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Edo State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, has directed that office personnel in the state police command be reduced by 50 percent. Ezike who was recently deployed to the state from Rivers state, also charged the officers to use scientific method in tackling crimes within their jurisdiction, even as he enjoined officers and men of Edo Police Command to sacrifice their personal comfort for the safety of the people. He announced this while addressing Senior Officers, Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers and Heads of Departments at meeting in Benin, adding that, these were parts of strategies he has mapped out to fight crime in the state, because, according to him, “adequate policing is done in the field.” He therefore ordered the immediate recall of policemen posted to unauthorized individuals as well as other policemen who were posted illegally. He listed other strategies to be used to combat crime in the state to include high visibility policing strategy, crime-mapping, ...

French President François Hollande has pledged that his administration will assist the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) with intelligence gathering and equipment to check the activities of insurgents in Nigeria and beyond. Hollande announced this on Monday at the Elysee Palace in Paris after a closed door bilateral meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on a three-day official visit to France. The French President, who was addressing a joint news conference, said that his government was concerned about the increasing spate of insecurity in Nigeria and the entire West Africa sub-region. According to him, his administration is ready to render support and assistance to Nigeria to enable the country to tackle insurgency and all forms of extremism in the country. He said himself and President Buhari discussed new strategies of partnership that would enable Nigeria and its neighboring countries of Cameroun, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic, through the joint action of the MJT...

A panel of experts on Border Management convened on Addis Ababa from Sept. 3 to Sept.4 to finalise the Draft African Union Strategy on Enhanced Border Management. A press statement from AU said that the panel institutes policies for the promotion of African border security, conflict prevention and socio-economic integration. The statement said that the panel, organised by the AU Border Programme (AUBP), was composed of experts on trade facilitation, migration, border security and cross-border cooperation from various Member States. It said that the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), non-governmental sector, as well as several national agencies and ministries in charge of customs, immigration and territories and lands were on the panel. The statement said, Amb. Fred Gateretse-Ngoga, the Head of the AU Conflict Prevention and Early Warning Division, in his opening remarks, commended the progress made on the draft document. It said that Gateretse-Ngoga underscored the importance o...

Mr Asuquo Ekpenyong-Ekpe, the older brother to Mr Ekpenyong Ita, the immediate past Director General of the Department of State Sevices (DSS) has been abducted by unknown gunmen. ASP Hogan Bassey, the Police Public Relations Officer in Cross River confirmed the incident which he said occurred at the victim’s residence in Creek Town, Odukpani Local Government Area on Friday. Bassey also told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the police were on top of the situation. He said that the state police command would ensure his release without any harm and re-united with his family. He added that the police were unaware of any ransom demand. Ekpenyong-Ekpe was kidnapped at about 4a.m. on Friday by unknown gunmen who raided his Creek Town home. A relative of the victim, Mr Etim Edet, told NAN in an interview that the gunmen whose number could not be ascertained, gained access to the area in a boat through the creek. Edet said “several armed men just burst into his house at about 4 a.m....

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno has renamed Legacy Gardens Estate in Maiduguri, after his late deputy, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha who died month ago in Yola, Adamawa. The governor made the announcement on Friday in Maiduguri when he received delegation from the National Library Board and members of Biu Forum, Abuja chapter, who paid him condolence visit. He said that the estate, formerly called Legacy Gardens, consisted of 50 blocks of two-storey luxury buildings, located along Airport road, had been renamed Zannah Mustapha Legacy Gardens. The governor directed Alhaji Jidda Shuwa, Secretary to the State Government, to supervise the immediate renaming of all sign posts containing the old name around the estate. He said that his action was predicated on the fact that the late deputy was the chairman of the committee that executed the project. “Mustapha virtually relocated to the site of the project at some point without neglecting other duties assigned to him. “He was so passionate a...

Barrister Bassey Okon Willie, a witness for the Akwa Ibom governor, Udom Emmanuel and the PDP, told the governorship tribunal sitting in Abuja on Friday that he signed all the result sheets for Oron Local Government Area, contradicting the statement made by another witness, Elder Effiong Atanang. Willie who admitted that he was the Local Government Collation Agent, noted that, he signed the result sheets for Ward 4, even though Elder Effiong Atanang was the PDP Ward 4 collation agent. His testimony however contradicted the disposition of Elder Effiong Atanang, who also claimed to have signed the Ward 4 result. Willie said the result sheets were signed by one agent because other ward collation agents could not make it to the Local Government Collation Centre, as the engine boats in which they were travelling developed a fault. He said the development caused the ward collation agents to resort to manual paddling. Barr Willie, during cross examination also told the tribunal that elec...

Former MD of Cashcow Microfinance Bank Limited, Mrs Titilayo Adesanya, a director of the bank Olufemi Tinuoye and one Oluwakemi Adebayo were today arraigned before a Yaba Chief Magistrate Court on two count criminal charge of conspiracy and stealing of the sum of N14,500,000 of their employer – Cashcow Microfinance Bank Limited. The offences alleged to have been committed by the accused persons are contrary to and punishable under Section 285(7) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos state of Nigeria 2011. When the charges were read to the accused persons, they all pleaded not guilty. Consequently Barrister Banji Baruwa who appeared for all the accused persons orally applied for bail on their behalf on liberal terms. However, the prosecutor, Sergeant Benedict Aigbokhan opposed the bail application on liberal terms on the ground that some of the accused persons are still at large and that it took the police considerable time and effort before the present accused could be apprehended. He the...