Crime
Military Veteran Lauds Synergy Between Aba Power and Abia Communities
Nigerian electricity distribution companies (DisCos) have been advised to study the type of cooperation between Aba Power, Nigeria’s 12th and newest power distribution firm, and various communities in Abia State to learn how to protect their assets which are frequently vandalised across the country.
A security consultant, Air Commodore Nicholas Orjiudeh (retired), gave the advice in Aba today while speaking to journalists.
“The deep cooperation between the power firm and the communities has led to a series of arrests in recent times of young men vandalising the power infrastructure in nine out of the 17 local government areas in Abia State serviced by Aba DisCo”, Air Commodore Orjiudeh, also an engineer, stated.
“Due to the impressive cooperation, two neighbourhood watches have just caught the same day in two communities the leaders of two gangs of robbers notorious for attacking transformers and armoured cables and other vital power components. They were caught in action”.
He gave the names of the two robbery gang leaders as one Ifeanyi, a 27-year-old man with no visible means of livelihood, and Ezinwa Amanze, a 38 year -old jobless person from Umuekwe village in Aro Ngwa, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area.
According to Commodore Orjiudeh, Ifeanyi was attacking power facilities on Umuimo Avenue, off the famous Aba-Owerri Road in Aba, when the local vigilante service saw him and quickly pounced on him while his colleagues fled.
It was easier to catch Ifeanyi than his colleagues because of his reputation in the locality as a robber.
Amanze was apprehended while vandalising the power infrastructure at Isiala Osokwu in Isiala Ngwa South LGA.
Regius Amaechi, a retired commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who now works as the Deputy Chief Security Officer at Geometric Security Service, confirmed to correspondents that the two vandals were arrested by members of different neighbourhood watches who handed them over to his service.

He stated: “After interrogation, we handed over Ifeanyi to the Rapid Response Squad of the Nigeria Police Force while Amanze was handed over to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad in Aba”.
Both suspects are being tried at magistrate courts in Aba.
Air Commodore Orjiudeh noted that the spate of electricity vandalism in the Aba Ring-Fenced Area used to be much higher but was reduced significantly by a mechanism which the management of Aba Power introduced after it commenced operations in the Aba Ringed Area late last year.
“Just the way the police authorities now emphasise community policing to enhance security in the country”, he continued, “ is the way electricity distribution companies should be focusing on working with communities where their assets are located to protect them because official security agents cannot be everywhere.
“The locals are in an excellent position to provide intelligence which organisational or official security agents can act on quickly”.
While decrying vandalism against critical public assets like telecommunication cables, petroleum pipelines and electricity infrastructure whose social and economic costs are almost incalculable, Orjiudeh counselled various organisations affected by the criminal acts to borrow a leaf from “a new company like Aba Power to reduce the menace significantly”.
Crime
Tinubu Briefed on Jos Attack, Approves Extra Security – Mutfwang
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has received a detailed briefing on the recent deadly attack in Jos, Plateau State, and approved additional security measures to restore lasting peace in the affected areas.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State disclosed this after meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday.
The governor described the Palm Sunday attack in Angwan Rukuba, Jos North, which claimed over a dozen lives and left many injured, as “an act of terrorism.”
He said security forces have since restored calm following fresh disturbances involving looters on Wednesday morning.
“Additional security measures have been approved by the President in conjunction with state security architecture, while investigations continue to unravel the identities and motives of the attackers, who are yet to be fully apprehended,” Governor Mutfwang stated.
The governor also revealed that President Tinubu may visit Plateau State soon to commiserate with victims and affected families.
The meeting followed President Tinubu’s earlier high-level session with top security and intelligence chiefs to review the situation and chart a coordinated response to the violence.
Crime
El-Rufai Arrives Kaduna Court For Bail Hearing
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, on Wednesday arrived at the Federal High Court in Kaduna for the hearing of his bail application in an ongoing alleged corruption trial.
The court premises witnessed a heavy security presence, with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies deployed to maintain order and control access to the facility.
Movement around parts of the court complex is restricted, reflecting heightened public interest and sensitivity surrounding the case.
El-Rufai, who has been in custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), is facing multiple charges, including allegations bordering on money laundering, possession of public property, and related offences.
More details later…
Crime
JUST IN: Terrorists Invade Kaduna Wedding Ceremony, Kill 13 Guests In Late-Night Attack
At least 13 people have been killed and several others abducted after heavily armed terrorists invaded a wedding ceremony in Kahir village, Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
According to reports, the attack occurred around 11:47pm on Sunday when the assailants, wielding AK-47 rifles, stormed the venue and opened fire on guests.
A resident of Kagarko, Shehu Bala, said the attackers arrived in large numbers and began shooting indiscriminately inside the wedding hall.
“They came in their numbers and started shooting sporadically at people,” Bala said. “Some of the victims who sustained gunshot injuries were rushed to Kagarko General Hospital, while two others with severe injuries were taken to Kaduna.
He added that the exact number of those abducted remains unclear due to the chaos that followed the attack.
“In fact, there are two of my friends who were inside the hall that also sustained bullet injuries during the attack,” he said. “But one cannot ascertain the number of those that were kidnapped because of the sporadic shootings.
”A community leader, who requested anonymity, also confirmed the incident, listing some of the victims killed in the attack.
They include Bako Danjuma, Williams Luka, Peter Williams, Joseph Yakubu, Victor Peter, John Dan Asabe, Angulu Markus, Maikano Aribi, Douglas John, Ado Yakubu, Zaphaniah Alhaji, Joseph Kaddah, and Francis Unguwa Doya.
Meanwhile, the police at the Kagarko Division confirmed the attack, noting that authorities are still working to determine the number of those kidnapped.
The Kaduna State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Hassan Mansur, also confirmed the killings and abductions but said details were still sketchy.
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