Day: July 2, 2024

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has set up a disciplinary panel to investigate two operatives accused of assaulting a woman during a raid on a hotel in Lagos on Thursday.

Its Spokesman, Dele Oyewale, who said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja, added that the officers were to appear before the panel on Monday.

Oyewale said that the EFCC Chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede, set up the disciplinary team to look into the case of the two errant officers of the commission who allegedly assaulted a female staff of Regional Hotel, Ojo, Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the officers were sighted in a viral video assaulting the staff of the hotel in an early morning sting operation on Thursday.

‘Olukoyede ordered the arrest of the two officers and has directed them to appear before a joint Disciplinary Team comprising the Appointment, Promotion and Disciplinary Committee, APDC and the Department of Ethics and Integrity.

‘They are billed to appear before the Team on Monday July
1, at the Corporate Headquarters of the Commission, Abuja.

‘ The team would look into the case of the officers and recommend appropriate disciplinary measures to be taken against them,’ he said.

According to him, Olukoyede stressed that no stone will be left unturned in getting the officers to account for their unprofessional conduct.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Operation Shanela has nabbed 967 suspects in the Free State last week.

Police in the province say 50 suspects were arrested for possession of drugs, with nine being arrested for rape, four for murder and 14 for attempted murder, while 28 were arrested for possession of dangerous weapons.

Twenty-one suspects were arrested for property crimes; 45 were arrested for malicious damage to property and 107 were arrested for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

In Virginia, on 26 June 2024, members of Crime Intelligence provided information on two suspected vehicles seen around petrol garages.

Three suspects were arrested after an illegal firearm was found in the vehicle in which they were driving. The second vehicle, a VW Golf, was traced and found with three occupants, and a firearm was also found and confiscated.

In another incident, a vehicle was traced and stopped. All three males found in the vehicle were also arrested after a 9mm firearm was found and confiscated.

In Rouxville, one foreign n
ational was arrested after his bakkie was stopped at a roadblock and while the police were searching the vehicle, they found boxes of illicit cigarettes worth an estimated R12 million.

In Springfontein, two males, aged 23 and 25, were arrested after they were stopped by highway patrol on the N1 and dagga worth an estimated R1.7 million was found in the back of their bakkie.

In Batho, an illegal foreign national was arrested after he was found with an unlicensed firearm. This is after police received information that the suspect might have been part of a group that robbed a tuckshop.

Detective tracing operations, as part of Operation Shanela, saw more than 215 suspects, who did not have the legal documents to be in South Africa, being taken to Home Affairs for further handling.

Thirty-three people were arrested for driving under the influence, while 253 drivers were fined for contravention of the Traffic Act.

Operations are continuing throughout the province and community members are urged to continue pro
viding information on crimes taking place, and to work with police to identify possible suspects.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) on Tuesday declared a state of emergency on production in oil and gas industry.

The NNPCL has also called on all players in the industry to collaborate towards reducing the cost of oil production and boosting production to target levels.

Malam Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPCL, stated this in Abuja at the ongoing 23rd edition of the Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Conference and Exhibition holding from June 30 to July 4.

‘We have decided to stop the debate. We cannot afford to negotiate further, we have declared war on the challenges affecting our crude oil production.

‘Our biggest interest is to produce more oil and gas in spite of oil theft and other challenges.

‘We have the right tools. We know what to fight. We know what we have to do at the level of assets. We have engaged our partners and we will work together to improve the situation,’ he said.

Kyari said a detailed analysis of assets revealed that Nigeria could conveniently pr
oduce two million barrels of crude oil daily without deploying new rigs, but decried the inability of players to act in a timely manner as major impediment.

He said obstacles to effective and efficient production such as delays in procurement processes and old pipeline network were affecting the industry.

He said NNPCL would replace all the old crude oil pipelines built over four decades ago and introduce a rig sharing programme with its partners to ensure that production rigs stayed in the country.

This, he said, would be a medium to long-term measures aimed at boosting and sustaining production.

He expressed commitment to investing in critical midstream gas infrastructure such as the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline to boost domestic gas production and supply for power generation.

On Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Kyari said the NNPCL had keyed into the Presidential CNG Initiative drive.

He said in conjunction with partners such as NIPCO Gas, NNPCL had built a number
of CNG stations, 12 of which would be commissioned on Thursday in Lagos and Abuja.

The Secretary-General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), Mr Mohamed Hamel, in an address, also advocated for natural gas infrastructure and penetration for energy stability and security.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Operation Shanela has nabbed 967 suspects in the Free State last week.

Police in the province say 50 suspects were arrested for possession of drugs, with nine being arrested for rape, four for murder and 14 for attempted murder, while 28 were arrested for possession of dangerous weapons.

Twenty-one suspects were arrested for property crimes; 45 were arrested for malicious damage to property and 107 were arrested for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

In Virginia, on 26 June 2024, members of Crime Intelligence provided information on two suspected vehicles seen around petrol garages.

Three suspects were arrested after an illegal firearm was found in the vehicle in which they were driving. The second vehicle, a VW Golf, was traced and found with three occupants, and a firearm was also found and confiscated.

In another incident, a vehicle was traced and stopped. All three males found in the vehicle were also arrested after a 9mm firearm was found and confiscated.

In Rouxville, one foreign n
ational was arrested after his bakkie was stopped at a roadblock and while the police were searching the vehicle, they found boxes of illicit cigarettes worth an estimated R12 million.

In Springfontein, two males, aged 23 and 25, were arrested after they were stopped by highway patrol on the N1 and dagga worth an estimated R1.7 million was found in the back of their bakkie.

In Batho, an illegal foreign national was arrested after he was found with an unlicensed firearm. This is after police received information that the suspect might have been part of a group that robbed a tuckshop.

Detective tracing operations, as part of Operation Shanela, saw more than 215 suspects, who did not have the legal documents to be in South Africa, being taken to Home Affairs for further handling.

Thirty-three people were arrested for driving under the influence, while 253 drivers were fined for contravention of the Traffic Act.

Operations are continuing throughout the province and community members are urged to continue pro
viding information on crimes taking place, and to work with police to identify possible suspects.

Source: South African Government News Agency

An organisation promoting the human rights and empowerment of women and girls has commended the appointment of new Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Minister, Sindisiwe Chikunga and Deputy Minister Mmapaseka Steve Letsike to the portfolio.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Chikunga and Letsike’s appointments in an address to the nation on Sunday night. The Minister and Deputy Minister are members of the national executive of the seventh administration under the principles of the Government of National Unity (GNU).

A former Transport Minister, Chikunga takes over the reins from former Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who was appointed as the Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities from 6 March 2023.

Letsike is the founding Executive Director of Access Chapter 2 (AC2), a non-profit organisation (NPO) and public benefit organisation (PBO).

AC2 was initiated to promote the human rights and empowerment of women and girls, and LGBTI+ people (Lesbian, G
ay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) in all their diversities, facilitating participation of civil society organisations at a local, national, regional and international level by creating space and coordinating platforms for engagement on governance, policy and accountability processes.

Access Chapter 2 commended the appointment of the two principals, noting that Letsike’s appointment as a Deputy Minister is a testament to her expertise, passion, and commitment to public service.

‘We have no doubt that they will bring the same level of dedication and innovation to their new role, and we are excited to see the positive impact they will have on policy making and decision-making at the highest levels of government.

‘We are confident that [Letsike] will continue to be a strong voice for diversity, equality, and justice in her new role, and we wish her all the best as she embarks on this exciting new chapter in her career,’ AC2 spokesperson, Clement Mampane, said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Women, Youth a
nd Persons with Disabilities has also welcomed Chikunga and Letsike’s appointment, noting its mandate to lead on socio-economic transformation and the implementation of the empowerment and participation of women, youth and people with disabilities through mainstreaming, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation.

‘Guided by the principles of partnership and collaboration, the incoming administration, will continue to advance, progressive laws to address the legacy of apartheid by confronting gender Inequalities perpetuated by the lack of meaningful economic participation and representation across several socio-economic domains,’ the department said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has urged men to play their part to keep women safe and protected.

Ntuli on Monday officiated the launch of Men’s Health Month in Durban, which included a law enforcement parade by the police. The parade started at King Dinuzulu Park, and concluded at the Durban City Hall.

The parade aimed to promote positive male behaviour and address the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).

Ntuli emphasised the important role played by religion and culture in curbing GBV.

‘It is very shameful that the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide has reached worrisome proportions in our country. Even in war, since time immemorial, hurting women and children has always been seriously frowned upon.

‘Men who attack women have always been regarded as cowards. Even in rites of passage, conceptually, boys are taught to respect women… If this is no longer happening, those rites of passage violate tradition,’ Ntuli said.

According to statistics released last year, in KwaZ
ulu-Natal, Inanda is leading in terms of GBV related crimes, with 641 cases recorded in the period of April 2022 to March 2023.

The cases include rape, sexual assault, assault with a purpose to inflict grievous bodily harm, attempted murder, common assault, and murder.

According to the same report, the top 30 police stations in the province recorded 10 442 cases of GBV-related crimes.

Ntuli believes that ignorance, myths, fallacies and falsehoods also lead to high levels of GBV.

‘It is a major fallacy that men are made for leadership. Those men who believe this myth are likely to unnecessarily feel emasculated by the mere occupation of leadership positions by women…. We need to teach our male children that women are not their… toys or their punching bags, but are their equal partners.’

Ntuli urged men to ensure that they do not abuse any leadership role that they are given.

‘We must [also] teach our children that washing dishes and clothes; cleaning the house, and cooking are not gender roles but life s
kills. While such an approach is essential for our male children’s own development and readiness for the future, it also ensures that as they grow and meet women, they do not attempt to relegate them to their servants,’ the Premier said.

Role of law enforcement

Ntuli impressed upon law enforcement to take seriously the responsibility placed on them when it comes to the responsibility of protecting vulnerable groups.

‘When a woman is a victim of domestic violence, she relies on the paramedics in specific cases and the police, who are expected to make arrests and to process and effect protection orders. When these women walk, or, sometimes sadly, crawl into police stations, they expect justice and healing.

‘They do not expect negotiations to be brokered by police officers. They do not expect judgment when wearing revealing clothes and they do not expect lethargy and indifference,’ Ntuli said.

To show how serious he is about the safety and security of the people in the province, when he was sworn into the t
ask of being KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Ntuli announced that the Community Safety and Liaison function would move to the Office of the Premier.

Source: South African Government News Agency