2019: UN pledges support for Nigerian female politicians

By The UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) says it will support Nigerian female politicians vying for elective positions in the 2019 general elections.

The UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that there was the need to increase women participation in politics in Nigeria.

The UN women chief was at the Nigeria House where he met with the Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande and the Deputy Permanent Representative, Amb. Samson Itegboje.

Mlambo-Ngcuka had visited Nigeria in July alongside UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed to push ways to address the many challenges confronting girls and women in the country.

She said: “We also were in Nigeria to discuss the issue of women’s participation in politics.

“We were also in Nigeria for how we need to increase the number of women participation in politics in the next elections and the strategies to do that”.

According to her, the next step for UN Women in the area of women participation is helping to support the women who want to run in different parts of the country to prepare.

Mlambo-Ngcuka pledged the support of the UN women agency in this regard, saying the men do a lot to position themselves.

“So we will be working with other civil society,” the UN Women chief said.

According to her, she was at the Nigerian Mission to give the Ambassador feedback on the visit to Nigeria.

She added that the briefing also included the progress the UN Women was making in Nigeria and the progress that Nigeria was making at the time of the visit.

“We were able to renew our commitment to support girls that were affected by the abductions – the Chibok girls in particular.

“We were also able to look at the women and girls who were in the internally displaced persons’ camps and their conditions.

“This is to make sure that we address any violations of their rights that may happen. The government has already taken steps to address that, which we appreciate,” she said.

Mlambo-Ngcuka explained that the UN agency was also doing a lot in the area of women peace and security in general in the country.

“So it’s also supporting the different initiatives that government has in addressing the safety of women, including safe schools. So we were able to discuss the next steps.

She said the agency’s tactics was to join the activities of government to increase the awareness of the communities to what creates insecurity for the girls.

She added UN Women would also support the girls that had come back from Boko Haram abduction to de-stigmatise and to ensure their successful integration.

She commended Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for the way he handled the affairs of the country during the period he was in the saddle as the Acting President.

“When we were in Nigeria, we met with then Acting President and we really found each other on the same page and that’s why already we are seeing some follow-up.

“This includes the fact that he is a ‘HeForShe’ and he’s then committed to relaunching the ‘HeForShe’.

“We will relaunch the ‘HeForShe’ now with the President – Muhammadu Buhari,” the UN Women chief said.

‘HeForShe’ is a solidarity campaign for the advancement of women initiated by UN Women.

Its goal is to engage men and boys as agents of change by encouraging them to take action against negative inequalities faced by women and girls.

Nigerians Calling for Scrapping Of SARS Are Criminals - Police Spokesman

The Nigeria Police Force has refuted allegations that some officers of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad SARS have become unprofessional in their conducts. Nigerians using the harshtag, #EndSARS, are calling for the disbandment of SARS after many accounts of torture and extortion of innocent citizens by many SARS officials.

Reacting to the call for the ban of SARS, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, Jimoh Moshood, in an interview with The Cable said SARS has lived up to its function which is to fight robbery in states and that those that are complaining against the operations of the officers might just be armed robbers.

According to him, the police treats every complaint leveled against police officers seriously. "We do not take any infraction or violation of human right of any Nigerian likely. You know that so many police officers have been dismissed and even charged to court. So, Nigerians should not give in to insinuations from people that just come to the social media and start spreading falsehood.

Such people spreading such information may likely be armed robbers themselves. There is laid down rules for police procedures and any police officer that go beyond boundary to do something outrageous which is against the law is apprehended" he said

Speaking further he said "As we speak, SARS is doing fantastically well across the country in reducing incidents of robbery to the barest minimum. they are doing very, very well. There has not been any specific violation of human rights against any SARS personnel.

So anybody that is spreading such a rumour is not doing the nation any good. SARS has no excesses and when there is any, we do investigate. The call for SARS to be scrapped should be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians. Anybody calling for their proscription is not doing the nation any good and such people should be suspected as having something to hide

SARS Imbroglio: Lagos CP Release Numbers To Report Any Erring Police Officer

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Ag.Cp  Edgal Imohimi, after careful perusal of the Punch Newspaper publication of December 4, 2017, titled " Mob chases SARS operatives for shooting Lagos youth", wishes to assure the general public that such an event did not happen in Yaba nor in any part of the State, neither was it reported at any police formation within Lagos State Police Command.

The Divisional Police Officers in charge of Yaba and Adekunle police stations in whose areas the killing purportedly took place, have jointly debunked the allegation as a ruse.

The Commissioner of Police therefore enjoined Lagosians to always take news concerning police activities emanating from social media platforms with a pinch of salt as some of them maybe diversionary or a ploy to incite members of the public against the Police.

In a similar vein, the Commissioner of Police also wishes to state that no young man was brutalized by SARS operatives in Lagos as alleged in some social media platforms nor did any young man report that he was brutalized to any of the Police formations under Lagos State Command.

The Commissioner of Police further encourage residents of Lagos to report  infringement of their rights by any police officer to the Citizens Complaint Centre, which he established on assumption of office by calling any of the following phone numbers, viz: 

08067945296

08063025274

08113615350

08113683077

08096283148

08096283283

08089781657

08126404930

08081426895

SP. Chike Oti
Police Public Relations Officer,
Lagos State Police Command.

#ENDSARS: IGP Orders Immediate Reshuffle Of Special Anti Robbery Squad Nationwide

The Nigeria Police Force has observed the recent trends of event in the Social Media on the #ENDSARSNOW and the controversy being generated by the innuendos from the allegations and other misconceptions as it concerns the Operational roles and activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a detachment of the Nigeria Police Force.

Undoubtedly, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) have been doing very well in fighting violent crimes such as Armed Robbery, Kidnappings and Cattle Rustling in the country in the recent time and this has resulted in drastic reduction of incidents of the mentioned violent crimes nationwide.

However, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris NPM, mni concerned with public interest and the need to reposition the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for more efficiency and effective service delivery to all Nigerians and ensure that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operates based on International Core Value of Policing with integrity and make sure the rule of law prevails in the operations  and activities of the outfit, the IGP has directed the immediate re-organization of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) nationwide and instant investigation into all the allegations, complaints and infractions levelled against the personnel of the Special Anti Robbery Squad across the country by the IGP X-Squad of the Force.

In the new arrangement, a Commissioner of Police is now the overall head of the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad nationwide under the Department of Operations, Force Headquarters Abuja.

The Police Zonal Commands, State Commands and Divisions will continue to operate anti-crime units/sections, crime prevention and control squads and teams imperative to prevent and detect crimes and criminalities in their Area of Responsibilities, and other crack squads necessary to sustain law and order and protection of life and properties in their Area of responsibilities (AOR)

Federal Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) will now exist and operate in the State and Zonal Commands under the Commissioner of Police (F-SARS) at the Force Headquarters.  A Federal SARS Commander of a Rank of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) and not below Superintendent of Police (SP) will be in charge of FSARS in State and Zonal Commands across the Country. All Commissioners of Police have been directed by the Inspector General of Police to comply with this directive with immediate effect and warn their personnel not to pose as SARS operatives. The IGP X-Squad has been mandated to go round the Commands and Police Formations nationwide to ensure strict compliance and apprehend any erring police officer. 

Furthermore, a new training program to be organized by the Force in collaboration with some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Local and International NGOs, and other Human Rights Organizations on core Police Duties, Observant of Human Rights and Handling, Care and Custody of Suspects have been directed by the Inspector General of Police for all Federal SARS personnel nationwide with immediate effect.

However, aggrieved members of the public who have any complaint in the past or present of violation of their rights by any Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) personnel anywhere in the country are to report through any of the following channels for investigation and further actions