CRIME
Five Arrested in Bauchi for Covid-19 Vaccination Card Racket
By Mohammed Muktar Umar Bauchi
The Executive Chairman, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BASPHCDA), Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, has disclosed that five persons has been arrested by Security and Vigilance Community of the Covid-19 Taskforce, made up security agencies in the state for Covid-19 vaccination card racketing.
Mohammed made the disclosure when Covid-19 Champions, CITAD-supported non-governmental organisation, led by Halima Ibrahim visited the Agency to seek for permission to embark on rural enlightenment campaign about Covid-19 vaccine.
The agency boss said vaccination card racketing and negative effects of social media messages were major setbacks in the smooth administration of the Covid-19 vaccine in the state.
According to him, “In collaboration with the police, army and ICPC, we have been able to arrest some people who were buying the vaccine cards without taking the injection. They are now with the security agencies undergoing investigations.
“Many people who shunned the jab when flagged off by the governor, his deputy and House of Assembly Speaker later contracted the virus.
“Some people who got vaccinated and felt the mild side effects of the vaccine were giving others negative narratives. Some were placing metal and other objects on the spot of the jab to get people to reject it”.
“We carried out a mass campaign on social media and moved to the rural areas for enlightenment.”
Dr Mohammed lamented that many of the state’s health workers and academics are leading in the resistance of the vaccine, submitting that this is serving as a setback for vaccination efforts.
He said that social media was the main cause of setback for the exercise, adding that people were posting unfounded negative insinuations against the efficacious nature of the Covid-19 vaccine.
In his words, “the community, the medical and the university community, the professors and others are the worst in rejection of the vaccine.
“One of the things that is fueling the trouble is the social media. It is a stumbling block to achieving the aim of the vaccination.”
He likened the current resistance to Covid-19 vaccine to similar problem faced during police vaccine campaigns in the state, saying delightfully that despite the resistance then, the state was able to achieve a polio free status today.
“This is not new to us, we faced similar problems during the polio campaign from people we tag ‘the evil doers of vaccination’. They are there everywhere.
“In fact, I was attacked twice, but we endured it and today, we are polio free as we were able to kick polio out of the country,” Mohammed said.
According to him, despite some conspiracy theories again Covid-19 vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) approved about 35 types for emergency use, though each country was at liberty to develop its own vaccine provided it was safe.
“These vaccines were approved for emergency use, about 35 different types of them, by the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency purposes. Each country is free to produce its own but they have to look at the safety and efficiency because initially so many people came up with their theories and there are obstacles that they want to block these vaccines.
“Their major campaign is that the vaccine is for reducing fertility in order to reduce population. The second one is that, there is a fear that these vaccines will even kill a person within two years.
“The third one is the demonstration of using metal to stick to the point of the vaccination in order to scare people,” the BSPHCDA boss said.
He, however, added that, “the main thing causing our own problems is some of the reactions of the vaccines, most especially mild reactions forgetting that each drug has its reaction because of the composition of the body.
“There is antigen, antibody reaction, mild weakness, mild fever when one takes a chemical like this. There is fighting between the immunity and the body itself to take care of the person.”
Dr Mohammed then assured that despite all these, the Covid vaccine is efficient and effective and can be used to protect person from the Covid-19 infection.
He urged people to make themselves available for the vaccination, which, according to him, was ongoing across the state.
He, however, said that, “the vaccines will not be administered to those who are sick; it is only for those who are healthy.”
The Police Command in Borno has arrested six suspects over alleged mobile phone theft and fraudulent withdrawal of ₦5.65 million from a victim’s bank account.
The Command’s Spokesperson, Nahum Daso, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Maiduguri.
Daso said the incident occurred on Oct.
13 when the victim, Abba K. boarded a commercial tricycle along Damboa Road, Maiduguri.He said the victim discovered that his Infinix Smart 8 mobile phone was missing from his pocket after alighting from the tricycle.
According to him, the victim reported the incident to the police, prompting the Commissioner of Police, Naziru Abdulmajid, to direct operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to investigate the case.
He said the operatives, through digital forensic analysis, intelligence gathering and diligent investigation, arrested six suspects allegedly connected with the crime.
“During investigation, the suspects reportedly confessed to their involvement in the theft and subsequent unlawful withdrawal of ₦5.65 million from the victim’s bank account.
“They also disclosed that the money was shared among themselves,” he said.
Daso said the police had recovered the stolen phone and the entire ₦5.65 million.
From Dan Amasingha, Minna
An Assistant Superintendent of Corps (ASC), Usman Isah Ndamaka, was moved to tears yesterday as he appeared before the Justice Mohammed Mohammed-led Judicial Commission of Inquiry in Minna.
He offered an unreserved apology over the death of 37 miners while in the custody of the Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Ndamaka, who was the officer in charge of the command’s detention facility when the incident occurred on September 17, admitted full responsibility for the tragedy, describing it as a grave mistake.
The judicial panel was set up by the Niger State Government to probe the circumstances surrounding the fatalities, which reportedly occurred following the arrest of 58 suspected illegal miners comprising 33 males and 25 females.
Recounting the events that led to the deaths, Ndamaka explained that the facility was originally designed to accommodate between 28 and 30 detainees.
He stated that while female suspects were separated and relocated to another facility, accommodating the remaining male detainees presented a severe logistical challenge.
According to him, the suspects arrived late in the evening during a heavy downpour, making an immediate transfer difficult. An attempt to relocate some of the detainees to the old command facility failed after the Mining Marshal rejected the arrangement.
Ndamaka told the commission that heat, severe overcrowding, and distress caused the male suspects to scream and shout inside the cell.
However, he admitted that fear of being overpowered prevented him and his subordinates from unlocking the door
”An error has already been committed. I am very sorry for the death of the miners under my custody,” Ndamaka said in an emotional testimony. “It is unfortunate that this happened under my watch. I am pained, and I admit my mistake.”
Also testifying, the head of the NSCDC investigation unit, Chief Superintendent of Corps Sunday Oluwadere, confirmed that he profiled and investigated the suspects following their arrest and recovered several exhibits.
Under cross-examination by the Niger State Head of the Legal Aid Council, Mrs. Bolanle Jibogun, Oluwadere expressed regret over operational shortcomings during the handling of the suspects.
Earlier, the Chief Consultant Pathologist at the General Hospital, Minna, Dr. Alfa Sule, informed the panel that post-mortem examinations were required to determine the precise cause of death.
Dr. Sule stated that conducting the autopsies requires coroner approval, while obtaining toxicology and histology samples for forensic laboratory analysis in Lagos requires the consent of the deceased persons’ families.
He projected that full forensic results would be ready within two weeks once samples are dispatched.
Following the incident, the Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, ordered the arrest of 22 officers, including the suspended Niger State Commandant, Siaka Zubeiru Anirive.
The officers were escorted to the corps’ national headquarters in Abuja for administrative procedures.
Eight personnel have so far testified before the judicial panel as proceedings continue.
The Police Command in Oyo State has arrested 11 suspects over alleged cultism, armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms in various locations within the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade disclosed this to newsmen while parading the suspects at the Command’s headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan on Monday.
Ayanlade said the exhibits recovered from the suspects were five guns—including a revolver pistol, a Beretta pistol, a pump-action gun, and a locally made cut-to-size pistol—along with four cutlasses.
He said that the arrest formed part of the ongoing investigations and operation of the Command in ridding Oyo State of crime and criminal activities, especially violent crime.
He disclosed that one of the arrested suspects was a very bright physics student of an institution in the state, who had won several awards, but turned out to be the leader of a cult group, Eiye confraternity.
The PPRO said that the student was arrested together with his colleagues in possession of a firearm, a cutlass, and ammunition.
He added that other arrested suspects were a syndicate who specialised in robbing unsuspecting Nigerians of their possessions, especially phones, in different locations within Ibadan and its environs.
He said the leader of the suspected armed robbers had earlier been arrested, prosecuted and currently in a correctional facility.
Ayanlade said that the suspected armed robbers were arrested as a result of painstaking intelligence gathering with the support and collaboration of members of the public.
He said that the suspects were arrested in their various hideouts by operatives of the command monitoring unit.
One of the armed robbery suspects, a 35-year-old, told journalists that his gang operated with cutlasses to instill fear in their victims before snatching their mobile phones.
The suspect said that the gang had snatched a total of 10 expensive phones, which were eventually sold for between N40,000 and N50,000.
Also speaking in an interview, the suspected cultist student said he was initiated as the leader of the group a year ago after graduating from an institution in Apata area of Ibadan.
The suspect said that he could not really say what pushed him into joining the cult group. (NAN)
UK, Nigeria to Deepen Defence, Security Cooperation
ShareThe United Kingdom has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening defence and security cooperation with Nigeria, with emphasis on military training,...
2027: INEC Steps Up Preparations, Completes Nine Activities
ShareBy Tambaya Julius, Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has completed nine of the 14 activities on its timetable...
2027: Tinubu Accords Benue Security Top Priority, Tompolo Tells Supporters
ShareLeader of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Government Tompolo, has called on the people of Benue state to come out enmasse...
Senate Demands Compulsory Screening of Foreign Arrivals
ShareBy Eze Okechukwu, Abuja The Senate yesterday ordered mandatory health screening for every international passenger arriving Nigeria airports, seaports, land...
Reps Summon Telecom Operators over Poor Network Services
ShareBy Ubong Ukpong, Abuja The House of Representatives on Wednesday, summoned telecommunication operators in the country to appear before it...
Bill to Design, Manufacture, Commercialize Drones Passes Second Reading in Reps
ShareBy Ubong Ukpong, Abuja A bill for an Act to move the nation to developing the capacity to design, manufacture...
Otu Presents N987.8bn Budget Estimate to Assembly
ShareFrom Ene Asuquo, Calabar Cross River State Governor, Sen. Bassey Edet Otu, has presented a proposed budget of ₦987, 808,...
Borno Police Arrest Six Suspects over Mobile Phone Theft, Recover N5.65m
ShareThe Police Command in Borno has arrested six suspects over alleged mobile phone theft and fraudulent withdrawal of ₦5.65 million...
Election Campaigns: FRSC Bars Officers from Politicians’ Escort
ShareThe Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has barred its personnel from escorting politicians during campaigns for the 2027 general elections....
2027: NITDA Raises The Alarm Over AI-driven Election Manipulation
Share By Elijah Oguche, Abuja The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has warned that artificial intelligence (AI)-powered misinformation, deepfake...