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Police recovers 107 prohibited guns, other ammunition in Anambra

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Police recovers 107 prohibited guns, other ammunition in Anambra
CP. Garba Umar
Anambra State Commissioner of Police

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Anambra State police command on Thursday displayed 107 guns and other types of ammunition from people classified as those not qualified to possess such guns.

Addressing journalists after at that police headquarters in Amawbia after the display, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Garba Umar, said the action was in line with the recent directive of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, that all illegal arms circulating in the country must be recovered.

The ammunitions recovered was made up 46 locally made pistols, 59 pump action, one AKA 47 and one browning pistol. Also displayed were many cartridges and other types of ammunition.

According to the CP, some of the guns were voluntarily surrendered by their owners in obedience to the police directive.He explained that they were among arms that could not be licensed without the approval of the Commander In Chief of the armed forces.“No member of any vigilante group should bear arms and I urge members of the public to report to the command anyone found with such arms and ammunition.

“Anyone found with such guns after the grace period of three weeks from Thursday, April  5, 2018 would face the full weight of the law.”

The CP maintained that as far as the issue is concerned nobody would be treated as a sacred cow.

Source : Grassroots Publishers

Corruption: Brazil Sends Ex-President Lula To Prison

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Corruption: Brazil Sends Ex-President Lula To Prison
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Brazil’s former president

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he order from Judge Sergio Moro, head of Brazil’s huge “Car Wash” anti-graft probe, came as a complete surprise given that lawyers had earlier said the leftist former two-term president had at least until Tuesday before he’d have to go behind bars.

Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will begin his 12-year prison term from Friday, after a judge gave him 24 hours to surrender to police.
The order from Judge Sergio Moro, head of Brazil’s huge “Car Wash” anti-graft probe, came as a complete surprise given that lawyers had earlier said the leftist former two-term president had at least until Tuesday before he’d have to go behind bars.
Lula, 72, was once one of the most popular politicians on the planet and he easily leads polls in Brazil’s October presidential election.
His incarceration will throw the race completely open.
Moro’s office said in view of Lula’s stature as a former president, he would have “the opportunity to present himself voluntarily” to police in the city of Curitiba, where the “Car Wash” probe is based, by 5pm (2000 GMT) Friday.
There was no immediate reaction from Lula, who had been described earlier by supporters as facing his jailing calmly.
However, Senator Lindbergh Farias, from Lula’s Workers’ Party, issued a defiant call for supporters to congregate in front of Lula’s house in Sao Bernardo near Sao Paulo on Friday.
“Moro ordered prison for Lula. Everyone to Sao Bernardo tomorrow from 5:00 am in front of Lula’s house!” he tweeted.
Lula had been due to address a Workers’ Party rally in the city on Friday afternoon, but that event would now coincide with Moro’s surrender deadline.
Lula petitioned to the Supreme Court on Thursday to be allowed to remain free while pursuing appeals in higher courts against his conviction for receiving a seaside apartment as a bribe from a construction company.
A lower court appeal failed this January.However, the Supreme Court judges ruled 6-5 in a marathon session that under the law, Lula must begin his sentence after having lost that first appeal.Still, it had been widely expected that with more technical appeals, Lula would start his sentence only sometime next week at the earliest.
Brazil’s left is furious at the Supreme Court ruling, seeing Lula’s imminent imprisonment as a plot to prevent the Workers’ Party from returning to power. Party leader Gleisi Hoffmann said the court ruling violated “constitutional law and the presumption of innocence” and made Brazil “look like a little banana republic.”
However, there were celebrations on the right and among prosecutors supporting the epic “Car Wash” probe, which has revealed high-level corruption throughout Brazilian business and politics over the last four years.
To them, Lula epitomizes Brazil’s corruption-riddled elite. His conviction on charges of accepting a seaside apartment as a bribe is “Car Wash’s” biggest scalp by far.
Lula, who grew up poor and with little formal education before becoming a trade union leader and politician, says he will go down fighting.
Analysts say that his election hopes have now been dealt a body blow. But he is not necessarily knocked out.
In theory, once someone has been convicted and lost their lower court appeal, they are barred from running for office under Brazil’s clean slate law. But the issue will not be decided for months.
Lula has until mid-August to register his candidacy and only after that will the Superior Electoral Tribunal rule on whether his candidacy is valid.

James Ibori, lawyer lose conviction appeal

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James Ibori, lawyer lose conviction appeal
Chief James Ibori,
former governor of Delta state

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] lawyer to James Ibori, a former governor of Delta state, Bhadresh Gohil has lost the bid to appeal his 2011 conviction. A UK court had convicted Gohil and Ibori of money laundering.

In the latest edition of its monthly media publication, EFCC ALERT, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Gohil’s appeal “formed the basis of Ibori’s own appeal”. Ibori also sought to appeal his 2012 conviction in a bid to upturn the ongoing trial to confiscate his assets. The publication said the loss of Gohil might have dire effects on Ibori. In June 2014, Gohil filed an application for leave to appeal his conviction. The appeal was dismissed a month later by LJ Davis, the presiding judge.Gohil had accused officers that investigated Ibori of fraud. The judge, in dismissing Gohil’s leave for appeal, had ruled that his allegations against the investigating officers, “was not advanced at the trial”.

“The present strategy on behalf of the applicant – on the jury’s verdict, and on his own subsequent pleas, a corrupt solicitor – is thus now to allege corruption on the part of the investigators,” the judge had said. The ruling added that “the allegation had already in substance been investigated and rejected”.

On April 25, 2016, Gohil applied to re-open his applications for leave to appeal the conviction, still on same allegation. In the spirit of fair hearing, the court on June 23, 2017, ruled that his application be heard.

But on February 15, 2018, the court dismissed Gohil’s appeal.

Source: Grassroots Publishers

Melaye: IGP Reinstates Sacked Kogi Police Commissioner

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Melaye: IGP Reinstates Sacked Kogi Police Commissioner
                           CP. Ali Janga

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Kogi State Police Command spokesman ASP William Aya told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lokoja on Thursday that CP. Ali Janga returned to office on April 3 on the order of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

He said Janga was reinstated after meeting the one week ultimatum given to him by the Inspector-General of Police to re-arrest the suspects who escaped from police custody.The police spokesman confirmed that all the six suspects that escaped from lawful police custody on March 28 had been re-arrested.

Aya also said 13 persons that aided the escape of the suspects had been arrested in Lokoja.
According to him, those arrested are commercial tricycles operators that ferried the suspects to safety after their escape and the owners of the houses where they slept after their escape from custody.
He said that all the suspects would be charged to court after conclusion of investigation.
Janga had on March 28 announced that six suspects, including Kabiru Seidu, aka Osama, and Nuhu Salisu, also known as Small, who had named Senator Dino Melaye as their gun supplier, escaped from lawful police custody in Lokoja.
Following the incident, Idris removed Janga as the state Commissioner of Police and named Sunday Ogbu as his replacement.
Aya said the 13 policemen that were on duty on the day of the incident had gone to the police headquarters for interrogation as directed by the IGP, adding that they had started returning to their duty posts.

NDLEA Jail 22 Drug Dealers in Anambra

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[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says 22 illicit drug dealers have been convicted in the State in the recent time.  The State Commander, Sule Momodu who disclosed this in Awka while speaking with journalists on the activities and success of the Command in 2017,  noted that about 115 cases were pending in the Federal High Court in the state while 22 male suspects from Abia, Enugu and Anambra State respectively were convicted for their dealing in Cannabis, Sativa, Cocaine and Heroin within the timeframe.
The Commander however maintained that the Command was hoping to get more conviction before the end of 2018 as various enlightenment programs were ongoing in primary and secondary schools, tertiary institutions, churches and communities even as he advised drug dealers and their cohorts to stay away from the state as culprits would be charged to court and prosecuted
Meanwhile, the Chairman House Committee on  Drugs and Narcotics, Rt. Hon Eucharia Azodo during her working visit to NDLEA, Anambra State Command commended the state government for its good work in  provision of vehicles and other logistics. She observed that adequate funding was fundamental for efficient performance by the NDLEA which she described as an institution charged with the onerous responsibility of combating drugs menace nation wide.

We will continue to fight smugglers head-on- Compt. Aliyu

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[dropcap]S[/dropcap]muggling is not a new way of life in any part of the world. Nations down through the stream of time have had on one occasion or the other need a way(s) to curb smuggling. There is no nation through that can claim to have successfully curbed its entirely smugglers and their unpatriotic notorious acts. But in recent time, this act has become a regular feature of life in Nigeria and Nigerians in their increasing numbers have been calling on the governments and citizens to do this or that to save them from this curse that can lead to a retardation of the much needed industrialization take off. The Federal Government has set up several policies to tackle this menace. Nigeria Customs Service on its part is fighting relentlessly and endlessly towards making sure that this cankerworm eating our economy is reduced to the barest minimum.

Recently, Comptroller  Mohammed, Aliyu, A,  the Customs Area Controller, Seme Command, has re-stated his commitment in combating and confronting the hydra headed monster of smuggling  head long that has assume a threatening dimension to the socio-economic development of Nigeria. The Comptroller while taking stocks of seizures made  daily by the command disclosed that he remain undaunted to accusations from different quarters that are ignorant or not knowledgeable about customs laws  “that he arrest everything that comes into Nigeria’’. He reassured genuine stakeholders that they have no course to fear unless the non-compliant ones that have skeleton in their cupboard.

Compt. Aliyu addressing Newsmen on the seizures

Highlighting further, the professional investigator who combined his investigative skill with enforcement experience to achieve the unprecedented feat restated his uncompromising stand in order not to drag his heard earned reputation and integrity to the mud.

The Customs Area Controller who has been suddenly nick named as “Mr do the right thing” for his onslaught against prohibited items insisted that he cannot stop seizing contrabands and non-compliant goods that refuse to adhere to the law of the land thereby undermining the policies of the federal government of Nigeria that the Nigeria Customs Service stand to enforce at the border.

In his narratives, the Customs Area Controller stated that the Command seized over six hundred (600x50kg) bags of rice with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N10m on the 26th of March, 2018 after destroying a total of over (2800x50kg) bags of expired rice the same day with a total DPV of over N49m. Another seized truck with Reg. No XE-634-MUS disguised to be empty was arrested based on intelligence and discovered to be carrying about 1,514 cartons of imported Tin tomato with a DPV of N8,175,600.00 on the 24th March 2018.

Commenting on the daily seizures that have become a recurring decimal and a routine in the command, Compt. Aliyu said that a visit to the warehouse of the command which is almost filled up to the brim, an attestation that  the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Command,  is not resting on its oars in generating revenue, facilitating legitimate trade, suppressing  smuggling and protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria through due diligence in the use of  effective and operational fixed scanner machines  at the border command. Restating his resolute stand, the Customs Area Controller noted that he is not ready to shy away from his responsibility as far as deliberate perpetrators remain recalcitrant violators of the federal government policies.

The Customs Area Controller warned that seizure will continue to be the hall mark of the command and his enforcement officers will continue to do the needful against the unrepentant smugglers. However, the customs helmsman stressed that all his achievements is attributed to the mutual consultation and cooperation with the host communities who do share intelligence with the Command, and the cooperation of the sister security agencies who synergize and collaborate with the Nigeria Customs Service for effective border management. He disabused the mind of the public who are quick to mention Seme border to any incident of smuggling seen along Lagos metropolis. He categorically stated that any smugglers who previously before now operate through Seme route will definitely affirm that change has come to Seme. Though a trial may convince who ever doubt.

 

Customs launches new uniform

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Customs launches new uniform
Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Customs Service, Joseph Attah, showcasing the new additional uniform introduced by the Service in Abuja on Tuesday.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Nigeria Customs Service has introduced a new uniform for its officials.The new uniform, which will be used alongside existing ones, was officially presented to the public by the Acting Deputy Comptroller-General, Tariff and Trade, lsa Talatu and the Service Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Joseph Attah.

The new uniform has white top over the usual ash coloured trouser with a tie to match. A statement signed by Attah on Tuesday said the additional uniform is part of the ongoing reforms of the NCS aimed at giving officers additional outlook that befits a Service operating on high integrity standard.

According to the statement, “Officers and men working in offices, airport and especially during hot weather will find it easy and more comfortable to wear on duty.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a change of uniform but an addition to give officers and men variety of official wears.

“The white top which can either be long or short sleeve is part of the ongoing reforms aimed at giving officers additional outlook that befits a Service operating on high integrity standard.

“While giving his nod for the official use of the new uniform, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali expressed the hope that the additional wear will help shore up the Service image as well as provide more comfort for operatives at certain time and in appropriate assignment to increase productivity.”

Imo CP Detains SARS officials, Orders Trial of Policemen For Demanding N10,000 Bribe From Journalists

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Imo CP Detains SARS officials, Orders Trial of Policemen For Demanding N10,000 Bribe From Journalists
CP. Chris Ezike , Commissioner of Police in Imo State

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Chris Ezike, has detained three policemen attached to the Anti-Cultism Unit of the command for allegedly threatening to frame some journalists and collecting a N10,000 bribe from them on Sunday. The CP, who confirmed the development on Tuesday, said he had given the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department seven days to conclude investigation into the matter.

Ezike said the policemen would face an orderly room trial if found culpable of the allegations.He said, “The three policemen are in detention now. I have directed the DC SCIID to investigate the matter.“I have equally directed him to reach out to the complainants, because as we speak, nobody has reported the incident apart from what we saw in the media.“The Inspector General of Police is passionate about discipline and excellence. The allegation is corruption with impunity.”

It would be recalled that some policemen had arrested some journalists on Sunday in Owerri, namely Juachi Ochu, (www.profjay.com), Matthew Okache (www.voplink.com), Williams George (www.touristtv.com) and Trinity Jesam (detailing cross river) and demanded that they should part with the sum of N10,000 before getting their freedom. The victims were members of the Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria, OMPAN who attended the association’s convention in Owerri between March 30 and 31.

Voplink Media reports on Easter Sunday some OMPAN members who were on their way to board vehicle going back to their different destinations, were arrested by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad obstructed their movement.

Narrating their ordeal in the hands of the police, one of the victims had stated; “At about 10:30am on Sunday, on our way to the park to board a vehicle going to our different destinations, we were accosted by men of Special Anti-Robbery Squad. After checking our papers and every other documents, we were asked to follow them to their station (State CID) opposite IMO State Government house”

According to the arrested journalists, another thorough search was made on them and nothing incriminating was found.

“So, we asked for our release and one Inspector Uche, who happens to be the leader of the gang insisted on giving them money, probably after having a feeling that we were all in a hurry to go back to our family after a stressful and successful national convention of Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria OMPAN in Owerri.”

“We pleaded with them to let us go as we are law abiding citizens of federal republic of Nigeria but all our plead turned into deaf ears as the inspector refused to listen to us”

“Inspector Uche who is the head of the gang of SARS on operation threatened to jail the journalist and indict them with a criminal offense if they (OMPAN members) don’t give them money.

“This sound like they (corrupt SARS officers) after getting information that the Imo State chief of staff played host to journalist yesterday in a gala night at Westbrook hotel may think the Chief of Staff might have spoiled the OMPAN members with money.

“We were advised to make use of the ATM, which I was made to stay back at the station as a collateral while my colleagues go to the ATM to make withdrawals”.

“They left for the ATM and came back with some cash which was handed to the officers in the attached pictures above.”

Dino Melaye’s accusers, others re-arrested days after escape from custody

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Dino Melaye’s accusers, others re-arrested days after escape from custody
IGP Ibrahim Idris
The Inspector-General of Police

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]olice have rearrested the last of the suspects who reportedly escaped from custody in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, last week. The suspect, Kabiru Saidu, also known as Osama, is one of six suspects who escaped from the custody of the ‘A’ division of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

A police source who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to journalists said that the suspect was arrested by detectives in Bauchi on Sunday night and taken to Abuja, the nation’s capital.The police source confirmed that all the suspects who broke out of jail where they were being held pending their court appearance, have been rearrested.

Saidu and the other suspects had been arrested for various crimes claiming they were being armed and funded by the Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye. Following their escape on the eve of their arraignment, the lawmaker, Senator Melaye challenged the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris to produce the escapees or face a lawsuit.

Since the re-arrest of the criminals a few days ago, the lawmaker had yet to comment on the matter during a Senate plenary last week.It is widely believed that the suspect allegedly planned and coordinated the escape, with the assistance of some police officers. His initial escape from the cell has led to the immediate removal of the then Commissioner of Police, Mr Ali Janga, by the IGP.

The police boss also changed the state Commander of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) for negligence, dereliction of duty and gross misconduct. He also redeployed the Divisional Police Officer ‘A’ Division, Lokoja, where the suspects escaped, and other police officers implicated in the escape for the same offence.

He consequently directed the Commissioner of Police, Federal Operations at the Force Headquarters, Mr Esa Ogbu, to immediately proceed and take over as the new police boss in the north-central state.

Africa Has Lost Courageous Woman, Buhari Says As He Mourns Winnie Mandela

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Africa Has Lost Courageous Woman, Buhari Says As He Mourns Winnie Mandela

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]resident Muhammadu Buhari has described the passing away of South-African anti-apartheid icon, Mrs. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, as a huge loss to Africa, of a courageous woman. The President said that she was a woman of uncommon determination, steadfastness and perseverance who held aloft the torch of the struggle against institutionalized discrimination even while her ex-husband, the late Madiba, President Nelson Mandela was incarcerated.

A statement by the senior special assistant to the Presieent on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, quoted Buhari commiserating with the family of the deceased, the government and people of South Africa on behalf of the government and people of Nigeria. He urging the South Africans to be consoled by the knowledge that the late Winnie Mandela’s contributions to ending apartheid will not be forgotten, adding that she remained a pride not only to the African woman, but all Africans.

President Buhari prayed that God will comfort all those who mourn the departed and grant her soul eternal rest.

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