Category: News

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has announced the dismissal of three senior police officers due to cases of misconduct and abuse of office. Additionally, the commission has approved the demotion of nine other officers, including a Commissioner of Police.

These decisions were made during the 21st Plenary Meeting of the commission, presided over by Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, who represented the Judiciary in the commission.

The meeting was initially chaired by Dr. Solomon Arase, the Chairman of the commission, who later joined via Zoom.

In addition to the dismissals and demotions, the PSC has directed the compulsory retirement of an Assistant Commissioner of Police and ordered the reimbursement of all erroneously paid entitlements.

“The commission also approved the punishment of severe reprimand for 16 officers, reprimand for 18 others and directed that letters of warning be given to two other officers.

“The commission had earlier approved the appeal for adjustment on the date of promotion of Mr. Woke Kingsley to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police and reinstatement of Mr. Anaele Onuoha, a Chief Superintendent of Police, in compliance with a court judgment”, he said. 

The commission has also granted a posthumous promotion to the late Inspector Ifeanyi Oroke for his acts of gallantry, promoting him to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police 2.

Furthermore, the commission reinstated Inspector Augustina Oko, who was previously dismissed, with the restoration taking effect from the date of dismissal.

The PSC has imposed severe reprimands on 16 officers, reprimands on 18 officers, and issued letters of warning to two other officers.

It is worth noting that the commission has adjusted the date of promotion for Mr. Woke Kingsley to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police and complied with a court judgment for the reinstatement of Chief Superintendent of Police Mr. Anaele Onuoha.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) at the Ejigbo Satellite Depot has expressed alarm over the increasing incidents of pipeline vandalism in Idimu, Alimosho Local Council Development Area of Lagos.

The Chairman of IPMAN Ejigbo Satellite Depot, Mr. Akin Akinrinade, said vandals were caught scooping petrol from the System 2B pipeline in front of Good Luck Estate, Idimu, but they managed to escape when security agents attempted to apprehend them.

Akinrinade emphasized that the continuous vandalism poses a significant setback to IPMAN and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in ensuring the uninterrupted supply of petrol to Lagos and the entire Southwest region.

He noted that a truck with registration number JND 162 XA, belonging to a marketer named R. A. Oluwakemi and loaded at the Ibadan depot, was apprehended at the scene of the petrol scooping.

“IPMAN Satellite Depot are constrained with heavy heart to announce the vandalisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) pipeline at Idimu in Alimosho LCDA, of Lagos State, in front of Good Luck Estate.

“This continuous vandalism is a setback to the effort of IPMAN and NNPCL to ensure uninterrupted supply of petrol to Lagos and the entire Southwest region of Nigeria.

“It is noteworthy that a 33,000 litre truck with registration number JND 162 XA belonging to one R. A. Oluwakemi, a marketer, loading at Ibadan depot was apprehended at the scene of petrol scooping in Idimu.

“The truck was painted in blue and white colour, with registration number JND 162 XA was apprehended at the scene of the vandalism,” he said.

While commending the efforts of security agencies, including the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, the Area Commander, Area “M,” Idimu, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Nigerian Navy, Akinrinade urged them to conduct a thorough investigation and bring the culprits to justice.

He also called on the Lagos State Government to proactively protect the NNPCL pipelines within its jurisdiction and urged residents to provide credible intelligence on pipeline activities to IPMAN and the security agencies.

Akinrinade condemned the activities of pipeline vandals, emphasizing the negative impact of incessant vandalism on the country’s economic growth.

He urged security agents at the federal and state levels to be more vigilant and put an end to such acts. Akinrinade also recommended stronger penalties for pipeline vandals, encouraging closer collaboration between security agents, IPMAN executives, and traditional rulers in pipeline communities.

In conclusion, Akinrinade assured that IPMAN members are committed to supporting NNPCL by reporting any suspicious activities and urged the corporation to prioritize the safety of lives and property surrounding its facilities.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has disclosed that 67 million children globally missed out either entirely or partially on routine immunisation between 2019 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The organisation said this in its “State of the World’s Children 2023’ report.

According to Fund, vaccination coverage dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving millions more children unprotected against some of childhood’s most serious diseases.

It added that the pandemic had been a disaster for childhood immunisation as it set immunisation back to levels last seen in 2008 in those two years, as the world lost more than a decade of progress in ensuring every child was adequately immunised.

The report said that between 2019 and 2021, the number of zero-dose children rose from 13 million to 18 million globally, an increase of more than a third.

It also said that there was a sharp increase in the number of under-vaccinated children, which rose by six million to 25 million.

It added that “this backsliding reflected some issues specific to the pandemic, particularly the impact of lockdowns and service disruption.

“However, it also cast a powerful spotlight on longer-term issues, including the weakness of far too many primary health care systems, which has long undermined efforts to vaccinate every child.”

The organisation identified issues that led to the decline, including strains on overstretched health systems and health workers, especially overworked women health workers, as well as confusing communication to parents.

It stated that “perhaps the most significant factor was the impact of the pandemic on primary health care and health systems.

“As previous crises have shown, countries with already weak health systems are especially vulnerable to the impacts of conflict, major disease outbreaks and natural disasters.

“The COVID-19 pandemic was no exception, as it forced many health systems to divert scarce resources away from providing routine care, including immunisation.”

It added that at the end of 2021, nearly half of 72 countries in a World Health Organisation (WHO) survey said that routine vaccination programmes were being disrupted by the need to respond to the pandemic.

Also, the pandemic badly interrupted vaccination campaigns, which, unlike routine immunisation, usually targeted efforts to vaccinate large numbers of people in a relatively short period of time.

Citing an example, it said that in May 2020, 57 percent of campaigns in 57 countries had to be cancelled or postponed, representing the loss of 796 million vaccine doses.

Although the situation started improving in mid-2020, disruptions continued and at the end of 2021, stalled campaigns in African countries, causing the loss of 382 million doses.

The impact on health workforce was also felt as even before the pandemic, many countries were short of skilled health workers, particularly in disadvantaged areas.

The pandemic intensified the problem and added to the challenges facing health workers, especially women in the health workforce, the report said.

The report stated that “a final factor is the impact the pandemic had on families’ abilities and willingness to get their children vaccinated.

“Even where health-care facilities remained open, travel restrictions or tight family budgets may have led families to put off getting children vaccinated.

“Stay-at-home’ recommendations may have led some parents to see routine vaccination as non-essential care, which underlines the need for careful, nuanced communication with families during major disease outbreaks.

“Significantly, parents may also have been wary of visiting clinics for fear of contracting COVID-19.”

UNICEF noted that catching up on the children who missed out entirely or partly on vaccination during the pandemic will be a major challenge and will require substantial investment to design and implement appropriate catch-up interventions.

In the face of difficult economic headwinds, there is also a need to support health and immunisation services to prevent continued backsliding, the organisation said.

On catching up and recovery, UNICEF said investments in areas such as primary healthcare, vaccine development and delivery, and innovations are required to reach global immunisation goals.

According to the UNICEF report, there is an urgent need to reach the children who missed out on vaccination because of the pandemic and other factors, including cconflict, with intensified catch-up initiatives.

These initiatives, it added, would need to identify and locate zero-dose and under-vaccinated children and missed communities as they would allow the development of specific plans and strategies to ensure catch-up initiatives reach the communities and children with the greatest needs.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has refuted a report claiming that the Department of State Services (DSS) confiscated files implicating President Bola Tinubu and his associates from ICPC’s office.

Azuka Ogugua, the spokesperson for ICPC, stated that the report was false and lacked any basis, emphasizing that ICPC never possessed such files in any of its offices nationwide.

Ogugua unequivocally stated, “The Commission categorically states that there were no files implicating President Bola Tinubu or his close associates at our headquarters or any other ICPC offices across the states. Therefore, the alleged incident of carting away imaginary files should be dismissed by the public.”

“And, therefore, the alleged carting away of such imaginary files is unfounded and should be disregarded by the public,” Ogugua added.

While recognizing the media’s role in providing information to the public, Ogugua urged media organizations to uphold the principles of journalistic professionalism and refrain from propagating lies and baseless reports disseminated by subversive elements.

“For the umpteenth time, the Commission wishes to urge media organisations not to allow the use of their medium to propagate lies and unfounded reports by subversive agents, she said.

She reassured that the ICPC remains open for clarification and confirmation through its communication channels.

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), AVM Hassan Abubakar, has issued a stern warning to the 1,123 newly recruited members of the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) against becoming pawns for subversive elements that aim to jeopardize national security.

The cautionary message was conveyed during the Passing out Parade of Basic Military Training Course 43/2022, which took place at the Military Training Center in NAF Base Kaduna on Saturday.

Emphasizing the recruits’ responsibility to safeguard all Nigerians, regardless of their affiliations or beliefs, Abubakar stressed the importance of their role in addressing the prevailing challenges of insecurity in Nigeria while actively contributing to national development. He highlighted that the personnel had completed a rigorous six-month training program, which provided them with a comprehensive understanding of their career path as protectors of Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

 “You are graduating at a time when the requirement to ensure the security and stability of the country is at an all-time high,” he said.

The CAS therefore said they must be focused, motivated and innovative to contribute to NAF’s efforts towards achieving national security imperatives.

He pledged to focus on building and enhancing human capacity and improving infrastructure while paying adequate attention to personnel welfare within available resources.

Abubakar reminded the recruits on the involvement of the Armed Forces in several operations to curtail insecurity across the country.

He said the gains of the NAF troops are being consolidated, as such they may be deployed to theatres of operation to contribute their quota to national security.

The CAS therefore urged them to operate within the rules of engagement as enumerated in the code of conduct for armed forces personnel involved in internal security operations.

“You must respect and protect the innocent and law-abiding civilians you are paid to defend. Treat them with respect and protect their rights, by so doing, you will be discharging your professional and constitutional duties,” he said.

He further told the recruits that the NAF expected the highest standards from them regarding civil-military relations.

“As personnel of NAF, you are subject to both military and civil laws, hence you must submit yourselves to civil authority under democratic tenets.”

 The CAS also urged the recruits to be vigilant and guard their utterances and conduct at all times.

He added that they must thoroughly familiarise themselves with the Social Media Policy of the Armed Force of Nigeria, to avoid deliberate or inadvertent contravention of any of its provisions.

“Such infractions would be viewed very seriously, particularly in the light of prevailing social media realities and trends in the country,” he said.

Abubakar said they must also remain apolitical and absolutely loyal to the President and Commander-in-Chief while abiding by the provisions of the constitution of Nigeria at all times.

He thanked President Bola Tinubu for his continued prioritising of their needs and provisions to meet operational and logistics exigencies.

The CAS, therefore, pledged unalloyed loyalty and total commitment to the administration’s renewed hope and aspiration for a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria.

Abubakar thanked Kaduna State Government and sister services for their support in various ways towards the successes of NAF in the state.

The sit-at-home order by the factional group of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra led by Simon Ekpa, took a bloody turn at the weekend as the Police Command in Enugu State, said it has recovered four lifeless bodies of suspected fleeing sit-at-home enforcers who were overpowered and hit by bullets.

Some enforcers were also reported to have attacked a market located at Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo state. Although no life was lost in the attack on traders, it was gathered that the gunmen, suspected to be members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), set a tricycle and vehicles ablaze.

Also, the attackers destroyed some goods and properties of petty traders, who are mostly women.

Eyewitnesses said the gunmen also attacked Obolo community in the same Local Government Area.

“The gunmen were angry with the traders and transporters for flouting the order.

“The attackers warned traders to close shop and never to flout the order, warning them not come out on Saturday.

“They went on to raze part of the market and burnt vehicles.” the source said.

The source said the gunmen shot indiscriminately into the air which made the traders scamper for safety.

Concerning the Enugu incident, the Police said in a statement issued by the Command’s Spokesman, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, on Saturday, that a combined team of tactical police operatives discovered and recovered the lifeless bodies of four of the male hoodlums, in a forest behind G. Ede Filling Station/7-Up, at Awkunanaw, Enugu, where they escaped into.

He said the development was sequel to the earlier report of operatives dislodging armed subversive criminal elements, who attempted to enforce the illegal sit-at-home order, in the early hours of Friday.

He said: “Recall that the Operatives intercepted the criminals at One-Day, Awkunanaw, Enugu, as they were snatching an ENTRACO branded Sharon minivan from its driver at gunpoint.

“They engaged the operatives in a gun duel, but escaped with varying degrees of fatal gunshot wounds, due to the superior firepower of the police operatives.

“Hence, a manhunt operation was launched, while a thorough search conducted on the vehicle led to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle with magazine loaded with 19 live ammunition of 7.62 calibres, two bottles of petrol bomb and other incriminating exhibits.”

Ndukwe said that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Ahmed Ammani, had reassured that police and other security agencies would not relent in their efforts to maintain maximum security for the law-abiding citizens, as they go about their lawful businesses.

“The commissioner, however, solicits residents’ continued support,” he added.

President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to attend the 63rd Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS on Saturday (today).

The meeting, which will be held in the port city of Bissau, Guinea-Bissau on Sunday, is expected to address memoranda on pressing sub-regional issues.

A statement from the presidential spokesman, Dele Alake, announced that the memoranda include the Report of the 50th Ordinary Session of the Mediation and Security Council (MSC).

The report covers security challenges faced by the member countries.

“Slated for discussion is the Report of the 90th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Council of Ministers on the financial situation of the body and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

“It will also discuss the Report on the status of Transition in the Republics of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea.

“Other items slated for discussion include; Memoranda on the ECOWAS Single Currency Programme and the Report on Obstacles to Free Movement of Goods on the Abidjan- Lagos corridor,” he said.

He said that Tinubu would be accompanied by some members of the Presidential Policy Advisory Council and other top government officials.

The president is expected back in Nigeria at the end of the meeting.