For the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN), Thursday,
November 28, will go down as most memorable for a very good reason.
Indeed, the event of that day will linger in their minds for a long
time, as they held their 2013 annual lecture and award ceremony at the
Event Centre, Ikeja, Lagos.At the well-attended event, securities agencies comprising police officers, National Drug Law Enforcement agents and mobile policemen, among others, converged on the centre to celebrate with the crime reporters.
The State Secret Service (SSS), the Nigeria Police Force, the Police Service Commission (PSC) and other security agencies lauded the group for its timeliness in attempting to steer the forthcoming 2015 elections to a channel, where it will not be bloody or lead to maiming and death.
The President of CRAN, Mr. Christopher Orji, projecting into the future with the forthcoming elections, remarked that the governance of Nigeria should be the collective responsibility of all and sundry.
He made the remark in Lagos recently during the 2013 annual lecture and award ceremony of CRAN.
According to him, “It’s the concern of many that the forthcoming 2015 general elections should be peaceful, free and fair.”
He also said that one of the most important factors in achieving a peaceful and fair election is synergy among security agencies.
It was apparently due to this belief in synergy among security agencies that CRAN came up with the topic, “2015 general elections: Need for multi-disciplinary approaches to forestall inter-agencies rivalry.”
The CRAN president stressed that, this was the time to say no to rivalry and conflict of interests, adding that protections of lives and property ought to be the major concern of not just the security operatives, but Nigerians as a whole.
While speaking on the theme of the event, “Ahead 2015 election: Need for multi-disciplinary approach to forestall inter-agencies rivalry”, Mrs. Marilyn Ogar, the Deputy Media Director of the Department of Security Services, representing the Director- General of State Security Services, Mr. Ekpeyoung Ita, said that SSS and other security agencies had and would always work together to achieve a peaceful society.
Speaking further, she said all efforts would be made to providing enough security for the 2015 elections.
In her words: “2015 is still far, but all hands should be on deck in providing appropriate security to the society during election period so as to ensure that lives and property are safe and to prevent thuggery, hooliganism and all sorts of crime.”
Engr. Akin Mustapha, who spoke on “Utilizing modern security equipment in combating security” during the much-hyped event said, “Surveillance ought to be a standard in every building and nation and police must be aware to project it.
“Intelligence surveillance has gone beyond houses. It is now over cities where optical fibres are used for this purpose. City surveillance can be done without any cable.
He also noted that part of the modern security equipment that is in vogue is the generation wireless bridge, where a large wireless job can be done with ease. It can be installed in all local governments to fasten the work of the police. The advantage of the generation wireless bridge is that it makes the country safer from all forms of crimes.
He further stressed turnstile as another security equipment. According to him, “Turnstile has an access control, which enables the occupant of a house or security officers manning an organization to control who comes into the facility. Some turnstiles control staff attendance, visitor as well as the time of entry and exit.”
He advised Nigerian securities to think differently and use modern equipment in combating crime, instead of the weapons that are being used which could slow down the course of their work.
Immediately after the lecture, it was time for the award ceremony proper. Police officers that were outstanding in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities to the society were honoured. Not only police officers were honoured, civilians were given awards by the organizers of the event.
Among the awardees are: Sir Mike Okiro; Dr. Muiz Banire; ACP Friday Ibadin; SP Kyari Abba Alhaji; Aisha Haruna and Chief Azubuike Ekwerekwu.
Aisha Haruna, the Divisional Police Officer of Ikoyi Police station, Lagos, was given a merit award in crime-fighting based on her leadership and courage.
She was noted for the major roles she played in the arrest of high- profile kidnap kingpins such as Emmanuel Nwangwu and his wife who was based in Ghana; the tracking and eventual arrest of five kidnappers who abducted Mrs. Rhodes Vivour, the wife of the Justice of Supreme Court of Nigeria; the rescue of a 16-year-old student of British/American International School, Ikoyi, Lagos and the subsequent arrest of kidnappers in a forest in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area, Ogun State.
More so, ACP Ibadin was honoured based on his performance in anti-pipeline vandalization.
He is the Commander of the IGP Special Task Force on anti-pipeline vandalization unit. Under his command, the unit has recorded several breakthroughs with the arrest of pipeline vandals among those who killed some NNPC staff at Arepo, Ogun State, last year.
He also discovered several routes used by vandals to siphon petroleum products.
Most times, Ibadin personally participated in several operations that led to the arrest of both informants and suspects, who later confessed to be former staff of oil companies.
Ibadin’s attitude has, to a large extent, motivated officers of the unit to put in more efforts in the first against pipeline vandalization.
Furthermore, SP Alhaji’s bravery and intelligence has resulted in spectacular and endless list of breakthrough of special anti-robbery squad under his command. This includes the arrest of members of the notorious armed robbery gang that unleashed terror on Lagos State in September, 2012, where some innocent citizens policemen were killed. . He recovered five dynamites with a detonator, two general purpose machine gun, one rocket propel grenade launcher, nine AK47 rifles, 225 AK 47 magazine fully loaded, over 10, 000 rounds of AK 47 live ammunition recovered.
In addition, Chief Ekwerekwu was a former chairman of the Alaba International Market, when the market was engulfed in a lot of crises. He was able to combat crimes with his managerial skill to reconcile all warring factions. When he mounted the leadership of the electronic market in Africa, which was almost taken over by thugs and criminals, he ensured that the market was free from all criminal vices. And those who thought they could convert the market environment into a safe haven for their criminal activities were driven away, although this was achieved with the help of the police in Lagos.
Ekwerekwu is a member of the Police Community Relations Committee. He has tried to meet the pressing needs of the police so as to carry out their duties effectively at the area command and Ojo Police Division with a view to reducing crimes to the barest minimum.
Posthumous awards were also given to 10 State Security Officers, who lost their lives while carrying our official duties in Nasarawa State.
While collecting a posthumous award for the slain officers by cultists, Ogar lauded the topic of the lecture. She added that though the 2015 elections are still far, it was, however, timely.
She assured that security agencies would not fail in working together and neither would Nigerians be disappointed.
She further said, “We are working with other security agencies. There is a symbiotic relationship among us. Whatever rivalry we appear to have is always only on the pages of the newspapers. There are some occasions when we, as security agencies, are compelled to be trained by the military and there are also some occasions when we all go for the same training. Occasionally, we even have interactive forums.”
The chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Sir Mike Okiro, who received an award for presently fighting for the transformation of the Nigerian Police Force, praised CRAN for organising such an event.
He said, “Crime reporters are investigators and prophets. You don’t joke with the words of investigators and prophets. It’s good to bring up such a topic, in order to reawaken the psychic of security agencies. By gathering all the security agencies together in one room shows there are symbiotic relationships.”
Okiro, however, appealed to the security agencies to maintain the relationship, so that they could all jointly tackle the challenges, which might confront them come 2015.
He further appealed to politicians to assist security agencies by maintaining law and order.
“Politicians should help security agencies by playing the game of politics as it supposed to be. Nigeria belongs to all of us. If there’s no peace, the economy will suffer and investors will be scared away from Nigeria,” said Okiro.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), in charge of Administration, Mr. Felix Ogundeji, representing the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko, traced his development in the Police Services to Okiro.
While commending CRAN, Ogundeji said that the command had been fighting crimes and criminals in the state tirelessly.
Beaming a winsome smile, Ogundeji said the fight so far against crimes and criminals had been largely successful.
He emphasized that Okiro had laid a good foundation for the Nigerian Police Force. “The Job of policing requires collaboration among stakeholders,”he said.
Reacting to the theme of the lecture, Ogundeji said that rivalry among security operatives would not do anybody any good.
The DCP also revealed that policing had taken another dimension, adding that it was now proactive.
He explained that without information, policing would be difficult.
He commended CRAN for its efforts and asserted that the awards were well deserved. He also urged officers to redouble their efforts in crime-fighting.
The chairman of the ceremony, Honourable Kole Abisoyobo Oboh, appealed to Nigerians to support the Nigeria Police Force, especially in the forthcoming elections.
Oboh explained that in United Kingdom and United States of America, everybody used to assist in crime-fighting and control.
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