By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Police Command has detained four police officers for allegedly extorting N53,000 from the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, during an illegal stop-and-search operation in Abuja.

The FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists in Abuja, describing the officers as “thieves” who had no business wearing the police uniform.

According to Sanusi, the officers abandoned their designated duty posts, converged around the Banex area of Wuse, where they mounted an unauthorised checkpoint, and extorted the ICPC chairman without knowing his identity.

He said the officers compelled the ICPC chairman to withdraw N53,000 through a Point of Sale, POS, operator, made him pay the transaction charges, and later shared the money among themselves.

“I must say here too that we have about four policemen in custody as we speak who successfully extorted somebody of high importance, unknown to them that this person is a highly placed person in society. In clear terms, they extorted the Chairman of the ICPC.

“They extorted him of N53,000. They took him to a POS, he withdrew the money, paid the charges and they shared the money among themselves,” he said.

The police commissioner said investigations revealed that the officers had formed a criminal gang after leaving their various divisions to carry out the illegal operation.

“They are a gang of criminals who left various divisions, clustered together, moved to Wuse Banex and created a checkpoint where they perpetrated this act before fleeing,” he said.

Sanusi said the command subsequently declared the officers wanted and arrested their gang leader, whose confession led to the arrest of the remaining members of the syndicate.

“We got all of them. We are going to make sure they are severely punished. Those that are going to be dismissed will definitely be dismissed,” he added.

The commissioner also reiterated that the Inspector-General of Police had prohibited the indiscriminate search of citizens’ mobile phones by officers on patrol.

He advised residents not to comply with unlawful demands by police officers to search their phones on the roadside and urged them to report such incidents immediately through the police emergency lines.

“You cannot stop anybody on the road and ask the person to bring out his phone for search. If any policeman stops you and asks to search your phone, don’t agree. Call the police emergency lines and we will ask them why,” Sanusi said.

He further urged members of the public to promptly report cases of extortion and other forms of police misconduct, assuring them that officers found culpable would be tracked down and sanctioned.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Andy Burnham has become the United Kingdom’s prime minister and was invited by King Charles III to form a government, after Keir Starmer’s resignation.

Burnham enters office promising a “10-year plan for the country” to address some of the fundamental issues holding the UK back.

He added: “I’m not saying that means I’m setting out to say I’m going to be here for 10 years. It’s more that we’re not in the right place structurally.”

In his first Downing Street speech he promised to give people “breathing room” against the rising cost of living.

He intends to urge the country to be honest about the challenges it faces and will call for “reflection and resolution.”

He enumerated that he is “acutely conscious” that the UK has had seven prime ministers in a little over 10 years, stressing the need for more stable and responsible politics and pledging to restore faith in government.

In his final appearance at the prime minister’s office in Downing Street, Starmer said his “work is done” and that he was leaving the country “stronger and fairer” than when he took office just two years ago.

“I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved,” he added.

After a brief audience with the king, the palace announced Starmer had tendered his resignation which Charles was “graciously pleased to accept.”

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service, FFS, Olumode Adeyemi Samuel, has approved the immediate deployment of Deputy Controller of Fire, DCF, UM Sadiq as the new State Controller for the Kano State Command.

The appointment, which takes immediate effect, is part of the Service’s ongoing efforts to strengthen operational leadership and enhance public safety across the country.

Mr Sadiq takes over from Controller of Fire, CSF, Kazeem Sholadoye, who has been redeployed to the Jigawa State Command in an acting capacity.

The Federal Fire Service commended Sholadoye for his dedication and contributions during his tenure in Kano.

The newly appointed State Controller is familiar with the Kano Command, having previously served as its Acting Commanding Officer between 2015 and 2017.

An indigene of Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, his return is expected to leverage his experience and knowledge of the state to improve emergency response and fire safety operations.

A statement by the Service described Mr Sadiq as a seasoned firefighter, administrator and policy strategist with extensive experience in fire prevention, emergency management and institutional reforms.

During his career, he has held several strategic positions within the Federal Fire Service, including Team Lead of Package B at the National Stadium, Abuja, in 2015; Commanding Officer of the Kano State Command between 2015 and 2017; Head of Appointment, Promotion and Discipline at the National Headquarters from 2017 to 2020; and Third-in-Command in charge of Policy, Planning, Research and Statistics between 2020 and 2021.

He also served as Head of Registry at the National Headquarters from 2021 to 2022, Second-in-Command of the Jigawa State Command between 2022 and 2023, State Controller of the Kaduna State Command from 2023 to 2024, and most recently, State Controller of the Kogi State Command from 2024 until his latest deployment.

According to the statement, Sadiq has played a significant role in the development of policies aimed at modernising the Service’s operational framework and improving emergency response mechanisms across the country.

The Service expressed optimism that his deployment to Kano would strengthen firefighting operations, improve public safety strategies, deepen community engagement and reinforce the state’s firefighting infrastructure.

The Controller-General expressed confidence in Sadiq’s ability to provide effective leadership for the Kano State Command and urged officers and personnel of the command to give him their full cooperation and support in the discharge of his duties.