News
Police Arrest Killers of Immigration Officer, Six-Year Old, Others
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Response Team IRT have arrested one Friday Domozu, 23 years native of Jarkama Village, Bassa LGA of Kogi State, the leader of the kidnap gang responsible for the abduction and killing of a six year old, Farida Yahaya ‘m’ at the Gabije Area of Kogi State on 2nd November, 2020.
The victim was abducted alongside one Abdulraheem, ‘m’ 14years old who narrowly escaped from the kidnappers den.
Investigations by the Police team revealed that the kidnappers demanded a huge sum as ransom from the family of the little girl before she could be released, but eventually killed her owing to the inability of the family to meet up with their demands. Efforts by the Police team to rescue the little girl led to the arrest of the principal suspect, Friday Domozu who led the Police Team to a deep forest at Gabije area of Kogi State where the remains of the little girl were recovered. The Police Team also exhumed the decomposing body of another victim later found to be that of one 40years Ibrahim Madaki earlier declared missing. The remains of the victims have been deposited for autopsy. Friday Domozu also revealed to the Police team that he is an ex-military trainee who was declared unfit and subsequently withdrawn 5-months into training based on medical grounds. Efforts are being intensified to arrest his gang members still at large.
Similarly, the Police Team arrested one Halidu Usman ‘m’ of Akwanga, Nasarawa State, the gang leader of the group responsible for the killing of an Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, Late ACI Salisu Usman at Gudi area in Akwanga LGA, Nasarawa State on 15th June, 2020. The suspects stormed the house of the victim, killed him and his younger sister, Sa’adatu Usman, a final year medical student of the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto State. The killers also abducted the wife of the victim, Asmau Salisu and collected ransom from the family before her release. The suspect is assisting the police team in the investigations and arrest of other members of the group still at large.
Police operatives also arrested four (4) kidnap/armed robbery gang members responsible for the recent series of kidnapping of some staff of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and their families. The gang members; Abubakar Aliyu a.k.a Maigiwa, ‘m’ 27years, Aliyu Bello ‘m’ 18years, Ishaku Kabiru ‘m’ 30years and Abubakar Yakubu a.k.a Dogo ‘m’ 23years, were arrested following police investigations and rescue operations for the kidnap victims. The arrest of Abubakar Aliyu a.k.a Maigiwa led to the arrest of the other three (3) gang members. Abubakar Aliyu is a security staff of ABU Zaria who provides information to the gang on the movement and lifestyle of the victims. Some of the victims were rescued during the operation and reunited with their families.
Also, in a follow-up on investigations and information provided by a kidnap victim who identified and raised alarm on citing one Ibrahim Idris a.k.a Naira as a member of the gang responsible for his kidnap and collection of ransom before his release, the Police Team on 7th January, 2020 arrested the suspect which led to the arrest of two other gang members; Abubakar Yusuf a.k.a Ndalati ‘m’ 42years and Abubakar Ahmodu ‘m’ 20years. Investigations reveal that Abubakar Ahmodu is responsible for spying on and identifying potential victims of kidnap for the gang. As a matter of fact, he provided intimate details about his father which led to the kidnap and eventual extortion of a ransom of Two Million naira from his biological father.
All the suspects will be charged to court on conclusion of investigations.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni has reiterated the commitment of the Force to cracking down on perpetrators of violent crimes in the country. The IGP expresses his sincere appreciation to the citizens for the useful information they avail the Police with which no doubt have continued to yield positive outcomes as seen in the arrest of the twenty-five suspects. He seeks further cooperation and assures that the Force will remain resolute to ensuring a safe and more secure country for all.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Daniel Bwala as Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House).
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced this in a statement, on Thursday.
A former aide of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Bwala worked actively for his former principal who lost to Tinubu.
However, after the elections, he worked his way into the camp of Tinubu, sparking controversy.
Onanuga also announced the appointments of three directors-general of various agencies.
They are:
(1) Mr. Olawale Olopade — Director-General, National Sports Commission
(2) Dr. Abisoye Fagade — Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism
(3) Dr. Adebowale Adedokun — Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement
Olopade, the new Director-General of the National Sports Commission, is a sports administrator with many years of experience in the sector.
He served as commissioner of youth and sports in Ogun state and was chairman of the local organising committee of the 2024 National Sports Festival.
The new Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Dr. Abisoye Fagade is a marketing communication professional. He is the founder and managing director of Sodium Brand Solutions.
Adedokun, the new helmsman of the Bureau of Public Procurement, was the director of Research/Training and Strategic Planning at the bureau before his appointment.
Daily Trust
Globacom has received commendation from the Vice Chancellor of BOWEN University, Iwo, Osun State, Professor Jonathan Oyebamiji Babalola, for consistently delivering digital services to the university over the years.
This acclamation was made by Professor Babalola during a business meeting in his office at the University of Iwo in Osun State, when he hosted a team from Globacom’s Enterprise Business Group.
The VC conveyed how much he enjoyed working with Globacom and encouraged the company to keep up its uninterrupted services to the academic community.
In order to help the university fulfill its mission of creating better products and advance the frontiers of academic development, he also asked Globacom to support BOWEN University through a number of CSR initiatives.
Speaking at the meeting, Adeniyi Odejobi, the Enterprise Business Lead, Globacom, said that the company has been a major telecommunications service provider in Nigeria, providing telephony and digital solution services for millions of people across the country as well as enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses, large corporations, public sector organizations, and universities. It is also a digital solutions company.
According to Adeniyi, Glo has been at the forefront of revolutionary changes in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector for more than 20 years and is largely to be commended for democratizing the use of telephones and telephony services across the country over the years. “Because of Globacom, every Nigerian today can afford a telephone line”, he noted.
According to Adeniyi, Globacom also evolved a good number of innovations that have aided revolutionary developments in the Nigerian telecom sector, such as Globacom’s fully owned international submarine cable, Glo 1.
In order to advance the university, Adeniyi urged it to deepen its collaboration with Glo in order to offer digital services such as Glo LMS, Toll-Free Data, and Mobility services.
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has alleged that the depth of corruption in the power sector would make anyone weep for Nigeria.
He said: “As we speak, we are grappling with electricity. If you see some of the investigations we are carrying out within the power sector, you will shed tears.
“People were awarded contracts to supply electricity equipment. Instead of using what they call 9.0 guage, they will go and buy 5.0.
“Every time you see the thing tripping off, the thing gets burnt, and all of that, it falters and it collapses. It’s part of our problems.”
Olukoyede made the revelation during an oversight visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes to the EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
He stressed the importance of collaboration between the Commission and lawmakers to combat financial crimes effectively.
One of the key areas of concern, according to Olukoyede, is the power sector, where corrupt practices have been undermining the country’s infrastructure.
It was at this point that the EFCC boss revealed that some contractors awarded contracts to supply electricity equipment were cutting corners.
He said they were using substandard materials that have contributed to the frequent power outages and system failures.
This, he said, is one of the many examples of how corruption in critical sectors is holding back the country’s development.
Olukoyede also discussed the EFCC’s new strategic focus on asset tracing and recovery, which he credited for the agency’s successes over the past year.
Furthermore, he revealed that “For every N10 recovered, perhaps N30 or N40 Naira may have been stolen.
“If we recover about N440 billion and several billions of dollars in a year, imagine the total amount siphoned from our system. That’s the unfortunate reality.
“Thus, we are focusing on prevention. Over the last year, we have established a new directorate for risk assessment and control.
“To recover 10 Naira, you may spend between 4 and 5 Naira. But to prevent 10 Naira from being stolen, you spend less than 1 Naira, based on our research and experience.
“Prevention is, therefore, the more effective way to combat corruption.
“We need more resources to carry out our mandate effectively. Our staff are underpaid, and we need to improve their welfare.”
Reacting, Ginger Onwusibe, Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Crimes, expressed the committee’s readiness to support the EFCC through legislation and improved budget allocations.
Onwusibe also urged the Commission to enhance its operational capacity and strengthen collaborations with other agencies and development partners to improve accountability and efficiency in the fight against corruption.”
