Read IGP Arase's remarks as he commissioned Police Forensic Laboratory in Abuja

BRIEF REMARKS BY IGP SOLOMON E. ARASE, NPM, fdc, AT THE COMMISSIONING CEREMONY OF NIGERIA POLICE FORENSIC LABORATORY AND DIGITAL RESOURCE CENTRE AT THE FORCE CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE AND INVESTIGATION DEPARTMENT, ABUJA ON WEDNESDAY, 15TH JUNE, 2016
Protocols
It is with a sense of elation and professional fulfilment that I welcome you all to this landmark ceremony marking the commissioning of the ultramodern Nigeria Police Forensic Laboratory and Digital Resource Centre.
2. My sense of elation stems from the fact that the integration of global best policing practices has been one of the core focus of my leadership. This is because forensic-guided police operation represents a critical component of modern policing functions. Biometric support to policing is not only a source of police intelligence, it is also a vital aid to successful investigation and prosecution of criminal elements.
3. Unfortunately, the Nigeria Police Force has over the years, been grappling with weak forensic capacity which has been a major factor in our inability to manage complex criminal situations. Today’s event is designed to bridge this capacity gap in the Force in relation to forensic assets of the Force.
4. The asset being commissioned today is a traditional scientific investigation tool of police departments all over the world. It is also a Personal Identity Management System that the Nigeria Police Force ought to have had long before now.
5. The facility has a wide variety of applications for the positive identification of suspects through their fingerprints, iris and facial recognition functions. It is designed to collect, store, merge and display the identity of the targeted criminal element even at the scene of crime. The system can also convert existing manual record of arrested suspects into digital and searchable format.
6. With this system, the Nigeria Police is not only set to comply with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal justice ACT 2015 to capture and remit to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation all biometrics of suspected persons arrested by the Police but also put the Police in a position to key into the Presidential directives that all data capturing Government Agencies should harmonize and integrate Personal Identities captured by such agencies on or before the end of 2016.
7. Furthermore, the facility has been set up to complement the existing Forensic Laboratory in Lagos. In addition, the Digital Resource Centre was designed to serve as an information processing centre where outcomes of analysed pieces of forensic evidence or other specialised policing materials or criminal information are disseminated in the most secure fashion to other Police Formation. It has the capacity for accessing over five (5) million Law Enforcement Research materials such as journals, reports, Force orders, annual reports, forensic books and publications by renowned Police authors and experts around the world over.
8. From the Digital Resource Centre, officers can conduct research from any facet of policing through the FCIID robust data portal also connected to the INTERPOL Global Learning Centre, Singapore. Other features include full display of digital maps as well as crime scene investigation, and forensic videos. Furthermore, the centre will serve as a central Unit for training, presentation and strategic meetings for the various sections of the FCIID.
9. Ladies and gentlemen, the dream of acquiring this forensic asset for the Force would have remained a mere illusion, but for the steadfastness and strong commitment of DIG Christopher Katso, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in-charge of the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department and his Team.
10. Permit me, therefore to commend the Police team that coordinated the implementation of this Project. Looking back, they can be proud that through their sense of commitment to duty, they have aided my leadership in bequeathing to our dear nation a new Police Force that citizens have been desiring for decades. I am indeed proud and appreciative of you.
11. To my fellow professional colleagues who will utilise the facility being commissioned today, let me remind you that modern policing is no longer by power, might or extra-judicial means. It is driven by application of technology, forensic science, intelligence and above all, citizen’s consent. The Force leadership has by this commissioning exercise, equipped you with a vital tool to guide your operations, investigations and prosecutorial engagements. You now have no excuse to operate in unprofessional manner. You, rather, now have the means to align your operations to the rule of law, citizens’ professional expectations, and best international practices. I trust that you shall up your policing game, accordingly.
12. I thank you all for your attendance and pray for God’s Divine Protection over our beloved nation.

Read More

Arase commissions forensic laboratory in Abuja.

The Commissioning Ceremony of Nigeria Police Forensic Laboratory and Digital Resource Centre took place on Wednesday, 15th June, 2016 at the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, FCID, Abuja.

The Inspector-General of Police IGP Solomon E. Arase fdc, NPM, while commissioning the facility said that it would help the Nigeria Police Force to comply with provisions of the administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 to capture and remit to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation all biometrics of suspected persons arrested by the police.

The police chief said that biometrics would support policing not only as a source of intelligence, but also a vital aid to successful investigation and prosecution of criminal elements.

He explained that over the years police have been grappling with weak forensic capacity which has been a major hindrance in managing complex criminal situations.

”The Force is equipped with vital tool to guide its operations, investigations and prosecutorial engagement.

"Also the facilities have a wide variety of applications for positive identification of suspects through their finger prints, iris and facial recognition functions,” he said.

Read More

Sexual misconduct: USA Ambassador writes Speaker Dogara

The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle has forwarded a petition to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, alleging that some members of the lower chambers  attempted to commit rape and encourage prostitution during an official trip to the United States.

The accused lawmakers have however, vehemently denied the allegations and further threatened legal action against the United States Ambassador for “character defamation and a calculated attempt to ridicule the National Assembly.”

In a petition addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and dated June 9, 2016 by the US Ambassador, three members of the lower chambers including Hon. Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi), Hon. Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Hon. Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue) were accused to have brought disrepute to the parliament by soliciting for sex from prostitutes and grabbing a hotel housekeeper in a bid to rape while on a visit to the United states for the International Visitor Leadership Program.

Mr Entwistle's letter was obtained by independent news source, New Telegraph and reads:

“It is with regret that I must bring to your attention the following situation. Ten members of the Nigerian National Assembly recently travelled to Cleveland, Ohio as participants in the International Visitor Leadership Programme on good governance. We received troubling allegations regarding the behaviour of three members of the delegation to the U.S. Government’s flagship professional exchange programme.

“The U.S. Department of State and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs received reports from employees of the Cleveland hotel where the representatives stayed, alleging the representatives engaged in the following behaviour:

“Mohammed Garba Gololo allegedly grabbed a housekeeper in his hotel room and solicited her for sex.

“While the housekeeper reported this to her management, this incident could have involved local law enforcement and resulted in legal consequences for Representative Gololo.

“Mark Terseer Gbillah and Samuel Ikon allegedly requested hotel parking attendants assist them to solicit prostitutes.

“The U.S. Mission took pains to confirm these allegations and the identities of the individuals with the employees of the hotel in Cleveland.

“The conduct described above left a very negative impression of Nigeria, casting a shadow on Nigeria’s National Assembly, the International Visitor Leadership Program, and to the American hosts’ impression of Nigeria as a whole.

“Such conduct could affect some participants’ ability to travel to the United States in the future.

“While the majority of Nigerian visitors to the United States do behave appropriately, even a few Nigerians demonstrating poor judgement leads to a poor impression of the Nigerian people generally, though it is far from accurate. Such incidents jeopardise the ability of future programming and make host institutions and organisations less likely to welcome similar visits in the future.

“In addition, most of the members of this group reacted very negatively to my deputy when she brought this matter to their attention, further calling into question their judgement and commitment to the goals of the International Visitor Leadership Programme.

“This leads us to question whether to include National Assembly members for other similar programmes in the future.

“I request, in the strongest possible terms, you share this message with members of the National Assembly so they understand the seriousness of these issues, and the potential consequences of their actions, not only for themselves as individuals, but also for the future of such programmes designed to benefit Nigeria.”

One of the accused legislators Gbillah replying to the accusation, said: “This is an affront on the National Assembly and Nigeria, it appears they have ulterior motives. We are not going to take this lightly; we will take legal actions against the US government. It is a dent on our image.

“I went on the trip with my wife and baby and insisted that she stayed with me, but they told me the accommodation was meant for only participants. So, at Cleveland Renaissance where we were, opposite the Quicken Loan Arena, the Cleveland Cavalier Basketball team played a match and many people came to lodge at the same hotel, and they claimed that we spoke with car park attendants. We didn’t go with cars, so how could we have spoken with attendants

“I saw the ambassador (Entwistle) and went to greet him and he told me how a few of us tarnished the image of the House. I advised him to make it formal so that we can know who was involved and what actually happened.

“It was after this encounter that they called us to their premises and said we were identified by their accusers in a group picture. This is curious. No video footage. They didn’t accost us while we were in US. We suspect this is a calculated attempt to rubbish the National Assembly.

“Is this how they would have investigated their congressmen? Do they know that there were other black people who came to watch the match? How could they have identified us in a picture without our knowledge?

“We, the concerned members, have written to the speaker indicating the facts and demanding footage of our stay in the hotel. We also want them to provide access to our accusers to identify us. But most importantly, we would be demanding compensation from the US government for defamation of character.”

Gololo who was accused of grabbing a housekeeper with intention of rape in a letter addressed to the Speaker dated June 13 said: “Let me, from the outset, express my shock and dismay at the contents of the letter generally and particularly affects me.

“These are totally false, unfounded and baseless allegations against me. I categorically deny any such incident happened, I never grabbed any housekeeper nor did I solicit for sex. I also take this issue very seriously not only because I am a honourable member representing a hallowed institution, but because of my integrity as a husband and father. How would my family and in-laws react to these wild and grave allegations?

“I demand an apology and retraction of these allegations or I shall not hesitate to engage the services of lawyers and not only to clear my name, but to seek redress for the damages done to my reputation. I insist that evidence of the allegations against me be produced….

“It is, therefore, in the interest of both countries to investigate this matter thoroughly to get to the root of it and I am ready to go back to Cleveland at my expense to establish my innocence without prejudice to my rights, press charges against libellous allegations”

While expressing shock at the allegation, a member of the House on the delegation told independent news source New Telegraph under the condition of anonymity:
“I cannot believe this. Something must be wrong somewhere. We were all in the same hotel and this same man (Gololo) was there as well. He has all the capacity to get a woman in the city if he wanted to, but he is somebody we all know loves his wife and family so much. The lady did not even mention names, we learnt she only pointed at the man in the group photograph we took during the programme.

“Again, this issue was reported two weeks after we left the hotel. Why was this not done while we were there? The lady in question did not shout immediately and one wonders if truly there was such thing.

“We did not know anything until the letter written to the Speaker went round all of us who were in Cleveland for the meeting. It is shocking.”

Read More

Tuta absoluta: FG declares state of emergency on tomatoes

Th Federal Government has responded to the destruction of 80% of the nation's tomato farms by the tuta absoluta pest by declaring a state of emergency in the tomato production.

The development was announced on Wednesday by Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment , Hajia Aisha Abubakar who addressed newsmen after a meeting with major stakeholders in the tomatoes value chain.

Stakeholders at the meeting included packagers, relevant government ministries and regulatory agencies, farmers and processors.

The minster said that a technical committee would be inaugurated next week to draft the proposed policy.

“This meeting was convened in response to the current scarcity of tomatoes in the country occasioned by the outbreak of the tomato moth, tuta absoluta.

“Our investors in the sector have also been upset about the CBN’s ban on foreign exchange allocation for the importation of tomato concentrate, a vital raw material for them.

“So, we all came together to chart a way forward. The major decision we have taken is to develop a tomato policy under our National Industrial Revolution Programme (NIRP).

“A technical committee that would work on the policy draft should take-off next week so that we would have an approved plan in place before the next tomato season," she said.

Read More

Kano Govt gets N2b from CBN fo SMEs

The government of Kano State has secured a N2 billion Small and Medium Enterprises fund from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has said that the money will soon be disbursed to artisans in the state through the 37 government-owned microfinance banks.

He stated that women would constitute 63 percent of beneficiaries of the fund, which is an interest free loan.

The governor explained that the decision to allocate larger percentage of the money to women is based on the  desire to empower them economically and lift families out of poverty.
He made the assertion during the inauguration of the reconstituted boards of the microfinance banks.

According to the governor, the boards of the banks were reconstituted to give them a new lease on life.

“The banks were virtually dead when we came in and the money was stolen. The banks were disorganized. We have to reorganize them to enable them perform up to expectation," he said.

Ganduje disclosed that the state anti-corruption agency has been directed to focus its search light on the banks so that anyone found misappropriating funds would face the full wrath of the law.

He directed local government councils in the state to patronize the microfinance banks especially by depositing their revenue funds, adding that the state government would also help the banks to become vibrant by carrying out its empowerment programmes through them.

Read More

FG bars banks from giving loans to state governments

Banks in the country have been barred from further giving loans to state governments.

This directive from the Federal Government is in line with the Fiscal Sustainability Plan, FSP, which has been agreed to by the Federal Government’s economic team and state governors, to ensure prudent management of sub-national resources.

Sources said that President Muhammadu Buhari has been disappointed with the manner some past and present governors misapplied loans from banks  while mortgaging the finances of their states.

Some states are known to have too little to meet their recurrent obligations after deductions are made on outstanding loans.

Rather than bank loans, the Federal Government has directed states to source funds from the capital market for their infrastructure development.

It is also required that funds sourced through bonds must not only be on bankable, measurable projects but must also be released in tranches.

It is also required that the release of the proceeds of bond issuing will, henceforth, be on the basis of satisfactory utilization of earlier released proceeds.

Read More

Troops kill 2 Boko Haram terrorists, rescue 53 hostages

Troops on counter-terrorism operations in the Northeast under the umbrella of Operation Lafiya Dole rescued 53 captives on Tuesday while on clearance missions.

Army spokesman, Col Sani Usman gave more insight into the the operations in a statement he issued on Wednesday.

"Troops of 115 Task Force Battalion, in conjunction with some vigilante groups carried out patrols to Pegana, Joma, Wambiyar, Dille, Pumpum, Zah, Miya and Pugula communities and cleared them of Boko Haram terrorists.

"Yesterday, some elements of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), arrested and handed over a suspected Boko Haram terrorist, named Garba Thlama Mussa to the unit. He is currently being interrogated and would be handed over to Joint Intelligent Committee.

"The troops of 117 Battalion also carried out patrol within Mubi North and Mubi South to ensure general security of the areas. The same unit also provided security to Adamawa State boundaries adjustment committee during their visit to Kwaja village in Mubi Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

"Troops of 143 Battalion also carried out patrol in Bebel, Fattude, Teddei, Hyambula and Sukur.

"We are pleased to state that the troops in that axis are in high spirit determined to continue doing the nation proud.

"The story is the same in 22 Brigade area of operations as troops of 3 Battalion also conducted foot and mobile patrols towards Diema, Tatakura and Kala villages in which they had contact with Boko Haram terrorists and killed 2 of them and recovered some dangerous weapons."

Read More