25022021 - Way out of Nigeria’s security problems

Vanguard, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021—7
Bandits on treetop kill policeman, injure
3 others in Niger
By Wole Mosadomi
MINNA — BANDITS have
devised a new strategy of
attacking their unsuspecting
victims in Niger State as a gang
of Gunmen reportedly attacked
and killed a Police Inspector from
the top of a tree and injured
three other policemen.
It was gathered that the
policemen drafted to protect
travellers along Minna-Suleja
road were attacked Tuesday
evening at Kaffinkoro junction on
the busy highway.
The policemen were said to be
standing patrolling the highway
Boat driver, 11
passengers
missing as
pirates strike
in Bonny
waters
By Egufe Yafugborhi
PORT
HARCOURT—
THE whereabouts of 11
passengers and the driver of
a Port Harcourt-Bonny bound
commercial boat remain
unknown following another
pirates attack in Rivers State,
on Tuesday.
Chairman, Bonny Maritime
Union Workers, Henry Jumbo,
yesterday, said: “Our boat that
left Port Harcourt yesterday to
Bonny with 11 passengers and
the driver have been
apprehended by unknown
gunmen.
“A search party had gone
round the creeks through out
the night. This morning
(yesterday) we started the
search again with the help of
another gunboat. No headway
yet.
“Please, government and the
security agencies should come
to our aid because Bonny
people and Maritime Workers
Union of Nigeria, Bonny Unit
are suffering.
“We frequently lose our
customers, lose our boats,
drivers, we are losing our
entire business, increasing
hardship among the people.
We need all the help from
relevant stakeholders.”
Reacting, the new
Commissioner of Police, Rivers
State Command, Friday Eboka
said: “I have not received any
report on this. Give me little
time to call my DPO Marine,
please.”
Moments after, Jumbo, the
marine workers leader on
update said the search party
had located the abductors'
hideout through intelligence
gathering.
“We only saw our life jackets
worn by some of the
passengers and other
materials on the boat at the
time it took off on the
commercial ferry from Port
Harcourt to Bonny. We are yet
to find any of the victims," he
said.
when the bandits pumped
bullets on them from the top of
a tree, leaving the Inspector
dead and injuring three others.
The name of the deceased
Inspector, who has since been
buried according to Islamic
rites, was given as Mohammed
Mohammed, while the injured
policemen were rushed to the
IBB Specialist hospital, Minna
by good Samaritans.
An uncle of the diseased
Inspector and former Speaker of
Niger State House of Assembly,
Ndanusa Hassan, confirmed that
the deceased was buried
yesterday.
Tension as bandits
invade Lapai
community
It was also gathered that a middleaged
man was abducted while two
others sustained injuries when
armed men raided Ebbo
communities in Lapai Local
Government Area of the state.
An eyewitness said the over 10
armed men that invaded the
community, Tuesday night, shot
sporadically to scare the residents
and succeeded in abducting a sales
boy of a popular mobile telephone
shop while two others were injured
during the invasion.
It was gathered that the target of
the gunmen was the owner of the
shop, one Malam Abu Magaji, who
was said to have retired home, but
his sales boy, Sule Isah, was
abducted.
Public Relations Officer of the state
Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun,
when contacted on phone to confirm
the stories.
NDLEA arrests Indian, 89 Nigerians in
Lagos raids
By: Kingsley
Omonobi
A BUJA.—NINETY
persons, including an
Indian, have been arrested by
operatives of the National
Drug Law Enforcement
Agency, NDLEA, during raids
of some drug cartels in parts
of Lagos where a total of
614.396 kilograms of various
hard drugs were seized.
During raids of some drug
spots in Agege, Ikorodu, Lekki,
Okokomaiko and other parts of
Lagos State, the operatives
busted one of the cartels led
by one Samuel Ebenezer in
Lekki.
Ebeneezer’s cartel imports
special sophisticated drugs
baked in cakes, biscuits and
cookies from the United States
and sells them to the rich and
affluent people in Lekki and
Lagos Island.
The second syndicate busted
by the Lagos State command
is co-ordinated by an Indian,
Inderpreet Singh, alias Bobby,
that imports Tramadol 225mg
from India and sells in Nigeria
from his Osy Agomo Close,
Apple Estate, Amuwo Odofin
area of Lagos.
Singh is also a dealer in
tricycle parts and Managing
Director of Rashaan Trading
Ltd. Arrested with him is a
Nigerian, one Sylvester
Omoredien.
At the Apapa seaport, about
two million capsules of
Tramadol tucked in 554 cartons
were intercepted in the
•Impounds 614,396 Kilograms
of hard drugs
Singh (right) and his accomplice.
container, which was falsely
declared to contain ceramic
tiles.
According to the Apapa
Seaport Area Commander of
the NDLEA, Mr Samuel
Gadzama, one of the containers
bearing the illicit drug had been
intercepted and seized in
Kenya.
“Though the second container
found its way to Nigeria, the
eagle eyes of our narcotic
agents discovered it during a
joint inspection of the ship.
We’re continuing with further
investigations,” he stated.
In his reaction to the Apapa
seaport seizure and Lagos
raids, Chairman/Chief
Executive of the NDLEA,
Mohamed
Marwa,
commended the commanders,
men and officers of the
commands involved in the
operations for their efforts even
as he charged them to remain
focussed on the maxim of his
leadership, that is, offensive
action against illicit drug
users, peddlers, traffickers and
the barons.
Police nab 5 for killing kidnapped victim in Kaduna
•After collecting N5m ransom
By Ibrahim
HassanWuyo
FIVE
suspected
kidnappers, who
allegedly murdered their
victim after collecting N5
million ransom, have been
arrested by police operatives
in Kaduna State.
The command’s Public
Relations Officer, Mohammed
Jalige, who confirmed the
arrest in a statement,
yesterday, said on December
30, 2020, the command
received a complaint from a
resident of Panbeguwa
village, claiming that on
December 9 his elder brother,
of the same address, travelled
to Delta and had never
returned since then.
He said efforts to reach him
through his mobile phone
number proved abortive.
Jalige added that the
complainant further stated that
on December 12, 2020, he
received a phone call, via an
anonymous number, informing
him that his brother was in the
custody of the caller and was
demanding N4 million as a
ransom for his release.
“It is, however, disheartening
that the said amount was paid
but the abductors failed to
release the victim. Rather, they
demanded an additional N1
million, which the family
obliged but yet, could not
secure the freedom of the
victim,” he said.
Jalige said upon receipt of
the complaint, the command
immediately swung into
action, using the available
intelligence and technical
support, and succeeded in
arresting one suspect in Wase
Local Government Area of
Plateau, in connection with
the incident.
The police spokesman said:
“Upon interrogation, he
mentioned his accomplices
and equally confirmed that
they have since killed the
victim.
“In a bid to ensure that
justice is served, as it has
always been, the investigation
was further expanded, using
the available information from
the first suspect in custody.
6 killed, others
injured as
cultists clash in
Lagos
By Bose Adelaja
R
AMPAGING rival cult groups
engaged in a violent clash,
yesterday, in the Oyingbo area of
Lagos, leaving one person dead and
others injured.
This is just as a similar crisis broke
out Tuesday night in the Ibeshe area
of Ikorodu, where five persons were
feared dead.
The Oyingbo victim, identified
simply as “Badoo” was said to have
been hit by a bullet from the warring
cultists while on his way to an
unknown destination.
Help was far from the victim, who
resided in the area, as everyone took
to their heels. He was said to have
bled to death.
The cultists, according to
eyewitnesses, blocked alternative
routes in the axis having accessed
the area through Jebba and Oko-
Baba streets and extended to
Herbert Macauley, towards
Adekunle and neighbouring streets.
Vehicular and human movements
were hampered, while shop owners
hurriedly closed for the day.
An eye witness, Moronfolu
Abedoye, said: “Violence started at
about noon and lasted for about 45
minutes before the intervention of
policemen from Delton,” adding that
dangerous weapons, including
guns were freely used by the cultists.
Another eyewitness, Mr Eriola
Adedapo, said: “I boarded a
commercial bus from Fadeyi en
route Oyingbo to alight at the Post
Office bus-stop. But the bus
conductor delayed me due to lack
of change. Out of annoyance, I
followed the vehicle to the UBA area
where I heard gunshots. We all ran
for our lives and I ended up not
collecting my N800 balance from the
conductor."
A similar incident occurred
Tuesday night in Ibeshe area of
Ikorodu during which five persons
were feared dead.
Vanguard gathered that some
suspects had been arrested in
connection with both crises.
Reacting, Lagos State Police
Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa
Adejobi, said two suspects had
been arrested and weapons
recovered.
“This equally yielded result,
thus leading to the arrest of
the other four suspects in
Delta, Niger and Kano states.”
He noted that the suspects
had confessed to being
involved in the kidnap and
killing of the victim as well as
other kidnapping incidents
before the current one.
Jalige said an investigation
had commenced, adding that
the suspects would be charged
to court upon completion of the
investigation.
He also said concerted
efforts were being made to
apprehend the four remaining
suspects currently on the run.
Jalige called on all residents
of the state to promptly report
any suspicious disappearance
of their loved ones and wards
to the nearest police station for
immediate action.