₦airaland Forum

Nbotee:
Some of them were caught in Anambra and paraded. The videos are all over

EFCC, Police Personnel Formed ‘Kidnap-for-Ransom’ Syndicate In Enugu, Detain Suspected Fraudsters In ‘Makeshift Cells’

Certain individuals within the Enugu State police command and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have been implicated in the kidnapping of Nigerian youths, particularly those suspected of being involved in online fraud, commonly referred to as ‘Yahoo boys’.

Sources told SaharaReporters that the rogue police officers and EFCC officials have formed a clandestine team that collaborates to apprehend suspected ‘Yahoo boys’, targeting their homes or detaining them on the streets, often for exploitative purposes.

According to sources, the security personnel have adopted a tactic akin to kidnapping, mimicking criminal organisations, as a means to circumvent the lack of evidence needed to formally arrest and charge suspected ‘Yahoo boys’, bypassing standard legal procedures.

SaharaReporters learnt that the squad’s victims are abducted and held captive in undisclosed locations until they meet the ransom demands, effectively being treated like kidnap victims.

This rogue squad, comprised of errant security personnel, detains the suspects in makeshift holding cells, mirroring the tactics employed by kidnappers, to extort money in exchange for their release.

A police source said, “So rogue EFCC officials and some policemen formed an illegal squad and they would go for raids on ‘Yahoo boys’. But because they have no base to take them, they would practically hold them to ransom, kidnap-style and never release them until they pay ransom.”

According to one of the sources, some policemen involved in the illegality have been arrested.

However, the sources could not say if the EFCC had done any similar house cleaning to arrest and sanction its officials involved in the illegality.

“Some of the policemen on our side who are involved in such have been arrested but I cannot say if the EFCC apprehended their officers involved,” one of the sources said.

When SaharaReporters contacted the EFCC spokesperson, Mr Dele Oyewale, for his comment to our findings, he denied the agency's involvement in such illegal arrests.

He said, “The configuration of EFCC does not allow for that. The standard operating procedure of the commission does not allow that; it is a very disciplined organisation.

“It's never possible for the EFCC personnel to be conniving with policemen to be doing that. That allegation has no basis because there is no substance. There is no evidential proof. Just last week, four people were arrested for impersonation in Enugu. We are not that kind of organisation.”

The allegations were also denied by the Enugu State Police Command spokesman, Daniel Ndukwe during his telephone interview with SaharaReporters on Sunday.

Ndukwe said, “The information is vague and I would urge those bringing these to be more specific for proper investigation. The claim that we arrested some officers doing that is not true. We don’t have any officer charged for that habit presently.”

Some bandits on Saturday night invaded Dahjonu community in Millennium City of Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State and abducted two journalists -The Nation’s Abdulgafar Alabelewe and Blueprint newspaper’s AbdulRaheem Abdu as well as their wives and children.

Alabelewe is also the current chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kaduna State Council.

One of the victims’ family members, Taofeeq Olayemi, who confirmed the incident, said the bandits invaded the area around 10.30 pm and shot indiscriminately before carrying out their act.

Olayemi said the bandits kidnapped Alabelewe, his wife, and two of his children, while Aodu and his wife, who was also sick, were kidnapped, leaving behind their sick daughter.

He said, “Initially, they picked Abdulgafar, his wife, and three of his children and a girl staying with them before asking the girl to return with one of the children and left with Abdulgafar, his wife, and two children.

“They shattered their doors and windows and removed their burglary after scaling the fence.”


Olayemi, who is also a neighbour to the victims, added, “They came around 10:30 pm on Saturday and started shooting indiscriminately.

“They first forced Aodu’s door open and picked him and his wife and left their sick daughter behind.

“Then, they entered Abdulgafar’s house through the fence and jumped into his house.

“They went straight into his bedroom and picked him, his wife, and two of their kids and left immediately, after which the vigilantes arrived and started shooting into the air.”

As of the time of filing this report, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, could not be reached for comments as his telephone line was not connecting.

No fewer than 73 people have been killed in separate attacks that broke out across eight states of the federation in the last two weeks, Saturday PUNCH can confirm.

Recall that in June, President Bola Tinubu lamented the rising spate of insecurity in the country, noting that the security challenges in the North-West region was affecting other parts of the country.

Tinubu stated this in Katsina, at a two-day summit themed, ‘Regional Cooperation for Securing Lives and Livelihoods in North-West Nigeria,’ organised by the North-West Governor’s Forum in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme.

The President, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said the security issue in the North-West was not a sectional matter as whenever any part of the country was ailing, others would be affected.


He, however, assured Nigerians that his administration would not rest on its laurels until banditry, terrorism, and other forms of insecurity were eliminated.

However, Saturday PUNCH analysis of recent media reports showed that bandits and suspected herdsmen killed no fewer than 73 people between June 16 and July 3, 2024, across eight states of the federation.

The latest of such attack occurred on Tuesday, 2nd July in Benue and Katsina states where a total of 12 people, including a university lecturer were murdered in cold blood by gunmen.


The don, Dr Tiri David, who was the Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension, and Rural Development at the Federal University, Dutsinma in Katsina State, was reportedly killed early Tuesday morning by the assailants.

An eyewitness reported to Channels Television via telephone that the incident occurred around 1:30am at his residence in the Yarima Quarters, Low-Cost Estate, Dutsinma Local Government Area of the state.

While Nigerians were still reeling in shock over the don’s murder, some bandits struck again on Tuesday night in Benue State, killing no fewer than 11 people.

The bandits were said to have invaded Ayati village in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State and killed several people out of which 11 corpses had so far been recovered by youths in the local government area, who violently protested the killing on Wednesday in the state.

Recall that before then, three people from the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Agagbe area of the state had been murdered by suspected herders in the state.

The former manager of the camp, Terna Jacob, who confirmed the incident, said the IDPs were killed while returning from their farms on Monday evening.


On Sunday, June 30, five policemen were ambushed and killed by bandits in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.


According to reports, the officers met their death, while returning to Jibia council headquarters from their duty post in Zandam village.

Four of the officers were killed at the scene of the attack, while the fifth officer died while receiving treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina.

On Saturday, June 29, suspected female suicide bombers struck a wedding, a hospital, and a funeral in Gwoza area of Borno State, leaving six people dead and several others injured.

Shettima, as of Monday, said the death toll of the suicide bombing attack had hit 32 with 26 of its injured victims still receiving treatment in the hospital, while 14 others had been discharged.

According to a statement issued by the Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications, Mr Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima gave the updates while speaking with journalists after paying a condolence visit to the victims and families of those killed in the suicide bombings.

On that same day, suspected herders also hacked a rice farmer identified as Taiwo Paul to death in the Kata Area of Ewekoro Local Government of Ogun State.

Meanwhile, while a retired Army General, Brig. Gen. Harold Udokwere (retd.) was assassinated earlier on Saturday, June 22 by a three-man armed robbery gang in Abuja, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Prof. Yusuf Saidu, was killed by bandits on Monday, June 24.



Between June 16 and June 17, no fewer than 18 people were also killed in three separate attacks across Kaduna, Taraba and Sokoto states.

Six of the victims were killed when suspected herders attacked Mararaban Azagwa and Alele villages all of Maihula in the Bali Local Government Area of the state on Sunday, June 16.

The Sokoto victims also met their death on the same day as six of them were killed and many others were abducted by the attackers in the early hours of Sunday.

The Sokoto Police Command Spokesman, Ahmed Rufai, who confirmed the killing, said it occurred at Tudun Doki, In the Gwadabawa Local Government Area of the state.

The last six victims from Kaduna State lost their lives when some bandits invaded Bauda and Chibiya communities in Maro Ward in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state on Monday, June 17.

obi4eze:
Yea. The new PM will meet the King and a new government will be formed.

obi4eze:
Not the real results though. This is just the exit poll which is a projection of the real results which will be announced by tomorrow morning.

budaatum:
I expect Rishi to resign come morning if this turns out to be true. Going from 365 seats to a mere 131 is far too many not to.

EFCC PRESS STATEMENT

EFCC WARNS PROMOTERS OF PLANNED PROTEST

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, wishes to alert the general public on the plan by a shadowy group to instigate a “protest” against the Commission.

In the last couple of days, the group has been actively campaigning in the social media, recruiting impressionable young Nigerians, including students to take up “arms” against the EFCC.

This insidious campaign is being promoted as resistance to the operational activities of the Commission especially in respect of the enforcement of the laws dealing with cybercrimes.

The Commission, while not averse to protests by citizens, is alarmed by emerging evidence that suggest a grand design by corrupt elements under investigation or prosecution by the Commission to exploit the so-called protest to orchestrate a national uprising that may threaten the peace and security of our dear nation.

As a responsible law enforcement organisation, the Commission will not tolerate any breakdown of law and order anywhere in the country especially around its office locations across Nigeria.

EFCC, working in concert with sister security agencies, is therefore taking necessary measures to deal with possible threats to the peace and security of Nigeria. 

The Commission, however, appeals to parents, guardians and heads of tertiary institutions to take responsibility in ensuring that their wards are not recruited to be used as cannon fodder in a proxy war against the Commission by vested corrupt interests.

The war being waged by the Commission against corruption and cybercrime is to protect the future of the youth of this country. That future is imperiled if Nigeria degenerates further in global reckoning as a den of fraudsters.

Dele Oyewale
Head, Media & Publicity
July 3, 2024

The Downstream Committee of the Nigerian Senate has stated that the three government-owned refineries in the country will begin full operations before January 2025.


According to the Vice Chairman of the Committee, Senator Jide Ipinsagba, who is representing Ondo North Senatorial District, the retrofitting of the Kaduna, Warri, and Port Harcourt refineries was already at the completion stage.

Ipinsagba, who also states that the Dangote refinery in Lagos State will soon begin the refining of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, known as petrol, expressed the satisfaction of the committee during the on-the-spot assessment as an oversight function for the refineries.


He maintained that the refined petroleum products would be exported after internal consumption had been met.

“Effort is on top gear to ensure that all the refineries are functioning before the end of this year. We have done oversight of all the refineries, and we have good promises from them based on what we saw there.

“Port Harcourt refinery today has about 90 to 95 percent optimisation in terms of retrofitting. Warri is almost about 80 percent, and Kaduna is almost about 70 percent.


“Dangote refinery is ready to operate any moment from now on. With all this, internal consumption of fuel will not be a problem, and we will have the opportunity to also export our refined oil.”

Brendaniel:
Tinubu partnered with the north with this same strategy to remove his fellow southern president just because he wanted to be president, that is how selfish, heartless and wicked he is, he killed southern unity for his presidency, now the north is against him...

Let him and his tribalist face the north on their own, the rest of the south they fought will sit down and watch

Nukilia:
It's time to fight the Southern president with the bokoharam guys that received amnesty

Melagros:
COMRADES, Gwoza is predominantly Christians, so the objective for the target is clear

Whether you like it or not, Christians lives are in great danger in Nigeria

iwaeda:
Are we back to 2014, when they were blaming bombing on GEJ's cluelessness. Anyway boko haram only attacking soft targets. 3 places in a day.

Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has described Nigeria as a poor country with the potential to be wealthy.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Oyedele said in comparison with some countries and cities, the Federal Government’s budget and that of states are small.

“By the way, the entire budget, that’s the Federal Government’s of about N29 trillion plus all the states in Nigeria about N15 trillion – if you add it all, it comes to about N44 trillion. That’s around $30 billion,” he said

“That $30 billion is even less than the budget of Kenya which is around $32 billion. It is barely a quarter of South Africa’s budget at $130 billion. And of course, it’s even less than the budget of New York City, not even just New York State. So, clearly, Nigeria is a poor country with the potential to be a wealthy country.”

The Federal Government has faced criticisms over what some described as over-taxation. Kenya’s recent protests over tax laws introduced into the country have further reignited conversations among several Nigerians.

But Oyedele has ruled out the introduction of more tax, saying that cannot solve Nigeria’s revenue challenge.

“So, we do believe based on the analysis we have done and the data available to us that the right way to go is not to introduce more taxes. And in fact, if you’re gonna raise the rates of any tax, it has to be something that we’re doing as a result of the consolidation and harmonisation,” he said.

“We do think that having fewer taxes are broad-based, easy to collect, and do not place a burden on the bottom of the ladder of society is the way to go. And by using data, intelligence, and technology, we can close the tax gap so that people who have not been paying before begin to pay – who have been identified as people who should be paying – and the poor people should be legitimately exempted, particularly nano, micro businesses and low-income earners.

“And then we think that with all those, we can easily more than double our revenue within a period of two to three years.”