The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Olumide Akpata, has called for better ways to hold erring police personnel accountable for their actions in the country.

He made the call on Thursday during his appearance on a Police Reform Townhall organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), in collaboration with Channels Television.

Akpata believes while the efforts to pass and sign the Police Act 2020 into law are commendable, the Act lacks some vital components.

“In this new Act, there does not appear to be a clearly laid out accountability framework and that for me, is a major concern.

“The Act is full of prescriptions; it is loaded with prescriptions as to what standard operational procedures should be regarding policing,” he said.

The NBA president added, “There are no consequences for bad behaviours and rules that govern how a policeman will be held accountable for their actions.”

He stressed the need for grassroots policing, saying it was important for the police to gain the trust of the citizen who they protect.

Akpata advised the police authorities to lead the enlightenment campaign aimed at educating the people as to what their rights were, as contained in the Act.

He stated that this was important in gaining the people’s trust, as the implementation strategies for the Police Act 2020 would determine its success.

The legal practitioner said, “The ever-widening trust deficit between the police and the citizens that they are meant to be protecting; speaking as a lawyer, I also know that this cynicism is a function of even just the relationship between the police and lawyer, you will be shocked to find out how abysmal that relationship is at the moment.”

“The trust between the police and even the lawyers has broken down, not to talk about police and the citizen.

“I am hoping that if we get those implementation strategies right, we should be able to arrive at our promise land,” he added.

…Earmarks N37.8 Bn to public order and safety in 2021
…Kidnapping cases reduce in Lagos, CP

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has compensated the families of six police officers lynched in Lagos State in the wake of the violence that trailed the recent nationwide EndSARS protests with N10 million each, totaling N60 million.

The compensation was in fulfillment of the state government’s pledge made during an earlier meeting with police officers at the state police command.

As part of the promise to the families, Sanwo-Olu also announced scholarship awards to the children of the deceased officers up to the university level.

Sanwo-Olu presented cheques to the wives and children of the slain officers at the 14th Town Hall meeting on security, held at Civic Centre, Victoria Island on Thursday.

The yearly event with the theme: “Lagos Security: Resilience in the Face Adversity”, was organised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, LSSTF.

The late police officers are: Yaro Edward, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Inspector Ayodeji Erinfolami, Inspector Aderibigbe Adegbenro, Inspector Samsom Ehibor, Sergeant Bejide Abiodun and Inspector Igoche Cornelius.

Sanwo-Olu described the slain officers as “heroes”, saying the deceased sacrificed their lives to secure lives and properties in the State.

He said the compensation was the state government’s modest reward for their gallantry, stressing that the gesture would help the families to heal from the loss.

According to the governor, “Some of our gallant police officers paid the supreme price for our security and safety during the recent EndSARS protests. These are the officers deployed to protect our families from hoodlums but they were lynched in the violence. Today, I am happy to announce and present N10 million compensation through LSSTF to each family of the officers. All their children have also be placed on scholarship up to university level, courtesy of the State Government.”

Sanwo-Olu, at the event also received the report of security activities across the state in the last 12 months from Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, expressing his delight at the downward trend observed in sophisticated crimes, such as kidnapping and armed robbery, in the last one year.

As Lagos embarks on rebuild effort, Sanwo-Olu reiterated that security would remain a top priority for his Government. He noted that Lagos was on the verge of bridging technological and logistical gap in its security architecture before the violence that trailed EndSARS protest erupted.

The coordinated arson of the past weeks, the governor said, had necessitated the need to tighten security across the state, giving assurance that his administration would invest more in intelligence-led policing and improve operational capacity and welfare of personnel serving in Lagos.

He said: “We must sustain the steady progress Lagos has recorded in security of lives and businesses. The issue of security is a shared mission. The more we are able to engage the citizens, the better we will become at nipping crimes in the bud. Our Government will continue to proactively engage all stakeholders as part of ongoing exercise to address all security concerns.

“We have taken proactive measure of making the necessary budgetary provision for security. We will be committing N37.8 billion to Public Order and Safety in 2021 because we fully understand the correlation between development and security.

“We will stop at nothing to flush out criminal elements whose sole aim is to foment chaos and perpetrate crimes. Lagos will offer no hiding place for bandits and criminals.”

Sanwo-Olu disclosed that the Government would be committing funds to social protection to address contributing factors to crimes, including substance abuse, unemployment and poor education. He said the State remained focused on addressing issues that led to recent youth agitations, adding that programmes would be rolled out to cultivate young people’s trust and get them to embrace participatory governance.

Odumosu, in his extensive report, said his men rose to the occasion of effectively combating crimes in Lagos because of constant logistics supplies from the State government.

Giving the breakdown of crimes recorded in Lagos from October 2019 to last September, Odumosu said the Command foiled 273 cases of armed robbery, arresting 1,181 robbers in operations. He said 27 robbers were killed in the encounter during the period.

The police boss said the state recorded a sharp decline in kidnapping in the past year, an effort he linked to improved intelligence-driven operations. He, however, said cases of cultism and drug abuse were on the rise, promising to beam focus to the issues.

Executive Secretary, LSSTF, Dr. AbdulRazaq Balogun, observed that there was a decline in donations to the Funds in the current year, a factor he linked to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and establishment of similar trust funds agencies by other States.

He said LSSTF had provided 90 patrol vehicles and six units of outboard engine boats for security operations across the State in addition to logistics support provided for the personnel.

Former US presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are volunteering to take a coronavirus vaccine on camera if it will help promote public confidence.

Obama, in an interview with SiriusXM radio, said he would be inoculated if top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci signs off on a Covid-19 vaccine.

“If Anthony Fauci tells me this vaccine is safe, and can vaccinate, you know, immunize you from getting Covid, absolutely, I’m going to take it,” Obama said.

“I promise you that when it’s been made for people who are less at risk, I will be taking it,” he said.

“I may end up taking it on TV or having it filmed, just so that people know that I trust this science, and what I don’t trust is getting Covid,” Obama said.

Freddy Ford, Bush’s chief of staff, told CNN the former president also wanted to help promote vaccination.

“First, the vaccines need to be deemed safe and administered to the priority populations,” Ford told CNN.

“Then, President Bush will get in line for his, and will gladly do so on camera.”

Angel Urena, Clinton’s press secretary, told CNN the former president would also be willing to take a vaccine in public on television

Vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna-NIH are expected to be approved by US authorities shortly and a top science official said Wednesday the United States hopes to have immunized 100 million people by the end of February.

AFP

Families of the 48 farmers killed at a rice field in Borno State have been given N600,000 each by Borno State Government.

The bereaved families were also given bags of food items by a committee assigned by Governor Babagana Zulum to share donations received on their behalf.

The funds came from combined support of N20m by the northern governors forum, and N5m by the North East Development Commission (NEDC).

The Committee chaired by Borno’s Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Saina Buba, carried out Thursday’s distribution in Zabarmari.

Also in the Committee are a member of the House of Representatives representing Jere federal constituency, member of Borno Assembly representing Jere, two Special Advisers and chairman-elect, for Jere local government area.

Zabarmari, where the victims lived, is located in Jere, central part of Borno State.

A total of 13,000 Bag of rice, maize and beans, 1,300 cans of vegetable oil, 2116 cartons of seasoning cubes, 1,083 tomato and 650 sachet of salt which were donated by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development were also distributed.

Buba noted that the N600,000 cash and food items to each family were not compensation for the death of their loved ones, but to reduce hardship resulting from gaps in access to livelihoods created by the death of mostly male victims, who were breadwinners of those affected.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), on Thursday, tasked participants at a conference organised by National Association of Women Judges to provide practical and meaningful ideas that would facilitate justice delivery without sacrificing the well-being of vulnerable witnesses in the process.

Osinbajo, in a goodwill message delivered on his behalf by his Senior Special Adviser on Research, Legal and Compliance matters, Prof Bulkisu Saidu at “the Hybrid Virtual Conference on “Protection of Child & Vulnerable witnesses in Nigeria”, said that such protection must not only address the overwhelming cultural and social norms and barriers to exposing criminals but must also address the problems that the witnesses may face before, during and after trial.

He said: “At all times, the protection of their privacy and their identities should be paramount. It is not enough to pass laws for the protection of the child and other vulnerable witnesses, there is the need to have in place clear implementation and enforcement mechanisms aimed at actualising the intendment of the law.”

Osinbajo also stressed the need for appropriate protective measures for children, saying that the prevalence of sexual and gender-based offences against children has further brought to the fore the imperative of designing appropriate protective measures for children, who are sometimes the only witnesses to the offences.

While declaring the conference opened, a justice of the Supreme Court and the President of the National Association of Women Judges in Nigeria (NAWJN), Justice Mary Peter Odili, explained the essence of the Conference on Child and Vulnerable witnesses protection.

She said it was meant to create awareness, cross-fertilise ideas and congregate experiences that would chart a new course for child and vulnerable witnesses in the country.

She said Nigeria is behind in the protection of the child and vulnerable witnesses compared to her Commonwealth counterparts, adding that, “No single legislation in Nigeria provides for the protection of the child and vulnerable witnesses in the country. The situation is further compounded by the challenge of defining who is a child under the Nigerian Law.

Justice Peter Odili charged the participants to drive discussion that would provoke lawmakers, legal practitioners and judges towards a deliberate legal frame work for child and vulnerable witness protection in Nigeria.

Former Finance Minister and former Managing Director of the World Bank, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been announced as the recipient of the 2020 African of the Year award.In a statement, Media Adviser to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Paul C. Nwabuikwu said the award was coming weeks after the Chair of the General Council of the World Trade Organization, Dr David Walker and facilitators of the process for the appointment of Directors-General formally submitted her name as the WTO DG designate – the candidate who has garnered the most support to head the organization.It will be recalled that Dr Okonjo-Iweala emerged the overwhelming choice of WTO member-countries following a keenly-contested race in which she got the majority support of the 164 member countries.The Forbes Africa-CNBC award is the latest honour clinched by the multi award winning development economist, one of the African Union (AU) Special Envoys appointed to mobilize international support for Africa’s efforts to address the COVID-19 economic fallout.She is also the World Health Organisation (WHO) Special Envoy for the newly-inaugurated Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) accelerator and its offshoot the COVAX facility, an international collaboration aimed at accelerating the development, production, and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and tests kits around the world with the specific objective of ensuring timely, affordable and equitable access to poor countries.Okonjo-Iweala also serves as the Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public-private global health partnership that has immunised 760 million children in developing countries and saved 13 million lives.Reacting to the news, Okonjo-Iweala, who is known for her humility and humanity, expressed her delight at the recognition and dedicated the award to Africans facing the health and socio-economic challenges of COVID-19 during a very difficult year.“It is a great honour to serve Africa in different capacities” said Okonjo-Iweala, adding “I look forward to deploying my energies at the WTO for Africa and the world.”

…Onu advocates more fund for science and technology

By Dwelleth Morountodun

The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has said that the Federal Government has begun solar power electricity that would benefit 25 million Nigerians.

He, however, said its high-time Nigeria increased its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) if it must catch up with the advanced nations of the world.

Onu made the call at the Innovation fellowship for Aspiring Inventors and Researchers Fair organised by the Israeli Embassy in Nigeria in collaboration with the Office of the Vice-President of Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday.

He cited the State of Israel as ‘’among the top countries in Science, Technology and Innovation because it spends over 4% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on STI’’.

While commending Israel’s strides in innovation and entrepreneurship, Dr. Onu said the National Board for Technology Incubation of the Ministry is making substantial progress in assisting start-ups to incubate their ideas.

In his key-note address, the Vice-President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo said that Nigeria must accord priority to Science and Technology in all sectors of the economy.

The Vice-President, who was represented by Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said the inputs of science and technology was a life-saver during the pandemic, stressing that despite the imperfection of our Healthcare system, it was able to minimize the negative impact of the pandemic, he added.

He also said that through Economic Sustainability plan funds were disbursed to more than 100,000 beneficiaries.

He also said that the Federal Government has begun solar power electricity that would benefit 25 million Nigerians.

Osinbajo, who described Israel as a nation known for its cutting edge innovation, said Israel ranked as the second most innovative country in the world.

The Nigerian police officers have been accused of working with kidnappers.

Police officers from Zuba in Abuja on Tuesday broke into the home of Ismaeel Gbadamosi around 10 pm, behaving precisely like kidnappers, according to Gbadamosi’s wife.

Gbadamosi is a teacher at Foliage Academy, Abuja.

His wife told SaharaReporters that when the police officers, whom they initially thought were kidnappers, could not gain access to their home through the door, the officers broke the ceiling and jumped inside.

Here is her story:

“Last night, around 10 pm, we put on the generator because I was marking students’ exam scripts. My husband had slept. I heard a bang on the gate, thinking it was a neighbour. Maybe the electricity company has restored light. Suddenly I had continuous sounds as if they were using stone on the entrance to force it open. I quickly woke him up that armed robbers were breaking the door.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?guci=2.2.0.0.2.2.0.0&client=ca-pub-1921891160475578&output=html&h=280&slotname=2539184261&adk=3104952055&adf=2865970388&pi=t.ma~as.2539184261&w=500&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1607113194&rafmt=1&psa=1&format=500×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsundiatapost.com%2Fpolice-are-working-with-kidnappers-woman-narrates-encounter-with-police-who-broke-into-her-home-through-ceiling%2F&flash=0&fwr=0&fwrattr=true&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&adsid=ChEIgNmn_gUQqrOqluaXt7aZARJMAPyYGA88wg0Q_BMc_WA2ekOjmHQWrTN3-QHMutNPkgrW_wI4C5ROuXLzWM9SBXbn3k4ASORwrx4SJLogVNAZMYRcWF_89Rm_dWhYhg&tt_state=W3siaXNzdWVyT3JpZ2luIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hZHNlcnZpY2UuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbSIsInN0YXRlIjowfSx7Imlzc3Vlck9yaWdpbiI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXR0ZXN0YXRpb24uYW5kcm9pZC5jb20iLCJzdGF0ZSI6MH1d&dt=1607113190601&bpp=5&bdt=9782&idt=4163&shv=r20201201&cbv=r20190131&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D3b24c480f88735ae-22de6a4a5ea600ae%3AT%3D1604207764%3ART%3D1604207764%3AS%3DALNI_MbvueBPoX_pbRnB1ZraWlp2PDplhg&prev_fmts=800×280%2C500x280%2C500x280%2C500x280&correlator=553381192170&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=384758251.1604207762&ga_sid=1607113193&ga_hid=1064974029&ga_fc=0&u_tz=60&u_his=1&u_java=0&u_h=1280&u_w=800&u_ah=1280&u_aw=800&u_cd=24&u_nplug=0&u_nmime=0&adx=20&ady=3141&biw=800&bih=1160&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=21066819%2C21066973&oid=3&pvsid=4309256408269153&pem=480&rx=0&eae=0&fc=900&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C800%2C0%2C800%2C1160%2C800%2C1160&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CoeEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=8320&bc=31&ifi=5&uci=a!5&btvi=3&fsb=1&xpc=7wACirOX1z&p=https%3A//sundiatapost.com&dtd=4188

“They started shouting that we should open the door, that they will shoot us, kill us, that they have rifles and cutlasses. My cousin ran to lock the door with the key. My husband was holding the doorknob because they were hitting it with iron to break it. My children and I were crying. They were pointing searchlights inside the house. Many were at the door. Some were at the window trying to remove the burglary.

“I was calling my neighbours for help from the room. I know he must have called some people to call the police for our rescue. So, my husband was holding the door for it not to fall or open. Then one of them said they should enter through the ceiling. They said they would kill us if they gained entrance. They spent more than 30 minutes on this. My children were crying and begging them to spare us.

“All of a sudden, one of them jumped in through the ceiling. So I ran to open the door and beg them for our lives quickly. Like six of them entered, just one of them half kit like a police officer. The remaining five are Fulanis dressed like Boko Haram. Then I thought they were kidnappers. One of them kicked my husband hard. I quickly moved closer to my husband, begging them that we would cooperate with them.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?guci=2.2.0.0.2.2.0.0&client=ca-pub-1921891160475578&output=html&h=280&slotname=8290026788&adk=2813312943&adf=251928475&pi=t.ma~as.8290026788&w=500&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1607113195&rafmt=1&psa=1&format=500×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsundiatapost.com%2Fpolice-are-working-with-kidnappers-woman-narrates-encounter-with-police-who-broke-into-her-home-through-ceiling%2F&flash=0&fwr=0&fwrattr=true&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&adsid=ChEIgNmn_gUQqrOqluaXt7aZARJMAPyYGA88wg0Q_BMc_WA2ekOjmHQWrTN3-QHMutNPkgrW_wI4C5ROuXLzWM9SBXbn3k4ASORwrx4SJLogVNAZMYRcWF_89Rm_dWhYhg&tt_state=W3siaXNzdWVyT3JpZ2luIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hZHNlcnZpY2UuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbSIsInN0YXRlIjowfSx7Imlzc3Vlck9yaWdpbiI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXR0ZXN0YXRpb24uYW5kcm9pZC5jb20iLCJzdGF0ZSI6MH1d&dt=1607113190620&bpp=5&bdt=9801&idt=4894&shv=r20201201&cbv=r20190131&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D3b24c480f88735ae-22de6a4a5ea600ae%3AT%3D1604207764%3ART%3D1604207764%3AS%3DALNI_MbvueBPoX_pbRnB1ZraWlp2PDplhg&prev_fmts=800×280%2C500x280%2C500x280%2C500x280%2C500x280%2C500x280%2C500x350&correlator=553381192170&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=384758251.1604207762&ga_sid=1607113193&ga_hid=1064974029&ga_fc=0&u_tz=60&u_his=1&u_java=0&u_h=1280&u_w=800&u_ah=1280&u_aw=800&u_cd=24&u_nplug=0&u_nmime=0&adx=20&ady=4603&biw=800&bih=1160&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=21066819%2C21066973&oid=3&pvsid=4309256408269153&pem=480&rx=0&eae=0&fc=900&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C800%2C0%2C800%2C1160%2C800%2C1160&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CoeEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=8320&bc=31&ifi=8&uci=a!8&btvi=6&fsb=1&xpc=wNVt5yZn6D&p=https%3A//sundiatapost.com&dtd=4915

“Then one of them said they are policemen and we should not panic. They handcuffed him and pushed him out and sat him on the floor. He said they were taking directives from the DPO Zuba police station. I told him that we are responsible people, and what have we done? They said they were looking for something and insulted me several times for querying them.

“My husband was wearing just a trouser. A neighbour came inside to ask them what happened. They immediately arrested him too. One of them has Isah Dahiru written on his uniform. So I noted the name. He removed the handcuffs and said, ‘Take him to the vehicle.’ Then I followed them and started shouting to the neighbours that they were kidnappers. The vehicle was parked at a longer distance to my house. Then we saw other people in their car. I was still insisting they were kidnappers. So I took a bike to follow them to the station to establish they were policemen.”

“The DPO tactically tried to give Isah Dahiru room to turn the case, but the man was gullible. He admitted that my husband was arrested for no reason as they were looking for cocaine dealers. The DPO pleaded that he was ashamed of what happened. He pleaded that he would discipline them internally.

“See, these police officers are working with the kidnappers, because like 10 of the boys that followed them were Fulanis kited like Boko Haram. They broke other people’s ceiling and doors too. They came for kidnapping.

“The DPO did not come to the scene to investigate. He tried to deny that they did not enter through the ceiling. Please, we are afraid maybe they may plan to harm us again. The DPO is just three weeks in Zuba. If he is not cautioned, he will terrorize the community.”

Six families of six policemen killed during the October EndSars protest were on Thursday given N10million each by the Lagos State Governor Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu as compensation for the loss of their loved ones.

The cheques were presented by Governor Sanwo-Olu to wives of the police officers who lost their lives in active service during the violent #EndSARS protest in the state, at the 14th annual Town Hall Meeting on Security with the theme,” Lagos Security: Resilience In The Face Of Adversity ” organised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF).

In addition to the financial assistance, the governor further announced the state government will give scholarship awards to the children of the fallen officers.

Sanwo-Olu said, “As we rebuild our state security remains our top priority. We will continue to expand and improve on our security architecture until we achieve a world-class system. We recognize that socio-economic growth is meaningless without an efficient security apparatus in place.

“As the chief security officer of the state, my solemn promise to all law-abiding citizens is that Lagos State will always be for them. We will stop at nothing to flush out all criminal elements whose sole aim is to foment chaos and perpetrate crime. Let me sound this note of warning. There is no hiding place for criminals and bandits in Lagos State. “”

The governor said the state government has committed a whooping N32. 76 billion to public order and safety in 2021 Appropriation Bill he presented to the state House of Assembly, adding that the state government presented 120 vehicles to the security agencies in the last 100 days in addition to the creation of additional area command in Ilashe and provision of logistics for all the formations in the state.

‘’ Although there appears to be an increase in the criminal activities of late because of the extensive destruction of police assets, it is important to state that we are currently establishing makeshift offices for the operations of the police.’’

Theexpressng