Nigerian police fume over Fubara’s statement, give reason for storming RIEC office

The Nigeria Police Force has expressed deep concern over recent statements made by the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, in which several allegations were leveled against the Office of the Inspector-General of Police.

Newstrends reports that Governor Fubara had on Friday accused the IGP of acting fraudulently by allegedly deploying his men to disrupt the Local Government elections scheduled for Saturday.

But in a statement on Friday by Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, dismissed the claim by the governor.

According to the police , the deployment of officers to the headquarters of the Rivers Independent Electoral Commission (RIEC) in the wee hours of Friday was to ensure security, adding that it acted in conformity with the order of the court.

The statement reads : “The Nigeria Police Force has noted with concern the recent statements made by the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara, in which several unfounded allegations were leveled against the Office of the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force. In light of these claims, it has become necessary to set the record straight.

Firstly, it is important to clarify that there is a subsisting Federal High Court order barring the Nigeria Police Force from participating in the Rivers State elections. This order was duly served on both the NPF and the Rivers State Government. As a law-abiding institution, the IGP instructed the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State to strictly adhere to this court order by refraining from any direct involvement in the election process.

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However, in the evening of 3rd October,2024, The commissioner of police Rivers State, received reports that policemen from Rivers State Government house have been deployed to the office of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RIEC) to aid the conduct of the election. This report was also relayed to the Inspector-General of Police who gave clearance to the Commissioner of Police to withdraw the policemen from the Government house and replace with policemen from the Command Operations department. The mandate of the men from the Operations Department, was to provide overnight security for the RIEC to prevent any attack on the facility.

It is also important to note that prior to this, there had been series of security breaches in the state following the spate of court orders and counter orders and reactions to them by supporters of the different political parties involved. The response of the Command to secure RIEC overnight was therefore professional and supported by the Inspector-General of Police. For emphasis sake, the policemen deployed to RIEC from the operations department of Rivers State Command on the night of 3rd October,2024 were with the sole mandate to protect the RIEC office from attack overnight. This action was proactive and responsive to intelligence at the disposal of the State Command.

It is therefore shocking to see the state governor storming the RIEC office at night, wrongly accusing the police on lawful duties, deriding the Police institution and using unprintable words to describe the Inspector-General of Police. The Nigeria Police takes exception to the unwarranted outburst of the Governor and particularly the weighty accusations which he falsely levied against the Inspector-General of Police and the entire Nigeria Police Force and advise caution and decency in the pursuit of individual political goals.

Threatening to shed blood and to burn down the State because of a Local Government election is not acceptable to us. The Nigeria Police Force is committed to protection of lives and properties and will work with other security agencies in Rivers State to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order in the State. To this end, the Inspector-General of Police has ordered increased deployment into Rivers State to beef up security throughout the state. Citizens of Rivers state are advised to go about their lawful businesses.”

Nigerian police fume over Fubara’s statement, give reason for storming RIEC office

Worshippers flee as bandits disrupt Jummat prayers

Rampaging bandits in a surprised attack on Friday forced residents of Dan-Ali, a community in Katsina State,  to abandon their Jummat prayers after heavy shooting rocked the area during an attack by the insurgents. 

The incident, which took place in Danmusa Local Government Area, sparked fear and caused the disruption of prayers at several mosques.

“We were at the Jummat prayer when we heard the shooting and everybody ran. We couldn’t hold our prayers again.

“Thanks to the Security Watch Corps in the area that gave them a hot chase,” said a local source who spoke to PUNCH on condition of anonymity.

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The source also called for more security personnel, saying, “We need reinforcement because the bandits are giving us a tough time in our communities as we speak.”

For over a week, the attackers have been targeting farmers in Dan-Ali and nearby communities such as Gwarjo, Dangane, Tudun, Tasha Kadanya, and Tasha Biri. “Many farmers have been kidnapped, and we are all scared to enter our farms,” the source added.

Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abubakar Sadiq, for comments were not successful at the time of this report.

Worshippers flee as bandits disrupt Jummat prayers

$13m fraud: FBI seeks EFCC help to arrest Nigerian suspects

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been tasked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States of America to locate and apprehend two Nigerians, Babatunde Shodiya and Yinka Jamiu, who were listed as wanted for allegedly using a fraudulent website to extort American medical facilities in Minnesota of $13m.

A grand jury in the U.S. District Court for Minnesota arraigned them on September 25 for their involvement in a fraud conspiracy that deceived many healthcare providers between October 2020 and 2024.

According to U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, Shodiya and Jamiu allegedly used falsified websites and email addresses to manipulate payment transfers on Optum Pay, a popular payment system among Minnesota’s healthcare providers under the guise of being owned by Fairview Health.

Using these fictitious email addresses, the fraud team sent emails to Fairview Health staff, deceiving them into supplying login information.

They created a counterfeit website, fairviewhospitals.org, and pretended to be key hospital personnel, including the CEO, executive vice president, and a business analyst.

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In addition to the wire fraud allegations, Shodiya is charged with aggravated identity theft for pretending to be Fairview executives.

Luger said, “As part of the scheme, Babatunde and Jamiu created a fake ‘spoofed’ internet domain designed to appear as though it was controlled by Fairview Health.”

“In total, Babatunde and Ahmed fraudulently directed more than $13m in payments intended for Fairview Health from Minnesota-based healthcare companies to accounts controlled by Babatunde, Ahmed, and their co-conspirators.”

However, the U.S. security agency has confirmed that the suspects are Nigerian citizens who also reside in Nigeria and have called on Nigeria’s EFCC to seek their assistance.

“The U.S. officials reached out to us and informed us that the suspects are believed to be hiding in Nigeria

“We have a duty to honour this request in line with our long-standing collaboration with the U.S. in addressing cross-border crimes,” an EFCC officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, said.

Once the EFCC successfully hunts down Mr Shodiya and Mr Jamiu, they will be taken to the U.S. to face trial while also compromising all assets linked to the profits of the crime to the American authorities.

$13m fraud: FBI seeks EFCC help to arrest Nigerian suspects