Startech Safety And Security News Blog

Troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE in Borno state has killed five Boko Haram insurgents and captured a top commander of the group in ongoing operations in Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad basin. The Deputy Director, Army Public Relations of Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Onyeama Nwachukwu, in a statement in Maiduguri, said troops also rescued three civilians, recovered vehicles and high calibre ammunition in various operations in the past two days. Nwachukwu said on Thursday, the troops engaged and neutralised a number of fleeing insurgents while they were attempting to escape the military blocking position in one of the cleared enclaves ‘Sabil-Huda’, deep in Sambisa Forest. He said that the troops also recovered one G-III rifle magazine, one life jacket, a light Machine Gun metal link, four rounds of Anti-Aircraft ammunition, four rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition and three rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition, “Unfortunately, two soldiers were injured in the process; they had b

                  A woman escaped being raped by Fulani herdsmen by throwing her menstrual pad at them. The woman identified as Mrs. Patricia Okpako said the herdsmen attacked and tried to rape her and when she pleaded with them, saying she was menstruating, they didn't believe her. They insisted on seeing evidence so she removed her pad and threw at them. She said: "The herdsmen did not believe when I told them I was menstruating. As they insisted on seeing evidence, I brought out the bloody pad and threw it at them. It caused commotion among them. In the confusion that followed, I fled and escaped." In a different attack, one man is feared killed and his wife is battling for life at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, DELSUTH, Oghara, following an attack by herdsmen at their cassava farm in Abraka, Delta state. Mr. Happy Akpomiemie, a father of 11, was killed and his wife, Mrs. Patience Akpomiemie, was reportedly shot in the back by the herdsmen as sh

At least 13 children have died after their canoe capsized at Rafin Kana dam while they were on a trip.                                               The children, consisting of 3 females and 10 males, were from the village of Rimawa in Goronyo local government area of Sokoto State. They all died in the boat tragedy which occurred on Monday, February 19, and have been laid to rest according to Islamic rites.  Sokoto state governor Aminu Tambuwal has visited the village to condole with the affected families.  Below are the names of the deceased. 1. Rashida Bawa, Shekara 14. 2. Arziki Salihu, Shekara 6. 3. Rukayya Muh’d, Shekara 14. 4. Hadiza Ibrahim, Shekara 14. 5. Asmau Yusuf, Shekara 15. 6. Saadatu Salisu, Shekara 14. 7. Saratu Ali, Shekara 15. 8. Bashar Salisu, Shekara 9. 10. Maryam Amadu, Shekara 8. 11. Shamsiyya Muh’d, Shekara 14. 12. Ubaida Muh’d, Shekara 12. 13. Mubarak Ibrahim, Shekara 10

                             This is Benjamin Edet, a student of Ojodu Grammar School. Benjamin was stabbed in the eyes by a fellow student on Wednesday and was operated upon yesterday. The injured eye was evacuated.  The culprit has not been arrested.  Young Nigerians need help. Our public schools need help. Let us all look for ways of tackling these issues in our Schools.

                       The leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) Henry Okah, has lost his bid to challenge his conviction in South Africa for two separate bombing incidents that occurred in Warri and Abuja in 2010.   In November 2017, Okah challenged the trial and conviction at the South African Constitutional Court, in a last-ditch attempt to walk away as a free man. According to him, it was not fair, based on the dictates of the South African Criminal Procedures Act. But in a unanimous judgment on the two cases on Thursday, Justice Edwin Cameron ruled that the trial under the Anti-terrorism Act of South Africa was in line with the country’s international obligations.   Okah was convicted and sentenced to 24 years in 2013 on 13 counts of terrorism, including engaging in terrorist activities, conspiracy to engage in terrorist activities, and delivering, placing, and detonating an explosive device in 2010.  On appeal, the sentence was later redu

A father has been charged with repeatedly raping his twin daughters and starving them in an ordeal that lasted for at least 10 years. Jerry Lee Curry, 51, is accused of chaining his daughters up for 10 years, starving and beating them at their home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US. The father tortured the girls for years, tied them down with chains and gave them very little to eat. As a result of the long stretches of captivity, one of the daughters suffered gangrene and needed surgery to save her feet. One of the victims suffered a "largely detached" left ear and she was found to have scars on her forehead, scalp and back. She said that her father had beat her with a bat and a paddle. Their 10-year-old sister said that she was forced to beat her twin sisters with a stick, but she was not found with signs of physical abuse. The abuse of the twin sisters continued unnoticed for years until one of the twins escaped and managed to alert authorities. Accordi

The Lagos State Police Command has launched a man hunt for the killers of an officer of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corp, Mr. Moshood Bolaji. The late Bolaji was killed on Wednesday at about 9:30pm at Umunede Bar in Mallam Isah close, Aguda-Surulere by a suspected gang of five cultists. The deceased, a Corps Assistant 1, was going to join his colleagues in a patrol van that would take them to their duty posts when the gunmen opened fire on him. He ran into Umunede Bar to seek protection but the hoodlums continued shooting, leaving football fans and other revellers scampering for their lives.  They eventually grabbed the officer and stabbed him on the neck. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was confirmed dead on arrival. According to sources, the assailants had accused him of being a police informant and had been on his trail for a while. The State’s Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal who paid a condolence visit to the family of the Aguda-Suruler

President Buhari                           President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the families of students reportedly abducted from the Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, that no effort will be spared to bring succour to them. According to the President,   “when I received the devastating news of the attack on the school and the fact that the local authorities could not account for all the students, I immediately dispatched a high-level delegation on a fact-finding visit to the town. I also instructed the security agencies to deploy in full and not spare any effort to ensure that all the girls are returned safely, and the attackers arrested and made to face justice". He continued to say, “ the entire country stands as one with the girls’ families, the government and the people of Yobe State. This is a national disaster. We are sorry that this could have happened and share your pain. We pray that our gallant armed forces will locate and safely

EFCC Operatives A few days after Transparency International released a report showing that the perception of corruption has worsened under President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidency has criticised the global watchdog. PREMIUM TIMES  reported how the new report showed  that the perception of corruption in Nigeria worsened between 2016 and 2017. In a statement by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, the presidency said TI was publishing fiction. “Anybody who knows where Nigeria was coming from would not believe that corruption is worse under the Buhari administration,” Mr. Shehu said. Read the full statement by Mr. Shehu below. The presidency notes that while it welcomes constructive criticisms from the anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI) the organisation has a responsibility to reflect the larger picture of the concrete and verifiable achievements of the Buhari administration since it came into office in May 2015. The government is still wonderi

                                    As a student of and believer in federalism, I fully support the principle that federal polities should have police forces controlled by the federating units, and in the past I have strongly campaigned for State Police. Today, I am very frightened of the idea because the evidence that it would be abused is massive. In the recent security summit organised by the Senate, the vice president proposed that the time has come for the establishment of State Police. The reasoning is that members of the police being local and therefore knowledgeable about the community would be more effective in fighting crime, militancy and insurgency. The key idea, therefore, is that they would know or be able to easily find out the bad boys and girls and deal with them. In my view, that is where the trouble begins; who will define the bad boys and girls. State police would be established by State Houses of Assembly and that means the enabling laws defining their mand

Rivers Police Commissioner                         A pastor in Afam, Rivers State, has been arrested in connection with the murder of three persons – two women and a nine-month-old girl, all members of his church. Cyril Okoro, the deputy commissioner of police, disclosed the arrest in Port Harcourt on Friday at a press briefing. Mr. Okoro spoke on behalf of the commissioner, Zaki Ahmed. The police alleged that the pastor (name withheld) murdered the three persons on December 13, 2017. The victims were identified as Ada Ezeawa, Uluoma Onweagbo and her nine-month old baby, Christabel Joseph. “The pastor in a most bizarre manner gruesomely murdered three of his own flock, including an unborn child,” Mr. Okoro said. According to him, the pastor had a sexual relationship with 25 year-old Onweagbo, which resulted into a pregnancy. On December 11, 2017, Ada Ezeawa and Onweagbo, along with her baby strapped to her back, set out to confront the pastor over the pregnancy.

Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday amended the 30-count charge against Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, a federal judge, by adding an additional count. Rotimi Oyedepo, the EFCC counsel, said the amendment became imperative due to new evidence uncovered during investigations. At the last court sitting, Abdullahi Lawal, an EFCC investigator, while giving evidence said a Customs official paid N12 million into Mrs. Ofili-Ajumogobia’s bank account. The judge had sustained an objection to the witness’s statement on the grounds that it was unrelated to the charges before the court. Customs officer paid N12 million into Ajumogobia’s account – Witness Mr. Oyedepo said the amendment of the charge is in line with the application for amendment of information filed on February 22. The count was increased in the new charge from 30 to 31 and the defendants were asked to renew their plea. The EFCC had arraigned Mrs. Ofili-Ajumogobia and Godwin

Group of suspects operating wonder banks Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested 27 suspected operators of illegal financial institutions, also known as wonder banks. The head of media, Ibadan zonal office of the agency, Femi Oyewole, who disclosed this on Thursday, said the suspects were arrested at different locations within Ibadan, Oyo State capital. The suspects include, Olayeni Oladokun Samuel, Managing Director of Unlimited Grace Investment Limited and 10 members of his staff, Chris Igbinake of Grooming Centre and four of his staff and Akanbi Oluwakemi of Grace & Mercy Households Improvement Initiative and four of her staff. The EFCC spokesman said, others include staffers of Sobic Financial & Investment Consultant, with their identities given as Awokunle Olukemi, Sikiru Obadara, Olasunkanmi Michael, Adeoti Adegboyega, Oyewusi Esther and Ojekunle Victor Olukayode. He said the suspects have volunteered useful information to t

 Nigerian Soldiers The Nigerian military has accused Amnesty International of a deliberate attempt to weaken its effort towards ensuring peace and security in the country. In a statement on Friday night, the military through its spokesperson, John Agim, a general, accused the global human right organisation of propagating “falsehood” through its 2017/2018 human rights report on Nigeria released on last Thursday. In the report, Amnesty International accused the military and other security agencies in the country of widespread human right abuses, including operating sub-human mass detention centres where Boko Haram suspects are kept in overcrowded and disease-infested cell. The organisation, which also accused the military of extrajudicial killings, said some of the captives are even starved to death in the detention centres. It also accuse security agencies of muffling freedom of speech and breaching press freedom through intimidation of journalists and bloggers. But the