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Tag: IGP

  • JUST IN: Court stops IGP from arresting Oba Elegushi

    JUST IN: Court stops IGP from arresting Oba Elegushi

    A Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) on Thursday barred the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) from arresting the Elegushi of Ikate Kingdom in Lagos Oba Shaheed Ademola Elegushi and two others.

    Justice Gafar Safari ruled the order subsists pending the hearing and determination of a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by them.

    The judge made the order in a suit by the monarch and two members of the Elegushi royal family – Chief Abdulahi Elegushi and Prince Akeem Elegushi – accusing the defendants of harassment, manhunt and attempt to arrest them over a civil land matter.

    Joined alongside the IGP are Bela Vista Property and Development Company Ltd; Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kolo Yusuf; DSP Ibrahim Agu; one Supol Udofia and Lagos Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice as the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th respondents respectively.

    The royal family also accused the respondents of an alleged plot to grab land belonging to the family at the Eti-Osa Local Government Area (LGA).

    The applicants alleged while the suit is pending the defendants resorted to self-help, including by detailing mobile policemen from Mopol 46 to the land with instruction to arrest any member of Elegushi royal family found anywhere on or near the land.

    They further accused th IG of forging a police report that was presented to the court ceding ownership of their land to Bela Vista property.

    At the resumed hearing of the matter on Thursday, the monarch and his co-applicants, through their lawyer, Mrs. Adepeju Omotayo, informed the judge the police had sent its men to Ikate seeking to arrest them to frustrate the case before the court.

    But the first respondent’s counsel, Anthony Osara, denied the police had sent its men to arrest the applicants.

    The counsel to the second to fifth respondents, Victor Okoye, also urged the court to discountenance the applicants’ request for a restraining order, adding the police were never deployed to the house of the royal family to arrest anybody.

    In a bench ruling, Justice Safari ordered all the parties to maintain status quo and refrain from doing anything to frustrate the proceedings pending the hearing and determination of the suit.

    He adjourned till August 17 for hearing.

  • JUST IN: Court upholds President’s power to extend retiring IGP’s tenure

    JUST IN: Court upholds President’s power to extend retiring IGP’s tenure

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has upheld the power of the President to extend the tenure of a retiring Inspector General of Police (IGP) pending the completion of the process for the appointment of a substantive successor.

    Justice Ahmed Mohammed made this pronouncement in a judgment on Friday in the suit by a lawyer, Maxwell Okpara, who challenged President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to extend the tenure of the immediate past IGP, Muhammed Abubakar Adamu for three months.

    Justice Mohammed held that since the Constitution and the Police Act empower the President to appoint an IGP, by implication, he could extend the tenure of a retiring IGP before concluding the required consultation with the Police Council and other processes required for the appointment of a substantive replacement.

    The judge observed that the Constitution and the Police Act are silent on the issue of whether or not the President could extend the tenure of a retired IGP.

  • Looted funds: Reps grill NSA, IGP; invites Presidential Committee chair on arms, ammunition

    Looted funds: Reps grill NSA, IGP; invites Presidential Committee chair on arms, ammunition

    The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating the recovery and management of looted funds and assets by agencies of the federal government on Tuesday grilled the Office of the National Security Adviser ONSA and the Office of the Inspector-General of Police IGP on the amount of funds so far recovered.

    The panel also resolved to invite chairman presidential committee on arms and ammunition funds recovery.

    Chairman of the House panel Hon Adejoro Adeogun and other committee members took their turns to bombard questions to the representatives of both the NSA and the IGP when they resolved to take them as the two top security managers asked to be excused based on exigent national security assignments.

    The Ad-hoc Committee had on Monday June 7, 2021 summoned the NSA, IGP, NIMASA DG and other heads of MDAs to appear on Thursday 10th June unfailingly having failed to turn up to an investigative hearing on the matter on that date.

    However, at the rescheduled hearing, the committee helmsman said both the IGP and NSA had written to the committee explaining why they couldn’t come on the date they were summoned as they were part of the President’s entourage to Lagos where he commissioned a railway project on the same date.

    Moreover, the Director of Finance and Administration of the Office of National Security Adiviser Brig-Gen Jafaru Mohammed (rtd) who represented the NSA Major-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd) also said that the NSA would have loved to honour the committee invitation but he had traveled out of the country.

    When the Ad-hoc Committee chairman set the ball rolling asking the DFA how much has the the Office of National Security Adviser recovered or received in totality in terms of looted funds and assets, he said that the NSA office does not get directly partake in any recovery

    He however admitted that the agency only get involved in recovery of any stolen funds or asset when there is a presidential directive to that effect which is unusual but comes up once in a while.

    When asked to admit the memorandum of the NSA that no recovery was made by the office in looted funds and assets, he stated that there was a time the President constituted a committee to investigate arms and ammunition purchase and the committee operated without interference from the office of the NSA.

    But the Committee Chairman insisted that the arms and ammunition committee in question was directly supervised by the NSA’s office adding that there were a lot of bank accounts open by the office that had many inflows and withdrawals by the office.

    The DFA however denied the existence of many of such bank accounts saying that the NSA’s office only operates two accounts viz: a domiciliary dollar account and Naira account with the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN.

    He further said that the only recovery was only the sum of $7,436 million that was recovered by the agency and deposited to the CBN account.

    Other committee members notably Hon. Sada Soli also said that N712 million was paid into the recovery account of the CBN in August 2017 by the agency even as the committee chairman said he is lying on oath.

    Also in a presentation to the probe panel, a Deputy Inspector-General of the Police Joseph Egbuniwe who represented the IGP Usman Alkali Baba said that there were about N114 million lodgement of recovered funds done by the agency into a CBN recovery account.

    He further said that there was another $30 million recovered, N214 million recovered from twenty three election fraudsters from Rivers State that was paid into the same account.

    Fielding questions from lawmakers on whether there were other recoveries, he said that there were also eighty three tankers and seven marine vessels were also recovered.

  • IGP orders retrieval of SPY number plates from unauthorised users

    IGP orders retrieval of SPY number plates from unauthorised users

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Baba has directed the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIGs) and Commissioners of Police (CPs) to ensure all SPY number plates in use by unauthorised users or fitted to unauthorised vehicles are retrieved forthwith.

    The IGP stated existing SPY number plates must be used by authorised users for purposes and vehicles specified by law while issuance of new SPY number plates remain on hold pending the release of a new protocol that would guide its issuance and usage in the country.

    Baba also affirmed all existing vehicle tinted glass permits, duly issued by the Police remain valid.

    The clarification, the IGP said, is coming on the heels of public enquiries following the announcement of suspension of issuance of new tinted permits during a meeting with Senior Police Officers at the Force Headquarters, Abuja last Monday.

    He said the suspension, which is a temporary measure, will remain in force pending the release of a new protocol that would regulate the issuance of tinted permits for vehicle owners and operators in the country.

    The IGP noted the move is part of efforts to streamline the process of issuance and usage in line with the provisions of the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act which is explicit on conditions for the use of vehicles with tinted glasses in Nigeria.

    Baba said the development is in addition to, among other things, effectively address contemporary security challenges associated with the usage of tinted glasses by criminal elements who hide under the cover of tinted vehicles to carry out their nefarious activities.

    According to a statement on Wednesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba, the IGP has directed Commissioners of Police (CPs) in the thirty-six (36) States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as their supervisory Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs), to give full effect to the directives as contained above.

    The IGP however warned that while carrying out these assignments, officers must ensure the rights and privileges of citizens are respected in line with the laws of the land and in accordance with international best practices.

    Baba enjoined members of the public to cooperate with the Police in this regard as the moves are aimed at strengthening the internal security order.

  • BREAKING: IGP suspends use of tinted vehicle windscreens nationwide

    The Inspector-General of Police Usman Alkali Baba has announced the immediate suspension of tinted vehicle windscreens in Nigeria.

    The IGP announced this on Monday during a meeting with senior police officers including commissioners and DIGs from across the states.

    While making the announcement, he reiterated that roadblocks remain prohibited in the country and warned that heads of commands must enforce it and key into the road patrol strategy as an alternative to roadblocks.

    The IGP also spoke concerning the arrest of high-profile criminals.

    According to him, some of the high-profile suspects in police custody include members of IPOB, kidnappers, and bandits who have confessed to committing some of the most heinous crimes in recent times.

    He stressed the need for the senior police officers to ensure discipline in their various commands.

    Some of the successes recorded by the Police Force in the last two months include the arrest of over 600 suspects including persons believed to have carried out an attack on Governor Samuel Ortom earlier in March, this year.

    The IGP’s meeting is the first of such he was confirmed as the Inspector General of Police.

    The Police Council last week confirmed Usman Alkali Baba as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), almost two months after he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

  • JUST IN: Police Council confirms Usman Alkali Baba as substantive IGP

    JUST IN: Police Council confirms Usman Alkali Baba as substantive IGP

    The Police Council has confirmed Usman Alkali Baba as the Inspector General of Police, almost two months after President Muhammadu Buhari approved his appointment.

    Usman Alkali was confirmed on Friday during a meeting of the council in Abuja presided over by President Buhari.

    The Minister of Police Affairs Maigari Dingyadi who confirmed the development in a briefing after the meeting quoted the Nigerian leader as urging the IGP to justify the confidence reposed on him by reducing the rising wave of insecurity in the country.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo physically attended the meeting which was billed to take place last week but postponed to honour the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and ten other military officers who died in a plane crash on May 21.

    Others who physically attended the council meeting include the Chief of staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; National Security Adviser, Babagana Munguno; Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Musiliu Smith; Ministers of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi.

    The Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi also physically graced the event but his counterpart, the Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, and the Minister of FCT, Mohammed Bello joined virtually

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Dingyadi had on April 6 announced President Buhari’s confirmation of Alkali as the replacement for Mohammed Adamu.

    Before his new role, the Yobe-born police chief was the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Force Headquarters in Abuja.

    The IGP’s appointment comes amid heightened tension in several parts of the country, particularly in the southeast region where assaults on security formations and other public facilities have become commonplace.

    In the wake of the renewed attacks, Nigeria’s police boss had in May flagged off a new operation codenamed Operation Restore Peace.

  • Late COAS excellent partner in the fight against insecurity – IGP

    Late COAS excellent partner in the fight against insecurity – IGP

    The Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr Usman Baba, has described the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, as “an excellent partner in the fight against insecurity”.

    A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr Frank Mba, quoted Baba as saying that Attahiru’s demise was particularly painful because he died while on a patriotic mission.

    “He was on a mission to advance the cause of peace and save the lives of others.

    “The late COAS was an exceptional military strategist, a friend of inestimable value, and an excellent partner in the ongoing fight against insurgency and other security challenges.

    “He represented the best in the military tradition of courage, forthrightness, discipline, professional excellence, passion for national service and strategic leadership.

    “This is in addition to the reality that he left a nation he so much loved at a time his experience and services were most critical to nation’s stability,” he lamented.

    Baba said that the death of Attahiru was most painful because the incident also took other highly loyal, promising and professionally excellent officers, whose lights were eternally dimmed in the ill-fated flight.

    He condoled with President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigeria Armed Forces as well as families and friends of the late COAS, other military officers and the crew, who died in the air disaster.

    He urged members of the Armed Forces, particularly the officers and men of the Nigeria Army, not to allow the tragic incident to dampen their morale.

    Baba also urged them to remain focused in the collective effort toward restoring law and order in the country.

    “That will be the most befitting honour that could collectively be given to the late Army General and the other fallen heroes,” the statement said.

  • Senate shifts meeting with Service Chiefs, IGP

    Senate shifts meeting with Service Chiefs, IGP

    The Senate on Tuesday shifted its proposed meeting with Service Chiefs, the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Inspector General of Police to Thursday.

    Senate President Ahmad Lawan disclosed this at plenary.

    Lawan said the security chiefs, who are supposed to brief the Senate, are still engaged at the National Security Council meeting which may extend till Wednesday.

    He said: “The briefing will be very crucial, for us to be properly informed and properly guided.

    “The only item on the Order Paper on Thursday will be the briefing.”

    The Senate last Tuesday, after an exhaustive debate, resolved to invite the heads of the nation’s Armed Forces and other security agencies over the deteriorating security situation in the country.

    It had also resolved its leadership should meet with President Muhammdu Buhari, to seek ways of mitigating the security challenges bedeviling the country.

    Lawan said: “You will recall that on Wednesday we announced that the Chief of Defence Staff, the Service Chiefs, the Inspector General of Police and the DG NIA will be coming today at 11.00am to brief the Senate on the security situation.

    “Today the National Security Council is continuing its meeting that it started last week. Therefore the invited security heads will not be able to come for the briefing.

    “We are not sure if they will finish their meeting today. We assume it could spill to Wednesday too just like it spilled from Thursday to Tuesday.

    “So to be on the side of caution, we have now fixed the date for the briefing to be Thursday, 6th May.

    “I want to appeal to all of us that the briefing we will take from the Service Chiefs and other security agencies will be very crucial for us to be properly informed, properly guided and that if there is any request for supplementary budget, we should be able to understand why we should consider and approve such request.

    “On Thursday, the only item on the order paper will be the briefing. We will do that as a special day for the engagement, the interaction between the Senate and the service.”

  • Boko Haram terrorists distribute pamphlets, attack new IGP’s hometown in Yobe State

    Boko Haram terrorists distribute pamphlets, attack new IGP’s hometown in Yobe State

    Boko Haram terrorists on Friday attacked Geidam local government area of Yobe State.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG gathered that Geidam is the hometown of the acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba.

    According to sources, a military jet has been deployed to the town to dislodge the insurgents.

    Geidam previously came under attack on February 9, barely after newly appointed Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru visited troops

    Information on the number of casualties involved in Friday’s attack was unavailable but residents said there was tension in the town.

    Meanwhile, the terrorists circulated a pamphlet during the attack, urging residents to support their cause to establish a Muslim caliphate or be killed.

    The one-page pamphlet reads in part: “Our major aim: to uplift the word of Allah, protect the religion of Islam and the wealth of the followers.

    “Our target: those who do not believe in our ideology, Christians and even Muslims who do not believe in our teachings.

    “Any Muslim who is not supporting the empire of Islam is our target.

    “Anyone who comes to us for forgiveness, and stop fighting us will be exempted from attacks.”

  • New IGP: Chidoka raises alarm again on constitutional aberration

    New IGP: Chidoka raises alarm again on constitutional aberration

     

    From Chuks Collins, Awka

    The former Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka has cried out again over the continued desecration of the nation’s Constitution, Public Service Rules and the Federal Character policy by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.

    In the views of the former Aviation minister, it’s almost a policy under the incumbent administration to hold the constitution in aberration.

    Consequently, Chidoka stated, “I will keep shouting myself hoarse about the negation of Federal Character principle and the blatant disregard of our nation-building ethos by this government. It is wrong and portends great danger to nationhood in a multi-ethnic society.

    “However, I am also wondering what has happened to us as individuals and our sense of duty and loyalty to the nation and constitution. Why will Gen. Buratai and IGP Adamu, two gentlemen who grew up in service of fatherland agree to be used to violate laws and convention?”

    He wondered, “Why can’t a chief law enforcement officer say “Mr. President my time is up, I have capable officers to continue where I stopped. I can’t stay a day longer than legally required in office?” The inability to take the high moral ground, to resist illegality and to stand with the law appears to have faded from the public service.

    “What is wrong with the Nigerian project that nobody thinks beyond self in service of the nation.? Both officers, illegally extended, were removed from office without notice, almost ignominiously. This government has shown little or no respect for public servants yet the public service continue to aid its disrespect for public service rules and conventions.

    “The IGP’s removal while on a tour is a sad and ignoble end to successful career. Yet it was avoidable, if he had said no to an illegal extension. What is two months extra compared to a 35 years career?

    “The culture of impunity has seeped into the public service and entrenched by this government. The consequences, like a tornado, will hit us sooner than later”, the Anambra born ex-Minister noted.

    He expressed concern that perhaps due to the disdain to which it seem his observation and similar such issues raised by others in the past were taken should not deter anyone as the records will absolve such persons of unholy acquiescence.