Crime Facts

AYICRIP, RULAAC, Imo police hold one day workshop on insecurity, crime prevention

  Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Danjuma Aboki has enjoined youths of South East to stop killing their kinsmen in the name of fighting for Biafra. CP Aboki spoke in Owerri, Thursday, at the 1st Imo State Police, Youth and Women Dialogue on Insecurity, Crime Prevention. The dialogue was organised by the African Youths Initiative on Crime Prevention, AYICRIP, in partnership with Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC and Imo State Police Command. CP Aboki, represented by Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration, ACP Edwin Mkpa noted that insecurity impacts negatively on all facets of the development of the society. He highlighted the acievements of the command in stemming the tide of insecurity in the state and urged the youths to shun crime and engage their time meaningfully. In a welcome address earlier, the Executive Director, AYICRIP, Amb. Chris Ibe, said the essence of the dialogue was to establish a collaborative effort towards crime prevention and fight. Ibe emphasized the role of the youths in fighting and preventing crime in the society. In his remarks, the Executive Director, RULAAC, Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma, stated that youths are the main actors in insecurity and mostly at the receiving end, while women are highly victimized. Nwanguma submitted that policemen who have also become target of insecurity, have continued to suffer distrust, neglect and starvation of resources. He frowned that Imo State and South East have not benefitted from the Police Trust Fund which was established in 2019. Nwanguma urged the federal government not to always adopt kinetic approach in responding to insecurity, but to also apply dialogue where necessary. President,Centre for Development of Institutions, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe, said Imo Police Command under CP Aboki has recorded great success in the fight against insecurity.

Sanusi: Tinubu resisted pressure to interfere in my reinstatement as Emir

  Muhammadu Sanusi says President Bola Tinubu did not interfere in his reinstatement as Emir of Kano. On Thursday, Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano, announced the reinstatement of Sanusi after signing the new Kano Emirate Council Law. The state assembly had passed the amended Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill 2024. The law repealed the 2019 version, which balkanised the Kano emirate into five jurisdictions and was relied upon to depose Sanusi as Emir in 2020. Speaking on the development in an interview with Television Continental (TVC), Sanusi said Tinubu recognised that the Kano drama was a local matter and resisted all pressure to interfere. The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) added that he was not given an opportunity to defend himself after being dethroned on “unsubstantiated allegations”. He described his return to the throne as a correction of injustice done to the people, culture and tradition of Kano. “As you know, I was appointed the 14th Emir of the single emirate of Kano in June 2014 and now I am reappointed as the Emir of the single emirate of Kano,” he said. “In between that period, we did not have a single emirate. We had five balkanised emirates and this was an injustice to the history of Kano. It was an attack on our history, our culture, on our traditions, and it was an act of betrayal to our family. “We thank Allah that today, the emirate has been unified again, its people have been brought together, that an injustice has been corrected because as you know, I was dethroned on an allegation of insubordination which was never specified. “I was never given an opportunity to defend myself but I have never spoken about it because I’ve always assumed that when the time is up, it’s up. Today, I thank God that God has remained as we know, a faithful God who stands by justice. “I would also like to express my thanks to his excellency Alhaji Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu without whose principled stance of non-interference in the internal affairs of the state, this would not have been possible. “The president has shown that he is a respecter of the constitution and the separation of powers, he recognises that this is a purely local matter and that the government has a responsibility to do what is right for the state. “I’m aware that he has resisted all pressure to get the federal government to be involved. “This for me is a continuation of service that I started, it is also an opportunity God has given me to improve on my previous tenure. “We all learn from our mistakes and it is our responsibility to improve on the things we did well and avoid those things we did not do well. Life is a continuous learning process. I’ve enjoyed the break of the last four years.” He also thanked the Kano state government and the security agencies for maintaining law and order in the state. He assured the state and federal government of his loyalty and cooperation, saying “they can be assured that they would find in me a friend, confidante and adviser”.

Don’t Be Afraid, No Man Can Shake You’, Odili Assures Fubara

  Former Governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili, has again expressed backing for the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. At the inauguration of the Omoku-Egbema Road in the state on Saturday, Odili told Fubara not to be apprehensive of anyone as the people of the state are with him.   Odili urged Fubara to remain focus on his “people-focused objectives”, saying the projects so far embarked upon by the present administration are enough to secure the support of the people for the 2027 election. Odili, who was Rivers governor from May 1999 to May 2007, said, “Don’t be afraid because when the people are with you, be assured that God is with you and no man can shake you.” Fubara and his immediate predecessor, Nyesom Wike, have been embroiled in a protracted conflict in the last one year. In April 2024, Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said he no longer had a smooth relationship with Odili whom he had frequently referred to as his “father”. Wike was the governor of the oil-rich South-South state from May 2015 to May 2023 before he was appointed minister by President Bola Tinubu.

Edo Excos Have No Power To Suspend Abure, Says LP

  Hours after the suspension of Julius Abure as the Labour Party’s National Chairman, the party said the executives in Edo State lack the power to carry out such action. LP in a statement by its spokesman, Obiora Ifoh, on Saturday described the purported suspension of Abure by the the ward executive of Ward 3, Arue, Utomi, Esan North East of Edo as fake. “The ward, LG or even the state have no powers under the constitution to suspend the National Chairman,” the statement read. “In the Labour Party’s constitution, Article 17 subsection 1 (2019) is emphatic that only the National Convention convened solely for the purpose of removal or suspension of the National Chairman with two third majority can suspend or remove him. “Court of Appeal, Benin Division on the 14 day of August , 2023 under the Presiding Justice Theresa Ngolika Orji-Abadua in a case brought before it by Lucky Shaibu and others against Julius Abure and others corroborated with the judgement of the lower court in their ruling that the National Chairman of the Labour Party cannot be suspended or removed by the Ward executive.” Investigation Ongoing Ifoh, the LP’s National Publicity Secretary, said the party’s national leadership is investigating the letter emanating from Edo on Abure’s suspension. He said the party won’t hesitate to discipline any member found guity of flouting the Labour Party’s rules. “The leadership of the party is however investigating the source of the purported letter of suspension and will summarily act by the party rules in disciplining any officer of the party found guilty of contravening the rules of the party,” he stated.

Deposed Emir Ado Bayero breaks silence, says justice will prevail

  The deposed Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, has broken his silence following his dethronement as the 15th Emir of Kano State. Bayero said justice would prevail while urging residents to maintain law and order. He stated this on Saturday in his native language at the mini-palace where he has been since returning to the state after dethronement. He, however, pledged to follow whatever the law states, saying that Kano is too important to Nigeria. First Year Of President Bola Tinubu’s Administration: Ministers Give Account0.00 / 0.00   “I call on the people to remain law-abiding while awaiting the outcome of the legal process in this tussle. “We call on the authority to do justice in this matter. Kano is a very influential state in Nigeria. Whatever affects Kano affects Nigeria. May peace reign in Kano. We pray for Allah to bless Kano with responsible and just leaders. “Justice is the way to go on every issue. There will be justice. Nobody is above the law. We will accept whatever the law says. I appreciate all the people who have shown concern. As I said, justice will take its course. We will keep on praying for peace in Kano State. May Allah the Almighty protect us,” he said. The deposed monarch arrived in the ancient city in the early hours of Saturday.

NSA denies backing deposed Kano Emir

  The Office of the National Security Adviser has denied an allegation that the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, facilitated the return of the dethroned Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, to the state on Saturday. The spokesperson for the office of the NSA, Zakari Mijinyawa, described the allegation as ‘untrue’. Earlier, the state Deputy Governor, Aminu Gwarzo, accused Ribadu of facilitating the return of the dethroned Emir. Reacting to the allegation, Mijinyawa said Ribadu did not provide the aircraft that returned Ado-Bayero to the state. “I read the comments on social media, it is untrue. The NSA did not provide air transport to anyone to Kano,” he said. He, however, implored politicians to exercise caution in their speech, saying it could potentially undermine the diligent efforts of security agencies in upholding peace within the state. “Political actors should desist from misinforming the public as law enforcement officials in the state strive to maintain peace and order,” he warned. Gwarzo in a short video interview at the Emir’s palace in Gidan Rumfa on Saturday alleged that the NSA released two jets to bring Ado Bayero to Kano He said, “The National Security Adviser gave two jets to bring the dethroned emir to Kano and to bring him to the place. We have not understood their intention.”

We’re planning to take back palace for Emir Bayero – Ganduje’s ex-Commissioner

  Commissioner of Works under former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Muazu Magaji, has said that preparations were on to restore Kano’s deposed Emir, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, to his palace. Magaji, in a post on his Facebook page, said Ado Bayero would retake the palace being occupied by Sanusi. “Now the emir’s flag has been mounted on his car. We are making preparation to take to the palace,” he wrote. The deposed Emirs were given 48 hours to leave their palaces and turn over power by Governor Abba Yusuf, who signed the repealed Kano Emirates Council Law on Thursday. While the other Emirs – Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero (Bichi), Alhaji Kabiru Muhammad Inuwa (Rano), Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar II (Karaye) and Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim Abdulkadir (Gaya), obeyed the order, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero (Kano), returned to the ancient city, on Saturday. The aircraft that conveyed the monarch touched down at the Aminu Kano International Airport at 4:30 am. His supporters surrounded him immediately and began chanting a passage from Surah Al-Fatihah of the Holy Quran.   “You (alone) we worship, and you (alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).” While some others were saying, “God the Almighty will kill your enemies.” He later observed Subhi (dawn prayer) at the airport after which he made his way to the mini-palace at Nasarawa. Responding to the action of Ado Bayero, Governor Yusuf ordered his immediate arrest, saying he was creating tension in the state. The Nation reported however that the police said they would obey the order of the court which restrained the governor from reinstating Sanusi.

Two Nigerian women’ found dead in UK apartment

  Two women have been found dead inside an apartment in Nottingham, UK. In a statement, Nottinghamshire police said officers were called to a property in Radford, an inner-city area of Nottingham, on Tuesday morning over concerns about the welfare of the occupants. Officers forced their way into the house by breaking down the back door and found the bodies of two women inside. Daily Mail reports that neighbours believe that the women — mother and daughter with the former being in her 40s and the latter in her late teens or early 20s — are originally from Nigeria. Ruby Burrow, Nottinghamshire police spokesperson, said the bodies were “lain undiscovered for some time”, adding that investigations are on to ascertain how and when the women died. “Police were called at 11.04 am yesterday after concerns were raised for the welfare of the occupants of a property in Hartley Road, Radford,” the statement reads. “Officers later gained entry to the address and found the bodies of two women inside. It is believed they had lain undiscovered for some time. Whilst we don’t believe there to be an immediate risk to the public, we are keeping an open mind into what has happened at this address and will be working hard over the next few days to establish how and when these two women lost their lives. “In the meantime, my thoughts — and those of every other officer involved in this investigation — are with those who have died, their family and friends. “Whilst our investigation remains at an early stage, we do not currently believe what happened to be suspicious.” The police said it has enlisted the help of a “forensic pathologist” who will be in a better position to determine what happened once officers conclude their report”. NEIGHBOURS SPEAK Deborah Williams, 48, who lives on the same street, narrated how social services had visited her home on different occasions because they were unable to find the deceased. “The social workers would ask if I had seen them recently. But the fact is they would really keep themselves to themselves,” she said. “I would only really notice them when they left the house to go out shopping. My mum would sometimes see them in the supermarket. The daughter would be pushing a trolley with one hand, with her mum holding the other. “I never heard the girl speak. I don’t know how severe her disability was, but I think she was non-verbal. But her mum was always very calm with her when I heard them from my garden. “It is very sad. I think social services have probably finally triggered the police to break in. They came on Tuesday morning and tried to bash the door down, then ended up using power tools to gain entry.” Williams said she last saw the pair in February. “They would go away somewhere for months at a time and then come back, so I just figured that is what had happened this time, and why I hadn’t seen them,” she said. “Now I wish I had been a bit more switched on. But no one, not a friend or relative seems to have missed them apart from social services. I only ever saw one visitor — a woman who looked a bit like the mum who I took to be maybe a sister. “I think perhaps the mum has passed away somehow. [The daughter] was not someone you could leave on her own. She was completely dependent on her mum. “The last thing I heard (from the house)… was a sound that I originally thought was cats. I didn’t realise until now that I hadn’t heard a peep from either of them.” Ade Chukwu, a 37-year-old, who lives close to the house, said they were “really quiet”. “You wouldn’t have really known they were there. But it is really tragic. I feel very sorry for them. Something awful has obviously gone off in there. It is really sad to think they have probably been laying there for weeks,” Chukwu said. Mohamed Hasan, another neighbour, said he would sometimes see what he assumed to be the mother and her physically challenged daughter waiting for a taxi in the morning. “That is the only time I would see them. They wouldn’t be very social. Every day a taxi would come and they would be waiting here,” Hasan said.

Home delivery of passports to start in June-Minister

  Nigerians no longer have to travel to the immigration office to obtain their passports, as home delivery of passports is set to begin in June. This development was announced by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Friday when he inspected the electronic gates at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport’s new terminal in Abuja. Tunji-Ojo said the delivery will not include every location to avoid overloading and damaging the system. He said the Nigerian Immigration Service would start home delivery in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Abuja. He stated that for Nigerians in the diaspora, the home delivery service would initially launch in the United States and the United Kingdom, with preliminary testing to ensure its effectiveness. The minister explained that the delay in implementing home delivery was due to a lack of data centres. He noted that the NIS had been relying on a private company’s data centre and emphasised the need for a permanent solution to this problem. “We have completed the whole solution but when we came on board, we realised that the data centre was not really there. We were leveraging on a private company data centre and we appreciate them for that assistance. We think that it is better to create a permanent solution to problems rather than quick fixes. “We could have done it in February but we had to build our data centre from scratch to be able to keep the integrity of our data and national security intact. This is more important. It is disgraceful that NIS is 61 years old and NIS is a custodian of biometric data of Nigeria and we believe that NIS should be in charge of the data of Nigeria. “It is not acceptable that this data is domiciled in a third party and that is why we have been able to do this,” he said. H added that the data centre has been constructed and the passport delivery issue has been resolved. “It is about national security and I can assure you that It is comparable with anyone you can find anywhere in the world. “We have built the data centre, sorted the passport delivery solution and done the final presentation in terms of technology deliverables and the tracking solution which will all be embedded in the application we have so we do not create multiple lines of failure,” the minister said. Speaking further, the minister stated that the final presentation of the electronic visa has been completed. He added that it will reduce the visa processing time from 72 hours to 48 hours. “The passport automation process is almost complete,” he added. This announcement comes nine months after the minister initially declared that home delivery of passports to Nigerians would commence by February 2024. In October, Tunji-Ojo stated that starting in February 2024, Nigerians would be able to have their passports delivered to their homes, offices, or any other location of their choice.

Security agents’ll enforce court order stopping dissolution of Kano emirates -CP

  Security agencies in Kano State have promised to ensure there is no breakdown of law and order as the safety and security of all the residents in the state remain sacrosanct. The state Commissioner of Police, Usaini Gumel, made this known while addressing a joint security press conference at the command’s headquarters in Bompai Kano on Saturday. He also said security agencies will enforce the court order restraining the state government from dissolving five newly created Emirates in the state. “The police command is expressly obeying the court order with Suit No: FHC/KN/CS/182/2024 dated May 23, 2024, issued by the Federal High Court sitting in Kano alongside all law enforcement agents in the state. “Therefore, we are calling on members of the public to know that the police in the state are working together with the military and other security agencies and are at full capacity for providing adequate security to everyone as we are committed to carrying out our statutory duties as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “No doubt, the law-abiding people of Kano State are known for a revered cultural heritage and respect for constituted authorities and in this regard, advised to remain calm, patient, and to keep cooperating with security agencies as the matter described will be addressed by the court on the 3rd of June 2024,” Gumel said. He stated that the position of the law is clear, saying that whoever under whatever guise is found to be planning to disrupt the peace being enjoyed in the state or feels that he/she can jeopardise the existing security settings in the state will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law. “Therefore, as the police command is leading other security agencies to sustain the peace and peaceful coexistence for overriding interests, miscreants should stay clear of violence in all its ramifications and should not take advantage or hijack the current situation to launch an unprovoked attack on people, property and infrastructure of the State. “Any person found with such tendency will be ruthlessly dealt with according to the law of the land. “On this note, it is on behalf of all the security agencies, I thank all the good people of the state for their understanding, prayers, continuous support, and cooperation,” he concluded.