Presidency confirms robbers’ invasion of Gambari’s residence

 Presidency last night confirmed that armed men suspected to be robbers invaded residences of two senior aides to President Muhammadu Buhari inside the precinct of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the president, Garba Shehu, confirmed the development via his verified twitter handle @GarShehu at 9:28pm.

“The Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, has confirmed that ‘there was a foolish attempt’ to burgle his residence at 3:00am this morning but it turned out to be unsuccessful.

“Professor Gambari, whose house is on a street next to the Villa, has assured that there is nothing to worry about from the incident,” Shehu said.

The incident on Sunday prompted Gambari and Abubakar Maikano, the chief of staff and admin officer, to abandon their residences, sources said.

“Their houses were robbed and the robbers packed money and other valuable assets from both houses.

“The robbers took away as much as possible from both places. What is more unfortunate is that no one has been arrested,” the source said.

MEANWHILE, Federal Capital Territory Police Command has assured residents of a hitch-free Eid-El-Fitri celebration as it has taken proactive measures to contain any untoward action.

Police Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Mariam Yusuf, in a statement in Abuja, yesterday, enjoined residents to report all suspicious movements.

“To ensure that residents of the Federal Capital Territory enjoy a hitch-free Eid-El-Fitri celebration, the FCT Police Command has deployed proactive measures within the city, especially at strategic places such as recreational parks/centres, worship centres and major highways.

“In line with that, the Commissioner of Police, Bala Ciroma, has ordered uninterrupted patrols, diligent stop/search operations and coordinated intelligence-based crime fighting strategies within the FCT during the celebration.

“The command implores residents to report all suspicious movements, emergency or distress, through these numbers: 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653 and 08028940883 and to report the conduct of police officers, call the Public Complaint Bureau (PCB) on number 09022222352,” the statement read.

Similarly, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has commenced mobilisation of its personnel and operational equipment for special patrols aimed at ensuring safer road environment before, during and after the Eid-El-Fitri celebration.

Announcing this, yesterday, the Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, said no fewer than 35,000 regular and special marshals as well as Road Safety Club members would be on the road from May 11 to 17, 2021 to ensure strict compliance with traffic rules by motorists.”

Two armed robbery suspects shot dead during an operation in Ogun: Graphic Photos

Two suspected armed robbers were on Sunday, May 9 shot dead at Shagamu interchange, along Lagos -Ibadan expressway by men of Ogun state police command.

 

According to the spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, the two suspects, were shot dead following a distress call received by the DPO Shagamu division, CSP Okiki Agunbiade, at about 9 pm, that a robbery operation was going on at Shagamu interchange and that one of their victims has been seriously injured.

 

“Upon the distress call, the DPO quickly led his patrol team to the scene where they met the robbers attacking another person one Agba Enoch. The team engaged them in gun duel at the end of which two members of the gang were fatally injured, while others escaped with gun shot injuries.

Items recovered from them are; three handsets, one mock guns, one electric clipper, three ATM cards and one blood stained cutlass. The injured victim, one Adekunle Adewale, who was seriously matcheted on the head was rushed to hospital for medical attention.''

 

He said the state Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun, has directed a massive manhunt for the fleeing members of the gang, with the view to bring them to justice.

 

He appealed to members of the public, especially hospital, to quickly alert the police if anybody with gunshot injuries is seen in their area.

 

Ohanaeze warns Buhari govt over alleged ‘shoot at sight order’ on Igbo youths

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has strongly warned against an alleged “Shoot at Sight Order” given to the Nigerian soldiers as a way to engage the Igbo youths in the oncoming week.

Reports emerged at the weekend concerning the new secret plan which would commence from Orlu in Imo State.

DAILY POST reports that the Army is yet to react to the said order.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo had now described it as “very disturbing”, lamenting the pattern of deployment of northern-muslim military officers to the Eastern region, which according to the organisation, lends credence to the alleged plot to commence ‘Shoot at Sight’ on Igbo youth.

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation pointed to the fact that the Nigerian army has posted Northern Muslims as commanders over its operations and brigades in Anambra, Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Benue, Edo, Delta and Rivers.

“In Anambra State, the Cantonment Commandant of the 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, is Col Abdulsalam Abubakar Sambo, a Hausa-Fulani Muslim; while in Imo State, the Brigade Commander of 34 Brigade, Obinze, is Brig Gen Ibrahim Tukura, another northerner; in Abia State, the Brigade Commander of 14 Brigade, Ohafia, is Brig Gen M. Ibrahim, still, a northerner; while in Akwa Ibom State, the Brigade Commander of 2 Brigade, Uyo, is Brig Gen Faruk Mijinyawa, another northerner,” Ohanaeze said, describing this as “truly worrisome!”

In a statement signed by Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the President-General of the organisation, Ambassador Prof. George Obiozor, admonished the Nigerian government to “learn a lesson from history by not fighting an unwinnable war against nationalism but seek possible peaceful options that are the only solution that guarantees national unity and peaceful coexistence.”

Obiozor lamented that “Subnational consciousness or ethnocentric nationalism which is a dangerous form of nationalism to national unity has taken over Nigeria.”

The organisation warned that Nigeria’s dream of unity is fast receding and with violence, crises and conflicts across the country.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo said that the problems Nigeria is being faced with are products of sustained orchestrated injustice in governance.

“The problem with Nigeria in general and the Igbo in particular is located in injustice and the simple solution lays in manifest dialogue, equity and justice,” Ohanaeze noted.

Ohanaeze further warned that the current administration that the alleged “Shoot at Sight Order” to “soldiers on Igbo youth is a call for another pogrom and genocide.”

The group demanded that the Federal Government refrain from the use of force in resolving the present national crises.

Obiozor warned: “History shows that military and violent means to solve the national question is bound to fail as it leads to further national fractionalization, anarchy and eventual or inevitable disintegration, as in all Empires or multi-national states or countries.”

With banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other forms criminalities ravaging the Northern region, the Old Eastern Region is now experiencing its worse state of insecurity.

There have been daily reports on attacks on police formations and other security points and killing of officers by those simply identified as unknown gunmen.

Just yesterday, unidentified hoodlums attcked a police station at Ubani township Market in Umuahia North, Abia State and razed it down.

As the attacks on security operatives and police stations in the region continue unabated, over 10 police officers were killed at the weekend in Rivers and Akwa Ibom States.

 

We will not be Intimidated By Attacks on Security Agencies in the State: Gov Wike

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has vowed that his administration would not back down on the fight against criminal elements in the state, stressing that no secessionist agenda would be entertained in Rivers.

The governor who stated this on Monday during a state broadcast in Port Harcourt said the Rivers Government was not intimidated by attacks on security agencies in the state.

“We wish to assure every resident that we are not intimidated by the sporadic and cowardly attacks on predetermined security targets by faceless criminals on our soil; neither will we be cowed into succumbing to a baseless and doomed secessionists agenda”, he stated.

“We have reviewed, and for the moment, declined the pressure on the State Government to activate our youth to defend the State from these terrorists because we don’t want to complicate our very delicate security situation by creating opportunities for some other monsters to emerge.

“We are determined to deploy everything at our disposal to advance the safety and security of lives and property in our state and nothing will stop us from defeating the evil forces presently threatening our individual and collective security.

“We continue to appeal to members of the public to understand with us in the midst of the economic troubles that our actions may inflict as our one and only aim is to achieve and sustain the maximum security of lives and property in our dear State”, Wike added.

Lagos Rolls out 500 Buses as Alternative to Okada

 The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has announced that 500 Last-Mile Buses will be rolled out in the state.

According to the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Jubril Gawat, the rollout will continue until the state meets the target of 5,000 such buses.

The buses are to serve as an alternative means to get into inner streets as opposed to commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada.

Meanwhile, speaking at a stakeholder meeting on security in Alausa, Ikeja, Sanwo-Olu said his administration has concluded plans to review the 2012 Lagos Traffic Law guiding the operations of motorcycles in the state.

The Governor said, “We have noted with dismay the fact that Okada riders are disregarding and flouting the restrictions we imposed on their activities in certain areas of the metropolis. In this same vein, we have also observed with dismay the ongoing war between commercial motorcyclists and our law enforcement agencies.

“This propensity for lawlessness is not who we are as Lagosians. The Lagos State Road Traffic Law, enacted in 2012 to safeguard the lives of people and to maintain law and order on our roads, is the legal backbone for the restrictions put in place early last year and designed to curb the Okada menace in the State.

“As part of the restrictions put in place, we banned the activities of Okada and tricycle operators on key roads, highways, and Local Government Areas. Sadly, many Okada and tricycle operators have continued to flagrantly disobey the law and, in some cases, resist enforcement by engaging in organised attacks on law enforcement agencies.

“We have also observed a worrying trend in which criminals have found commercial motorcycles a useful and enabling tool with which to perpetrate heinous crimes, with the motorcycles acting as quick-getaway vehicles.

“As we all know, no society can make progress amid such haughty display of lawlessness and criminality. Ladies and gentlemen, let me reiterate our commitment as a government to the maintenance of law and order in society. Our mission of attaining a Greater Lagos can only be achieved when we all resolve to live in an orderly manner.

“Consequently, and based on all that we have seen and experienced in the past couple of weeks, as well as the increasing threat posed by the activities of commercial motorcycle operators to the safety and security of lives, we will in the coming days be announcing further changes to the parameters of motorcycle and tricycle operations in the state.”

Uber Raises Fares by 13% in Lagos

 The economy option for Uber, popularly referred to as UberX, has been increased by 13 per cent in Lagos State.

An electronic mail message from the ride-hailing firm to its drivers stated that the increment would start from May 11, 2021.

Uber said the increase was to ensure a reliable earning opportunity for driver-partners.

“At Uber, we remain committed to providing a reliable earning opportunity for driver-partners, as well as a reliable and affordable service for riders. With this in mind, starting 11th May 2021, we are increasing prices on UberX by about 13 per cent,” the message read.

Earlier, Uber and Bolt drivers under the aegis of Professional E-hailing Drivers and Partners Association, declared a strike in April in Lagos, seeking an upward review of e-cab fares to reflect the current economic

They also wanted both companies to reduce the commission charged on rides from 25 per cent to 10 per cent.

National President of PEDPA, Mr Idris Shonuga, had at a news conference in Lagos, said, “Instead of fixing a new and reasonable fare in line with inflation, the companies have recklessly continued to maintain the low fare, thereby, impoverishing hard-working young Nigerians who are diligently and lawfully trying to make a decent living.”

The e-cab operators also demanded adequate welfare package for drivers and compensation to the families of those that lost their lives or are permanently disabled in the line of duty.

The association said that more than 15 drivers had lost their lives, while some had been permanently disabled in accidents in the course of the service.

It also said more than 20 others have also lost their lives through kidnapping or killed by ritualists without any compensation from the operators.

Katsina: How bandits deceived community, attacked mosque in Jibiya

The bandits’ attack which took place at a mosque in Jibiya Katsina State in the early hours of Monday could have been averted if the criminals did not play a fast one on the residents.

The bandits who were reported to have stormed the mosque located at the outskirt of Jibiya town were said to be numbered over 100.

A credible source from the community told DAILY POST that residents of the community already had intelligence on the looming attack but were outsmarted by the bandits.

Our source said the residents were informed the attack would take place at midnight causing the youths and vigilante men of the community to lay ambush waiting for the bandits to arrive.

Unfortunately, the notorious bandits gained access into the community through an entirely different route without the vigilantes and the youth suspecting.

“We were expecting them from the eastern entry point through Daddara, Kukar Babangida or Magama but this time they proceeded beyond the town and camped at Jibawa.

“From Jibawa they went round to the western entry point near Yunusa Dantauri Hospital and attacked a mosque on the outskirt of the town,” a source said.

Katsina residents in this month of Ramadan like never before have suffered countless attacks in the hands of the dare-devil bandits.

Gunmen Attack Anambra Vigilante Office, Police Station

Gunmen have attacked the Anambra State Vigilante office at Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area in a spate of insecurity in the state.

Ozubulu police station was also attacked by the gunmen but the attack was repelled by the officers.

Confirming the incident, police spokesperson in the state, Ikenga Tochukwu said the attack on the vigilante office was carried out around 7.00 p.m on Sunday.

“The hoodlums who came with a Toyota Sienna vehicle and motorcycles started shooting sporadically.

“Unfortunately two yet unidentified persons sustained gunshot injury,” Tochukwu said.

He added that no police officer sustained an injury during the attack on the police station and the police building is secure and safe.

“Meanwhile the hoodlums in a bid to escape set ablaze a Toyota Corolla parked not very far from the station. An investigation is ongoing and efforts are in top gear to arrest the perpetrators of the ugly act. However, normalcy has been restored in the area,” he added.

Last week, two police officers were killed during an attack on Obosi Police station, Idemili North local government area of Anambra State.

They also razed the station and two operational vehicles.

The attacks are the latest in the series of attacks on security facilities and officials in the southeast region of the country.

The government blamed a secessionist group, IPOB, and its security arm, ESN, for the attacks but the group denies responsibility for the attacks.

Insecurity: God‘ll not forgive Buhari if Nigeria goes to war – Gani Adams

The Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has warned President Muhammadu Buhari against allowing what would trigger another war in Nigeria.

Adams warned that God would not forgive Buhari if Nigeria witnessed another war due to the current state of insecurity.

He made the remark while accusing Buhari of being insensitive to Nigerians’ plight over the country’s insecurity crisis.

Adams spoke at his 51st birthday Thanksgiving programme held at the Saviour Ministries Cherubim and Seraphim Church Worldwide, Alausa, Lagos State, yesterday.

He noted that the call for Nigeria’s disintegration was due to the Federal Government’s inability to address the country’s challenges.

He accused Buhari of displaying a lacklustre attitude towards the insecurity challenges in the country.

Adams said: “Schools are being shut, churches, mosques are not spared. Bandits are gradually leading the country into a tailspin and the president seems to have been bereft of ideas.

“What we experience daily now in Nigeria is enough to set the country on fire.A section of the country lording itself over other sections.

“Yet they said we shouldn’t talk, that our calls for the O’odua Republic was done in bad faith. How can you explain the killings, kidnappings and banditry spreading in North, East, West and South.

“One of the greatest problems of this government is nepotism. One begins to wonder why Mr. president is insensitive to the plights of others, especially to the sorrow and agony of citizens losing loved ones to bloodshed.

“It is a wake-up call for President Buhari to address all these issues in the interest of this country; else God will not forgive him if Nigeria disintegrates through war.”

Banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and general criminalities have been on the rise across the country lately.

Students and residents of some Northern states have been the major targets of bandits.

While bandits are abducting and killing some students, Boko Haram is also raining havoc in the Northeast.

In the Southern part of the country, armed herders have attacked communities and killed their occupants, with farmers being the most affected.

You don’t need foreign help to solve insecurity, South Korea advises Nigeria

Both nations move to deepen defence cooperation

Nigeria has been advised to tackle its security challenges internally, as they were ‘mere family affairs.’

The Ambassador of South Korea to Nigeria, Kim Young-Chae, who gave the advice in Abuja, held that the insecurity facing the most populous nation was akin to a family disagreement that does not require the intervention of the international community, but regional cooperation.

His words: “Security is a very sensitive issue. I know everyone is concerned about the insecurity in Nigeria but it is Nigeria’s internal issue. It should be discussed among Nigerians. If another country engages Nigeria, that is another issue entirely and that would be considered an international issue. To solve the problem, Nigeria needs international cooperation mainly with its neighbouring countries to enhance its internal security. Nigeria must cooperate with Chad, Niger and other neighbouring countries to ensure cooperation.

The envoy, who stressed the need for the military to be professionalised, described the Army as the centre that holds the society together.

He went on: “In South Korea, we have a very strong defence which is rated number six in the world. The military is very dedicated and there is little or no corruption in the system. The military is the centre that holds the country together. If the military is corrupt, there is a high possibility that the whole country will be corrupt. Discipline and dedication are key in building a stable and efficient military.”

The diplomat said both nations were on the verge of sealing a defence an intelligence-sharing pact.

He explained that the Asian country had established the office of a defence attaché in its embassy to strengthen cooperation between the two nations.

Young-Chae further revealed: “To have defence information sharing, both Nigeria and South Korea need to sign some documents. Defence authorities of both countries need to sign the documents which our Defence Attaché is presently working on. We are going to invite Nigeria’s Minister of Defence to South Korea to concretise this cooperation.

“South Korea embassy in Nigeria now has a defence attaché, who has been building relationships in the country. This is the first time South Korea is establishing a defence attaché in a long time in Nigeria. We are making contacts with the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force to extend our defence cooperation not only in terms of training and education but intelligence and information sharing, among other defence pacts.”

The ambassador lauded Nigeria’s efforts at curtailing the spread of COVID-19, stating that the African nation was doing all the right things to keep infections low.

Young-Chae, who decried the trade volume between both countries as ‘very low’ at $1.2 billion last year, blamed the development on the free-fall in oil price at the international market and the ‘unfriendly’ nature of Apapa port.