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Police get IGP nod to fight back if attacked
The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has told the police to protect themselves when attacked.
The order came on Friday against the backdrop of the killing of 22 policemen and burning of 205 police stations and other security formations during the EndSARS riots across the country.
He stated this during a visit to the police command of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to assess the level of damage during the EndSARS protest.
He commended officers and men of the force for their resilience and professionalism during the protest.
The IGP said the Federal Government was relying on the police to ensure that the public space was not taken over by criminals.
He said, “No amount of provocation and insult will make us shy away from our responsibilities. Inasmuch as we are aware that the government is behind us, we will encourage you to continue to be professional and civic in performing your duties.
“But if anybody touches or assaults you, you can also protect yourself because when we talk of human right, the police are human; so the rights of police officers should also be protected. We are sending the message that legally, we have the right to protect ourselves,” he said.
He said the visit was to commiserate with the officers and men of the command for the loss of lives and property during the protests.
“I have seen how you went out to deal with very difficult situation in trying to maintain peace, law and order in the FCT during the protest,” he said.
The IGP said that during the protest, some roads were blocked; some vehicles were burnt and police stations in some parts of the country, including the FCT, were burnt with police officers assaulted. Adamu said the destruction and other criminal activities was done because the protesters were waiting for the police to react.
He said, “I know how you went about protecting the protesters so that they would not be molested, but along the line, the protesters attacked not only members of the public but also police officers.
“These are criminal activities by the protesters wanting to provoke police personnel to use maximum force against them to justify police brutality.
“But with your resilience and professionalism, you were able to show maximum restrain and meet up with the standard that is required in curbing protest without using force.”
The Commissioner of Police at the FCT, Mr Bala Ciroma, commended the IGP for the visit, adding that the command arrested and had arraigned 196 suspects in connection with the riot.
The IGP said 22 police personnel were killed and scores of others injured during the EndSARS protests in different locations across the country. The police chief stated this on the heels of a report by Amnesty International that police personnel shot at peaceful protesters during the rallies.
Adamu, in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Frank Mba, said that 205 police stations and formations, including other critical private and public infrastructure, were also damaged by a section of the protesters.
The IGP, who faulted the Amnesty International’s report, claimed that many of the personnel injured during the protests were in life-threatening conditions in hospitals.
He described the report as untrue, misleading and contrary to all available empirical evidence.
The statement reads in part: “Officers of the Nigeria Police Force acted professionally, exercised commendable restraints and some paid the supreme price for peace during the recent protests and ensuing violence in some parts of the country. “During the protests, officers of the Force used legitimate means to ensure that the protests were carried out in a peaceful manner and in most cases, physically protected and walked side-by-side with the protesters.
“Even when the protests turned violent in some parts of the country, the officers still maintained utmost restraint and did not use excessive force in managing the situations.
“Available reports show that twenty-two (22) police personnel were extra-judicially killed by some rampaging protesters and scores injured during the protests. Many of the injured personnel are in life-threatening conditions at the hospitals.
“Two hundred and five (205) police stations and formations, including other critical private and public infrastructure, were also damaged by a section of the protesters. Despite these unprovoked attacks, our police officers never resorted to use of unlawful force or shooting at the protesters as alleged in the report.”
News
Avoid confrontation with Trump, Bolaji Akinyemi tells Tinubu
Avoid confrontation with Trump, Bolaji Akinyemi tells Tinubu
A former Nigeria’s Minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has advised President Bola Tinubu to avoid confrontation with Donald Trump, the newly inaugurated 47th president of the United States.
He also said Nigeria is not part of the focus of the 78-year-old most powerful president and that the country should not expect anything extraordinary from the Trump presidency.
Akinyemi spoke Monday night on a Channels Television programme, Politics Today, on how to relate with the US president.
The former minister said Tinubu should devise means of dealing with Trump “even if he does things that annoy or step on the interests of Nigeria”.
“If I were President Tinubu, I would try to steer clear of antagonising him because there is nothing a bully likes better than taking on people who are not strong enough to resist him,” Akinyemi said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday.
“You know there is that African proverb that if you are not strong enough to take on a bully and you take him on, you are just even going to suffer more for it.
“That’s the advice I will give President Tinubu: try and avoid having a confrontation with him even if that means that he does things that annoy or does things that step on the interests of Nigeria. There are ways in which you could address his reaction without confrontation,” he said.
Prof Akinyemi faulted the inaugural speech of Trump as uninspiring, “shocking and depressing”.
The octogenarian said rather than rallying the world for peace, Trump took time to threaten the rest of the world with a bouquet of hostile policies including tacking back Panama Canal, renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, tariff wars, and others.
Akinyemi said the US president would “soon learn that there are repercussions to policies, to jingoism”, adding that the world is “in for a rough ride for four years” of the Trump presidency.
News
DHQ: Foreign fighters influx responsible for recent terrorists attacks
DHQ: Foreign fighters influx responsible for recent terrorists attacks
The military on Thursday reacted to the recent frequent terrorist activities in North-East and North-West states.
Defence Headquarters (DHQ) attributed the spike in the attacks to influx of foreign agents coming to strengthen the local terrorists.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, disclosed this during a press conference in Abuja.
Some 40 farmers were brutally murdered last Saturday in Borno State by the terrorists.
Over 50 people including soldiers that went to retrieve the corpses of the farmers on Tuesday were yet to return home after terrorists ambushed them.
Buba said the new foreign agents served as reinforcements for their local colleagues.
He said the situation was made worse by local collaborators disclosing troops’ movement.
He said, “The resurgence in terror attacks can be attributable to the influx of foreign fighters that come in as reinforcement for these terrorists. These foreign fighters are from the Sahelian Region.
“The other contributing factor are the local collaborators that form a support base for these terrorists. They serve as informants to the terrorists reporting on troop movement.”
Buba however declared the troops remained “profoundly conscious of their role and responsibility in ending insurgency and terrorism in the nation.”
News
JUST IN: Tinubu arrives Abu Dhabi for sustainability week
JUST IN: Tinubu arrives Abu Dhabi for sustainability week
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Sunday to participate in the 2025 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).
President Tinubu touched down at 2:14 a.m. local time and was received by Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, UAE’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Themed “The Nexus of Next: Supercharging Sustainable Progress,” this year’s ADSW summit will see President Tinubu highlighting Nigeria’s achievements and reforms in energy sufficiency, transportation modernization, public health improvements, and economic development.
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His presence underscores Nigeria’s commitment to tackling global challenges through sustainable and cooperative strategies.
During the summit, the President is expected to hold bilateral discussions with UAE leaders, focusing on strengthening ties and exploring shared opportunities.
President Tinubu is accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar and other senior officials.
He is slated to return to Nigeria on Thursday, January 16.
ADSW 2025, a globally recognized event for sustainability innovation, brings together business leaders and civil society representatives to advance sustainable development and foster economic progress.
Over its 15-year history, the summit has established itself as a key platform for forging partnerships and driving impactful initiatives in clean energy and global growth.
JUST IN: Tinubu arrives Abu Dhabi for sustainability week
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