Category: News

New Salary Package For Police Sent To Finance Ministry For Implementation—FG

 

The Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi, has announced that all necessary computation to guide the new salary package have been concluded and forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for onward implementation.

The Minister disclosed this during a press briefing at the State House on Thursday where he spoke on the current state of policing and security in the country as well as the ongoing innovation been executed in the Police.

Dingyadi noted that the computation has been forwarded to the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning for implementation and it is expected to commence soon.

He said, “The newly approved emolument for the police personnel further proves the government commitment to the welfare which is a key component of police reforms under Buhari.

“All the necessary computation to guide the new salary package have been concluded and forwarded to the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning for implementation which is expected to commence very soon.”

The information comes five months after the minister approved a 20 per cent upward review of salary for the police expected to take effect from January 2022.

Speaking on the achievements of the Ministry of Police Affairs since the task to reform the police began in June 2019, Dingyadi said there has been the domestication of community policing, resuscitation of the police complaint committee, enhancement of police welfare and enactment of the police academy bill into law.

Other achievements, he highlighted include improve manpower requirements in Nigeria through police recruitment of constables, information technology for biometric data capturing and the establishment of the best West African police system for intelligence gathering in sub-Sahara, Africa.

On the state of insecurity across the geopolitical regions, the minister said there has been an onslaught on Boko Haram and affiliate groups in the North-East and North-West regions.

The Minister explained that this has degraded their capabilities through fierce military campaigns and police support.

He noted that the ugly trends of other isolated criminalities in the Middle-belt, South-South, and South-West, are currently receiving adequate attention through the deployment of human and operational asset to neutralise the menace.

Dingyadi added, “Security in the South East came under threat, following violent attacks on security formations and civilians by militant Biafran separatist group.

“Sustained security operations in this region have in recent times localised their operations to Imo and Anambra States while government continue to employ strategies to engender peace and security in the entire South East.

“Unlike the South East, the South-South region is relatively free from violent criminalities. However, there are isolated cases of kidnap for ransom and armed robbery and it’s been dealt with by the police and other security agencies.

“A special task force against oil theft set up by the IGP is operating in the zone to check illegal bunkering and related acts of economic sabotage.”

On insecurity in the South West, he added, “The security situation in this region is similar to that of the South-South. Instances of oil theft in this zone is also been reduced to the barest minimum.”

On the enactment of the Police Trust Fund into law, the minister disclosed that the Fund was successfully delivered on its 2020 budget with the purchase of operational vehicles, arms and ammunition, bulletproof vest and helmets for police operation.

“The fund also purchased medical items to meet the health need of policemen nationwide while offices and residential accommodation also received face-lift,” he added.

 

2023: Reverse Okada Ban In Lagos, Get Our Votes – Hausa Community Tells Sanwo-Olu

 

Leaders of the Hausa community in Lagos State have called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to reverse the ban on Okada operations in six local government areas of the state.

Recall that the Lagos State Government had on Wednesday announced a ban on the operation of commercial motorcycles popularly called Okada.

Naija News reports that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made the announcement while briefing heads of security agencies in the state at a meeting at the State House, Ikeja.

The governor stated that the total ban on Okada in the six local councils takes effect from June 1, 2022, and would be fully enforced.

Sanwo-Olu pointed out that the ban in the six local councils is part of the phase banning okadas in the state.

The affected councils are Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Surulere, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland and Apapa.

Speaking to The PUNCH, Hausa community leaders stated Okada riders who hail from northern Nigeria contribute significantly to the voting population of Lagos.

They called on the state government not to economically strangulate them as they contribute to the voting population.

The Seriki of Obalende, Saliu Waziri, said that the government should get the data of Okada riders in Lagos to fish out criminals amongst them instead of a total ban.

He said, “This issue has taken us a long time and we have been trying to put our members on the line. I want to advise the government to rethink its decision because Lagos can’t operate without bikes because of traffic. Government should register Okada riders in each local government to know those working in any local government. By so doing, the government would know who to pick when any issue arises.

“Some of our members stay here in Lagos and vote during elections. That should count for something because we contribute to votes during elections. The government should change the system of Okada riders not stopping them.”

The Seriki Hausa of Ajah, Ibrahim Ngoma, urged the government to consider the voting population of Hausa Okada riders in Lagos.

“Truth be told, Governor Sanwo-Olu has been understanding with Okada people unlike Governor (Babatunde) Fashola. Okada members should obey the law while I appeal to Governor Sanwo-Olu to look into the matter and lift the ban before the election because the ban is affecting my people,” he said.

Another leader of the Hausa community in Lagos, Iliyasu Kira, pleaded with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to reverse the ban.

According to the Seriki Hausa in Shasha in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos, the governor should not joke with their voting population.

He said, “I appeal to the government to leave Okada riders to continue their operations. These Okada riders help the government during elections with votes. Our voting population in Lagos constitutes over 2.7 million because most of us vote here in Lagos. We are not all bad people.

“Many of our people are Okada riders in Lagos. If the government claims that robbers are rampant among Okada riders, then the government should sieve out the criminals. The government should provide replacement for our members affected by the ban.

“We don’t have the power to start any legal case with the government. This is why I am appealing with the government to reconsider the ban.”

 

Sanwo-Olu Imposes Total Ban On Okada In Six Local Councils [Full List]

 

The Lagos State Government has banned the operation of commercial motorcycles popularly called Okada, in six Local Government Areas of the state.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made the announcement while briefing heads of security agencies in the state at a meeting at the State House, Ikeja on Wednesday.

The governor stated that the total ban on Okada in the six local councils takes effect from June 1, 2022, and would be fully enforced.

Sanwo-Olu pointed out that the ban in the six local councils is part of the phase banning okadas in the state.

According to Sanwo-Olu, the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) under the six local government areas would also be affected.

The governor listed the six affected local councils as Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island and Apapa.

He, however, charged all Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), Area Commanders and the Taskforce to enforce the total ban from June 1.

“This is the phase banning we are going to be embarking on so that others know that in a short while, either they get out or get something else to do.

“From the first of June, the LCDAs that are underneath them, we are going to publish them and list all of them, so we are giving the notice now.

“Begin to do your strategy now, from the first of June we want all the okadas to be completely off these major roads,” he said.

 

Ibadan Polytechnic Breaks Silence On Student Who Died During Marathon Romp

 

The Public Affairs Director of the Polytechnic Ibadan, Alhaji Soladoye Adewole has said that Daniel Igunnu who reportedly lost his life during marathon romp was an Higher National Diploma (HND) student of the institution.

Naija News reports that Adewole confirmed that the incident happened off-campus, precisely, Idi-Ito area.

According to the institution, it is yet to establish the identity of the lady involved in the incident.

It would be recalled that the two lovebirds, were engaged in marathon romp at the deceased apartment in Idi-Ito in the Ido local government area of Oyo State when he died.

The lifeless body of the deceased was seen on the floor while the lady whose identity could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report was met unconscious.

The lady, as reliably informed was rushed to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan for medical attention.

 

BREAKING: Court strikes out remaining charges against Nnamdi Kanu

 

Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday morning ordered that the six-count amended treasonable felony charge against Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) be struck out, POLITICS NIGERIA reports.

The implication of this is that Kanu has no case to answer.

In April 2022, the court struck out eight out of the 15-count charge filed against Kanu, by the federal government.

Also on Wednesday, Justice Nyako said the absence of the defendant (Nnamdi Kanu) in court after his bail was granted in 2017 must be discussed before another bail is granted. Thus, the defence is expected to apply for a fresh bail.

During the resumed trial on Wednesday, Justice Nyako questioned the Department of State Services (DSS) on why the agency repeatedly flouted her court orders.

Earlier, security operatives barricaded the entrance to the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Kanu was rearrested in Kenya last June and transferred to Nigeria.

 

Alfa Caught With Mutilated Body Parts In Oyo

 

A self-proclaimed Muslim cleric in Oyo State, Alfa Tiamiyu Abass, has been nabbed with human body parts.

The suspect Naija News understands is currently being interrogated by the Police Command in the state.

The dismembered body found with the suspect was identified as a hairdresser with the name Barakat, a resident of the Oyetoro community, in the Oyo West Local Government Area of the state.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the state police command, Adewale Osifeso, said “On May 15, 2022, around 6.30 pm, one Oyerinde Gbadegein reported at the Atiba Divisional Police Headquarters that around 1 pm of the same day, a corpse was seen dumped by the side of a stream on Jibola Afonja Street, Oyo town.

“On receipt of the complaint, a team of detectives from the Atiba division swung into action and proceeded to the scene. It was discovered that the corpse was that of a lady of about 25 years packed in a sack bag, which was already decomposing with the head, hands, toes and flesh from the thigh cut off from the body. One Alfa Tiamiyu Abass was arrested in connection with the case.”

The police mouthpiece said the suspect has since confessed to killing Barakat who happened to be his customer.

Abbas told the force that he committed the heinous act with the help of one Qudus who is now at large.

Osifeso told newsmen that a search was conducted in the suspect’s house and that all the parts removed from the deceased’s body were recovered.

However, the investigation is ongoing to arrest the said Qudus for possible prosecution, the police spokesman noted.

 

Facebook Responsible For IPOB Inciting Violence In Nigeria – FG

 

The Federal Government has accused the social media platform, Facebook of being responsible for the violence being perpetrated by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the South East.

The government said IPOB has been using Facebook to instigate violence and ethnic hatred in the country and the social media platform could not do anything to curtail the activities of the group.

Naija News reports that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made this known at a meeting with a team from Facebook in Abuja on Tuesday

Mohammed said Facebook has no reason to allow its platform to be used by the outlawed group whose aim is to destabilise the country.

He said: “I have called this meeting to enable us to discuss the increasing use of Facebook by separatists and anarchists, especially those of them based outside the country, to instigate violence and ethnic hatred in Nigeria,” he said.

“For whatever reason, they seem to have now chosen Facebook as their platform of choice. And their tools include disinformation, incendiary statements and hate speech.

“They use Facebook broadcasts to reach their followers, who are in thousands. They tag those opposed to their violent ways as ‘saboteurs’ who must be attacked, maimed and killed. They use both English and their local language as it suits them.

“Our social media people have been monitoring these separatists, anarchists and purveyors of hate, and have been reporting their atrocious actions to Facebook, but all they get are default responses that their complaints have been received and are being looked into.

“Most often than not, nothing is done about such complaints. The truth is that whatever Facebook is doing to check these people is mere tokenism and is totally ineffective.”

The minister said the plan by the government to regulate social media is not an attempt to stifle the press or encroach on press freedom.

Mohammed said the Buhari administration is just advocating for the responsible use of social media.

He added: “Some have tagged our efforts as an attempt to stifle social media.

“They are wrong because we have no intention of preventing Nigerians from using social media responsibly. All we have been advocating is a responsible use of social media.”

 

Lekki Adult Literacy Centre And Vocational Centre Launches Kick Illiteracy Out Of Lagos State Campaign

 

The Lekki Adult Literacy Centre And Vocational Centre is set to launch its kick illiteracy out of Lagos state campaign in a way to empower and restore hope to Lagosians who are interested in learning in order to be valuable to their societies.

The movement, which is one of the Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) of the Redeemed Christian Church Of God (RCCG) LP 20 started in 2020 out of the need to bridge the gap between the elites and ordinary populace who are disadvantaged for lack of education.

According to the provincial pastor of Lagos Province 20, Pastor Tunde Natufo who is also a member of the board of trustees, the organization is to transform the lives of those around the catchment area of RCCG LP 20. He mentioned that Lekki Adult Literacy Centre is existing to allow the disadvantaged populace get knowledge which will in turn boost their confidence in relating with people.

‘’As we all know, education is a key to life and we know it provides confidence, knowledge which is power. Looking at all these, the mandate given to us by our father, Pastor EA Adeboye who has told us to give back to our immediate community. The need to give back cannot be overemphasized, what we render is the gospel and it is for the total transformation of man. You can’t be transformed and be on the same spot and when the idea came, we jumped at it and ever since then, it’s been a successful story.’’

‘’We had our first major event sometime last year and it brought the ministry of education in Lagos, education at this level is a collaboration, it’s a thing that one person can’t do. God has really helped us. There used to be very huge gap between the elites and their drivers, nannies, domestic staffers but today, we have been able to bridge that gap.’’

‘’This is just the beginning, we will try as much as possible to deepen knowledge and we are also trying to expand our reach. There is no way we will do what we are doing today that the value, economic capability of the beneficiaries will not improve. Education is a basic tool for social communication but when there is no education, it tells on the self-esteem.’’

‘’In the world today, the highest paid is the one that uses less energy, the lowest paid is the one that exerts more energy when it comes to the physical, the difference is knowledge and that’s what we have come to manage. Some of these people have knowledge too but education will fast track both the understanding and the passage to transfer that knowledge. That’s what we have been doing and by God’s grace, we will continue to do.’’

Also, Deacon Joe Mbulu, who is also a coordinator and a trustee stated that the movement discovered the influx of people into the Lekki area but it was difficult coping with the requirements for survival and end up becoming maids to the elites. As a body of Christ, RCCG picked up the responsibility of impacting knowledge into them.

He also explained that many of the illiteracy problems are foundational therefore, Lekki Adult Literacy And Vocational Centre took it upon itself to address the psychological issues too.

‘’As a body of Christ, our responsibility is not just to feed the soul, we are to also be light in the society and education is part of it. We have seen a lot of influx of people into the Lekki area but as people come, we see they can’t cope with the requirements of today’s world. Knowledge is power, it is important that we teach them how to write so they can relate with people because most can’t read simple things, they can’t even read job advertisements so they will end up being house girls, house boys, maids, etc. considering this, we started this movement in October 2020 with about 20 learners but as people came in, we quickly realize our vision had to go beyond teaching them how to read and write, we discovered that the problem is not just reading and writing, it’s foundation’’

‘’Some didn’t go to school because their parents didn’t have money to send them to school, some was gender discrimination, some lost their parents and with this circumstances, they were psychological challenges. Our vision was to repair faulty foundation because when we make people believe they can learn, when they believe there is a future for them, we can teach them anything.’’

‘’We have taught people not only how to read and write but to believe in themselves. One key element is what we call the morning charge. We bring people to encourage our learners, we have about 17 facilitators and people within, outside the church join us.We have spent time encouraging them, letting them know their past cannot determine their future and the joy of learning comes back. We see people happy learning ABC as simply as that. People come here with lost hope but within few weeks with us, they get joy in the learning process and that gives us so much joy.’’

‘’In the last one year, we have been able to build our structure like that of a corporate organization, we are not just selling reading and writing, we are restoring hope.’’

Furthermore, while speaking on the Kicking Illiteracy Out Of Lagos Campaign, Mrs Chika Idalah-Allison, the lead facilitator stated that it is to celebrate the second matriculation of learners and to call on the government to take the education of Nigerians very seriously especially at a time like this when most institutions are on strike.

She narrated briefly how the structure of the organization is and how the programme is run for the learners.

‘’Looking at our educational sector, most of our tertiary institutions have gone on strike. If we don’t look into things that will make our government be passionate about education, very soon only God knows what will be the hope of education for our young ones.’’

‘’ In our own structure here, we run every Saturday because our learners are drivers, market women, cooks, households, nannies, and all working at different households within Lekki phase one. They are always at work during the week and on Saturday at 11am, they all come to school to learn how to read and write.’’

‘’Beyond reading and writing, we are building an exceptional structure for them whereby they get the things they would get in formal settings. Sometime last year, we had to take our learners on excursion to UNILAG because we want them to be more visionary towards going further after learning how to read and write and be value oriented to their community, Lagos state and Nigeria.’’

‘’In addition to our structure, every month we celebrate our learners by celebrating their birthdays for them. We make them look forward to learning and these are adults who are so excited coming to school. Going forward, we also partnered with the Lagos state government.’’

‘’Our structure is like a win-win situation whereby when the bosses allow their domestic staffers learn to read and write, they get morally equipped in relating with their bosses and that’s why for our brand campaign this year, we are looking at Kick illiteracy out of Lagos state.’’

 

Exit mobile version