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Police to establish full drone system to aid security – I-G
The Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Kayode Egbetokun, says the Nigeria Police Force will soon establish a full drone system to tackle the nation’s security challenges adequately.
Egbetokun said this while delivering the first distinguished Personality Lecture, organised by the TETFUND Centre of Excellence in Multidisciplinary Studies (TCEMS), University of Ibadan (UI), on Monday in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture was titled: “The Nigeria Police Force and the Management of Internal Security”.
Egbetokun said although the force already had a drone, it would now establish a full drone system to capture everywhere in Nigeria from its headquarters in Abuja.
According to him, the drone system will also help the police see criminals whenever they are committing crimes.
‘The ungoverned spaces will soon become governed,” he said.
He further said the force would establish a Special Intervention Squad (SIS) in all the states of the federation to tackle kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminality in Nigeria.
The police boss said the deployment of the SIS in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had yielded results leading to the arrest of many kidnappers and bandits, including the recovery of weapons.
The I-G said the force had also established dedicated anti-kidnapping units across various states, focusing on intelligence gathering and rapid responses to kidnapped incidents.
The units, he said, had successfully conducted numerous rescue operations leading to the safe return of kidnapped victims and the arrest of perpetrators.
Egbetokun highlighted the shortage of manpower, inadequate equipment, public distrust and insufficient budgetary provisions as some of the challenges facing the force.
He, however, pledged the force’s commitment to the protection of lives and property of citizens.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of UI, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, commended the I-G for his visionary leadership in managing the nation’s security challenges.
Also, the acting Director of TCEMS, Dr Benjamin Aluko, said the lecture was organised to elicit constructive discussions that would reshape the country’s security situation. (NAN)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have intercepted cocaine hidden inside the walls of several suitcases.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a post on Sunday, attaching the videos of the seized contraband on X.
He decried a situation whereby the smugglers went to extreme lengths, factory-fitting the hard drugs within the luggage with surgical precision.
“Narco-trend update: Strewing the walls of suitcases, in factory fitting precision, with cocaine, must have taken lot of efforts and resources but at the end #ndlea_nigeria officers still uncovered all as revealed in these videos that captured the latest seizure by #ndlea,” the statement read.
According to the video released by the agency, officers were slicing through suitcase linings to remove the hidden cocaine.
Alex Otti, governor of Abia state, says he has no intention of running for the senate after his “eight-year” stint.
Otti spoke at a reception held in his honour by the Anambra Development Unions Association, Aba branch.
He dismissed reports suggesting he was eyeing a senate seat, describing them as “unfounded” and “misleading”.
“When I finish my eight years here, I will retire. I am not going to Abuja,” the governor said.
He also urged critics to refrain from spreading what he termed “falsehoods”, adding that the political space should be opened up for younger Nigerians.
“We are no longer that young. Society is changing, and the young ones are rising. It’s time we give them the opportunity,” he said.
The governor also spoke about plans to revisit the 2011 disengagement of 154 civil servants, most of whom were teachers.
He said he had directed the head of service to conduct an urgent review of the matter and propose possible remedies.
Otti said those below the age of 65 might be re-engaged on a contract basis, particularly to address the shortage of teachers in the state.
He faulted the disengagement, which was reportedly based on state of origin, describing it as “unjust” and “illegal”.
“For those outside the age bracket, we’ll find fair compensation mechanisms,” the governor said.
Otti reiterated his administration’s commitment to justice, inclusion, and “correcting the wrongs of past administrations”.
Atedo Peterside, founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, has faulted the invitation of Muhammadu Sanusi, the Emir of Kano, by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) headquarters in Abuja.
Sanusi was invited for questioning over alleged killings during the recent Eid-el-Fitr celebration.
In a letter dated April 4 and signed by Olajide Ibitoye, commissioner of police, on behalf of the deputy inspector-general of police in charge of the force intelligence department (FID), Abuja, the police asked Sanusi to attend an investigative meeting on April 8.
During the Eid-el-Fitr celebration last Sunday, some members of a vigilance group who were said to be part of Sanusi’s entourage were allegedly attacked and killed.
Sanusi presided over the Eid prayer at the Kofar Mata Eid prayer ground in Kano.
Abba Yusuf, governor of the state, and other government officials attended the Eid prayer session.
The Kano police command had constituted an eight-member panel to investigate the killing.
Abdullahi Kiyawa, the Kano police spokesperson, said the incident occurred despite the ban on durbar activities by the force.
In a post on X on Sunday, Peterside said the Kano police command should have quizzed the monarch.
“What is Nigeria Police Force trying to turn Nigeria into? Has Nigeria become a Police State? Is there any question that the Commissioner of Police cannot legitimately ask the Emir of Kano in Kano on behalf of his Abuja bosses?” he asked.
Peterside added that invitations across state boundaries are a “form of harassment” and should be discouraged.