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IGP bans FSARS, others from checking citizen’s phone

The Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu, has banned operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and other Tactical Squads of the Force, including the Special Tactical Squad (STS), Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Anti-Cultism Squad and other Tactical Squads operating at the Federal, Zonal and Command levels, from carrying out routine patrols and other conventional low-risk duties.

Such duties, which include stop -and- search duties, checkpoints, mounting of roadblocks and traffic checks, among others are to stop with immediate effect according to a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, on Sunday.

In addition, no personnel of the Force is authorised to embark on patrols or tactical assignments in mufti, the statement indicated.

“They must always appear in their police uniforms or approved tactical gear. The IGP’s directives come against the backdrop of findings by the leadership of the Force that a few personnel of the Tactical Squads hide under these guise to perpetrate all forms of illegality, contrary to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement establishing the squads.

“Specifically, the IGP has warned the Tactical Squads against the invasion of the privacy of citizens particularly through indiscriminate and unauthorized search of mobile phones, laptops and other smart devices.

” They are to concentrate and respond only to cases of armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes when the need arises.

“The IGP notes that the FSARS and other Police Tactical Squads remain a critical component of the Force in confronting prevailing and emerging violent crimes in the country.

“He however condemns every act of unprofessionalism, abuse of human rights and high-handedness by some personnel of the Squads.

“He has therefore ordered the X-Squad and the Monitoring Unit to embark on immediate and massive nationwide monitoring of activities of Tactical Squads and other police officers on the road.

“They are to ensure prompt arrest, investigation and prosecution of all erring police officers who violate these directives and other extant regulations of the Force

“The IGP has equally warned, that henceforth, the Commissioner of Police in charge of FSARS, Commissioners of Police in charge of State Commands and the FCT as well as their supervisory Zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police, will be held liable for any misconduct within their Area of Responsibility (AOR).

“He therefore charged them to ensure effective supervision and mentoring of the personnel of the Tactical Squads under their jurisdiction.

“Meanwhile, two operatives of the FSARS and their civilian accomplice operating in Lagos State, INSPR Sale James, INSPR Monday Uchiola and Okechukwu Ogbonna, have been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command, for acts of professional misconduct including extortion and intimidation of innocent citizens.

“The operational vehicle of the men has also been impounded and disciplinary procedure has already commenced against the defaulters.”

Anger and frustration have pervaded the social media following the killing of a young man in Delta State by men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police.

The issue had trended for the past couple of days on social media with many reliving their experiences at the hands of SARS operatives while others called for outright scrapping of the police unit, showing how strongly Nigerians feel about the development.

Patoma Admin by — October 4, 2020 in Metro 0
Buhari swears-in 4 new Perm Secretaries

PRESIDENT Muhmmadu Buhari on Wednesday swore-in four newly appointed Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Civil Service.
The swearing-in ceremony took place just before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC, virtual meeting, in the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The four new Permanent Secretaries, made up of three men and a lady, are completing the list of 16 persons appointed in June this year, among whom 12 persons had been sworn-in more than a month ago.
The new Permanent Secretaries are Mr. James Sule from Kaduna State; Mr Ismaila Abubakar from Kebbi State; Mrs Ibiene Patricia Roberts from Rivers State; and Mr Shehu Aliyu Shinkafi from Zamfara State.
Physically present for the FEC meeting after the swearing-in of the Permanent Secretaries are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari; and the National Security Adviser, NSA, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd).
Four Ministers who are physically present are the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed; and the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mr.  Clement Agba.
Other Ministers are expected to join from their various offices in Abuja, through video conference.
Patoma Admin by — September 30, 2020 in News 0
Kano State tops FG’s ₦75bn MSME Survival Fund application with 16,880 in 24hrs

Kano State has topped the list of application for Federal Government ₦75 billion National MSME Survival Fund with with 16,880 applicants within 24 hours.
The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mariam Katagum at a media briefing on Thursday provide an update on the National MSME Survival Fund and the Guaranteed Off-take Stimulus Schemes under the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP).
The Minister explained that the scheme is a cluster of grants intended to support vulnerable micro and small enterprises in meeting their payroll obligations and safeguard jobs within the MSME space from the shock of the Covid19 Pandemic.
“The program is to save over One Million, Seven Hundred Thousand (1,700,000) jobs,” she said.
Special focus will be given to 45 percent female owned MSME’s and 5 percent special needs owned MSME’s and give grants to self-employed individuals especially service providers like Bus drivers, Taxi drivers, ride share drivers and artisans such as electricians and plumbers.
She said the scheme will be implemented along the payroll support which targets 500,000 individual beneficiaries.
“The scheme will support MSME payroll obligations by paying between N50,000 (max) and N30,000 (min) to between 3 (min) and 10 (max) staff for 3 months. MSMEs in this category are required to have a minimum of 3 and maximum of 50 Staff on their payroll to qualify,” the Minister said.
She added that the Target Beneficiaries scheme will support MSMEs in the Hospitality industry, Private Schools, Factory owners, Law Firms, Hospitals among others.
There is also the General MSME Grant which will give N50,000 to 100,000 MSMEs.
She said portal open for applications on September 21, 2020 at 11:00pm and within the first 24 hours approximately 138,000 individuals had logged on, created profiles, and completed the first stage of registration with Kano, Kaduna, and Lagos as the lead states.
“All successful applicants received SMS and email verification with a list of requirements for the second stage of application which will commence on 1/10/2020. Applicants will be required to upload details supporting their applications which will be verified and if successful, approved for disbursements,” she said.
The following states recorded the highest number of applications in the first 24hrs of registration: Kano – 16,880, Kaduna – 11,438, Lagos – 10, 530, Katsina – 7,354 and Bauchi – 6,622 applicants.
She said that as at 8.30am Thursday morning, total successful registrations stood at 174,574 with the following states having the highest applications as follows: Kano: 19,895, Kaduna:13,575, Lagos: 13,640, Katsina: 8,383 and FCT: 8,085
Registration for other tracks will start as follows: Hospitality industry 25/09/2020 – 10:00AM, Payroll Support (others) 28/09/2020 – 10:00AM, and Artisan/Transport Grants 1/10/2020.
She sad “Some states and local governments that have low access to network connectivity and internet services are experiencing delays with registration. However, we also have feedback that State Governments and trade associations are putting in place innovative strategies to deal with the situation.
“Focal Persons of these states (and all other states) are encouraged to continue with their sensitization efforts; all states need to be equally represented in the Scheme.
“The PDO has received reports of some attempted cyber-attacks on the application website. We would like to assure the public that the application system is secure with multiple levels of encryption and any information loaded on the official application page is safe from cyber-attacks of any kind.
“We would however like to draw the attention of the public to attempts by scammers and other undesirable elements to swindle innocent Nigerians with promises of assured disbursements for a fee.
“The Survival Fund will not at any time or for any reason request payment or facilitation fees to access the Grants.
The public is encouraged to report any such nefarious activities to the nearest security agents and follow up with a report to the PDO via the mediums provided on the website.”
Patoma Admin by — September 26, 2020 in Industry, Trade & Investment 0
Africa Re makes way for donation to fight covid-19

The African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re) recorded almost 6% growth in gross written premium last year at $845m and recorded a combined ratio of 96.1%, better than the average of 100.3% recorded by global reinsurers.

Chairman of the board of directors and the general assembly, Hassan Boubrik, said: “Africa Re recorded an impressive improvement in all performance metrics. Our gross written premium grew by almost 6% to $845m and underwriting performance improved by 26% to $26m.

“In line with the recovery of the global financial markets in 2019, investment income reached an all-time high of $66m, representing 165.7% growth compared to the previous year. Average return on investment stood at 5.26%.”

He added that, overall, the corporation achieved a 219.5% increase in net profit to reach $99.1m. “This excellent performance resulted in a 6.3% improvement in the shareholders’ funds, which now amounts to $975m. At the same time, a dividend of $8.80 per share is distributed, slightly higher than $8 per share paid last year,” said Mr Boubrik.

The shareholders have approved $49,952,000 going into the general reserve in accordance with Resolution No 4/1992 of the general assembly, which stipulates that 50% of the net profit after tax of each year is set aside as general reserve.

Some $800,000 is to be transferred to the reserve for loss fluctuation in accordance with the decision taken by the board during its 57th session, to set aside an amount over and above the outstanding claims provision, to moderate the effects of possible fluctuation in losses in future.

The board has also approved $1,998,080, representing 2% of the net profit, to be transferred to the Africa Re Foundation. The increased proportion of the net profit allocated to the Africa Re Foundation for 2020 will enable the corporation to significantly enhance its contribution to mitigate the negative impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on healthcare systems and economies across Africa.

The Africa Re Foundation’s overall corporate social responsibility contribution towards the fight against the pandemic currently amounts to $3.3m. The funds will be deployed to support key continental, regional and local players in the fight against Covid-19, the corporation said.

Patoma Admin by — September 24, 2020 in Insurance 0