Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: Nigeria Police

  • Police Put Specialist Units on High Alert as Travel Rush Builds Toward Christmas

    Police Put Specialist Units on High Alert as Travel Rush Builds Toward Christmas

    Photo Credit: The Guardian
    2025-12-22

    A statement reported by The Guardian says the Inspector-General of Police ordered nationwide deployment and placed specialist units on heightened readiness for a safe festive season.

    Operational focus includes worship centres, markets, highways and transport terminals—areas that typically see spikes in robbery and kidnapping attempts during end-of-year travel surges.

    The directive also emphasizes intelligence-led operations and coordination to reduce crime risks in known blackspots.

    The Guardian quoted that deployed officers must be “firm but courteous…”. Channels Television also quoted the Interior Ministry urging citizens to remain “security conscious…” during the holidays.

    Echotitbits take: Announcements are easy—execution is the metric. Watch for visible patrols beyond city centres, faster response times, and fewer harassment-style checkpoints that worsen traffic and tensions.

    Source: The Guardian — December 22, 2025 (https://guardian.ng/news/yuletide-igp-deploys-special-units-nationwide-for-peaceful-celebrations/)
    The Guardian 2025-12-22

  • Holiday Dates Confirmed as Police Roll Out Nationwide Yuletide Security Plan

    Holiday Dates Confirmed as Police Roll Out Nationwide Yuletide Security Plan

    Photo Credit: The Punch
    2025-12-22

    Reporting by Punch indicates Nigeria is moving into the Christmas/New Year stretch with an expanded policing posture and officially gazetted public holidays.

    Security agencies say the goal is to deter robbery, kidnapping, and crowd-control flashpoints around worship centres, markets, event venues, and major transport corridors. Officials also urged residents to be vigilant and promptly report suspicious activity.

    On the government side, the Interior Ministry announced December 25, December 26, 2025, and January 1, 2026 as public holidays for Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year celebrations.

    Channels Television also carried the Interior Ministry statement, quoting: “The Federal Government has declared Thursday, 25th December 2025; Friday, 26th December 2025; and Thursday, 1st January 2026 as public holidays…”. The Guardian similarly reported on the police festive-season operational posture and quoted the directive for nationwide deployment.

    Echotitbits take: This is the annual stress-test period for highway safety, inter-state travel, and crowd management. Watch for whether visibility policing actually reduces road kidnappings, and whether emergency lines work reliably in the busiest corridors.

    Source: The Punch— December 22, 2025 (https://punchng.com/yuletide-police-tighten-security-fg-declares-holidays/)
    The Punch 2025-12-22

  • Kogi: Security Agencies Uncover Large Arms Cache as Governor Ododo Vows No Deals With Criminals

    Kogi: Security Agencies Uncover Large Arms Cache as Governor Ododo Vows No Deals With Criminals

    Photo Credit: Punch

    2025-12-17

    According to *The Punch*, Kogi State authorities announced the discovery of a large arms and ammunition cache after a coordinated, intelligence-led operation involving multiple security agencies.

    The reported haul—ranging from rifles and magazines to large volumes of ammunition—adds to rising concerns about weapons circulation and criminal hideouts across Nigeria’s middle belt corridor.

    Officials say the operation followed sustained surveillance, and the state is urging residents to share actionable intelligence as security forces widen the dragnet.

    Other reporting on the same development includes:
    – Daily Trust: “Analysts warn that arms trafficking is deepening insecurity across key transit states.”
    – Channels TV: “Security officials say intelligence coordination is improving, but arrests and prosecutions must follow.”

    Analysis/Echotitbits take: Recoveries matter, but arrests matter more. Watch for follow-up raids, named suspects, and whether recovered weapons are traced to supply networks—otherwise the cycle restarts with new stockpiles.

    Source: The Punch — December 17, 2025 (https://punchng.com/massive-arms-cache-uncovered-in-kogi/)

     

  • Police to restart tinted-glass permit enforcement from January 2

    Police to restart tinted-glass permit enforcement from January 2

    PunchNG (image on article page)
    2025-12-15

    As reported by Vanguard, the Nigeria Police Force says enforcement of tinted-glass permit requirements will resume from January 2, 2026, framing it as part of a broader anti-crime posture.

    The announcement signals a return to stricter checks on compliance, amid recurring debates about extortion risk at checkpoints versus legitimate security needs.

    SaharaReporters: “necessary and urgent to resume full enforcement…to safeguard our communities.”

    Premium Times: “starting from 2 January 2026…”

    Analysis/Echotitbits take: Implementation will determine public acceptance. Watch for clear permit workflows, fee transparency, exemptions, and disciplinary action against extortion—otherwise compliance checks may become another friction point.

    Source: The Punch — December 15, 2025 (https://punchng.com/police-to-resume-nationwide-tinted-glass-permit-enforcement-january-2/)

  • CJN says judges are exempt from police-withdrawal order for private individuals

    CJN says judges are exempt from police-withdrawal order for private individuals

    Photo Credit: Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun – TheNigerianvoice
    2025-12-14

    According to The Punch, Nigeria’s Chief Justice clarified that judges are exempt from a directive withdrawing police personnel attached to private individuals, as the government seeks to redeploy officers to frontline security duties.

    The clarification aims to address concerns about judicial safety while broader police redeployment policies are implemented.

    The Guardian Nigeria reported the CJN’s clarification and quoted that judges were exempted from the police-withdrawal order.

    BusinessDay also reported the exemption and framed it as part of rationalising police deployments amid wider security pressures.

    Analysis/Echotitbits take: This policy highlights a trade-off: protecting institutions of justice while trying to free up police manpower for the wider population. Watch for how enforcement is applied (who loses police details), whether private security regulation tightens, and whether there is pushback from influential beneficiaries of police escorts.

    Source: The Punch — 14 Dec 2025 (https://punchng.com/judges-exempted-from-police-withdrawal-order-says-cjn/)

  • Amnesty spotlight turns to ‘Tiger Base’ as abuse allegations reignite in Imo

    Amnesty spotlight turns to ‘Tiger Base’ as abuse allegations reignite in Imo

    According to Vanguard, Amnesty International is focusing attention on Imo State Police’s anti‑kidnapping unit known as ‘Tiger Base’ following renewed allegations of torture, unlawful detention and deaths in custody.

    The report said the spotlight has intensified public pressure on security agencies, with calls for independent investigations and stronger oversight of detention practices and interrogation methods.

    Investigative reporting by FIJ described a pattern of alleged abuses linked to the unit, referencing claims of “torture, unlawful detention and deaths” and documenting previous allegations around the facility.

    The Imo Police Command has pushed back in separate coverage by The Guardian, describing reports of abuses at the detention facility as false and insisting the unit operates within the law.

    Analysis/Echotitbits take: This is a familiar accountability cycle: allegations surface, police deny, public outrage spikes, and then attention fades without systemic change. The real test is whether there is an independent inquiry with transparent outcomes, and whether detainee access to lawyers/medical care improves. Watch for responses from the Police Service Commission, the National Human Rights Commission, and any court-driven disclosures.

    Source: Vanguard — 14 Dec 2025 (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/12/amnesty-zeroes-in-on-imo-tiger-base-over-alleged-human-rights-abuse/)

     

    File Photo:IGP Kayode Egbetokun

  • Nigeria Begins Recruitment of 50,000 Police Constables

    Nigeria Begins Recruitment of 50,000 Police Constables

    Photo Credit:The Nation

    The Police Service Commission, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, has commenced recruitment of 50,000 constables in line with President Tinubu’s directive to strengthen community policing and internal security. Applications will be accepted online between 15 December 2025 and 25 January 2026, with separate requirements for general duty and specialist cadres.

    The Commission emphasised that the process will be merit‑based and free of charge, warning applicants against paying middlemen. The expansion is expected to improve police presence nationwide, reduce response times and create thousands of jobs for young Nigerians, while boosting efforts to secure businesses and investments.

    Source: The Nation – 12 Dec 2025

    2025-12-12 10:00:00 The Nation – 12 Dec 2025 2025-12-12

  • Enugu Police Reinforce Fireworks Ban Ahead of Festive Season

    Enugu Police reiterated a ban on the sale and unauthorised use of fireworks, warning that offenders will be prosecuted. The command said loud explosives can be exploited by criminals to mask attacks or create panic.

    Police also cautioned against harmattan bush burning, citing fire and security risks during the dry season.

    2025-12-10

    Punch Newspapers

    2025-12-10

  • IGP Warns Misinformation Hurts Police Reputation

    IGP Warns Misinformation Hurts Police Reputation

    Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun warned that misinformation—including recycled videos and edited images—has significantly harmed the Nigeria Police Force’s reputation.

    He urged police PROs to respond faster and more professionally to false narratives to protect public trust.

    Source : The Nation, 2025-12-08

  • Dismissed Police Corporals Arraigned for killing 69-year-old Man in Abuja

    Dismissed Police Corporals Arraigned for killing 69-year-old Man in Abuja

    Two dismissed corporals were arraigned at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kubwa in Abuja on Monday for the killing of a 69-year old man, Solomon Eze, on May 10 this year.

    The Nation’s Nicholas Kalu reports that the ex-policemen, Abubakar Adamu, 28, and Ibrahim Alfa, 36, first and second respondents respectively, both pleaded not guilty in court.

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    The dismissed police officers who were attached to the FCT Command, are standing trial for shooting dead Eze, an innocent passersby, while carrying out an arrest around Karmo.

    An investigation carried out by FCT Police Command was said to have followed the incident and led to the dismissal of both officers from the police service.

    The two count charge filed by the FCT Commissioner of Police at the High Court, Kubwa, reads in part, “That you ex-corporal Abubakar Adamu, male, 28 years old and you ex-corporal Ibrahim Alfa, male 36 years old, both dismissed officers under the FCT Police Command, Abuja, on or about the 10th day of May, 2020 at about 4pm at Ereke Junction, Karmo, FCT, Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court committed a criminal offence to wit: culpable homicide punishable with death; in that, on the said date, you both caused the death one Mr Solomon Eze, 69 years old opposite Area Court, Karmo, Abuja, when you Abubakar Adamu shot him in the eye with AK47 rifle knowingly that death is a probable consequence of your act. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 221 (a) and (b) of the Penal Code Law.”

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    Prosecuting counsel, Donatus Abah, applied that the two suspects who have been in police custody be remanded in prison custody in Kuje and adjourned the matter to January 25, 2021, Nicholas Kalu of The Nations reported.