News

Arms Mop-Up: Police Plan Clampdown On VIPs, Cultists

Published

2 months ago

September 20, 2023

The Nigeria Police Force has commenced moves to recover unlicensed firearms from politicians and Very Important Persons across the country.
This followed the directive of the acting Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who ordered the various state police commands to recover arms in the hands of uncertified bearers.
Egbetokun had last week set up an ad hoc committee tasked with the comprehensive review of firearms licensing and regulations by the NPF in line with the Firearms Act and other extant laws.
The police high command revealed that the committee’s mandate would encompass a thorough assessment of current firearms licensing procedures and regulations to enhance their effectiveness, transparency, and accountability.
Accordingly, the Delta State Police Command has assured that no one would be spared, including politicians, cultists and other bearers of illegal arms in the state.
The command spokesman, Bright Edafe stated this in an interview with The Tide source in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
Our source had asked the command’s spokesman if the illegal firearms seizure would be extended to cultists and VIPs, including politicians.
He said, “We have been doing that even before the directive. They (illegal arms bearers) are part of those we have been parading.
“Nobody has a licence to bear arms apart from the vigilante whom the police had approved.
“Remember that the last time, following Commissioner of Police Abass’ directive, we mopped up some illegal arms in the Ekpan area of the state and the command will continue in that direction to ensure all illegal arms are mopped up.”
Also speaking, the Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, said the command would enforce the IG’s directive to the letter and ensure that illegal arms were retrieved across the state.
She said, “Since IGP has given the directive, no one with illegal arms in the state will be spared. We will do our work and spare no one.”
The Gombe State Police Commissioner, Oqua Etim, pledged the readiness of the command to enlighten the public before a clampdown exercise would begin.
Etim disclosed this in a telephone interview with our correspondent while reacting to the IG’s order to police commands nationwide.
He urged the public to provide relevant information that would help his men in tracking those possessing arms illegally.
He said, “You know it’s a directive; we will do our part. It’s a civic responsibility. We will work based on information from public-spirited people like you. If you know two or three people who have acquired arms illegally, let us know.
”You can also help us sensitise others because it’s for our common good. That’s exactly how we intend to go about it. We will sensitise people.
“I can’t clampdown on anybody I don’t have information on; It’s only when someone sees someone carrying arms or I see you knowing that you were not given an official permit to carry it.”
Meanwhile, the Sokoto State Police Command said it was awaiting further guidelines from the appropriate authority to know how to go about the exercise.
The spokesman for the state command, Ahmad Rufa’i, explained that “the directive was yet to reach the command.”
“I cannot comment for now. I’m sure you know the IGP only set up the committee recently and the committee will have to come up with their guidelines.
“The issue of arms is a very sensitive matter, so when it gets to the command, we can comment on the modalities,” he said.
But a security expert, Timothy Avele, argued that mopping up arms with the spate of insecurity in the country would achieve little or no result.
He said, “What method do they intend to implement this time around that’s different from others before now? Increasing insecurity is pushing citizens into acquiring more arms all over the country.
“Therefore, the move will yield very little positive results, if any, and not until such a time when the citizens’ security can be guaranteed. People will continue to source for illegal arms which are readily available in the country if they have money to buy. “
He advised the police to engage in intelligence-led policing in order to contain the pockets of insecurity across the country.
“I would rather advise the security agencies, especially the police, to re-strategize into intelligence-led policing than the current reactive policing being practised,” he added.
An analyst, Oladele Fajana said, “I do not know the approach they want to deploy to mop up arms. Will it be voluntary or the application of force? It will be beneficial if it can be done because the proliferation of arms is one of the reasons insecurity is on the rise in the country.

News

CAS Lauds Troops For Exceptional Performance In South-East Operation

Published

2 days ago

December 1, 2023

The Tide

Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, has lauded Nigerian Air Force (NAF) troops for exceptional performance in ongoing Joint Task Force in the South-East code-named “Operation Udo Ka II”.
Abubakar said this yesterday in Enugu during his maiden visit and tour of operational and training assets and facilities within NAF Ground Training Command (GTC), Enugu.
He noted that NAF troops had done exceptionally well and recorded series of success in the joint operation meant to keep the South-East safe and secured for all.
The CAS noted that the GTC Command was highly important to NAF as it housed the ground component (non technical component) as well as a unit of air component necessary to ensure the attainment of the mandate of NAF.
He said: “Today, we are in Enugu, which is the host of the GTC Command in our maiden visit and we are here to interact with the NAF personnel, see the facilities and infrastructure on ground.
“We are also here to encourage the personnel to continue to do the good job they had been doing before now.
“The GTC Command and the Air Training Command are key to all of our activities in NAF and the two commands ensure we have the adequate and skilled manpower for all our activities and operations.
“I am also here to strengthen our activities within Operation Udo Ka II, which Enugu is the headquarters, and see how we can achieve greater successes more than what we are having now and ensure that South-East is totally secured.”
He disclosed that 750 personnel were currently undergoing training and would be graduating between December 2023 and January, 2024.
“These training are important to us in terms of our operation; and the current number is very significant amount of manpower to be injected into our operations and other activities in the country,” he said.
On the inspection in the new GTC Command Headquarters, new 553 Base Services Group (BSG) Headquarters and BSG Annex; Abubakar said that he was quite satisfied and impressed with the pace, level and quality of work done already.
“I have taken out time to inspect the projects and asked questions about the projects and I tell you that I am satisfied with what are on ground and all our assets and facilities are well maintained and protected,” he said.
The NAF boss commended NAF officers, airmen and airwomen in GTC Command for “doing a good job and keeping the flag flying high” as well as extolled their sacrifices and commitment to duties as well.
“I am very happy for their performance. We at the NAF headquarters, we are doing all we can to make sure they have all the necessary support and equipment as well as welfare and accommodation to carry out their jobs effectively,” he said.
He assured NAF personnel of doing more by providing all necessary infrastructures to ensure the maximum working of the GTC Command.
The CAS also inaugurated a renovated airmen’s club and new Mrs Rakiya Abubakar Children’s Park as well as inspected the water treatment and reticulation system and the hospital within NAF Base, Abakpa in Enugu.

News

UNIBADAN Lecturer Wins Best Thesis Dollar Prize

Published

2 days ago

December 1, 2023

The Tide

The Institute of African and Diaspora Studies (IADS), University of Lagos, has announced Dr Muhammad Ribadu as winner of this year’s Rahamon Bello Best Ph.D thesis in African Studies award.
The Director of the institute, Prof. Muyiwa Falaiye, made the announcement in a statement issued to newsmen yesterday in Lagos.
Ribadu, of the University of Ibadan, will be rewarded with a total of 1000 dollars, a plaque and a certificate.
Falaiye said a total of 18 entries for the 4th edition of competition were received from various universities in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa
He gave the title of the winning thesis as: The Social Context of Gentrification in Lagos State; Ph.D (Jan. 2023) Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan.
“The first runner up for this competition was Oluwaseyi Popogbe, currently a lecturer at the Department of Economics, Crawford University in Ogun.
“The title of his thesis is: Social Exclusion and Poverty in Selected Coastal Slum Areas in Lagos State; Ph.D (Dec. 2022) Department of Economics University of Lagos.
“The second runner up position went to Dr Charles Akwen, currently a lecturer at the Department of English, University of Lagos.
“Akwen’s thesis is titled: Notions of Identity in the Literary Creativity of Odia Ofeimun and Yang Mu; Ph.D (Dec. 2022) English Literature, University of Lagos,” the director stated.
He said that both the first and second runners up would be awarded plaques and certificates in recognition of their contributions and hard work.
Falaiye noted that the competition was in honour of Prof. Rahamon Bello, who was the 10th Vice Chancellor of the university, at the time the institute was inaugurated.
The prize money is usually donated every year for the award by friends of Prof. Bello.
Falaiye said that Dec, 6, had been fixed for the presentation of the awards.
The Tide source reports that the award was first presented in 2020.

News

States, LGs Lack Infrastructure To Manage Ecological Fund, Shun Queries – Perm Sec

Published

2 days ago

December 1, 2023

The Tide

The 36 states of the federation and the 774 local government councils have no structure in place to manage Ecological Fund.
The declaration was made in Abuja, yesterday, by the Permanent Secretary, Ecological Project Office, Malam Shehu Ibrahim.
Ibrahim made the declaration at an interactive session with the House Representatives Committee on Ecological Fund.
He said since states and local governments began to share the fund with the Federal Government they had not been able to put structures in place to manage their share.
The Ecological Fund is an intervention fund by the Federal Government to address the multifarious ecological challenges in various communities in the country.
Ibrahim told the house committee that the sharing of the fund among the three tiers of government followed a court decision.
He said governors and local council chairmen never welcomed queries about how they deployed the ecological funds.
“It is a `no-go’ area,’’ he quipped.
“They don’t want to see officials of the Ecological Project Office near them; so we cannot ask them how they spend the money,’’ he added.
Ibrahim said also that all motions by the National Assembly regarding intervention on ecological project matters had been treated.
“The Ecological Project Office acts expeditiously on documents sent to it to solve problems; it looks at some of the gaps within the motion and tries to fill the gaps, and we have had more than five of such motions.
“ The Ecological Project Office does not handle funds; it only appraises projects and makes recommendations to the president,’’ he said.
The permanent secretary explained that it is the Ministry of Finance that manages the fund and the projects.
He stressed that it was a misconception that the Ecological Project Office is in charge of funds and at liberty to decide on where projects would be sited with the money in its coffers.
He said whenever there were interventions; the Ecological Project Office informed affected communities and went with the contractor to hand over the projects to the community.
This is to enable the community to take ownership of the intervention and communicate their observations to the project office.
Responding, Rep. Sani Jaji (APC-Kaura Namoda/ Birnin Magaji), chairman of the committee, said there should always be stakeholders engagement before embarking on ecological fund intervention projects.
He noted that the projects were stakeholders’ projects and failure to include the stakeholders would always lead to security breach.
“So many things happened with UNICEF’s polio vaccine rejection; but when it included stakeholders, people began to accept the vaccine.
“It is critical to involve stakeholders and ensure equity. Security cannot be the reason why you won’t execute projects in certain parts of the country.
“The perception about your office is that there is money out there; so you need to change that perception and let people know that you have limitations about the execution of projects,’’ he said.
Jaji challenged the Ecological Fund Project Office to provide the needed advice to the president to enable him to take the correct steps.