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UK Government Hosts Stakeholder Meeting on Serious and Organised Crime

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UK Government Hosts Stakeholder Meeting on Serious and Organised Crime

By: Michael Mike

The United Kingdom Government has hosted a multi-stakeholder meeting in Abuja to discuss how its Serious & Organised Crime (SOC) Prevent Programme is making significant strides in deterring vulnerable young people from joining Organised Crime Groups in Nigeria.

Launched as a three-year pilot in December 2021, the programme is designed to disrupt Nigerian Organised Crime Groups by redirecting at-risk youth towards positive alternatives in Bayelsa, Edo, Zamfara and Lagos states.

In select local governments of these states, the SOC Prevent Programme has established robust structures and delivered various interventions, including Back-to-School Initiatives, Digital Skills Acquisition, Dance and Drama Workshops and Sports Interventions.

Collaborating closely with the Nigeria Police Force, the programme has trained 83 officers in the Prevent methodology, reinforcing the commitment to institutionalise this approach in tackling SOC, and to date, approximately 1,500 beneficiaries across the four states have been diverted from potential involvement in organised crime.

Speaking at the meeting, the Acting British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Lever said: “Serious & Organised Crime is a priority for both Nigeria and the UK, and can take many forms. Ranging from online focussed activities like cybercrime to the physical movement of illicit commodities and people in the form of trafficking.

“Our results in Nigeria have proven that the Prevent methodology works, and it has been successful in diverting young people from choosing a life of crime. I believe that the valuable discussions that took place today will smoothen the way for Prevent to be fully institutionalised in Nigeria.”

The meeting included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Police Affairs, the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), INTERPOL, Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), Ministry of Police Affairs, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and others.

The Prevent programme is an approach to tackling SOC. Others are Pursue, Protect and Prepare. Prevent methodology looks to prevent or deter people from engaging in SOC by raising awareness of the consequences of SOC and developing techniques to deter people from continuing in criminality.

UK Government Hosts Stakeholder Meeting on Serious and Organised Crime

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Armed robbery foiled by Bauchi Police, three suspects arrested in Bauchi

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Armed robbery foiled by Bauchi Police, three suspects arrested in Bauchi

By: Zagazola Makama

Three persons were arrested following a foiled armed robbery along the Bauchi–Gombe Federal Highway in Kirfi Local Government Area of Bauchi State on Jan. 26.

Sources said the incident occurred at about 12:16 a.m. when armed robbers blocked the road near Kalajanga Hamlet via Bara Village.

Officers on routine patrol responded promptly, engaging the hoodlums and forcing them to abandon their operation and flee into the surrounding bush.

The trail of the robbers led authorities to the house of one Nasiru Ibrahim of Saddiya Hamlet, where two of his children, Isya Nasiru, 20, and Umar Nasiru, 18, were also arrested in connection with the case.

Recovered items included two sticks, a touch light, three bags, a local bullet-proof shirt, face masks, two pairs of shoes, an Oppo android phone, and several local charms.

Sources say Investigations are ongoing.

Armed robbery foiled by Bauchi Police, three suspects arrested in Bauchi

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Four killed, 15 injured in lone motor accident on Ibadan–Oyo Expressway

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Four killed, 15 injured in lone motor accident on Ibadan–Oyo Expressway

By: Zagazola Makama

Four people were killed and fifteen others injured in a lone motor accident involving a Glynlyon truck along the Ibadan–Oyo Expressway on Jan. 26.

Sources said the truck, with registration number LSD 221 YM, was coming from Kebbi State to Ogun State, carrying rocky stones as well as 23 passengers seated on the stones at the back of the vehicle.

The driver, identified as Muhammed Jibril of Adamawa State, reportedly lost control of the vehicle after hitting a pothole in the Fiditi area, causing the truck to overturn.

The heavy stones reportedly fell on the passengers, killing four instantly, while fifteen others sustained varying degrees of injuries.

The injured were rushed to General Hospital Oyo for treatment, and the bodies of the deceased were evacuated to the hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

Four killed, 15 injured in lone motor accident on Ibadan–Oyo Expressway

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Six people abducted by armed bandits in Maru, Zamfara State

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Six people abducted by armed bandits in Maru, Zamfara State

By: Zagazola Makama

Suspected armed bandits on Jan. 25 abducted six people at gunpoint in Tauji village, Kanoma District of Maru Local Government Area, Zamfara State, while the victims were observing Isha’i prayers.

Sources said one of the victims has been identified as Yahuza Mikailu, 40, while the identities of the remaining five are yet to be confirmed.

The abductors reportedly took the victims to an unknown location.

Efforts are ongoing by security operatives to track the bandits, rescue the victims, and apprehend the perpetrators.

Six people abducted by armed bandits in Maru, Zamfara State

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