The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Usman Baba, has approved the promotion of 31,465 personnel, consisting of 24,991 sergeants to inspectors, 194 corporals to sergeants and 6,280 constables to corporals.

The force public relations officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

He said the promotion was part of manpower development policy by the IGP, targeted at promoting deserving police officers on the basis of competence, qualification and length of service.

Mr Adejobi said the IGP urged the promoted officers to add more pep in promoting the lofty principles, and values of modern policing and discharge their duties in line with the provisions of the extant laws.

He said the IGP had also congratulated two assistant Inspectors-General of Police, Aishatu Abubakar and Olofu Adejoh on their conferment of national honours.

Mr Adejobi said Mr Abubakar was conferred with the award of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), while Mr Adejoh, who was conferred with the individual award of National Productivity Order of Merit Award (NPOM) by the National Productivity Centre.

He said the honours were conferred on the senior police officers on the approval of the immediate past President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

The police spokesman said the IGP enjoined the senior officers to bring their experience, gathered over time and the well-deserved national recognition to bear in their national policing duties.

The Lagos state police command has dismissed one of its officers, Sgt. Ekpo Shimuyere, attached to Sogunle Division for extorting a young man of N98,000.

Disclosing this to newsmen, the spokesperson of the command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said that the Provost Department of the command had already disrobed the sergeant.

According to him, the sergeant collected the phone of his victim and used a POS operator to transfer N98,000 out of the N100,000 in the young man’s bank account.

Hundeyin said that the action of the policeman was contrary to the ethics of the profession.

“Police got the complaint from the victim and the officer denied the crime when he was contacted. The command placed him under detention so that he will not tamper with the evidence. We wrote to his bank and obtained his statement of account.

We were able to trace the money to where the POS operator transferred it to before transferring the money to the officer’s account. We followed due process to get his account. The victim was invited in the course of investigation, and he testified.

The POS operator was also invited, and he said the officer requested him to transfer the money from the victim’s account to another one,” Hundeyin said.

He added that the sergeant was consequently subjected to Orderly Room trial in line with extant laws.

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos Command, Mr Idowu Owohunwa, have reviewed the orderly room procedure of the officer with Force No. 461654, attached to Sogunle Police Division and have approved the punishment of dismissal from the Force,” he said.

Hundeyin said that the commissioner warned officers and men against any form of corruption, stressing that the dismissal was to serve as a deterrent to others.

The police in Lagos state has arrested a middle-aged man identified as Issa Majafara after police uniforms were found on him.

According to police sources, Majafara was apprehended along Iyana-Iba market road on May 16.

Two police trousers, one camouflage T-shirt and one police face cap were recovered from him.

When interrogated, the suspect claimed he picked the items from a dustbin.

The suspect is currently in police custody and will be arraigned as soon as the investigation is completed.

The Delta State Police Command has declared a 17-year-old boy, Ola Edun Emmanuel, missing.

Spokesperson of the command, DSP Bright Edafe, in a statement on Tuesday, May 16, said the teenager left home on March 29, 2023, to pick up his matriculation gown at Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, Uvwie LGA and hasn’t been seen since then.

The PPRO said all efforts to trace his whereabouts had proved abortive.

“One Ola Edun Emmanuel ‘m’ of 28 James Ovie Street, Okuokoko, Delta State whose photograph is on your screen has been reported missing. Age 17yrs, 5ft tall, no tribal mark, dark in Complexion and speaks English fluently,” the statement read.

“The victim left home on the 29/03/2023 at about 0704hrs to pick up his matriculation gown at Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun for matriculation and has not returned home. All efforts made to trace his whereabout proved abortive.

“Anyone with useful information of the whereabout of the victim should contact GSM No. 08085300569 0r report to Ebrumede Division, PPRO’s office Asaba (09155570007 or 09155570008) or the nearest police station.”

The Nigerian Police Force-National Cybercrime Center (NPF-NCCC) has partnered with the Hungarian Police to arrest a 21-year-old suspected cyber criminal.

The suspect, George Gift Ikata was arrested in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for creating a fraudulent platform used to defraud foreigners of thousands of dollars.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, May 1, 2023, said effort has been intensified to apprehend other members and affiliates of this criminal syndicate.

“The Nigeria Police Force – National Cybercrime Center (NPF-NCCC) through the National Central Bureau (NCB) of the Force received a message from the Hungary Police on the 15th of July 2022,” the statement read.

“The intelligence enumerated the activities of a suspected fraudulent platform called “AMC Stock Experts” and how the said platform had succeeded in defrauding unsuspecting members of the global Cyber Community to the tune of thousands of dollars.

“Upon the receipt of this intelligence, Seasoned Cybercrime Forensic and Intelligence Assets under the supervision of DCP Uche Ifeanyi Henry, the Director NCCC, were deployed on the Case.

The painstaking effort of the team led to the arrest of one George Gift Ikata, a 21-year-old male indigene of Abua Local Government Area in Rivers state.

The suspect who resides in Iwofe Rivers state voluntarily elected in a written statement to have created the said platform for fraudulent purposes.

“While effort has been intensified to apprehend other members and affiliates of this criminal venture, the Inspector-General of Police wishes to urge the entire Cyber community and internet users, in general, to be weary of phantom and unverified investment platforms and schemes, and in the eventuality of a fraud, quickly take advantage of the e-reporting portal of the Police; https://incb.npf.gov.ng to register their complaints for immediate intervention.

“Meanwhile, investigation continues and emerging developments will be communicated subsequently.”

Police operatives on highway patrol intercepted four AK-47 rifles from criminals along Kano-Bauchi road on April 25.

Spokesman for the Kano police command, SP Abdullahi Haruna-Kiyawa, disclosed this on Friday.

He said the rifles were recovered by a Safer Highway Patrol team while conducting an intelligence-led stop and search operation at Kwanar Garko in Garko Local Government Area of the state.

“During the operation along Kano-Bauchi road, the vigilant policemen sighted a Lite-Hiace bus trying to change direction with one of its occupants coming down holding a suspicious item.

“This action attracted swift response by the team forcing the occupant to drop the item, zoomed off and escaped from the scene,” the command spokesman said.

He added that a search of the sack revealed that it contained four AK-47 Rifles.

“Effort has been intensified by combined security forces to arrest the fleeing suspects,” Mr Kiyawa said.

The Acting Commissioner of Police, Mu’azu Mohammed, commended the personnel for doing a good job, said Mr Kiwaya.

He urged residents of the state to be more security conscious and report suspicious persons or items to nearest police stations.

“They can also report through the command’s emergency numbers: 08032419754, 08123821575, 0807609127 and 09029292926,” Mr Kiyawa added.

Police in Bauchi State have arrested five suspects over the alleged murder of a commercial motorcyclist in Kangere village in Bauchi Local Government Area.

This is contained in a statement issued by police spokesman in the state, SP Ahmed Wakil, and made available to reporters on Friday in Bauchi.

He stated that the five suspects allegedly committed criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide.

“Police received a report from one Ibrahim Umar of Kangere ward in Bauchi Local Government Area that his younger brother, one Muhammad Tukur, a commercial motorcyclist, was missing.

“On April 9, police received information from Maina-Maji Divisional Headquarters that a decomposing corpse was sighted at Shinge village forest in Alkaleri Local Government Area.

“The corpse was later identified to be that of the missing motorcyclist,’’ he stated.

Mr Wakil added that investigation revealed that Hashimu Adamu (22), of Badaqoshi village in Alkaleri Local Government Area of the state and Anas Muhammed (23) of Kangere village were the last passengers sighted with the motorcyclist.

He stated that detectives swung into action and arrested the aforesaid passengers for interrogation.

“During interrogation, the suspects confessed that they conspired between themselves to lure Tukur, the motorcyclist, to take them to Badaqoshi village Alkaleri Local Government Area.

“On reaching Shinge village, they stabbed the motorcyclist in his stomach, slaughtered him, abandoned the corpse and made away with his motorcycle,” he stated.

Mr Wakil added that exhibits recovered from the suspects included one motorcycle.

He stated also that the suspects would be charged in court at the completion of investigation.

Adejoh Siaka, a police officer attached to Rivers state police command has been demoted from the rank of Inspector to Sergeant, following complaints and findings from a video widely circulated on social media on Sunday, April 9.

The gun-wielding policeman was seen in a viral video hitting a motorist with a stick, after which he followed with two slaps to the victim’s face, while the latter was demanding his offence.

Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi announced his demotion on Tuesday, April 18, after an orderly room trial by the Force Provost Marshal.

He said Siaka was sanctioned for assault, discreditable conduct, and incivility to members of the public in the Emuoha area of the oil-rich state.

Sergeant Ndiwa Kpuebari, who was also present at the scene but took no steps to discourage the inappropriate action, was reprimanded, while a third officer, Inspector Friday Obaka, who was later discovered to have been absent from the scene, “was discharged unconditionally at the conclusion of the proceedings.”

Adejobi added;

“In all, the three policemen will be posted out of Rivers State to other commands and formations to continue their police duties.

“The Inspector General of Police has, therefore, tasked officers and men of the Force to be diligent and uphold the lofty tenets of professional policing in the discharge of their duties with respect for the fundamental rights of all citizens in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”

Usman Baba, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), has withdrawn Mohammed Barde, the Commissioner of Police in Adamawa following the disputed supplementary governorship election in the state.

Mr Baba, also ordered that the Commissioner of Police in charge of Gombe State, Etim Equa immediately proceed to replace Mr Barde in Adamawa.

“The IGP has given directive that the commissioner of police on election security in Adamawa State, CP Barde should pull out of Adamawa State and the Commissioner of Police in charge of Gombe State, CP Etim Equa to proceed to Adamawa immediately, to go and supervise the election and provide necessary information and ensure that the process is a success,” Muyiwa Adejobi, the Force spokesperson quoted Mr Baba while speaking to journalists on Tuesday in Abuja.

Usman Baba added that the withdrawal of Mohammed Barde was with immediate effect.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Sunday suspended the collation of results for the weekend supplementary poll in Adamawa after the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Ari, announced Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner over the incumbent, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Although, the electoral body immediately summoned Mr Ari to Abuja and also declared his announcement as “invalid”.