Crime
UNODC Begins Assessment Work on Rehabilitation of Lagos, Port Harcourt Correctional Facilities
UNODC Begins Assessment Work on Rehabilitation of Lagos, Port Harcourt Correctional Facilities
By: Michael Mike
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has begun assessment work on rehabilitation of principal correctional facilities in Port Harcourt and Lagos.
The United Nations body is targeting the rehabilitation of correctional facilities in both Part Harcourt and Lagos after such interventions were made in Maiduguri and in states in the North East.
The Nigerian Correctional Service, UNODC and the Government of Germany have joined forces in upgrading Maiduguri Maximum Security Custodial Centre Centre in continuation of the 2021 phase I project: “Strengthening the Capacity of the Nigerian Correctional Service to Effectively Rehabilitate and Reintegrate Prisoners Held for an (Alleged) Association with Boko Haram.”
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Since the launch of the project, prison staff working at the Centre have received extensive training on the Nelson Mandela Rules, on dynamic security management as well as on integrating sports into a holistic rehabilitation programme. In addition, extensive infrastructural improvements have been made in order to enable the Centre to provide a far more sophisticated, diverse and eventually effective offer of recreational, vocational and educational services.
At the handing over of the Phase I of the Improved Infrastructure within the Correctional Centre on Tuesday were senior representatives of the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Borno State Government, representatives of the Security Services and the United Nations.
The infrastructural improvements are: Improved access to light and water for inmates and staff, through the provision of installation of eco-friendly solar energy sources to supplement the current prison electrical system with up to 72 hours of power reserve; Improved access to vocational skill development opportunities by inmates through the transformation of existing facilities into two functional vocational training workshops which will be fully equipped during phase II; Improved access to education through the refurbishment of the classroom and the provision of standard educational materials; and Improved mental and physical health and well-being of prisoners through the constructions of extensive new sports facilities, including football, volleyball and badminton pitches and the provision of the respective sports equipment.
A statement by UNODC on Tuesday said, under its second phase the project will further upgrade the vocational training facilities and workshops as well as renovate the living quarters of staff of the NCoS Deradicalization Programme.
The statement noted that the DERAD Programme team in Maiduguri consists of specialized employees, including psychologists, social workers, sport-instructors, art-therapists, work-instructors, and spiritual caretakers. They are deployed to Maiduguri MSCC with the primary task of supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration of those inmates associated or allegedly associated with Boko Haram.
The statement further revealed that “with the support of the Government of the United States, UNODC has been able to further expand its approach to enhancing the rehabilitation and reintegration capabilities of the Nigeria Correctional Service across several other major correctional facilities in the North East.
“Further assessments are ongoing aimed to determine related needs of the principal correctional facilities in Port Harcourt and Lagos.
“These efforts complement the already ongoing work of UNODC in partnership with UNFPA and UNAIDS aimed to improve the access of prisoners, in particular women and girls, to health services, including HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care.”
The statement further read that: “As Federal and State Government, civil society and international development partners continue to work towards putting an end to more than ten years of conflict in North East Nigeria, the role of the Nigerian Correctional Service has rarely, if ever, been the focus of attention. Despite its critical role in rehabilitating offenders, including those who perpetuated acts of terrorism, only limited resources have been invested both by Government and its partners. And yet, the ultimate objective of imprisonment, namely to protect society against crime and terrorism, can only be achieved if the period of imprisonment is used to ensure that offenders are both able to support themselves and willing to lead a law-abiding life upon release.”
UNODC Begins Assessment Work on Rehabilitation of Lagos, Port Harcourt Correctional Facilities
Bandits kill driver, abduct five passengers on Bagaga-Anka road
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits attacked a Golf vehicle on the Bagaga-Anka road in Zamfara State on April 26, 2025, killing the driver and abducting five passengers.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack occurred at about 11:40 a.m. when the bandits blocked the road, shot dead the driver, and abducted the five passengers traveling in the vehicle.
Upon receiving the distress report, joint security forces were swiftly mobilized and dispatched to the scene. The injured driver was taken to Bagega Primary Healthcare for treatment.
Efforts to rescue the abducted victims are ongoing, with security agencies intensifying their search for the perpetrators.
Bandits kill driver, abduct five passengers on Bagaga-Anka road
Police rescue 68 trafficking victims, arrest 16 suspects in Oyo State
By: Zagazola Makama
Police in Oyo State have rescued 68 victims of human trafficking and arrested 16 suspects, including 10 males and 6 females, following a raid on a hideout in Kajorepo community, Agabala Daniel Area.
Sources reliably informed Zagazola Makama that the operation, carried out on April 26, 2025, was based on credible intelligence from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the State Intelligence Division (SID).
The rescued victims include 47 males, 20 females, and one child. They were found locked in a building where they were reportedly being held with the intent to be trafficked.
The suspects were taken into custody for interrogation, while the victims were provided with care and assistance. The building was sealed off, and patrol teams have been deployed to prevent any attempts by an angry mob to destroy the property.
The sources added that further investigations are ongoing to dismantle the trafficking network.
Police rescue 68 trafficking victims, arrest 16 suspects in Oyo State
Police smash kidnapping syndicate terrorising Taraba, neighbouring states
By: Zagazola Makama
The Taraba State Police Command, in collaboration with operatives of the Force Intelligence Department (FID) of the Force Headquarters Abuja, has arrested members of a notorious kidnap and banditry syndicate responsible for terrorising communities across Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, Plateau, Bauchi, and Kaduna States.
Security sources told Zagazola
Makama that the breakthrough, according to the Command, was achieved following credible intelligence that was processed into actionable operations, leading to the arrest of key gang members on April 25.
The sources said that the operatives, working in conjunction with a local vigilante group, apprehended three suspects at about 10:00 a.m.
Those arrested were identified as Shehu Ibrahim, 27, of Larai Gada, Ilorin; Abdullahi Haruna, 28, of Angwan Karofi, Bauchi; and Yusuf Bello, 40, of Birama Village, Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State.
“Upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to their involvement in multiple kidnapping operations across the affected states,” the spokesperson said.
Items recovered from them include one AK-47 rifle, two AK-49 rifles, six AK magazines, and 45 live rounds of ammunition.
The police sources noted that the recent arrests follow earlier operations that led to the capture of other members of the same criminal gang.
Those earlier apprehended include Suleiman Mohammed, 28, of Lariski, Gombe State; Tijjani Bello, 30, of Nasarawo, Jalingo; Muhammed Umar, 25, of Sabon Gari, Jalingo; Adamu Ibrahim, 22, of Mutum Daya, Karim Lamido; Solomon Nathaniel, 32, of Logo, Benue State; and Haruna Adamu, 25, of Lushi Village, Lau, Taraba State.
From these earlier arrests, the police recovered three AK-47 rifles, one AK-49 rifle, and four AK-47 magazines.
He said that three suspects have confessed to several heinous crimes, including kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery, and attacks on rural communities.
He added that investigations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining members of the syndicate and dismantle the network completely.
Police smash kidnapping syndicate terrorising Taraba, neighbouring states
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