THE Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olukayode Egbetokun, has disclosed that the Nigeria Police would establish a Quick Intervention Squad to tackle crimes and criminality in the country.

Egbetokun, speaking in Abuja during his inaugural conference with Strategic Police Managers, comprising officers from the rank of commissioners of Police and above, stated: “The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) under my command, in its quest to stamp out violent crimes and their detrimental and debilitating effects on security and safety of our society, will forge ahead to tackle the menace of crimes and criminality head on.

“This will be done with the establishment of a specialised Quick Intervention Squad, which will comprise combat-ready Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel, with effective and enhanced training in crisis de-escalation and violent crime reduction strategies.

“This will lead to a review of the engagement patterns of the PMF in a bid to restore its days of glory as a punching arm of the Police.”

He stated that his administration would embrace innovation and technology as powerful allies in the fight against crime, saying the world is evolving at an unprecedented pace and so the Nigeria Police should adapt to the evolving landscape of crime.

Egbetokun said criminals were presently more sophisticated, more organised and more ruthless than ever before, adding that the Nigeria Police would leverage cutting-edge tools, data analytics and intelligence networks to stay one step ahead of the criminals seeking to disrupt the peace of the country.

This, he noted, would be achieved through a robust and effective human and technical intelligence gathering process to enhance the capacity of personnel, noting: “By harnessing the power of technology, we can make our streets safer, our investigations more efficient and our communities more resilient.

“We cannot afford to be reactive; we must be proactive in our approaches by equally collaborating with other security agencies, both domestic and international, to strengthen our intelligence network.”

He said his administration would also prioritise the enhancement of the Nigeria Police training curriculum, with special focus on attitudinal and behavioural changes for new recruits and re-orientation programme for serving officers, with the aim of further refining the perception of officers to concepts of human rights, rule of law and citizen-focused policing.

Egbetokun said the new training curriculum would be produced with inbuilt tests, designed to weed out individuals with negative mentality and high tendency for violence from recruits, saying his administration would also make a case for improved welfare for officers to ensure the availability of resources, trainings and support necessary to carry out their duties professionally.

“To this end, my administration will intensify collaboration with relevant stakeholders for the resuscitation of the Police Officer Support Unit (POSU) of the Police Medical services. This will serve as a confidential support and counselling facility for all police officers,” he added.

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, in France, said Nigeria was ready to do business and receive investments from foreign partners; hence the ongoing reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy and streamlining of exchange rate, which he said were to make for a more competitive economy that attracts Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

He, therefore, urged investors to take advantage of the ensuing opportunities, noting: “We are ready for business, prepared to welcome investments.”

Tinubu stated this while receiving President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, and President of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Odile Renaud-Basso, in separate meetings on the sidelines of the Summit for New Global Financing Pact in Paris, France.

According to his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake, the President assured the delegation of AfreximBank Executives delegation, led by Oramah, that the Federal Government would continue to stimulate the economy with policies that support investments in areas of Nigeria’s competitive advantage, particularly agriculture.

He stated that the current reforms were needed for Nigeria’s national survival, adding that it would take boldness and courage to reposition the economy; hence has call for more collaboration to solidify the economy.

THE Department of State Service (DSS) has warned of possible attacks on worship and recreational centres before and during next weeks Eid Kabir celebrations.

The security agency said the recovery of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from terrorists in joint operations by the Service, personnel of the Nigerian Army and Police lent credence to the planned attack.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Dr. Peter Afunanya, the DSS urged operators of malls, among others, to be vigilant, adding: “The DSS calls for vigilance before the Eid celebrations more so that reports had indicated plans to attack worship and recreational centres before and during the festivities. This is evident in the recovery of primed IEDs among the suspected terrorists.

“Operators and patrons of public places, including markets, malls, etc, are advised to be watchful and report any suspicious movements and persons to the relevant security agencies.

“Accordingly, the Service will continue to partner with sister agencies for necessary proactive drills to frustrate criminals and their activities.”

THE Presidency has insisted that President Bola Tinubu has not approved any pay raise for public office holders.

A statement signed by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake, said: “We state, without any equivocation, that President Bola Tinubu has not approved any salary increase, and no such proposal has been brought before him for consideration.”

  The clarification followed reports that the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) had approved a 114 per cent increase in the salary of the President, Vice President, elected federal and state political office holders and judicial officers.

By Alake, in the statement, added: “While we recognise that it is within the constitutional remit of the RMAFC to propose and fix salaries and allowances of political office holders and judicial officers, such cannot come to effect until it has equally been considered and approved by the President.”

The Presidency, which said RMAFC had debunked the story making the rounds, alleged that the narrative was “contrived to create ill-will for the new administration, slow down the upward momentum and massive goodwill the Tinubu-led administration is currently enjoying among Nigerians as a result of its fast-paced, dynamic and progressive policies.”

‘Failed Politicians Fuelling Attacks On Okowa ’

DELTA State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, yesterday, assured that his administration would ensure that only quality projects that meet specifications are inaugurated for public use.

Oborevwori stated this while addressing journalists after inspection of some ongoing projects in Asaba and Okpanam areas of the capital territory, including the State High Court complex, Asaba; Phases I and II of the flood control measures around Madonna College Road, Okpanam and drainage channel around Koka through Agbalusia-Ngele street to Federal Technical College, Asaba.

“We are considering the transition committee’s report and there are things we can do for Deltans that they will appreciate and we are already working on those things. In the committee’s report, there are short-term, medium-term and long-term reports, which we are also studying to see what we can do.

“That is why I am going round to inspect projects. I know the ones that we can inaugurate. We can’t rush to inaugurate projects that are not properly executed.

“We will inaugurate projects that are executed according to specification, so that when people see such projects, they will indeed know that we have inaugurated well executed projects,” he stated

The governor said a bigger drain would be constructed at the Winners Chapel area along Ibusa road to channel flood water around that corridor through Koka to the Federal Technical College.

At the High Court Complex, the contractor assured of the delivery of the project by the end of next month and the flood control measures along Madonna College Road would be delivered in two weeks.

Meanwhile, the former commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, has alleged that smear campaigns against the immediate past governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, were being sponsored by individuals who had busied themselves with the struggle for the control of the state’s resources and had failed to perpetuate themselves in power.

At a news conference in Asaba, yesterday, Aniagwu recalled that the campaigns of calumny against Okowa commenced in the build up to the governorship election in the state by those who lost out in the contest and were using every means to malign and impugn his reputation because he deployed the resources of the state to develop every sector.  

“You will recall that ahead of the general elections, there were individuals that had their own candidates in the PDP. They tried as much as possible to see how they could sell their candidates, which we considered as their democratic rights.

“In the course of the build up to the elections, Deltans, particularly members of the PDP, converged on the Stephen Keshi Stadium to elected a candidate of their choice and at the end of the day, Sheriff Oborevwori won to become the candidate of the PDP, and we all saw what followed.

“Individuals who are involved in this struggle, who want to have a grasp of the resources of the state proceeded to the law court and went to the media, invoking lots of campaign of calumny against Okowa and cast aspersions on the PDP candidate, but Deltans knew where they were coming from”

“Now the election is won and lost and government is being formed, they have continued with the bitterness of losing that election, rather than waiting for the next election in 2027. They have gone to court, but rather than staying in court, they went to the media to begin to tell lies, which are totally at variance with the reality,” he added.

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, through his legal team, told the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja that Amazon Web Services (AWS) server is prone to glitches, contrary to the claims of the firm’s cloud and web engineer that there was not reported problem with its server on the February 25, 2023 day of the presidential election.

AWS Incorporated hosts the Results Viewing (IReV) portal of the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC), which was deployed in the conduct of disputed elections.

AWS is a subsidiary of Amazon, an online store for assorted commodities with global patronage and provides on-demand cloud computing platforms to individuals, companies and government agencies.

The presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Peter Obi, are challenging the declaration of Tinubu as the elected president from the election, accusing INEC of manipulating the results in favour of Tinubu and his All Progressives Congress (APC).

INEC’s failure to upload the results in real-time, as promised, because of technical glitches suffered by the IReV portal as a result of network failure, is a major reasons opposition parties and their supporters criticised the outcome of the presidential election.

A web engineer from AWS, Mpeh Ogar, brought by Obi to testify in court on Monday, June 19, while dismissing INEC’s claim, insisted that the IReV portal did not experience any technical hitches to justify INEC’s failure to upload real-time the polling unit results of the 25 February presidential election.

Tinubu’s Counsel, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), while cross-examining Ogar, asked the witness if she was aware that “In 2021, AWS experienced 27 outages on its servers,” to which she responded “no.”

Olanipekun made a reference a glitch experienced by MTN Momo-PSB (Payment Service Bank), fintech subsidiary of MTN Nigeria, which caused erroneous transfers of the bank’s customers’ funds, but Ogar, a cloud engineer and architect at Amazon Web Services Incorporated, said: “It is highly unusual for glitches to occur for primary functions during production of AWS when it is available to end-users.”

She told the court that her reports of the 33 regions where Amazon Web Services hosts their servers “are available public information,” clarifying that she was not at the court to testify as Amazon Web Services Incorporated official, but to “testify as an expert witness” regarding the technology that hosts INEC IReV.

She said she was an LP candidate for the House of Representatives election in Cross River State, which she lost, but added, while being cross-examined by APC’s Counsel, Lateef Fagbemi, “nothing is impossible,” regarding glitches during the deployment of AWS technology.

She earlier told the court that “glitches only happen during the testing stage of the (AWS) software.”

The court later adjourned until Wednesday, June 21 for further hearing.

Obi is expected to close his case on Friday, June 23, to be followed by Tinubu, INEC and the APC defence.

Agency Quizzes Ortom Over Alleged Funds Misappropriation

RETIRED   Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Hakeem Odumosu, has denied news of his appointment as the substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

  The internet was awash with reports of his appointment to replace Abdulrasheed Bawa, who was recently suspended by the President Bola Tinubu to pave way for unhindered investigation into allegations of abuse of power levelled against him.

But Odumosu reportedly tweeted: “Good morning everyone. I have been inundated with so many calls and messages between yesterday and today on a purported “EFCC appointment.

“I just want to use this opportunity to debunk this information and say it’s totally UNTRUE. This information must have emanated from mischief-makers and should be totally disregarded.”

Odumosu, a former Lagos State commissioner of Police, retired from the Police Force in January 2022 shortly after his elevation to the rank of AIG after 32 years of service. 

He was the first chairman of Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit (task force) and also Commander of the State-funded Rapid Response Squad (RRS).

Meanwhile, the EFCC on Tuesday, June 20 quizzed former governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, over allegations of misappropriation of funds.

Ortom had honoured the agency’s invitation for questioning barely one month after leaving office.

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who arrived in Paris, France, on Tuesday, June 20, ahead of the Summit on New Global Financing Pact, being hosted by President Emmanuel Macron.

A statement by his spokesman, Dele Alake, explained that the President was received at the airport by Ambassador Kayode Laro and other top government officials from the Nigerian Embassy and French Ministry of Foreign Affairs about 6.47pm local time.

Alake said Tinubu will receive detailed briefs on Wednesday, June 21 from Laro, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Adamu Lamuwa, and other officials on Nigeria’s position on the Summit and scheduled sideline meetings with leaders and multilateral institutions.

“The President will participate in a two-day Summit, June 22nd and 23rd, that looks at opportunities to restore fiscal space to countries that face difficult short-term financial challenges, especially the most indebted, mobilise innovative financing for countries vulnerable to climate change and economies struggling with the  effects of COVID-19 and energy crisis,” Alake said.

THE Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has expressed readiness, like a lion, to devour Nigeria’s enemies.

Egbetokun stated this shortly after he was decorated with the new position by Vice President Kashim  Shettima, in presence of his wife at a brief ceremony held Vice President’s Conference Hall, also attended by his predecessor, Usman Alkali Baba; National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume; Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, who doubles as Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF).

The acting IGP, who until his appointment was the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of Southwest, told State House correspondents that he was prepared to crush all criminals and enemies of Nigeria.

“Now, I have just been decorated and I am looking forward to taking over tomorrow morning by 11 am. I really can’t describe how I feel presently, but if I have to tell you anything, I will tell you that right now, I feel like tiger inside of me ready to chase away all the criminals in Nigeria.

“And some other time, I feel like a lion in me ready to devour all the internal enemies of Nigeria. That’s my feeling right now.”

On his part, Baba said he had handed over to a capable personality who would continue from where he stopped, adding: “It is a stage, you come, you work, and you go. I’m happy I am handing over to somebody I know will carry the mantle of leadership from where I have stopped.”

On his successor, he stated: “We grew up in the job, we grew up together, I was his boss at a time or even when I was IGP. He worked under me twice, we’ve been working together and I know how he can go ahead to champion the course of the police from where I have stopped.”