Startech Safety And Security News Blog

The Air Force will join the military operations against killer-herdsmen and militia in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa, Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar said yesterday. He said the intervention of the NAF would be through the establishment of Forward Operational Base (FOB) in Taraba state and Quick Response Wing along Benue and Nasarawa axis. A statement signed by Director of Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, said the Air Chief said the developments were part of an elaborate efforts to address the security challenges. The statement reads: “Air Marshal Abubakar also spoke on the current and likely threats as well as contingencies from the perspective of air operations. Some of the initiatives included but are not limited to the establishment of new commands and some units, improvement in human capacity development, improved aircraft serviceability and logistics support as well as enhanced personnel welfare.”

Angry mob on Thursday burnt three trucks at Agbede along the Benin-Auchi-Abuja expressway after one of the trucks accidentally hit some persons along the road. It was gathered that the truck had a brake failure and rammed into several persons standing by the roadside. The mob blocked the highway and caused heavy vehicular traffic that lasted hours. Eyewitnesses said four persons died and eight others were seriously injured in the accident. Our correspondent gathered that the mob’s action prevented officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other security agents from carrying out rescue operations at the scene of the accident. But Edo State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Samuel Odukoya, said only one person died in the accident.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said the assertion that President Mouhammadu Buhari ignores the killings perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen because he is Fulani is unfair and untrue. The Vice President said this yesterday, during a summit on national security organised by the Senate in Abuja. Osinbajo also said in some of the worst cases of killings, the security agencies were simply not there in time. According to him, the Army has in the last few days scaled up its personnel and equipment in Agatu,  Guma, Katsina Alla and Logo LGAs. “Government fails in that responsibility often, but, I must say, never deliberately. Every killing diminishes us as people; every killing undermines the authority of the state. This is why the saying sometimes that because the President is Fulani he has ignored the killings by herdsmen is both untrue and unfair. “In any event, the herdsmen and farmer clashes resulting in deaths had been with us for at least two decades and I have...

The trial of Air Marshal Mahammed Umar Dikko, former Chief of Air Staff, on charges of fraud to the tune of N9.7billion came up on Thursday, February 8, 2018 before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, sitting in Maitama, Abuja, with the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness, Air Commodore Salisu A. Yushau (rtd). Dikko, who served as the Chief of Air Staff, Nigerian Air Force, NAF, between September 2010 and 2012, is facing a 7-count charge of money laundering and procurement fraud to the tune of N9.7billion preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. He, among other things, allegedly withdrew N700million from the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) account to purchase a house at No. 14 Vistula Close, off Panama Street in Maitama, Abuja. The former Air Chief was also said to have stolen N500million from the NAF account to buy a four-bedroom duplex at Road 3B Street 2 in Mabushi Ministers Hill, Abuja. Additionally, the former NAF boss ...

Maj. Mahmoud al-Werfalli PHOTO: Aljazeera A Libyan commander wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over a series of summary executions was released on Thursday, a day after handing himself in to military authorities in eastern Libya, a military source said. Supporters of the commander, Mahmoud al-Werfalli, had demonstrated in the eastern city of Benghazi late on Wednesday against any legal action being taken against him, closing roads and burning tires. Some held signs reading “We are all Maj. Mahmoud al-Werfalli”. Werfalli is a commander in an elite unit attached to the Libyan National Army (LNA), the dominant force in eastern Libya. It rejects the internationally recognised government in Tripoli and is aligned with a separate government based in the east. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Werfalli in August 2017, accusing him of a role in the summary killings of 33 people between June 2016 and July 2017, as the LNA neared the completion of its campaign to tak...

Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram leader Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has released a new video pledging to continue attacks days after Nigerian army repeated that the group had been defeated. The factional leader said in the video which was released on Tuesday said that a recent effort to clear out Boko Haram’s stronghold of Sambisa forest in Borno State had failed and vowed to keep fighting against Nigeria and western education. “The person that believes in nationalism is the one we are at war with, the person who believes in disseminating western education, which is replete with unbelief, is the one we fight”, Shekau said in the 11-minute video. In the video, delivered in Hausa Language, Shekau expressed frustration on the continued hostility and loss of his supporters to Nigerian army. He pleaded with his non-combatant members across Nigeria to pick up arms and help him fight till he drops dead. He added that the latest claim by the military that the group had been sent pack...

Four Chinese nationals and 16 Nigerians have been arrested for allegedly running an elaborate illegal mining operation in Ebonyi State. The arrest during a raid of the mining site at Echara Unuphu in Abakaliki Local Government Area during a raid by the police and other security agencies on Wednesday was at the instance of the state government. The state government said the miners built a wide tunnel and hired soldiers to prevent its officials from inspecting their operation. The Special Adviser to the State Governor on Solid Mineral Development, Nwakaego Nworie, said she visited the site with geology experts but the miners prevented them from inspecting the site. “I became very curious and insisted that I must see the whole site. I moved down inside the site. I got to a place, a soldier blocked me and threatened to shoot me if I pass him. The soldier told me, ‘Don’t go to that extreme’. That day, I saw the tunnel even though I was prevented from going closer to it. “Today,...

Nigerian Refugees The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) says over 8.5 million persons need life-saving support due to humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East. The UN said in its October Humanitarian Situation Report that it targeted 6.9 million displaced persons for life-saving assistance in 2017. The fact-sheet shows that 5.2 million people are facing food insecurity and 5.1 million persons targeted for food security interventions, while humanitarian organisations in collaboration with the Federal Government provided support to three million persons under the emergency food intervention programme in 2017. It showed that about 3.4 million persons, particularly children, expectant and nursing mothers need nutrition support, while 2.7 million were targeted for assistance within the period under review. OCHA explained that 2.1 million persons had so far benefited from various nutrition interventions designed...

FILE PHOTO: Cattle open-grazing The Police on Thursday arraigned 19- year-old Ibrahim Mohammadu of Agirima village of Nasarawa State, in a Magistrates’ Court in Makurdi for alleged violation of Benue Open Grazing Law. The prosecutor, Sgt. Abdulkarim Abubakar, told the court that the case was reported on Jan.21, by Mrs Ochoyada Ogah, Mrs Gloria Samson and Mrs Rebecca Michael. The complainants were from Ocholanya village in Agatu Local Government of Area of the state. Abubakar said that the complainants had averred that they saw the accused person’s cows grazing on their farms. According to the prosecutor, the accused person voluntarily confessed to committing the crime. He said that the offence contravened Section 19 (2) of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of Benue State 2017. The accused person pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him. The Magistrate, Mr Emmanuel Azembe, ordered that the accused person be remanded in prison and ad...

Fulani Herdsmen Fulani herdsmen have done it again. This time around, they went for the Officer-in-Charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Saki Unit in Oyo State Police Command. Nigerian Tribune reports that the SARS boss was macheted to death by Fulani herdsmen Tuesday night during an operation in a forest at Saki-Ogbooro Road in Oke-Ogun area of the state. Tribune stated that police authorities in the state have confirmed the killing of the SARS boss who is an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP.

Chinese policewoman with surveillance sunglasses Police in China have begun using surveillance sunglasses equipped with facial recognition technology to identify suspected criminals, the first in the world. The glasses are connected to an internal database of suspects, meaning officers can quickly scan crowds while looking for fugitives. But critics fear the technology will give even more power to the government. The sunglasses have already helped police capture seven suspects, according to Chinese state media. Police used the new equipment at a busy train station in the central city of Zhengzhou to identify the suspects. The seven people who were apprehended are accused of crimes ranging from hit-and-runs to human trafficking. Police also identified 26 people who were using fake IDs, the ruling communist party’s People’s Daily newspaper reported. The technology allows police officers to take a photograph of a suspicious individual and then compare it to pictures stored ...

Maj.-Gen.-Rogers-Nicholas Nigerian troops have started building a major highway to open up Sambisa Forest, the fortress of the Boko Haram insurgents, following the defeat of the terrorists. The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicholas, said in Maduguri on Thursday that the road project was to make troops to establish total dominance of the expansive forest that has been home to the insurgents for years. The military authorities have been making repeated claims that the nine-year insurgency has been finally crushed. However, Boko Haram has repeatedly been packing bloody punches in communities in the northeast, the hotbed of the insurgency. Boko Haram, which has been fighting to enforce a strict Islamic code in Nigeria, has killed thousands, destroying the economy of the northeast and displacing millions of people. Nicholas, who spoke through the Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Onyeama Nwachukwu, said that the road would also link ad...

                                     10 people were killed and five villages completely burnt in a clash between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Song Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The affected villages burnt were Simba and Shure, as well as other adjoining communities between Dumne, in Song and Shelleng Local Government Areas the state. A heavily pregnant woman was burnt beyond recognition in Dumne village in the clash which started on February 1. Locals who escaped from the scene of carnage told newsmen that that trouble began when herds of cattle overran a water pond, the only source of drinking water for the community, and attacked a woman fetching water there. The woman, according to the survivor who received machet cuts for daring to complain about the roaming animals, rushed back to her community in her pool of blood. The community members quickly mobilised to t...

Last week, a disturbing video of a 6-year-old girl being forced to give an adult male a blowjob was spread across the world via social media. The indecent video caused an outrage online as many tagged several agencies to investigate the footage. On Tuesday February 6th, Germaine Moore, 44, of Millbrook, Alabama, turned himself into authorities at about 2:30 a.m, after the Alabama Internet Crime Against Children Task Force and Central Alabama Crime Stoppers announced warrants on Monday. “We’re definitely glad he’s in custody,” Lt. Brooke Walker, the commander of the Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force told AL.com Tuesday. “I”ve been doing this for 12 years, and he’s the top.” The arrest comes after initial reports claimed that the suspect was from Trinidad and Tobago. According to reports, the suspect is charged with sexual assault of a child, distribution of video depicting the assault and first-degree criminal sexual conduct. More charges are also expect...

Today, the Nigerian Army said it would begin a major deployment of troops to the troubled states of  Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kogi  and  Niger  to restore peace and orderliness. The exercise is tagged:  Ayem Akpatuma  (Tiv Language) meaning  Cat Race.  The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen.  Tukur Buratai,  said the exercise which runs from February 15 to March 31 would be targetted at killer herdsmen, cattle rustlers, armed bandits, kidnappers, armed militias and other criminal elements in the six states.   Addressing journalists at the army headquarters in Abuja, Buratai said the exercise would cover the 1 and 3 Divisions, representing the North West and North Central geopolitical zones of the country, while the Guards Brigade, 707 Special Forces Brigade, and the Headquarters Army Command would also be involved in the exercise. Buratai, who was represented at the briefing by the Chief of Training and Operations, ...

A gang of five 'drug dealers ' were last Monday arrested for 'smuggling ?25Billion (£50m) worth of cocaine on a private jet flown from Colombia To UK. The five men, two Brits, two Spaniards and an Italian were held after half a tonne of the class-A drug were allegedly found in their luggage. The five suspects were named as brothers Martin James Neil, 48, and Stephen John Neil, 53, from Poole in Dorset, Italian Alessandro Iembo, 28, from Bournemouth; and Spaniards Victor Franco-Lorenzo, 40, and Jose Ramon Miguelez-Botas, 55. According to Mail Online, three of the suspects Brit bricklayer Martin Neil, Italian chef Alessandro Iembo and Spaniard Victor Franco Lorenzo, are said to have travelled to Bogota for two days in December before returning with the other two men late last month to allegedly pick up the cocaine at a five-star Marriott hotel. Colombian confirmed that a fake police officer helped ensure the drugs left the country. The UK's National...