News & Announcements

Bandits have reportedly killed a community leader, Ibrahim Abdullahi, and his nephew. They also abducted four women in Unguwar Mai Awo village of Igabi Local Council in Kaduna State.

Abdullahi, a member of the Fityanul Islam First Aid Group, Igabi chapter was killed alongside his nephew, yesterday, at his residence. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Muhammad Jalige, could not be reached on phone to confirm the development.

But a resident, Nasir Idris, said the bandits stormed the community about 3.30am, killed the community leader and his nephew and later moved to another location within the community and abducted four women, including a nursing mother.

He said the bandits shot sporadically to scare the villagers away, when they arrived the community, adding that two other residents were injured, but were taken to the hospital for medical attention.

“The bandits killed Ibrahim Abdullahi, who is a community leader and Chairman of Fityanul Islam First Aid group of the area, and his nephew, Zakari Yau. Four women, including a nursing mother, were also abducted by the bandits from the community,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists that fled from Kayowa and Toumbun Gini in the Lake Chad region have surrendered to the Nigerien authorities at Tumour.

The 10 surrendered fighters including their cleric after Boko Haram seized the ISWAP bases in December. A counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed yesterday, in Maiduguri: “The fleeing ISWAP terrorists and the cleric surrendered to the Nigerien authorities on January 10, 2023.”

According to him, the surrender was not unconnected with the fears of eventual elimination, following the continuous rivalry between the two terror groups. He added that the attacks on ISWAP bases by Boko Haram caused the death of scores of fighters in December.

Military sources in Maiduguri also confirmed that the sustained onslaught by Boko Haram led by Abu Umaimah on ISWAP strategic bases in four camps forced Abu Moussab al-Barnawi and other commanders to flee and surrender in Niger Republic.

“The continued rivalry between Boko Haram and ISWAP seems unending,” said the source, adding that several efforts by the terror groups in joining forces against the Nigerian military and the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) appears impossible.

Makama explained that it is against this backdrop that ISWAP fighters were desperate to support mercenaries from Mali, Burkina Faso and Somalia.

Pastor Albarka Bitrus, the Jos-based cleric who staged his kidnapping and collected ransom from church members, has revealed the reason for his action.

The police explained that Bitrus was apprehended on Wednesday following a “vigorous investigation”.

The police observed that the pastor, of ECWA Church Jos, had on several occasions staged his kidnapping and collected ransom, in collaboration with a gang to commit the crime in order to get his money.

While speaking at the headquarters of the command, the pastor explained that financial challenges made him stage his kidnapping.

He, however, said he regretted his action.

He confessed, “I put myself into these activities because of the financial challenges I am facing. When I did the first one, I felt guilty. When I went out, the money with me got finished. I was thinking of coming back. I was just confused. That is why I did the second one. I regret my action.”

He further explained that he burnt the vehicle of his senior pastor because he was guilty of what he did, adding that he was confused and did not know what came over him.

He, however, confessed what he did, saying, “I am sorry for what I have done. I am really sorry.”

The police explained that the suspect collected the sum of N400,000 on November 14, 2022, and on November 30, he staged another kidnapping of himself and collected the sum of N200,000 from his sympathizers, who are members of his church.

A crude oil tapping point on the Trans Niger Delta Pipeline, which is run by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, has been found by youths from the Nonwa, Uedume community in Tai council of Rivers State.

Fyneface Dumnamene, Executive Director of the Youth and Environmental Advocacy Center, confirmed the discovery and stated that young people employed as pipeline surveillance contractors found the tap.

Dumnamene revealed that the tap point can load two 33,000 liter tankers when speaking at the location during an observation visit of the discovery site with other stakeholders.

He stated, “Sometime last week I was invited as an environmentalist to come and observe what was discovered. In fact, the people that discovered this point and from what they told me are the youths who are working as pipeline surveillance contractors in the area.

“They had to involve the local government Chairman who led the team to the Trans-Niger Delta pipeline in Nonwa Uedume in Tai LGA and getting there we saw that the criminals actually connected the pipe that is about 1.5 millimeters to the main pipeline (Trans Niger-Delta pipeline) and the pipe was laid out to about some kilometers away from the point where it helps them to load at least two of 33,000 liters of tanker every night. And the pipe is said to have been there for over seven years.

“And then looking at the environment as I was called to observe, I could see pollution around the area but not as much as oil extraction,” He added.

Dumnamene stated that Shell was on the scene to observe and was taking action to remove the pipe’s tampering in order to prevent further harm.

Esther Okanlawon, a woman, was allegedly robbed at gunpoint of N2.8 million at her home in the Mushin district of Lagos State by three individuals who have been charged before a Yaba Magistrates’ Court in that state.

Three counts of conspiracy, armed robbery, and unlawful conversion were brought against the three defendants, Pius Sunday, 28, Cynthia Ikade, 19, and Loveth Uloko, 20.

It was reported that Ikade, a maid who worked for Okanlawon at her home in Mushin, abruptly informed Okanlawon that she was no longer interested in the position.

The agent through which she was employed was allegedly called by her employer, but her boss was unreachable.

The youngster then demanded to be fetched up from the house by Sunday, who she claimed to be her brother.

After that, Sunday advised the woman to phone him whenever she wanted a different maid to take Ikade’s place, claiming that he was also an agent, as they were leaving the house with Ikade.

It was reported after three months, Okanlawon reportedly called him to ask him to send another maid, as he had already sent Uloko.

On October 10, 2022, Sunday, Ikade, and Henry—one of whom is still at large—allegedly broke into the woman’s home and plundered the family with the assistance of Uloko, who is accused of opening the gate and the rear door for them.

Three counts were used to arraign the defendants.

The charges read in part, “That you, Pius Sunday, Ikade Cynthia, Loveth Uloko, and one other at large, on or before October 10, 2022, at on Isiaka Nade Street, Mushin, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, while in the service of the victim, as an agent to housemaids, did intentionally arm yourselves with a locally-made gun and a knife and robbed Mrs Esther Okanlawon and her two visitors of the sum of 2,150,000, a wedding ring valued at N300,000, 500 pounds, 170 US dollars, 100 Canadian dollars, a handbag valued at 15 pounds and other valuables, all property of Esther Okanlawon and her family, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 297 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.”

The defendants’ plea was not taken.

Godwin Oriabure, the prosecutor, argued for the three defendants to be held in custody for 30 days until the Directorate of Public Prosecutions obtains legal counsel.

A. O. Salawu, the Chief Magistrate presiding, postponed the case until February 9, 2023, in order to seek legal counsel.

The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and additional transportation unions that operate in Osun state’s vehicle parks have been outlawed.

The directive was delivered on Monday by Olawale Rasheed, the spokesperson for Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke.

He claimed that the purpose of banning unions was to address issues with insecurity, end the criminal destruction of public property, and stop unlawful killings that occur when opposing union organizations attack one another.

When a faction threatened to take control of auto parks away from union leaders and NURTW members, a crisis broke out among transport union members.

The group asserted that Mr. Adeleke was victimized by NURTW leaders during the July governorship election.

There had been numerous conflicts amongst the members of the transport union, which had caused harm to public property and harmed numerous people. Police in the state reported that they had detained some suspects in relation to the situation and found ammunition on them.

However, the state government outlawed all transport unions in the state and declared that a new transport management system would be in charge of overseeing motor parks. The new transport management system will improve the state’s internally generated revenue and create jobs for locals, according to the governor’s spokesperson.

He added that the state’s “vehicles and cycles” parks will be under the new transport management system’s oversight.

Additionally, Mr. Rasheed disclosed that the new transport management would have an eleven-person disciplinary committee.

“The Disciplinary Committee will swear in Comrade Wakeel Nurudeen Oluronbi for the Vehicle sector of the Transport System and Comrade Oyeniyi Sikiru Ayobami to head the Cycles sector,” he stated.

Rita Lori Ogbebor and other individuals have been sued by multinational oil company Chevron Nigeria Limited in a Warri courtroom for allegedly violating a consent judgment by trying to withdraw or transfer money from the Itsekiri Regional Development Committee, IRDC, account, which is held at one of the new generational banks.

Alero Tenumah, Aginejune Agbonekuya, Ebigbeyi Kennedy, Lori Omatie, Aburo Mene-Ejegi, Frank Aberuoluwa, Itse Orugbo, and Richard Omare are among the additional defendants who have joined the lawsuit as the second through tenth defendants, respectively.

The company claimed that the defendants withdrew N300 million from the IRDC’s bank account located in the bank in violation of the GMOU and the mandate and terms of the operation of the IRDC’s bank accounts, ostensibly as legal fees of the 1st – 7th and the 9th – 10th defendants, while relying on a consent judgment in EHC/20/2020.

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has extended the deadline for collecting permanent voter cards PVCs due to the growing enthusiasm displayed by registered voters for doing so.

Additionally, INEC has committed to discipline any employees who are discovered to have engaged in extortion or discriminated against any registered voter when issuing PVCs.

Festus Okoye, the commission’s national commissioner in charge of the committee for voter education and information, made this announcement in a statement released on Thursday in Abuja.

He said that the decision was a result of the Commission’s deliberations at its regular meeting on Thursday, which included the ongoing nationwide collection of PVCs.

He stated “The Commission is encouraged by the turnout of registered voters and the surge in the number of collected PVCs across the country. In some of the States, as many as 100,000 PVCs were collected in the last five days since the devolution to Ward level started on Saturday 6th January 2023.

“The Commission is determined to ensure that registered voters have ample opportunity to collect their PVCs ahead of the forthcoming election. For this reason, the timeframe for collection of PVCs is extended by eight days. Instead of ending on Sunday 22nd January 2023, the collection of PVCs will continue until Sunday 29th January 2023. At the moment, the period of collection is 9.00am – 3.00pm daily (including Saturdays and Sundays).

He added, “As a result of this extension, there is a consequential adjustment of the collection by location as follows:

“Collection at Registration Area (Ward) level is extended by one week from Monday 16th – Sunday 22nd January 2023.

“Collection at Local Government level will resume on Monday 23rd – Sunday 29th January 2023”, he stated.

Okoye added that the Commission is looking into claims of extortion by workers at some of the collection centers and coercion of some dishonest voters to bypass procedures in order to receive their PVCs.

“Those found culpable will be face disciplinary action and/or prosecution”, he declared.

He also added, “For the record, the Commission has printed 13,868,441 PVCs for all new valid registrants as well as applicants for transfer or replacement of cards. 

“Nevertheless, issuing officers should compile any complaints about non-availability of cards and forward them to their immediate supervisors for the attention of Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) who shall compile and forward them for necessary action.

Bandits have reportedly killed a community leader, Ibrahim Abdullahi, and his nephew. They also abducted four women in Unguwar Mai Awo village of Igabi Local Council in Kaduna State.

Abdullahi, a member of the Fityanul Islam First Aid Group, Igabi chapter was killed alongside his nephew, yesterday, at his residence. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Muhammad Jalige, could not be reached on phone to confirm the development.

But a resident, Nasir Idris, said the bandits stormed the community at about 3.30 am, killed the community leader and his nephew and later moved to another location within the community and abducted four women, including a nursing mother.

He said the bandits shot sporadically to scare the villagers away, when they arrived in the community, adding that two other residents were injured, but were taken to the hospital for medical attention.

“The bandits killed Ibrahim Abdullahi, who is a community leader and Chairman of Fityanul Islam First Aid group of the area, and his nephew, Zakari Yau. Four women, including a nursing mother, were also abducted by the bandits from the community,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists that fled from Kayowa and Toumbun Gini in the Lake Chad region have surrendered to the Nigerien authorities at Tumour.

The 10 surrendered fighters including their cleric after Boko Haram seized the ISWAP bases in December. A counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed yesterday, in Maiduguri: “The fleeing ISWAP terrorists and the cleric surrendered to the Nigerien authorities on January 10, 2023.”

According to him, the surrender was not unconnected with the fears of eventual elimination, following the continuous rivalry between the two terror groups. He added that the attacks on ISWAP bases by Boko Haram caused the death of scores of fighters in December.

Military sources in Maiduguri also confirmed that the sustained onslaught by Boko Haram led by Abu Umaimah on ISWAP strategic bases in four camps forced Abu Moussab al-Barnawi and other commanders to flee and surrender in the Niger Republic.

“The continued rivalry between Boko Haram and ISWAP seems unending,” said the source, adding that several efforts by the terror groups in joining forces against the Nigerian military and the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) appear impossible. Makama explained that it is against this backdrop that ISWAP fighters were desperate to support mercenaries from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Somalia.

The immediate past Director General of the Labour party, Doyin Okupe has reportedly been arrested by the Department of States Service, DSS at the Muritala Mohammed Airport Lagos.

This was disclosed on Facebook by one of his lawyers, Tolu Babaleye, on Thursday.

According to him, Okupe was on his way to London.

He alleged that the DSS asked him to provide court processes where he paid the fine option following his money laundering conviction by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The National Industrial Court has voided a regulation of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), which prohibits unmarried officers from getting pregnant, describing the provision as discriminatory.

Pursuant to Regulation 127 of the Nigeria Police Force Regulation, a female officer who gets pregnant outside wedlock will be dismissed.

One Omolola Olajide, an unmarried police corporal attached to Iye-Ekiti station, was sacked in 2021 for getting pregnant.

Babatunde Mobayo, the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, had said Olajide’s sack was right, saying the officer violated section 127 of the police regulations.

Following the sack, Olawale Fapohunda, Ekiti state attorney-general and commissioner for justice had filed a suit before a federal high court in Ekiti seeking an order of the court nullifying section 127 of the Police Act.

But the court had dismissed the suit on the grounds that it is an abuse of the court process since a similar suit filed by Olajide is pending before the national industrial court.

‘POLICE ACT DISCRIMINATORY’
Delivering judgment in the suit marked NICN/AK/14/2021, Dashe Damulak, the presiding judge in the court’s Akure division, held that the particular section of the police regulation is “discriminatory, illegal, null and void”.

The court held that the regulation “violates section 42 of the (Nigerian) constitution and article 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Ratification and Enforcement Act which abolished discrimination on basis of gender.”

“The court… finds and holds that the provision of section 127 of the Police Act and Regulation 127 thereof, which applies to unmarried women police officers getting pregnant while in service but does not apply to unmarried male police officers impregnating females while they are in service, is discriminatory against unmarried women police officers by section 1(3) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended,” the judge said.

“If any law is inconsistent with the provision of this constitution, this constitution shall prevail, and that other law shall to the extent of its inconsistency be void.”

‘CLAIMANT CANNOT BE REINSTATED’
Although the court nullified the “discriminatory” regulation, the judge said Olajide cannot be reinstated into the police force.

The judge held that the claimant’s dismissal could not be reversed as she was on probation at the time of her sack from the force.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the case of the claimant succeeds in part only in terms of prayer B,” the judge said.

The judge, however, awarded aggravated damages of N5 million for the violation of Olajide’s fundamental right to freedom from discrimination.