Crime
War against insurgents: Matawalle speaks on victory against criminal elements, oil thefts

The Honourable Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Mohammed Bello Matawalle has disclosed that the Nigerian Armed Forces have achieved a lot in the fight against insurgency, banditry and other groups that are enemies of the Nigerian State since the advent of this administration but a lot of these success stories are not in the public space due to security reasons so as not to expose the gallant men and women of the Armed Forces who are in the forefront of this fight to danger.

Dr. Matawalle disclosed this during the engagement with the Special Assistant to President on Policy and Coordination/Head of Central Result Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU) Hadiza Bala Usman with the Ministry of Defence when she presented the 1st – 3rd Quarters 2024 Performance Assessment Report on Implementation of Presidential Priorities and Ministerial Deliverable at the Ship House, Abuja.

The Minister also informed the SA to Mr. President that before now, the Nigerian airwaves was always full of news of oil theft, bunkering, piracy and all forms of kidnapping.
But since they assumed office, the country has recorded low occurrence and reduced reports of those activities just as he assured Nigerians of their resolve to do more to make our society safe for all.
Matawalle assured Hadiza Bala Usman of early submission of achievement data to her office for their reviews.
In a similar development, the SA to President advised the Ministry of Defence to put out more data into the public space to avoid doubts and negative feedbacks on the successes achieved by our Armed Forces in the fight against insecurity.
Adding that, regional tour of the troubled areas could be conducted to carry out on-the-spot interviews and first hand assessment of rescued individuals whose response will serve as raw and real data to the populace and as evidence that government is not resting on its oars.
Speaking further during the review of the Q1 – Q3 Report, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana mni gave a detailed submission on the achievements of the Ministry and promised that the Ministry will do more to surpass previous quarter’s report as he poured encomium on the Chief of Defence Staff and all Service Chiefs for their consistency and tireless efforts in making Nigeria a peaceful and safe place.
Dr. Kana tasked the Directors of the Ministry not to relax in their quest to give their best to the service of our dear country.

Crime
Groups urge Governor Soludo to free detained native doctor, ritualists

Groups operating under the aegis of the Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE) and Campaign for Democracy (CD) South East Zone have called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to release ritualists and native doctors in detention.

The groups said, the Qnambra Governor should use the three years anniversary of his office to release the ritualists who have been in detention in the government house.

The appeal was contained in a joint statement by the Executive Director of the Human Rights body, CD South East Zonal Chairman Dede Uzor A.Uzor, the groups said he should use their release as a gift to their families in this season and occasion of three years in office.
The group named the native doctors as: Akwa Okuko tiwara Aku in Oba, Eke Hit from Okija and Onyeze Jesus from Nkpor.
The trio were arrested in connection with “spurious and obnoxious social media instigation on our youths” which painted a very bad image for the society.
The group lamented that the native doctors encouraged ostentatious lifestyle and crime, making our youths to believe that hard work doesn’t pay unless you engaged in unwholesome criminal activities like ‘okeite’ or ‘Awale, yahoo plus’ among other false lifestyles.
It also said “their activities promoted serious insecurity and tension in the state with teeming young people turning to such criminal and outlandish lifestyles.
“But since their arrest, we believe they have learnt a big lesson”.
The group advised that Soludo should make them sign undertaking with the hope of discontinuing such crude, unethical and diabolical activities in line with the extant laws of the State,” they appealed to the Governor.
HURIDE said Governor Soludo should grant amnesty to them in the spirit of this successful celebration of three years in office, saying that he has done so much to improve the lives of citizens of the State.
CAPITAL POST recalled that the Soludo administration has been clamping on criminal elements amid high number of missing persons believed to be orchestrated by ritualists in the State.

Crime
Ghana’s anti-drug agency nabs Nigerian drug kingpin, Uchechukwu Chima, seizes $2.1m worth of cocaine, heroin

Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has arrested a drug kingpin of Nigerian origin from the South East , Uchechukwu Chima.

The commission operatives raided his hideout in Accra.

Chima, who is 56 years was arrested on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, following the discovery of 192kg of cocaine and 0.42kg of heroin, valued at $2.1 million on the streets.
The acting Director of of Public Affairs and International Relations at NACOC, Francis Amoah speaking on the matter in Accra, confirmed that the substances seized were indeed cocaine and heroin.
Authorities believe Chima has played a significant role in previous drug-related operations in the country.
He said the operation marks a critical success in the ongoing fight against drug trafficking in Ghana.
“NACOC remains committed to making the country a hostile environment for drug trade and ensuring the safety of both Ghanaians and the international community.”

Crime
Police foils abduction of passengers along Ayere road

The Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, attached to Police Mobile Force, 70 Squadron, Kabba today Friday 14th March, 2025 foiled abduction of passengers along Ayere road. This is consequent upon a distress that some armed hoodlums blocked the road in an attempt to abduct some passengers in a Vehicle.

On receipt of the distress call, reinforcement teams from Sharper Corner pindown were promptly mobilized and sent to the scene which equally engaged the hoodlums, and owing to the superior fire power of the Police, the hoodlums fled into the bush and abandoned their victims who were rescued by the Police.

The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Miller G. Dantawaye, has ordered the deployment of additional operational and tactical assets of the Command to embark on thorough combing of the surrounding bushes with a view to apprehending the hoodlums and bringing them to deserved justice.
The CP while commending the unwavering dedication by the men of 70 PMF, Kabba, assured the public that the Police will not rest on its oars in the fight against criminality in the State.

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