGP has directed the DIG to remain in Zamfara.

    The IGP while condoling with the families of the deceased Policemen, directed befitting burials for the gallant officers and prompt processing and payments of the life assurance benefits and other entitlements to their families.

    “The IGP is saddened with the death of the gallant officers whom he describes as heroes of the Force; their demise is a great loss to Nigeria Police Force and our dear Nation, Nigeria. The supreme price they paid for the security and safety of the Country will not be in vain.”

    The Force also said it will not relent in ensuring that armed banditry, other violent crimes and criminalities are brought to the end Zamfara State despite the death of the 16 Policemen.

    It also urged members of the public with any information or in distress in any part of the State to call the Police Joint Intervention Control Centre through the following numbers 08037025670, 08033210966, 08033312261, 08123829666, 09053872244, 07082351758, 08091914752

     

  • Police nab man who threatened to blow up Atiku’s plane 

    …Used stolen phone to threaten Atiku, wife, daughter

    …Speaks fluent English, Ibibio, Russian and Portuguese languages

     

     

    The Nigeria Police Force on Wednesday paraded a 43 year old man suspected to have made scary threats asking former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to either withdraw from the 2019 presidential race or have his plane blown up mid-air.

    According to police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, an Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police, the suspect named Augustus Akpan allegedly used a stolen phone to explicitly threaten wife and daughters of the former Vice President with rape.

    Akpan who hails from Edemaya village, Ikot Abasi LGA, Akwa Ibom State was arrested while fleeing to Lagos was also said to have extorted huge sums of Naira and foreign currencies from unnamed high profile citizens, with false claims of being a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) operative.

    The police spokesman further said that the suspect who speaks fluent English, Ibibio, Russian and Portuguese languages is to remain in police custody until investigations are concluded and he is arraigned in court.

    “On the receipt of complaint of threat and intimidation from former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON, the forty three years old Augustus Akpan was trailed and eventually arrested by the IGP Intelligence Response Team.

    “The suspect, Augustus Akpan was arrested at toll-gate along Lagos-Ibadan express way, Lagos State, while on the run to escape arrest; during interrogation, he confessed to the crime and admitted that he resorted to the threat and intimidation when all efforts to extort money from the former Vice President were unsuccessful.

    “The suspect, Augustus Akpan also admitted in his confessional statement that he is a professional fraudster and not working for any political party, that his mention that ‘Let Buhari run against your against your PDP members’ in his threat message to the former Vice President was merely to divert attention.

    “The suspect is fluent in English, Ibibio, Russian and Portuguese languages respectively; the phone and the SIM card he used for the threat and intimidation were recovered from him and were discovered to have been robbed by him from a lady (name withheld) who identified him as the person that robbed her few months back.

    “The suspect, Augustus Akpan further confessed that he had threatened, defrauded and extorted huge sum of money in Naira and foreign currency from so many prominent personalities and their family members while posing as a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent,” Jimoh Moshood stated.

     

    THE THREAT TEXT MESSAGES (AS DISCLOSED BY POLICE)

    i.      Text Message to Fmr Vice President, Alh. Atiku Abubakar GCON

    “ Turaki Atiku, we are watching you and your family, we ask you right now to withdraw from the race for Presidency , we will kill, rape your wife and daughters. That your ambitious and black daughter Maryam who worked at CBN and left because we were going to mess her up. We will molest, rape, deform her and kill her. Your daughter Fatimah the former Commissioner of Health in Adamawa State, we have a lot of information about her. Also pictures of her naked body, we will mess your overly prostitute wife Jennifer up. We have a lot about. Let Buhari run against your against your PDP members. We know that you are bigger than all those candidates in PDP. That is why we need you to step down. We will blow your plane off from the sky and we will poison you and your family. Atiku Abubakar, take our words for granted and watch what will happen to your family before you. You are going to see what we will do to you and your family. We know where and where your children travel to. We have watched your daughter who is a strong supporter of her father (your daughter Maryam) at number 5, Buzi close and number 5, Lake Maracaibo close”.

    ii .     Text Message to Wife of Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar GCON

    “Jennifer. Tell your husband to step down. We will blow up his plane and kill all of you his family. We will rape you and all his daughters and also kill all of you out there. Do not underestimate us. We know your office at 13 Danube Street Maitama. We will blow up the place and rape all your step daughters that we know you don’t like already . Tell him to step down now and forget about running for the presidency’’

    iii .    Text Message to Daughter of Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar GCON, Rukaiya Atiku

    “Tell your dad to step down. He should forget about the Presidency. If he refuses, we will blow up his plane the Gulf Stream from the sky and also rape you and kill of his daughters. No amount of Police or protection will stop us. We know where all of you live in. We know number 5 Buzi close and number 5, Lake Maracaibo close. Try us and blood shall spread.’’

  • We owe no personnel salary – Police

    The Nigeria Police Force has said none of its personnel is owed salary or allowances.

    The Force has also described as untrue the report that Policemen attached to the Presidential Villa, Abuja protested over unpaid allowance since 2015.

    The Nigeria Police Force in a statement in Abuja on Monday said no personnel of the Force has complained over unpaid salary.

    An online media had reported that Policemen attached to the Villa protested over unpaid allowances since 2015.

    The Force through it spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood said contrary to the report, no Policeman in the Villa or across the country protested at any time.

    The statement reads : “The Force wishes to categorically state that salaries and allowances of Police Personnel across ranks throughout Police Formations, Departments and detachments including those attached to the Presidential Villa are being paid as at when due, and on time.

    “Special and ad-hoc duties allowances are also promptly paid on completion of such duties.”

    Reacting to the report, Moshood said: “The report was carefully studied and was found out to be outright falsehood, unfounded, mischievous and fake news.

    “There was no time the Policemen in the Villa or anywhere else in the Country protested over any issue relating to payment of allowances or whatsoever.

    “Nigeria Police Force is a disciplined organization and its personnel are not allowed to engage in any act that can subject the Force to public ridicule or embarrassment.”

    It further reads: “It is incumbent on the Force to educate the writer of the report that Police personnel’s emolument includes salary and other allowances, and in addition all personnel of the Force enjoy insurance and assurance cover provided for by the Force and the Federal Government to cater for recognized and some unrecognized risks they are exposed to while carrying out core Police duties on daily basis.

    “Also, no Senior Police Officer in the Villa or anywhere else mismanaged or infringed on payment of allowances meant for the Police Personnel serving in the Villa.

    “It is pertinent for the public to know that no Police personnel serving in the villa has complained officially or otherwise of unpaid allowance since 2015.”

    The Force urged the media to always verify facts before publishing in order not to cause panic, tension and misinformation in the minds of the Public.

    Read Also: Police arrest suspected cultist, pipeline vandal in Bayelsa

  • Police sanctions 20 officers for misconduct

    Police sanctions 20 officers for misconduct

    The Nigeria Police Force said it has sanctioned 20 officers of various ranks across the country for misconduct, following complaints from members of the public through its Complaint Response Unit (CRU) between November 2015 and March.

    The Officer in Charge of the CRU, CSP Abayomi Shogunle, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

    “In the report we released in the first 100 days and up till now, about 20 officers with different ranks have been sanctioned across the country,’’ he said.

    Shogunle said the officers have gone through the various disciplinary procedures in the force.

    He said that between from January to March 31 the CRU received and processed 1,054 complaints from across the 36 states including the FCT.

    Shogunle said that Lagos state top the complaint chart with 239 complaints representing 22.68 per cent; FCT 190 complaints, representing 18.03 per cent; Rivers with 100 complaints or 9.49 per cent.

    He noted that the unit received only one compliant each from Ekiti, Sokoto and Yobe states, representing 0.09 per cent.

    He said that out of the number of complaints received, 899 cases were resolved and after investigation, 96 cases were discovered to be false while 59 cases were pending.

    Shogunle said that during the period under review, 21 distress calls were received by the unit.

    He said that there was a consistent decline in the number of complaints from Ebonyi, Benue, Oyo, FCT, Zamfara, Ogun, Bayelsa, Niger, Ondo and Yobe sates.

    Shogunle attributed the decline to the sanction against erring police officers that had deterred others from committing same crime.

    He said that the unit would make recommendations to the Inspector-General of Police on how to address the rising cases of complaints in some states.

    “We are still studying the reports and in the coming days we are going to make appropriate recommendations to the Inspector-General of Police on how the situation can best be addressed,’’ he said.

    He said that one of the challenges of the unit had been the inability of the unit to create more awareness among the grass roots.

    Shogunle said that basically the unit had partnered with the media to help in disseminating activities of the unit at the rural areas.

    He said that using the various police formations to create awareness would be counterproductive.

    The officer in charge said that with time most Nigerians would be aware of the existence and importance of the unit.

    He said that the establishment of the unit had minimised complaints against the police and also changed the ways members of the public interact with the police.

    “I can conveniently say that the CRU has significantly changed the way members of the public and police interact with each other,’’ he said.

    He advised members of the public to always obey the police officer and report any misconduct through the platforms provided by the unit.