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Police Affairs Minister Endorses State Police, Says It’ll Strengthen Security

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The Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, has said that the implemention of state police will enhance local responsiveness, improve crime prevention, and strengthen security at the grassroots level.

The Minister stated this during his goodwill message at the National Dialogue on State Policing with a theme: Pathways to Peace: Re-imaging Policing in Nigeria, held at the Abuja Intercontinental Hotel (formerly Sheraton Hotel & Towers), Abuja, according to a statement signed by the Deputy Director Press, Bolaji Kazeem, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP).

The Minister also proposed a model for implementing state policing in Nigeria, suggesting a decentralized structure where each state manages its police force under a framework that ensures cooperation and coordination with federal agencies.

“This model would involve recruiting, training, and equipping state police officers to meet professional standards while ensuring accountability and oversight mechanisms are in place,” the Minister said.

In addition, Gaidam recommended an institutional and legal framework that delineates the roles, responsibilities, and jurisdiction of state police forces within the broader national security architecture. “This framework should include mechanisms for information sharing, collaboration, and coordination between state and federal agencies to address cross-border and transnational security challenges effectively”. The Minister stressed.

He reiterated the need for a comprehensive national dialogue involving stakeholders at all levels to deliberate on implementing state police in Nigeria, taking into account the unique challenges and opportunities present in the country’s diverse socio-political landscape.

“This dialogue should aim to build consensus on the way forward and develop a roadmap for the phased implementation of state policing, ensuring that it contributes to enhancing security, upholding the rule of law, and protecting the rights of all citizens across the nation,” he said.

Gaidam noted that the recent spate of kidnappings, banditry, activities of terrorists, and communal clashes have cast a dark shadow over our country, causing fear, pain, and uncertainty among our people.

He added that the issues not only threaten lives but also have severe repercussions on our economy, social cohesion, and overall development. “We must come together to address this critical issue and work towards finding sustainable solutions that will ensure the safety and security of all Nigerians”. The Minister reiterated.j

Gaidam however acknowledged that the state police force is not without its challenges and one potential disadvantage is the risk of political interference and abuse of power at the state level. Without proper checks and balances, state police forces could be manipulated for political gain or to suppress dissent, leading to a deterioration of the rule of law and human rights abuses.

In his contribution, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, represented by Assistant Inspector-General of Police Ben Okolo, stated the challenges militating against the police performance namely inadequate manpower; inadequate operational equipment -arms and ammunition, communication equipment, drones, armored vehicles, and inadequate training as well as office and accommodation.

The former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in his special remarks stated that “we do not need to debate about the creation of the state police as the issue has been concluded and what we need to discuss is its operation in the country.”

He added that “there is no way we can manage internal security if the state government cannot have state police and the issue is how it operates within the national security architecture. We should concentrate on how it would not be abused by state actors and police must not be used for the advantage of sitting governors and the use of police for elections has to be reviewed.”

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Food for Living: The Insatiable Nature of Man

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By Henry Ukazu

Dear Destiny Friends,

There’s no doubt that human beings by nature are insatiable. When we get one opportunity, we always look for another. When we attain one height, we always look for another accomplishment. Isn’t it true that the end of one mountain is the beginning of another.

However, I don’t think it’s selfish for anyone to dare to succeed.

Being ambitious doesn’t make one an opportunist or disloyal. It all depends on one’s perception or outlook to life. It’s just natural for one to dream big. It’s only ugly when the process one chooses to achieve his desires becomes dirty and nasty.

According to a former Nigerian presidential candidate and seasoned Economist, Mr. Peter Obi, “if you must be referred to as “Your Excellency”, then the process through which you arrived in office must be excellent”.

If you desire to be reckoned with on the journey of existence, you must be legitimately hungry for success. One’s hunger for success will facilitate the drive to accomplish great tasks despite daunting obstacles posing as challenges.

When one has this mindset, one will not be bothered by the noise which serves as obstacles and challenges along the way. Negative and weak minds are always concerned on why something won’t work. They tend to focus their energy and reasons on the obstacles facing them. But great and productive minds always focus their energy on the reasons why it will work. This is the spirit of an insatiable mind who is a goal- getter.

It’s instructive to note that we can’t please everyone. According to Bill Cosby, a famous actor, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.” Isn’t it true that when you talk, people will still talk about you, when you don’t talk, people will talk about you, so whether you talk or not, people will still judge you, so, do what’s best for you. There’s nothing you can do to please human beings. Your best option is to live your best life.

To understand how the insatiable nature of man works, one must be oneself. You don’t have to “please” anyone. Be yourself, and don’t try to be like anyone just to curry favour. It’s important to note that when you are yourself, the people that matter will come through for you, and the people that don’t matter will gradually find the bearing in another space because those that truly care don’t bother and those that bother don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.

Life has truly taught me to focus on the important things of life as opposed to the mundane things. It’s truly sad to see people spending more time on the little things of life, and spending little time on the important things of life. That’s just a misplaced priority.

When you are yourself, the best people can do is to copy or imitate your style. They can never imitate your creativity nor can take your originality from you.

We live in a world or society where people don’t generally care or show empathy. Most people tend to live around themselves, their family, and close associates. They generally find it hard to lift a finger to assist others for reasons best known to them. Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka once said, “we live in a wicked generation”, re-echoing the voices of a lot of people of the world. Some people in authority just have criminal expertise in amassing wealth of opportunities meant for the citizens without thinking of the citizens they are meant to serve.

It’s worthy of note that not everyone will like you nor support your work, but when you find people who truly care about you; please hold them tight. This is because despite having family members you have shown love and compassion, they might not still appreciate you even if you lay your life for them, they will still find something to say. Again, this is the insatiable nature of man.

It’s okay for everyone not to like you, normalize living your life for God, yourself, family and those that care about you. If everyone likes you, you have a problem.

Did you know that you can get a new family from friends, strangers, and acquaintances? These sets of people might appreciate you more than your own family members. They might not demand or under appreciate you like your family members and close friends or associates. Any little support you give them will be highly appreciated. Their focus is to see you do better.

In conclusion, as you desire to succeed in life, never give in to failure until you have made your last attempt, and never make your last attempt until you succeed. This literally means whatever you desire, dream it, think it, say it, and believe you can achieve it. This principle is generally applicable to relationships, businesses, family, personal and professional development.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator.  He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design Your  and Unleash Your Destiny .  He can be reached via info@gloemi.com

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Court Temporarily Blocks Trump’s Executive Order Ending US Birthright Citizenship

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A federal judge in the United States, on Thursday, put a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.

The ruling imposes a 14-day halt on the enforcement of one of the most controversial executive orders Trump signed hours after being sworn into office for a second term.

It comes after lawsuits were filed by a total of 22 states, two cities and numerous civil rights groups.

“This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” senior US District Judge John Coughenour was reported as saying during the hearing in Washington State.

“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades, I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is,” said Coughenour, who was appointed to the bench by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.

Birthright citizenship is fundamental to America’s national identity, with the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution decreeing that anyone born on US soil is a citizen.

It says, in part: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

Trump’s order was premised on the idea that anyone in the US illegally, or on a visa, was not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country, and therefore excluded from this category.

AFP

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Appeal Court Upholds Death Sentence on Ramon Adedoyin for Murder of Timothy Adegoke

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The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital has upheld the death sentence of Ramon Adedoyin, a prominent businessman and hotelier, for his involvement in the murder of one Timothy Adegoke, a former postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Delivering the judgment on Thursday, the court affirmed the earlier verdict of the Osun State High Court, which had sentenced Adedoyin to death.

“The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part,” the court declared in part.

The Court of Appeal, however, set aside some aspects of the lower court’s orders, including the forfeiture of the Hilton Hotel and the order for Adedoyin to pay for the education of Adegoke’s children.

Furthermore, the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to impose penalties outside the statutory provisions

Adegoke’s death was reported in November 2021 after his corpse was found at the Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had lodged.

The hotelier had travelled from Abuja for an examination at a distance learning centre in Moro, Osun State on November 5 of that year.

He had checked into the hotel but was reported missing after two days. However, Adegoke’s body was found days later, leading to a probe that linked his death to Adedoyin and others.

In May 2023, Adedoyin and others were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder.

But dissatisfied with the judgement, Adedoyin approached the Appeal court to dismiss the sentence and conviction.

The court of appeal, on Thursday, however, upheld the conviction and death sentence of the hotelier.

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