Category Defence/Security

Kaduna Assemblyman wants urgent end to clashes in Kaura LG

Clashes

By Moses Kolo

Kaduna, April 2, 2020 (NAN) Mr Yusuf Mugu, (PDP-Kaura) of the Kaduna State House of Assembly has called for a radical peace approach to end lingering farmer-herders clashes in Kaura Local Government Area  of the state and its environs.

Mugu in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Thursday berated the ugly development and noted that  such clashes had claimed scores of lives and property.

“I think it is high time we employed a radical peace approach by engaging all parties and telling ourselves the truth.

“We are tired of this vicious circle, we must call a spade a spade so that posterity will not judge us wrongly.

“If we all will resort to an eye for an eye and all of us become blind, to whose advantage is it?” he worried.

The Legislator disclosed that communities including Zangang, Adu and Ashim all in Takad Chiefdom had been deserted for fear of reprisal attack following recent alleged farmer-herders clash.

“These unfortunate incidences have caused panic among the residents of the communities that already have been deserted,” he explained.

Mugu regretted that while the polity was overwhelmed with the COVID-19 pandemic, others were busy with criminality.

“It is at times like this that we need each other most, government is meant to be spending money more on building hospitals and schools rather than funding IDPs caused by clashes,” he said.

He, then, commiserated with the bereaved and urged the people to be security conscious and report any suspicious activity of persons or group of persons to the appropriate authorities. (NAN)

MGK/ECN/DCU

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Edited by Emmanuel Nwoye/Donald Ugwu

Prices
By Muhammad Lawal
Birnin Kebbi, April 2, 2020 (NAN) The Commissioner of Police in Kebbi, Mr Agunbiade Oluyemi-Lasore, has decried the attitude of some filling stations and traders in the state who take advantage of COVID-19 to hike prices of products.

The commissioner expressed the concern in a statement issued by the police spokesman in the state, DSP Nafi’u Abubakar, in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday.

Oluyemi-Lasore noted that some people, especially “some filling stations, food vendors, pure water companies and sellers of other essential items’’ had cashed in on the period to hoard or increase prices of their products.

He, therefore, appealed to businessmen in the state to “fear Allah and not to increase the prices of their products/items.’’

According to him, this is with a view to easing the hardship being experienced by the people of Kebbi.

He said that the police in collaboration with other security agencies in the state would not hesitate to deal decisively with any person or group of persons hoarding or increasing the price of goods. (NAN)
KLM/JEY/ISMA
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Edited by Johnson Eyiangho/Ismail Abdulaziz

Migration
By George Odok
Calabar, April 2, 2020 (NAN) The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Cross River has arrested nine Cameroonians and four Nigerians for illegal migration through the waterways and for contravening the Federal Government stay-at-home order.

The NIS Comptroller in the state, Mr Okey Ezugwu, disclosed this to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of border inspection to ensure compliance on Thursday in Calabar.

Ezugwu said that the suspects were arrested at Mfum border in Etung and Ikang border post in Bakassi Local Government Areas respectively.

He said that the suspects were arrested by officials of the NIS on patrol across border areas in the state at the early hours of Thursday.

According to him, the suspects were arrested while trying to find their way through the waterways to enter into the country.

He explained that eight of the Cameroonians were arrested at the Mfum border in Etung, while one was arrested at Ikang border alongside four Nigerians.

“Before this kind of movement can take place, there must be connivance, especially with the local communities,” the NIS boss said.

He appealed to communities to help the NIS in policing their borders, adding that whatever affects one Nigerian at this period affects the whole country.

Ezugwu insisted that he would take up the matter with the traditional ruler of Ajarsor in Mfum border to ensure that such route was not used again for illegal migration.

“We went on inspection of some of our formations so that we can ensure total compliance with the federal government order on border closure in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are working on intelligent reports of possible movements in some of the beaches and jetties. As you are aware, we have a lot of creeks in the state.

“We are not ruling out the possibility of some persons wanting to beat government agencies and use the waterways. That is why we are patrolling to ensure total compliance of the directives.

“Again, we want to ensure that foreigners does not have access to Nigeria at this time because of the Covid-19. At this critical point, we don’t want any movement so that we can contain whatever we have here,” he said.

The Comptroller said the service would ensure that nobody comes into the country or travels out.

He said that the NIS gunboat was operational at sea to ensure that no foreigner or any Nigerian was allowed entry or exit out of the country. (NAN)
GNO/CHIN/ISMA
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Edited by Chinyere Bassey/Ismail Abdulaziz

Arrest

By Peter Okolie

Awka, April 2, 2020 (NAN)  The Anambra Police Command says it has arrested four suspects, who allegedly posed as health officials to sell fake sanitisers and unhygienic face masks to members of the public in Onitsha.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Haruna Mohammed, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

Mohammed identified the suspects as Anthony Oyatubo (30); Nwachukwu Chidi (31); Chris Okeke (30); and Olisa Moura (25).

“On March 31, at about 3p.m., following intelligence report, police operatives attached to Central Police Station, Onitsha, arrested members of the syndicate.

“Suspects, who allegedly claimed to be officials of the state Ministry of Health, fully kitted with reflective jackets and caps with inscriptions “FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19″.

“They were arrested with flyers, hand sanitisers, and face masks which they produced locally under unhygienic conditions and sold to unsuspecting members of the public and other outlets in Onitsha,” he said.

He said that preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were neither government workers nor health officials as they claimed.

The police spokesperson described the suspects as “misguided elements, who took advantage of the” coronavirus pandemic “to market their unhygienic products to the oblivious buyers”.

He said that exhibits recovered from the suspects included three cartons of hand sanitisers, flyers, several reflective jackets, four caps, and over 50 masks.

According to Mohammed, further investigation will be carried out before the suspects are charged to court.

He reiterated the warning of the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr John Abang, that members of the public should be wary of such syndicates and refrain from patronising them. (NAN)

OPC/IKU/YEE

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Edited by Tayo Ikujuni/Emmanuel Yashim

Overloading
By Aderemi Bamgbose
Ore (Ondo State), April 2, 2020 (NAN) The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Thursday said motorists plying the Ore-Benin expressway were complying with the order against overloading of passengers which was aimed at checking the spread of the coronavirus.

Mr Olusegun Aladenika, the Unit Commander of FRSC in Ore, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that commercial drivers in all motor parks in the area had started carrying just one passenger on the front seat and three on the back seat as directed.

He said that the report emanated from his team’s enforcement of compliance  on the Ore-Benin expressway where it was detailed to perform its  duties.

“Since the order on overloading to check the spread of COVID-19, commercial motorists most especially have been complying as they now carry one passenger in front and three at the back to have more space and reduce body contacts.

“My team is on the Ore-Benin expressway to enforce the overloading order and to ensure motorists obey all traffic rules and save lives and property in case of any emergency, ” he said.

The FRSC boss also said that his team was ready to enforce the border closure order by the Ondo State government to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

NAN reports that the Ondo State Government on Wednesday announced the closure of all its land borders with effect from 6. p.m on Thursday in order to contain the pandemic as the state had not recorded any positive case yet. (NAN)
BAA/ECN/OJO
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(Edited by Emmanuel Nwoye/Mufutau Ojo)

By Muhammad Lawal

Warning
Birnin Kebbi, April 2, 2020 (NAN) The Commissioner of Police in Kebbi, Mr Agunbiade Oluyemi-Lasore, has cautioned vigilante group and other voluntary security organisations against killing people based on mere suspicion.

Oluyemi-Lasire gave the warning in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, DSP Nafi’u Abubakar, in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday.

The commissioner said that he was “miffed and highly pained in the indiscriminate killing of members of the public.”

“Members of the public are being killed based on mere suspicion and without recourse to judicial process by some members of voluntary security organisations in the state, especially Yansakai.

“In view of the above, members of any voluntary security organisation who wish to assist the police in the war against crimes are hereby warned to be in uniform for easy identification,’’ he said.

The commissioner directed that such organisations must not embark on any operation without involving the police in any part of the state.

“Henceforth, cases of jungle justice by members of voluntary security organisation will not be condoned.

“Members of voluntary security organisations under whatever guise operating in the state are advised to report to their Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers and Traditional rulers in their respective areas in line with the law establishing them where they will get briefing and lectures on the mode of dressing and where their assistance will be needed,’’ he advised.

The commissioner, however, appreciated the efforts of Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) and other voluntary security organisations in the fight against crimes and criminality.

He noted that their complementary roles had resulted in reduction in crimes to the barest minimum in the state. (NAN)
KLM/JEY/MST

Edited by Johnson Eyiangho/Muhammad Suleiman Tola 

Operations
By Sumaila Ogbaje
Abuja, April 2, 2020 (NAN) The Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has launched a coordinated offensive to dislodge Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists from Tunbuns Islands of the Lake Chad.

The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Benard Onyeuko, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

Onyeuko said the troops involved in the operation were the Sector 2 MNJTF (Chad Republic), Sector 3 MNJTF (Nigeria) and Sector 4 MNJTF (Niger Republic).

He said the insurgents retreated into the Tumbuns of Lake Chad from where they plan attacks on soft and hard targets following the sustained onslaught against them by troops of Operation Lafiya Dole.

According to him, these heinous acts necessitated the contiguous nations of the Lake Chad basin to jointly launch this massive onslaught on the terrorists across the common borders extending into the Northern Tumbuns of the Lake Chad Basin in Nigeria.

“Aside from the combined operations, troops of Operation Lafiya Dole are equally engaged in the conduct of simultaneous blocking operations aimed at decimating those criminal insurgents who are escaping the onslaught at the Lake Chad general area.

“The general public is hereby requested to continue to provide credible information on our common enemies to the Armed Forces of Nigeria operating in Operation Lafiya Dole,” he said. (NAN)
OYS/JEY/SH
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Edited by Johnson Eyiangho/Sadiya Hamza