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Bandits Demand N100m for Six ASPs in Katsina Kidnappers’ Den

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The bandits holding six Assistant Superintendents of Police captive in Katsina State for over one week are demanding N100m ransom for their release.

The PUNCH gathered that the ASPs were among the nine who were just promoted to their current rank. They were attached to the Mobile Police Squadron 6, Maiduguri, Borno State.

Findings on Wednesday indicated that they were demobilised from the riot unit and eight of them were on their way to the Zamfara State Police Command on transfer when they were ambushed in the Dogondaji area of Katsina State and taken into the forest.

A reliable police source explained that the nine ASPs were planning to go to Zamfara State together but one of them changed his mind at the last minute while the others embarked on the trip in a commercial bus.

On getting to Kano, the driver was said to have asked them to join another vehicle as his bus had developed a fault.

The source said, “When they were released to go to Zamfara, they scheduled a day for the trip from Maiduguri, but one of them said he wasn’t comfortable with the trip and declined to join them. He said he had something to do and promised to join them in Zamfara later.

“So, the eight others left, but on getting to Kano, the driver said he couldn’t continue the journey to Zamfara, because his vehicle had developed a fault. They joined another vehicle and on their way around Dongodaji in Katsina State, the bandits accosted and kidnapped them.

“While being taken away, two of them escaped and one of them was shot in the leg though he didn’t die. He found himself at a village and the villagers took him to a police station and he was taken to a hospital. The other six officers are still with the bandits who are demanding N100m ransom.”

A senior police officer said the Commander, Mopol 6, could not account for the men when asked about their abduction, adding that he referred inquiries on the missing men to the Zamfara State Police Command.

The officer explained that the normal procedure was for the commander to send a signal to the Zamfara command informing it that he had released the nine ASPs, but he allegedly failed to follow the official procedure.

The source stated, “The problem came from the Commander, Mopol 6, their former squadron leader, who released them on transfer to Zamfara. He was supposed to relay the information on the kidnap incident, but he said he didn’t know about it when he was asked; instead, he referred inquiries to the Zamfara State Police Command.

“The commander should have sent a signal that the men had been released to go to Zamfara, but he didn’t do that. Normally, the Zamfara command would send a signal to Borno confirming that the men had resumed.”

Findings indicated that the families of the missing police officers were anxious about the safety of their breadwinners following the N100m ransom demanded by the bandits.

It was learnt that the families were attempting to raise N3m for the release of the captives or N500,000 each.

The Force spokesman, DCP Frank Mba, had yet to respond to inquiries on the incident as he did not respond to calls and SMS sent to his mobile telephone as of the time of filing in this report.

When contacted by one of our correspondents, one of the officers, who escaped from the abductors, said he was too weak to recount the incident.

“I have high BP (blood pressure); I just came back from a check-up. I cannot remember everything now. The incident happened on Sunday along the Katsina-Gusau Road,” he simply said.

The Public Relations Officer, Borno State Police Command, DSP Edet Okon, said there was no reported case of policemen from the command being abducted, adding that the alleged victims were no longer serving at the command because they had been transferred.

“The Borno State Police Command has not received any signal in respect of her officers being abducted. The alleged abduction of officers is still unknown to us as we have yet to receive any alert on the matter. That is the official position of the command as of this moment,” Okon stated.

When one of our correspondents visited the Mopol 6 base in Maiduguri, he observed that police personnel were overwhelmed by the kidnap of their colleagues, which came weeks after some of their men were killed and several others injured during an attack on the convoy of the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum.

The mood in the barracks was very sober with little or no activity going on except for a few anti-riot policemen in uniform clustered in groups obviously discussing the incident.

It was gathered that some personnel of the command were recently attacked at the Bama Local Government Area of the state and the latest development had dampened the morale of the policemen.

The PUNCH did not see women and children in the barracks except for a few at the market square.

Except for the command headquarters, where some cops were sighted sitting under trees and in other strategic locations, the entire barracks, which houses a police training college, state police command and Mopol 6 base, was scanty.

The Punch

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Metro

NARIO Visits Nandap, Urges New CGI to Hit Ground Running 

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The National Association of Retired Immigration Officers (NARIO), on Wednesday, paid a courtesy visit to the newly appointed Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap.

A statement signed by a member of the Association’s Technical Committee, Amos Okpu, and available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), noted that the delegates, led by the interim National President of the association, Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration Ezekiel S Kaura (retd) were at the Service Headquarters, Abuja to congratulate CGI Kemi N Nandap on her well deserved appointment as the 19th Comptroller General of the Service.

In his speech, Kaura enjoined the new Comptoller General to hit the groung running to deliver a well motivated and professional workforce that would place the Service prominently in the nation’s security architecture. He assured of uncommon and timely support from the body of retired personnel to ensuring that the new Comptroller General succeeds and the Service remains relevant in the discharge of its statutory mandate.

He noted that some very experienced members of the association are available to offer useful contributions to protect and preserve our institutional memory.

The interim president also advised the new mangement of the Service, to make concerted efforts to strengthen and improve operational activities at the nation’s borders as well give renewed interests in robust intelligence gathering and migration management. He pledged the association’s readiness to an enduring partnership with management in the areas of staff capacity development activities stressing that the association has members who are ready and willing to coach and mentor new and young personnel in the Service. He called on the new CGI to also enable some welfare programmes for retirees of the Service.

In her response, the Comptroller General thanked the association for the visit stressing that her doors are open for enhanced engagements and collaboration. She assured that the points raised by the association in the document presented will be meticulously examined for possible implementation.

Among members of the NARIO delegates were ACG Usman Abdullahi (retd) CIS Kayode Musa (rtd), and CIS AI Ogar (rtd).

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100 Days in Office: I’ve Kept Faith with My 10-Point Strategic Road Map – CP Fayoade

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The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Adegoke Fayoade, has said that he has kept faith and delivered on his 10-point strategic plan to rid Lagos of crime and criminality since assuming office on December 14, 2023, exactly 100 days ago.

Fayoade made the remarks while addressing members of the fourth estate, including the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP) at the Police Office Mess in GRA, Ikeja, to mark his 100 days in office, and parade criminal suspects as part of his achievements since assuming office.

“Upon assumption of duty, I presented to Lagosians my ten-point strategic road map. I have kept faith with that document and have ensured that all the goal-oriented plans therein are actualized,” CP Fayoade said.

He further noted that “Since I assumed duty, a total of 2,329 suspects have been arrested for crimes ranging from cultism to armed robbery leading to the recovery of stolen property. In the same vein, a total of 2,253 have been prosecuted while many others are currently been processed for prosecution.”

To buttress his point, CP led the media to inspect suspects on parade, who were breakthroughs of the last one month.

“Specifically in the past month, the Lagos State Police Command have arrested sixty-four (64) suspects who have engaged in varying crimes including armed robbery, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms, unlawful possession of illicit drugs etc., and recovered a total of twenty (20) firearms including four toy guns, (120) rounds of toy ammunitions, twenty-eight (28) live ammunitions, fifteen (15) live cartridges and three (3) expended cartridges alongside recovery of (4) vehicles, POS machine, (7) cutlasses, illicit drugs and various charms,” he informed.

CP Fayoade’s last 100 days has been eventful, as he has reduced the highway and traffic robberies to the barest minimum.

“In the past days, I have piloted the affairs of the Command with all sense of professionalism, charging my men to be up and doing and not sparing the big stick on officers found wanting. We have rejigged our township patrol, paying special attention to high-risk areas especially at peak periods. This has helped a lot to reduce traffic robberies,” the Commissioner of Police said.

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Adron Homes Boss Hosts REDAN Chair Aspirant, Advocates Consolidation

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Executive Chairman, Adron Homes and Properties, Aare Adetola Emmanuel-King, has declared his support for the chairmanship aspiration of Dr. Segun Oshundairo for the Lagos chapter of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), advocating consolidation first before transformation.

He made his position known when he hosted the REDAN chairman Aspirant, Dr. Oshundairo, who is the CEO of Arcview Investment Limited. During the Aspirant’s visit, Aare Adetola admonished him on steps to take to ensure that his tenure birth policies that would revolutionize the Real Estate Industry. He urged the Aspirant to embark on Intense Media publicity and collaborative advocacy efforts to influence government policies and decisions affecting the Real Estate Industry.

During this Meeting, The Aspirant talked about his Manifesto which he would implement once he emerges the Chairman. He declared the following Intentions:
– Create a Developers Mortgage Plan. With this, he would be collaborating with the government to create a plan that would ensure that developers can buy affordable estate from the government which would facilitate their ability to create reasonable and affordable houses for the masses.
– Establish an Advisory Board for REDAN. He stated that he would create an Advisory Committee that would consist of 7 stakeholders to advise and train members of the group every quarter on the right policies and procedures to implement.
– Open up lands in rural Areas and convert them to Mega cities. He revealed his intention to collaborate with the government in order to open up lands in Ofada, Papalantoro and environs as well as create affordable real estate in such areas.
– Rebrand and Publicize REDAN: The Aspirant stated that under his tenure, REDAN would have a new look, which would include a new logo, better policies as well as increased visibility .

Aare Adetola EmmanuelKing, In addition to advising the Aspiring Chairman on Strategic Media Publicity for REDAN, also implored him to pay attention to increasing the number of members in the group as well as present comprehensive strategies poised to shape the future landscape of real estate in the country.

He admonished and stated that “There can’t be a greater Lagos without REDAN” He further advised the Aspirant on the need for a Universal market price of Landed Properties for Real Estate Developers in Lagos State when purchasing from the government. Also, this would foster and aid the creation of affordable housing for the good people of Lagos State and Nigerians at large.

The interview session concluded on a positive note in which Dr Segun Oshundairo expressed his enthusiasm and appreciation for the collaboration between REDAN and the CEO of Adron Homes. The Interview Session laid the foundation for future partnership opportunities aimed at driving positive change within the real estate industry. Dr Segun reiterated that once elected, he would set up a board of trustees that would consist of veterans and real estate pillars to serve as an advisory board for the pressure group.

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