Politics
Rivers Police Operatives Traces, Arrests Suspected Robbery, Kidnapping Syndicates In Kano, Abuja, Others
Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command, have effected the arrest of suspected armed robbery and kindnappery syndicates after tracing them to Kano, Abuja, Nasarawa and Gombe states.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, said those arrested include; Tamunor Kubie Okari ‘M,’ aged 23, from Okrika in Rivers State; Vincent Kobani ‘M,’ aged 20, from Gokana local government area of Rivers State; and one Monima George ‘M,’ aged 22, from Buguma in Asari Toru local government area of Rivers State.
Others are; Shehu Shagari ‘M,’ aged 33 from Kaduna South, Kaduna State, Hamisu Babangida ‘M’, based in Port Harcourt and Ibrahim Abubakar as well as Nuhu Ahmed ‘M,’ aged 30 Ibrahim Abubakar ‘M,’ aged 37, of Kala local government area of Bornu State and Abdullahi ‘M,’ aged 30, both from Yola South local government area of Adamawa State.
The statement said no fewer than .. recover 6 firearms, 30 ammunition and three vehicles were recovered from the suspects.
It reads in part: “Operatives of the C4i Intelligence Unit of the Rivers State Police Command in the course of investigating into a case of kidnapping and armed robbery reported on January 15, 2023, on Friday 12/5/23 travelled to the Kano State and successfully effected the arrest of one Abdullahi Ibrahim ‘M’, “In the process, the team recovered a Black 2010 Toyota Matrix with Reg. No. SPR 283 TA, and a Blue 2008 Toyota Camry with Reg. No. ABC 49 AT, both believed to have been snatched or stolen from Port Harcourt.
“Consequent upon the arrest, the Police Operatives successfully trailed and arrested his co-conspirators, one Tamunor Kubie Okari ‘M,’ aged 23, from Okrika in Rivers State; Vincent Kobani ‘M,’ aged 20, from Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State; and one Monima George ‘M,’ aged 22, from Buguma in Asari Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.
“Three locally made pistols and two live cartridges were recovered from Vincent Kobani upon his arrest at Victoria Street, Port Harcourt.
“The suspects confessed to the crime and described how they forcefully snatched the said Toyota Matrix from one of their victims, and thereafter withdrew the sum of N209,000 using his GT Bank ATM card.
“In another development, sequel to an earlier arrest of a suspected kidnapper who kidnapped his victim and her daughter (names withheld) on Saturday, April 15 2023, Operatives of the C4i Intelligence Unit raided an apartment on Plot 34 Lonpry Street, Trans Amadi.
“In the process, one AK47 rifle with Breach No. 0637, three magazines loaded with thirty rounds of live ammunition each, two long single-barreled guns, and one live cartridge were recovered.
“Similarly, following on an earlier arrest of a member of an armed robbery/car snatching syndicate, on Monday, 8th May 2023, Rivers State Police operatives proceeded on investigation activities to Abuja, Nasarawa and Gombe States, where they nabbed five suspects, strongly believed to be responsible for theft of cars in the state, and the sale of those stolen vehicles.
“They include one Shehu Shagari ‘M,’ aged 33 from Kaduna South, Kaduna State who is a major receiver of stolen vehicles from one Hamisu Babangida ‘M’ who is based in Port Harcourt, and a direct receiver from one Tamuno Kobiye ‘M,’ aka Okorobo, a suspected armed robber who is a native of Okrika and who has been convicted and imprisoned severally on similar offences; one Ibrahim Abubakar ‘M,’ aged 37, of Kala LGA in Bornu State who confessed that he bought one Prado Jeep from Shehu Shagari at the rate of N5m and re-sold the same to one Alhaji Abdullahi ‘M’ a Cameroonian.
“The same operation led to the arrest of one Nuhu Ahmed ‘M,’ aged 30 and Abdullahi ‘M,’ aged 30, both from Yola South LGA of Adamawa State.
“Exhibits recovered include a cash sum of Two Million Naira which was sent for the purchase of stolen Toyota Corolla; one Acura Jeep with Reg. No. PBT 10 JP registered on the name Mrs. Rebecca Mioko ‘F,” a resident of Rivers State.
“All the suspects will be charged to court at the conclusion of investigations.”
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has again thrown his weight behind the Rivers Assembly in its tussle with Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Fubara and the House led by Martin-Amaewhule have made claims and counter-claims over the presentation of the state’s 2025 budget. Their impasse followed a Supreme Court verdict, recognising the lawmakers as legitimate members of the Rivers State Assembly.
That move led the House to ask Fubara to re-present the state’s 2025 budget which he had presented to the sect of lawmakers led by Victor Oko-Jumbo. Amid the dispute between the legislature and the governor who accused the lawmakers of frustrating his attempts to re-present the budget, Wike has backed the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“Let me tell you, I’m not going to stop the Assembly from performing their constitutional duties. The Assembly should be allowed to perform their constitutional role,” Wike said on Saturday during a Thanksgiving Service held in Abalama, Asari-Toru Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State.
“The Assembly people should do their work. Whatever they deem necessary and fit, that is constitutional, they should do. I’m not going to stop anybody from carrying out their functions. I will not do that,” the minister said.
The immediate past governor of the state accused Fubara of seizing allowances and other benefits accrued to members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Wike claimed Fubara was deceived into recognising a group of lawmakers and was wrong assured that “Nothing would happen”.
“You went, and they told you to seize Assembly members’ salaries, and allowances for more than one year. These people have no income to pay their children’s school fees and feed their families, and you were jubilating. You were jubilating and people were encouraging you that nothing would happen. But something has happened,” the FCT minister who is also a chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) told the jubilant crowd.
“They will lead you to hellfire,” the minister warned Governor Fubara.
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The constituents made this assertion in a statement titled: “Nothing can ever make us recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan” signed by the Coordinator/Convener of the Concerned Constituents of Kogi Central Senatorial District, Hon. Abdulrahaman Badamasiuy.
The statement reads in part: “We the Concerned Constituents of Kogi Central Senatorial District want the Nigerian Senate, fellow citizens of our country and the whole world to know that we are firmly standing with and fighting for justice alongside our daughter and duly elected Senator, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on her illegal suspension from the Senate.
“Senator Natasha Akpoti -Uduaghan remains the one in whom we deposited our legitimacy as a Senatorial Constituency and nobody or groups of persons can unscrupulously violate our democratic and constitutional rights.
“We therefore wish to put the Senate, all Nigerians and the world on notice that:
“Senator Akpoti Uduaghan retains our irrevocable legitimacy as our Senator that we as constituents of Kogi Central duly and massively voted for in the 2023 elections to serve her full term ending May 2027.
“All our Communities that make up Kogi Central Constituency are resolute that we shall never trade off the quality of representation that Senator Akpoti -Uduaghan has given to us since she assumed office in the Nigerian Senate as our Distinguished Senator.
“We again demand that the Nigerian Senate terminates the illegal suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan because it unjustly denies our people of our constitutional right to federal representation in the National Assembly.
“We seriously warn against any attempt to further aggravate our Constituency through any fraudulent attempt to illegally recall Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan by any group of individuals conspiring to work against the collective will of we the people of Kogi Central constituency.
“Any unscrupulous attempt against the collective good of our people will be met with strong resistance from the entire Kogi Central communities.
“We the people of Kogi Central communities have maintained law and order and now wish to advise everyone else to do the same.
“The Nigeria Senate, reverse and terminate the illegal suspension order now to allow Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continue her representation and exemplary service to all of us her people.
“Let no one provoke us any further while we look forward to having our concerns addressed within the shortest possible time.”
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The Presidency has clarified that President Bola Tinubu is currently focused on positively impacting the lives of Nigerians and not the next general elections.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare who made the clarification in a statement on X on Friday, said the president’s achievement would at the end of his tenure, be how he has been able to bring development to the economy.
Dare’s statement comes amid growing political tension and economic hardship in the country.
Efforts to form a coalition that could challenge Tinubu in 2027 are on top gear, as former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, decamped from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The statement read “President Tinubu is not worried about the next election. He’s worried about the shared prosperity that he can bring to Nigerians.
“He’s worried about how the reforms he has put in place will yield necessary impact. He is concerned about what happens to the economy of this country eventually. That’s the focus. “We’ve seen our foreign reserves go up. We’ve seen inflation come down. We’ve seen our trade surplus go up.
“We’ve seen exports go up and imports drop.
“We’ve seen the investments that have been attracted -over 50 billion. We are seeing prices dropping.
“We have clear data and you have a President that is clearly in the driver’s seat, and he has stayed the course of the decisions he has taken.
“And I think that the next election is not really in his view right now.
“It’s how to make sure that at the end of his first term, he can sit back and say, look, “I have impacted the lives of Nigerians. I have turned this economy around”.
Amid hardship rocking the country, Tinubu has assured Nigerians of hope, reiterating his commitment to running a government that listens to the needs of Nigerians.
While receiving the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) on Friday, he told the bishops that he made a tough decision upon assuming office in 2023 by removing subsidies on petroleum products.
He stressed the competition among operators in the petroleum sector, the bountiful harvest enjoyed by farmers, and the lower prices of commodities, adding that investments are flowing into the country.
“Yes, removing the fuel subsidy was hard, tough for me, but it’s a hard choice that Nigeria must face. We are not going to bankrupt our country,” the President was quoted in a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.