Category: Defence/Security

Revive economy to curb insecurity, experts advise FG

Insecurity

By Sumaila Ogbaje

Abuja, June 4, 2024 (NAN) Some security experts have called on the Federal Government to put measures in place to stimulate economic growth in order to curb the security challenges confronting the nation.

The experts in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja on Tuesday, said there was a connection between economic hardship and insecurity.

Dr Sani Abubakar, a Scholar of Military Studies, said the nation’s security landscape had been in a state of “negative peace,” siting a report by the Institute of Economics and Peace.

Abubakar, who is the Publisher of Our Nigeria News Magazine, said there was too much frustration, and anger, in the country because of economic deprivation and hardship.

According to him, criminals have transformed from petty thieves to kidnappers and bandits.

He said lack of development at the grassroots was fueling insecurity.  “Our local government areas are a shadow of themselves while the state governors and their stooges siphon all the resources of the local government.

“Thus, there are opportunities for the youth across the local government areas,” he said.

To the credit of the President Bola Tinubu administration, Dr. Abdullahi Jabi, Secretary-General, International Institute of Professional Security (IIPS), said the last one year had been historic in the fight against insecurity across the country.

Jabi said the government recorded a reduction in the activities of terrorists and bandits, despite some soft target attacks in some parts of the country.

He commended the efforts of the government in tackling kidnapping, terrorism, farmers-herders clashes and other security challenges in the last one year.

In ensuring total victory against insecurity, Jabi called for concerted efforts toward total rehabilitation of people affected by insecurity who were forced to live in IDPs camps.

According to him, the federal government should do more on social security, particularly in the Northern states, by making basic education compulsory.

“Also, skill acquisition should be made compulsory for teenagers.

“Social security should be introduced and the citizens relieved of economic hardship caused by fuel subsidy removal.

“Secondly, government must do everything within its ambit to ensure that 33 per cent to 35 per cent inflation in the procurement of goods and services should be reduced as much as possible by setting up tax force on agriculture and commodity sales.

“This is because people can no longer feed now and that is creating more criminals, terrorists, armed robbers and gangsters among youths.

“Until punitive measures are put in place, things will continue to escalate and then the government may likely lose control,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

OYS/SA

Edited by Salif Atojoko

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Vandalism

By Monday Ajogun

Onitsha (Anambra), June 4, 2024 (NAN) The Police Command in Anambra says it has commenced investigation into the alleged vandalism of the second Niger bridge that is linking Asaba and Onitsha in Delta and Anambra respectively.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Onitsha.

Ikenga said that he was yet to confirm the incident; I have not confirmed the incident, but we have escalated it to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to get the necessary information.

When asked about the 24 hours patrol launched on Aug. 4, 2023 by a Joint Task force of Anambra and Delta state Police Command as part of efforts to make the bridge safe for road users, he said that the operation was still ongoing.

He, however, said that he was yet to confirm if the video was a recent development or not.

NAN reports that a yet-to-be-identified man was seen in a viral video narrating how some rail fittings connecting the second Niger bridge was allegedly removed by some suspected scavengers.

When contacted on the development, Mr Uche Orji, the Chief Press Secretary to the Minister of Works, David Umahi, simply said that security action had been taken and he was not ready to disclosed further information.

Also speaking, Anambra Commissioner for Information, Mr Paul Nwosu, said that the incident of the alleged vandalism on the 2nd Niger Bridge had been brought to the attention of the Highway Department of the Federal Ministry of Works.

According to him, this is not to say that the state government is not concerned about the theft of those iron.

“Police is aware of the theft; before now, there has been an indication of nefarious human being looking to make away with those things.

“There has been a patrol of policemen along the bridge, you know these people; you won’t know where they are hiding to know if patrol has passed before they attack.

“One thing about criminals is that they are also members of our society.

“They know where you have security presence and where you don’t; immediately they noticed a kind of movement, they come out to do what they want to do.

“It’s not as if the security agencies are not on the alert, but just when it appears that they have moved to oversight in a different place, these thieves will strike.

“You know people who gathered condemn iron, but this one is not a condemn iron, this one is not a disposed iron.

“These are irons that are actively in use, to make sure that people enjoyed the brand new road that federal government put for us to enjoy, but security agencies particularly the police have been on patrol in that area,” he said.

The commissioner said that it had long been discovered that some thieves had been carrying out their nefarious activities on that bridge.

He said that a unit of mobile police would stationed on the bridge to forestall future occurrence. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

AJOM/MNA

Edited by Maureen Atuonwu

Police

By Moses Omorogieva

Lagos, June 4, 2024 (NAN) The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Olukayode Egbetokun says the force will abide by whatever decision the Federal Government  will take on the issue of State Police.

Egbetokun disclosed this on Monday in Lagos State, through the Coordinating Deputy Inspector-General of Police, South-West, Mr Abiodun Alabi, who was on a working visit to the state.

He said the force decided to explain  its stand in view of many opinions and views the matter had generated.

The police chief advised  officers and men to continue in their job as stipulated by the Nigerian Constitution.

Egbetokun charged the men to be disciplined, hard working, respect  human rights, and carry out their duties in the best professional ways.

He warned the personnel against misuse of firearms, stressing that such should be used responsibly in strict accordance with  the law.

On the mental and physical health of the men, the I-G said the officer in Charge of Police Medical had been given orders to carry out mental and psychological test on personnel for better performance.

Egbetokun said the force was already working with some consultants on befitting accommodation for the officers and men, stressing that very soon, the personnel would access their own homes.

The police chief warned his officers and men against rivalry with other security agents, stressing that Nigeria police alone cannot provide the needed security for Nigerians.

He charge them to always work harmoniously with other security agencies, with a view to providing  good security for all Nigerians.

On cultism in Lagos state, Egbetokun urged the men to be proactive by reaching out and engaging the youths in the areas of their command to lecture them on the dangers of cultism.

Earlier, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos state, Mr Adegoke Fayoade, who welcomed the DIG to the command, said  all  security architecture put in place in  collaboration with stakeholders had brought down  crime rate in the state.

“It is, however, gratifying to note that since the introduction of people centered, collaborative and co-operative, crime prevention strategies by the commissioner of police,  crime and criminal activities in the state has reduced drastically.

“The strategies adopted include: prevention strategies e.g. (intelligence raids of criminal hideouts, cordon and search) etc. intelligence led policing.

“Use of modern technology device(s) (scientific aid) to track down dangerous criminals e.g. kidnappers, armed robbers, car hijackers etc. Extensive and Intensive Patrol and Community Policing Strategy amongst others,” he said.

The police boss in Lagos re-assured the visiting DIG that the current tempo in crime fighting would  be sustained until the state is rid of all criminal elements.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the DIG was in the command in  Lagos,  as first state in the  South-West on  his working visit.

He will be visiting six states in the region, a visit ordered by the I-G for all DIGs to carry out on-the- spot assessment in all commands. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
MIO/CHOM/VIV
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Edited by Chioma Ugboma/Vivian Ihechu

Airstrikes

By Sumaila Ogbaje

Abuja, June 4, 2024 (NAN) The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), says the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch and Hadarin Daji have eliminated terrorists’ enclaves killing scores in Kaduna and Katsina States.

This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, AVM Edward Gabkwet, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Gabkwet said the air strikes by the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch on terrorists’ enclave in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State between May 30 and May 31, yielded the requisite outcome.

He said the strikes were executed at the stronghold of the infamous terrorist, Buharinyadi, situated at Bula Forest area in Giwa LGA of the state.

The strikes, he said, prompted by painstaking Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (IRS) operations conducted in the targeted vicinity where several clusters of thatched roofed huts within compounds were observed amid thick vegetation.

Gabkwet said the surveillance also confirmed a substantial presence of armed terrorists loitering around the huts and over 13 motorcycles seen tucked under a large umbrella tree.

He added that a targeted exploitation of multiple sources revealed that the terrorists at the location were responsible for most of the attacks and kidnappings in several communities within Birnin Gwari, Igabi and Giwa LGAs.

“Accordingly, the Air Component dispatched its available air assets to strike the location.

“Overhead the location, scores of the terrorists were sighted and subsequently struck, bringing effective and maximum damage on the targets and their equipment.

“Following a tip that some of the surviving terrorists had relocated 500 meters west of the interdicted location, a follow up strike was immediately conducted, with a post-strike Battle Damage Assessment revealing the neutralisation of several terrorists and their hideouts engulfed in flames,” he said.

The NAF spokesman said that similar air strikes were also carried out by the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji on June 2, at Zango Hill in Kankara LGA of Katsina State.

He said that intelligence revealed that the location which had a cluster of huts and zinc roofed structures with multiple human and livestock movements, was being used by a terrorists’ kingpin, Alhaji Iliya and his cohorts.

Gwabket said that air interdiction was conducted over the location to decimate the terrorists, destroy their weapons and mobility.

“After the strike, Battle Damage Assessment footages and feedback received revealed that the strikes were successful as several terrorists were eliminated and their structures engulfed in flames.

“The NAF, in collaboration with surface forces, will continue to sustain domination of the battlespace through extensive situational awareness, constant patrols, and targeted interdiction of terrorists’ safe havens within its various Areas of Responsibility.

“Still, a whole of society approach remains a key factor in the ongoing efforts to minimise the threats posed by criminal elements,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

OYS/RSA

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Edited by Rabiu Sani-Ali

Police uncover gang targeting, killing car-hire

drivers in Rivers

Arrest

By Desmond Ejibas

Port Harcourt, June 3, 2024 (NAN) The Police Command in Rivers has arrested some members of a criminal gang suspected to be murdering car-hire drivers and stealing their vehicles.

SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the command’s spokesperson, in a statement in Port Harcourt on Monday, linked the group to multiple cases of drivers that got missing.

She revealed that the arrest of one gang member, Anthony Chima, exposed the sinister activities of the gang in the state.

She stated: “The discovery of this criminal enterprise targeting Uber drivers in the state followed the disappearance of one Oghenevwarhe Barry Akpobome, an Uber driver.

“Upon investigating the disappearance, Police operatives arrested one Anthony Chima, a 35-year-old graduate of Political Science from the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.

“Under interrogation, Chima confessed to being recruited into a gang that specialised in luring taxi drivers into ambushes and stealing their vehicles,” she stated.

Iringe-Koko said that Chima’s testimony showed the gang’s further gruesome actions of killing the drivers and harvesting their body parts for ritualistic purposes.

“The suspect said that he was introduced into the gang by his friend, Amfoh Abu, the group’s arms dealer, and another individual simply identified as ‘Reason.’

“Investigation further revealed that ‘General Effizy,’ the gang’s leader, is a prominent figure in the Greenland cult and a seasoned kidnapper in the state,” she added.

The police spokesperson said that Chima confessed that he randomly obtains the Uber drivers’ phone numbers and pretends to be a passenger in need of a ride.

She said that on Jan. 10, Chima contacted Akpobome and directed the driver to pick him up at Reason’s residence.

“Disguised as a passenger, Chima lured the unsuspecting Uber driver to a remote area in Aminigboko, where he met Reason and General Effizy along with four-armed gang members.

“The driver was forcefully removed from the vehicle and taken to Effizy’s shrine, where he was tied up, gagged and gruesomely murdered.

“Chima later led the police to the shrine and Effizy’s residence, where personnel recovered the victim’s skull and a locally fabricated Baretta pistol,” she said.

Iringe-Koko said that a manhunt had been launched to capture the fleeing gang members, stating that Chima would face legal actions.

She said that the Commissioner of Police in Rivers, Tunji Disu, has advised Uber drivers to be cautious while picking up or transporting passengers, particularly to remote or potentially dangerous areas.

“The Akpobome incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that lurk in the shadows, and the importance of vigilance and cooperation with the law enforcement agencies,” the police image maker said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

DES/ETS

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Army debunks alleged deployment of soldiers at FG, NLC meeting venue

Soldiers

By Sumaila Ogbaje

Abuja, June 3, 2024 (NAN) The Nigerian Army has debunked claims by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that soldiers had surrounded the venue of the meeting between the Federal Government and organised labour on Monday night.

The army, in a post on its official X Handle on Monday, said the soldiers at the venue were military escorts attached to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam  Nuhu Ribadu.

It said the NSA, who was also attending the meeting, arrived at the venue with his retinue of statutorily approved military escorts.

According to the statement, once the meeting is over, the escorts will lead the NSA from the venue.

The army urged members of the public to disregard what it described as deliberate and misleading falsehood being peddled about the presence of the escorts at the meeting.

“The attention of Army Headquarters has been drawn to a false breaking news by NLC alleging that soldiers currently surround the venue of the ongoing meeting between NLC and the SGF.

“Kindly note that the NSA, Mallam  Nuhu Ribadu, who is also attending the meeting, arrived at the meeting venue with his retinue of statutorily approved military escorts.

“Once the meeting is over, the escorts will lead the NSA from the venue,” it said.

The NLC had earlier made a post on its X handle alleging that soldiers were surrounding the venue of the meeting between them and government at the premises of the SGF. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

OYS/SA

Edited by Salif Atojoko

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Drone

By Suleiman Shehu

Ibadan, June 3, 2024 (NAN) The Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Kayode Egbetokun, says the Nigeria Police Force will soon establish a full drone system to tackle the nation’s security challenges adequately.

Egbetokun said this while delivering the first distinguished Personality Lecture, organised by the TETFUND Centre of Excellence in Multidisciplinary Studies (TCEMS), University of Ibadan (UI), on Monday in Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture was titled: “The Nigeria Police Force and the Management of Internal Security”.

Egbetokun said although the force already had a drone, it would now establish a full drone system to capture everywhere in Nigeria from its headquarters in Abuja.

According to him, the drone system will also help the police see criminals whenever they are committing crimes.

‘The ungoverned spaces will soon become governed,” he said.

He further said the force would establish a Special Intervention Squad (SIS) in all the states of the federation to tackle kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminality in Nigeria.

The police boss said the deployment of the SIS in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had yielded results leading to the arrest of many kidnappers and bandits, including the recovery of weapons.

The I-G said the force had also established dedicated anti-kidnapping units across various states, focusing on intelligence gathering and rapid responses to kidnapped incidents.

The units, he said, had successfully conducted numerous rescue operations leading to the safe return of kidnapped victims and the arrest of perpetrators.

Egbetokun highlighted the shortage of manpower, inadequate equipment, public distrust and insufficient budgetary provisions as some of the challenges facing the force.

He, however, pledged the force’s commitment to the protection of lives and property of citizens.

In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of UI, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, commended the I-G for his visionary leadership in managing the nation’s security challenges.

Also, the acting Director of TCEMS, Dr Benjamin Aluko, said the lecture was organised to elicit constructive discussions that would reshape the country’s security situation. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

SYS/CHOM/MAS
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Edited by Chioma Ugboma and Moses Solanke