The exercise which began on Monday is expected to run through December in Edo, Kwara, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and Oyo State.

Launching ‘Operation Still Waters’ in Ibadan, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Gold Chibuishi, 2 Division Nigerian Army, said: “the operation is one of those operations conceived by the Army to boost troops’ ability to tackle the current security challenges in Nigeria.”

Chibuishi said that the Army would work in collaboration with other security agencies to address the security challenges in the states under the division.

The GOC said that the operation would metamorphose into real time operation to check criminality.

“The operation will be based  on real time operation to checkmate criminality and strengthen civil / military relation between security and people of the states under the division areas of responsibility.

“Other operations currently being launched in other zones are exercise Enduring Peace in the North Central and Exercise Golden Dawn in South East and parts of South South.

“These exercise is expected to be conducted concurrently with other operations in the North East and North West,” the GOC said.

He requested the cooperation of the public for the success of the operation and commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya for the support and initiatives.

In his remark, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State commended the army for collaborating with other security agencies in tackling insecurity.

Makinde, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Segun Ogunwuyi, said that the issue of insecurity could not be won without synergy with other security agencies and the public.

He pledged the support of his administration and the people of the state toward the success of the operation.

Those present at the launch of the operation was the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ngozi Onadeko, representatives of Customs, NDLEA, Air Force , NSCDC, FRSC among others.

Source: NAN

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The command gave the warning in a statement issued on Sunday by its Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi.

It said organising prayer sessions in the forest would make them easy preys for kidnappers.

The police said pending the time they would have satsifactorily eliminated kidnapping, the people of the state should desist from creating opportunities for kidnappers to operate.

The statement reads:

“The Ogun State police command has observed with great concern that despite series of warnings and security tips from the command, some members of public are still in the habit of organising prayer sessions in the forest, thereby making themselves an easy prey for kidnappers.

“In as much as the command is not oblivious of right to freedom of religion, it is worthy of note that the present security situation in the country does not favorably dispose to organising prayer sessions in an isolated places.

“The command is working assiduously to get rid of the criminal elements who have taken kidnapping as business, and pending when they will be satisfactorily eliminated, the general public should desist from creating opportunities for them to operate.

“Security should be seen as everybody’s business and we should all play our part in securing ourselves and our property. After all the scripture even enjoined us to watch and pray.

“However, if there is any compelling reason to embark on such prayer sessions, the organisers should report to the nearest police station for advice and possible security patrol of the area.”

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The governor, in a statement he personally signed, said that the measures would ensure peaceful co-existence among residents in parts of the state.

He stated that some of the steps would include the  decision to deploy security apparatus, exploring dialogue, collaborating with federal agencies and enforcing existing laws to maintain order and peaceful co-existence.

The statement, made available to newsmen in Ibadan, further indicated that the measures were being rolled out after a meeting held with representatives of Igangan, Ibarapaland, which was attended by security stakeholders including the recently appointed Commissioner of Police, Oyo State, Mrs. Ngozi Onadeko.

According to him, the authorities came up with a security strategy for the Ibarapa zone to include deployment of additional 200 operatives of the  Oyo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, to man hotspots of kidnapping/banditry, especially in the Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun zones.

“These operatives will launch missions to rid the forests of criminals. They will be presenting daily reports of the activities to the governor in the short run and periodic reports in the long run,” the statement reads.

The governor also said that his administration would adopt continuous dialogue as one of the measures aimed at ending insecurity in Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun areas.

His words: “In the next few weeks, the government will hold town hall meetings and community outreaches, bringing together residents and security agencies to talk about issues of immediate concern and how they can be resolved through dialogue and more effective community policing.”

Makinde also indicated that his government would ensure the documentation of foreigners as one of the strategies aimed at combating crime.

He said: “As stated in an earlier press conference, the government will be proceeding with the documentation of foreigners, especially those who are working in mines.

“This will ensure that only foreigners who have legitimate interests in Oyo State will remain within our territory.”

Besides, the governor also listed the enforcement of existing laws as one of the measures to end criminality in the state.

He stated: “The government will continue to enforce the Oyo State Open Rearing and Grazing Regulation Law, 2019.

“This law also regulates the activities of herdsmen in Oyo State.

“The authorities have directed the Amotekun Corps to continue collaborating with ‘Operation Burst’ and local vigilante groups in enforcing this law.

“You will recall that in the security meeting of South West governors and other stakeholders two days ago, it was agreed that open grazing be banned in the entire South West zone.”

Another measure contained in the security strategy as made public by the governor is the decision to further collaborate with federal security agencies operating in the state.

He said that the Oyo State government “will continue to support the police and other federal security agencies posted to the state in the discharge of their duties.”

Governor Makinde also indicated that his administration was aware of how some farmers had been killed and/or lost their livelihoods to criminal trespass and damage by pastoralists, adding that the State Executive Council was considering the possibility of compensation payments to families of victims or victims of such criminality who could prove their claims.

He also declared that the state government had started the process of prosecuting all suspects arrested for criminal activities in Ibarapa and the Oke-Ogun zones of the state, especially in connection with the ongoing tensions in the area.

Governor Makinde thanked residents of Oyo State who complied with the directive to remain peaceful, and called on them to stay vigilant and always contact the security agencies empowered by law to deal with security issues.

He also restated the government’s resolute commitment to protect the lives and properties of residents of the state.

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It said that was so because 95 per cent of illicit drugs and weapons used for carrying out the terrorism and kidnapping were brought into the country through its porous borders.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the declaration on Monday at Seme Border when he spoke about Exercise Swift Response designed to ensure security of lives and property in some geo-political zones of the country.

His words:  “It is important to note that 95 per cent of illicit drugs and weapons that are being used for acts of terrorism and kidnapping in Nigeria today come in through our porous borders. However, since this partial closure, the acts have been drastically reduced. Our conclusion is that, the arms and ammunition these terrorists and criminal elements were using no longer gain access into the country. In addition, the drugs which affect the health and the wellbeing of Nigerians have equally been reduced.”

He added:  “In the area of security, the ongoing exercise has recorded a number of seizures and arrests that would have had grave security consequences. So far, 296 illegal immigrants have been arrested. Also, some items seized include; 38,743-50kg bags of parboiled foreign rice; 514 vehicles; 1,012 drums filled with PMS; 5,400 Jerricans of vegetable oil; 346 motorcycles; 10, 553 Jerricans of PMS and 136 bags of NPK fertilizer used for making explosives. The estimated value of the apprehended items is about ₦3,235,126,420.00.”

The minister also said the partial closure had so far curbed the smuggling of foreign rice into the country, in addition to other prohibited items.

He said besides, interactions and engagements with Rice Miller Association of Nigeria since the commencement of this exercise had shown that the border closure had enhanced more production and milling of Nigerian rice.

“Patronage of Nigerian rice has increased and farmers are expanding their farms as well as engaging more hands. Furthermore, the border closure has impacted positively on revenue generation of the Federal Government which in turn will be used to build more infrastructures and develop critical sectors of the nation’s economy. The border exercise has also curbed diversion of petroleum products from Nigeria to neighbouring countries,” he said.

He stressed that the initiative of the government had forced a neighbouring country, Niger, to be ready to comply with ECOWAS Protocol on Transit.

“Goods that are on the prohibition list to Nigeria, such as rice, used clothing, poultry products and vegetable oil should not be exported to the country. As a result of this closure, Niger Republic has already circulated an order banning exportation of rice in any form to Nigeria. In addition, the National Assembly has supported the executive directive on the border closure and the efforts of security agencies in executing the task,” he said.

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Lawan made this known on Wednesday during the consideration of a motion brought to the floor by Senate Dino Melaye (PDP, Kogi West).

He said, “The issue of kidnapping, banditry and other crimes affect all of us. I agree completely that we need to do something differently.

“You recall that before we went on recess, we agreed we need to go back to the report to review the architecture of security in Nigeria, which the 8th Senate set up, in addition to a public hearing on a way to ensure that we review the security architecture and structure of our agencies today.

“The way they are designed, we are not getting the best out of them; and we can’t go on like this. We will take it up with the executive arm of government, and also our Committee on Communications and the Federal Ministry of Communications.”

The Senate President stated that the ministry had expressed its willingness to block the phone lines that had not been registered.

“The bandits and kidnappers use telephone lines to negotiate, so it means there will always be a lead to where or who they are.

“At the last count, I was told two million lines have been blocked. I think we should go far beyond that.

“And maybe we will need to be a bit radical. We need to give the security agencies some more funds but insist on accountability.”

Harping on the need for a radical approach, Lawan urged the security agencies to give an account on the utilisation of funds released to them.

“It is not enough to give them money; we must see how they utilise it. We must insist on that; and if we do that, we also insist that uniform people must not join the train, because they are the ones that are supposed to protect us on highways.

“The military, the police and other paramilitary agencies should allow ordinary people to use the train. Let them ply the roads, because that would make other road users to use the roads,” Lawan said.

Accordingly, the Senate as part of efforts to introduce a radical approach, urged the security agencies to adequately secure the Lokoja-Abuja road and other roads in the country.

The upper chamber also called on the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to intensify efforts in protecting the lives and properties of Nigerians.

The Senate, in its prayers adopted, also resolved to introduce legislation that would curb the activities of kidnappers in the country.

Earlier, Senator Melaye, who presented the motion while coming under a point of order, was unanimously supported by lawmakers across party lines.

Presenting his motion, Melaye prayed the chamber to call on security agencies to immediately wade into what he described as the “dastardly and abnormal acts” which pose a threat to the lives of Nigerians.

Speaking on the motion, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe (PDP,  Abia), bemoaned the activities of bandits along other expressways across the country.

He called on security agencies to rise to the occasion, pointing out that they had a constitutional duty to protect the lives of Nigerian citizens.

The lawmaker also condemned the activities of some security personnel who were allegedly fingered to be working in collaboration with kidnappers.

Meanwhile, a total of five bills have scaled the first reading on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday.

The five bills were presented during plenary.

The bills are: The Federal University of Education Kotangora Bill, 2019, sponsored by Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger North); and Federal College of Education Illo (Est.) Bill, 2019, sponsored by Senator Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (APC, Kebbi North).

Others are: Food Security Bill, 2019, sponsored by Theordore Orji ( PDP, Abia Central); Communication Tax Bill, 2019, sponsored by Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) and Private Hospitals Regulation Bill, 2019, sponsored by Senator Stella Adaeze Oduah (PDP, Anambra North).

The bills were referred by the President of Senate, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, to the relevant committees for further legislative work.

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A chieftain of NURTW, in Oyo State, Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi, popularly referred to as Auxiliary, made this known on Tuesday.

Lamidi, while speaking with journalists on Tuesday in Ibadan, said both the kidnappers and terrorists were not operating as invisible spirits but human beings.

According to him, it was possible to win the battle against them.

His words:  “If government’s fight against insecurity, especially kidnapping, robbery in the South and insurgency, terrorism in the North will yield good result, state governments need to collaborate with the NURTW.

“For instance, in Oyo State, our union is perfecting arrangement to instal 4G telecommunication and information technology gadgets in our garages and vehicles. We are in good talk with some professionals and consultants both here and abroad and we shall employ over 500 graduates of computer/information technology and transport management for this purpose.

“Our union is ready to form synergy with Oyo State government to flush out criminals from the state and make the state habitable to everyone,” he said.

n order to win the battle, he said, everyone in the state should support the move which he described as great, and warned parents to discourage their children from joining hands with the enemies of the present administration as well as those against the ongoing transformation process in the union.

His words:  “Some  people without tangible or traceable sources of wealth are gathering gullible boys for selfish interest against the state government and the Union. My advice goes to all parents to consider the present state of insecurity in the state and warn their children against any violent act or unwarranted uproar against the state or NURTW, as security agents in the state would not encourage nor entertain any activities capable of disturbing peace in the state.

“We have equally talked to every bonafide member of NURTW in the state to always remember that the union is legally registered as a trade union to carry out legitimate businesses relating to transportation of goods and human, therefore they should desist from harbouring or working for disgruntled elements seeking refuge with the union.

“Do not forget that clampdown on fraudsters, Yahoo Boys and armed robbers by the security operatives in Oyo State is very effective and it has forced most of them out of business, hence they continue to seek refuge in politics and NURTW.

“We shall flush them out of our union, we are professionals, we would not allow anyone to use our union against the government of Governor Seyi Makinde and the progress of the state.”

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Nyia, 60, was arraigned before an Enugu South Magistrates Court presided over by Mr A. P. C. Amalu on four-count charge allegedly committed with others at large in November, 2014.

He was said to have conspired to commit misdemeanour to wit: malicious damage/unlawful detention, thereby, committed an offence punishable under Sect. 517 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap. C38, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Nyia was said to have willfully and unlawfully destroyed the house of one Hillary Okoye valued at N1.6 million and committed an offence punishable under sect. 451 of the same law.

He was said to have also unlawfully detained one Chinaza Agah against her will and, thereby, committed an offence punishable under Sect. 365 of the Criminal Code Act.

The last charge was that the monarch attempted to kidnap one Chinaza Agah and, thereby, committed an offence punishable under Sect. 86 (1) of the Criminal Code Act.

When the charges were read, the monarch pleaded not guilty and elected for summary trial.

The defense counsel, Prof. Osita Ogbu, applied for the quashing of the charges against his client on grounds that the case had earlier been heard and dismissed by an Enugu Magistrates Court in 2016.

Ogbu said the case was dismissed due to lack of diligent prosecution.

The counsel, who tendered the certified copies of the proceedings, said it was surprising that the prosecution would bring up the matter again.

The defense counsel also said the laws on the basis of which his client was arraigned, did not apply to Enugu State.

He said the law was a creation of the National Assembly adding that the body had no constitutional powers to make laws for an offence applicable to Enugu State.

Ogbu said that criminalisation was a residual matter under the 1999 Constitution and amended except in treasonable felony.

He said his client was charged under the criminal code applicable in Abuja, adding that Enugu State had its own Criminal Procedure Law.

“The powers to enact general criminal laws are incidental which is not applicable here. These offences are under the legislative powers of the state assembly,” he said.

He said that under Sect. 36 (12) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, “a person could only be brought to the court for an offence prescribed by a valid law.

“We urge the court to quash the charges and discharge the accused person as he is not charged under any valid law,” he said.

Ogbu however, applied for the bail of his client should the court find no valid reason to quash the charges.

He said that the monarch was conscientiously attending court proceedings even when the prosecution was not attending prior to the initial dismissal of the case in 2016.

However, the prosecution counsel, Mr D. T. Abi, opposed the bail application on the grounds that the allegations were heinous.

Abi, however, told the court that the case was not dismissed on its merits but on technical grounds.

He said that under the circumstance, the police had the powers to re-arrest and bring the accused back to the court.

He said the charges were applicable to the state as the NASS had the powers to make laws for good governance of all parts of the country.

Abi prayed the court to discountenance the submissions of the defense counsel and deny bail.

However, Amalu granted the accused bail for N1 million and one surety in like sum.

The matter was adjourned until September 2 for hearing.

Recall that members of Obeagu Ugwuaji Awkunanaw Autonomous Community had earlier trooped out en mass in solidarity with their monarch.

Source: NAN

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Also, one ASP and two police officers are lying critically ill in hospital after the encounter.

Already, the Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, has ordered an indepth investigation into the case.

The spokesman of the Lagos Police Command, DSP Bala Elkana, who disclosed the information in a statement made available to FrontPage, said a manhunt had been embarked upon for the suspected kidnappers said to have unleashed terror.

The statement reads in full:

On 10th August, 2019 at about 1455hours,  a team of Policemen from the Anti kidnapping Unit attached to Area M Command, Idimu tracked some kidnapping suspects to Ijegun-Isolo Road, Ijegun Bus Stop, but came under attack by members of the deadly gang.

A stray bullet hit one Busayo Owoodun ‘f’.

The gang with the support of some notorious cultists in the area, attacked the Police team and injured the team leader, ASP Victor Ugbegun, and two others who are currently in critical condition at the intensive care unit.

Reinforcements from Operations Department, Rapid Response Squads, Task Force, and neighboring Divisions were able to contain the situation and evacuate the injured officers to hospital.

The command has launched a manhunt of the assailants with a view of bringing them to justice.

The corpse of the victim of the stray bullet was taken to hospital for autopsy.

The Commissioner of Police has ordered an indepth investigation into the case.

While condoling the family of the deceased person, the command called for calm and assured her family and friends that justice would prevail.

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The bill, which is entitled, “Kidnapping Prohibition Bill 2019” was presented as a privately sponsored bill by the Speaker of the House, Mr Timothy Owoeye, during the Assembly’s plenary session in Osogbo.

According to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, the bill, when passed into law, seeks to prevent kidnapping, recommends appropriate sanctions for those involved in kidnapping and those abating them.

He said the bill would also seek to involve all and sundry in the state in the efforts to prevent kidnapping as well as curb the bad development.

The bill, however, passed the first reading after its presentation and the Speaker said he was optimistic that the bill would soon become law, as it would be given a speedy passage because of its importance.

Source:  NAN

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Twenty other suspects were also arrested with him during an operation around Batsari, Jibia and Safana local government areas of Katsina State between June 3 and 21, 2019.

The operation was carried out in continuation of the fight against armed banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other criminalities in Katsina state, by troops of 17 Brigade on Operation Harbin Kunama III.

Those arrested so far are reportedly responsible for terrorising villagers in Batsari, Jibia and Safana local government areas.

According to the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, the suspected criminal were apprehended based on credible intelligence from the locals, and had confessed taking part in several banditry activities, cattle rustling and other sundry crimes.

Musa said they would be handed over to the respective law enforcement agency for further action.

Musa said the 17 Brigade Nigerian Army commended and appreciated all those that provided the information that led to the arrest and urged members of the public to continue to support security agencies with credible information in order to combat the insecurity.

Those arrested and items recovered are:

1. Bawa Gomna of Garin Waiziri in Safana LGA.
2. Mallam Bello Sabiu of Fafara Village of Jibia LGA.
3. Ibrahim Umar of Fafara village, Jibia LGA (Serials 1- 3 are logistics suppliers of the bandits).
4. Mallam Ibrahim Labo of Shamushelle Village in Birnin Magaji LGA, Zamfara State.
5. Musa Lawal of Maitonga Village in Safana LGA.
6. Mallam Adamu Mohammed Mairuwa village, Faskari LGA
7. Ibrahim Babangida Mairuwa, Faskari LGA
8. Sani Adamu Mairuwa Village Faskari LGA
9. Yusuf Abubakar – Mairuwa Village, Faskari LGA
10. Adamu Saidu – Mairuwa Village, Faskari LGA of Katsina State to mention a few.

Also troops recovered motorcycles, food stuffs, handsets and jerricans of petroleum motor sprit (PMS) from the bandits.

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