General
How CCTV Caused Dismissal Of 3 Lagos Policemen
By Ebitonye Akpodigha
The end of the road has come for three policemen in Lagos alleged to be terrorists to drug pushers and cyber-crime fraudsters in the Surulere area of the state.
According to New Telegraph, the three policemen followed a suspected fraudster into a banking hall to withdraw money from his account.
It was reported that the policemen, Sergeant Okechukwu Okpokwu, Sergeant Idemudia Monday and Corporal Bienonwu Richard, were all attached to Area C Police Command, Surulere, Lagos State.
Trouble started for the policemen after they sighted a car while on a ‘Stop and Search’ duty along Bode Thomas Street and accused the driver of being a fraudster.
Although the driver, who was in the car with a friend tried to deny the allegations, but a bank alert, which came into his phone while the argument was still on, belied his claims. Rather than arrest him, the policemen insisted they wanted a piece of the action.
They followed the suspect to the nearest First Bank branch in the area to withdraw some money. The policemen would have made away with the money, but for the Close Circuit Television (CCTV), in the banking hall which recorded the transaction. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, was said to have been furious with the policemen that he ordered for their arrest and orderly room trial.
They were subsequently later dismissed and charged with armed robbery. A police source said that the suspected fraudster was driving a Honda Accord car (End of Discussion), white in colour, when he was flagged down by the policemen. The policemen carried out a search of the car.
They accused the driver and his occupants of being cyber fraudsters, but they denied.
The policemen seized their phones and ATM cards.
The source said: “Unfortunately for the driver, at that precise moment, a bank alert entered his phone. The alert allegedly implicated them as being cyber fraudsters.
“The policemen were happy. They asked the suspects the meaning of such an alert. The suspects started begging. The policemen said they would collect N1m or arrest them.”
It was gathered that while this haggling with the suspects was going on, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), who was in charge of the team, sat in the police patrol van with the police driver, unaware that his men were making a deal that would change their lives. After haggling and begging, the policemen agreed to accept N350,000.
The driver told the policemen that he wouldn’t be able to withdraw N350, 000 with his ATM card. He said that he needed to go to bank to make withdrawal. One of the policemen, Okechukwu, said he would go with him.
The police source said: “Before leaving for the bank, Okechukwu went and changed from his uniform, into a mufti. He went to his team leader, the ASP, who was inside the patrol van, to tell him that he needed a few minutes break. All this while, he held unto the ATM cards and phones of the suspects.
“He didn’t want them to escape. He followed them to the nearest First bank branch there. The driver first used his ATM card to withdraw some money, but he couldn’t get up to N350, 000; he decided to cash the rest over the counter.
“Okechukwu followed him into the banking hall. After the driver collected the money, he handed it over to Okechukwu, but Okechukwu refused to collect it. He wanted to know if the money was complete. The suspect told him to count it. He proceeded to count it.”
Assured that the money was complete, Okechukwu handed the seized phones to the driver and his friend and went back to his duty post. When the driver got home, he narrated his experience to a friend.
The friend narrated it to a policeman stationed at police headquarters, Ikeja. The matter was taken to Owoseni. Owoseni ordered that the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), in charge of operations, should investigate the matter.
A radio message was sent that the policemen should report to the command.
When they walked into the DC’s office, they sighted the suspect and were shocked. The DC told the suspect to narrate his story. He did. The policemen said they had never set eyes on the suspect, let alone to have received N350, 000 from him. When the ASP heard the story, he was shocked.
He said he wasn’t aware of such an incident and didn’t know or recognise the suspect. The suspect told the DC that it was just the three policemen, Okechukwu, Monday and Richard that searched his car and later transacted with him. The suspect stressed that the ASP was inside the police van, with a police driver. The policemen still denied the allegation, insisting that the suspect fabricated lies against them.
The DC became infuriated and went to report the latest development to Owoseni.
The policemen were brought before Owoseni. Owoseni begged them to tell him the truth and bring out the money. Owoseni said if they told the truth and bring out the money; he would apologise to the suspect, hand over the money and forget the matter. But the policemen remained adamant in their denial.
The CP became confused and decided to question the suspect, turned complainant further. The driver stuck to his story. Determined to dig out the truth, Owoseni took over the investigation himself. He went to the bank and convinced the bank manager to play the bank’s CCTV recording.
Owoseni presented the recording to the policemen, but Okechukwu, even though he saw himself collecting and counting money in the screen, still said the image wasn’t him. Owoseni got angry. Owoseni ordered that the men should go on orderly room trial. It was during the trial that they owned up to their crime and brought out the money. The police source said: “While this was happening, the Area C Commander was not around.
The Acting Area Commander was called on the matter, and without thinking twice, started defending the men. He said they were innocent. The CCTV was played for him. The CP issued him query and later suspended him. The ASP and driver were pardoned.”
Last week Friday, their signal came out; the three of them were dismissed. The CP further instructed that they should be detained and charged to court for robbery.
“The CP said they held gun, followed someone into banking hall to collect money. He said it was robbery,” said the source.
He added: “There are allegations that Richard used to hunt suspected drug pushers and cyber fraudsters in Surulere and was always collecting money from them. It was also believed that he knows that particular suspect that led to his downfall. He was also described as a very rich man and terrorist to residents of Surulere. If they had brought out the money earlier, the CP would have pardoned them.”
https://newtelegraphonline.com/cctv-caused-dismissal-three-policemen/
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The presidency has reacted to speculations that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has been removed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
It was alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila has been replaced with the President’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Mr Muri-Okunola went to Abuja to take up this role after leaving as the Head of Service of the Lagos State Civil Service.
Reacting to the reports on social media on the purported removal of Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidency said no such change has been made.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, members of the public were advised to disregard the report as “there is absolutely no truth to this story.”
“The Chief of Staff remains in his position. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Hakeem Muri-Okunola has not replaced Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.
“The viral claim is a fabrication by mischievous purveyors of fake news whose sole aim is to create disharmony within the government.
“We reiterate that news media should always verify their information before publishing or sharing on social media,” the statement said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The new chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has assumed office with a clear message to advance the country’s upstream oil and gas sector in line with the mandate of the commission as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
According to a statement signed by Mr Eniola Akinkuotu, the Head of Media & Strategic Communications at the upstream regulator, the NUPRC boss made this assertation during her first town hall meeting with management and staff on Tuesday December 23, 2025.
She further disclosed plans to make the commission a business enabler and re-ignite investments in the upstream sector.
Recall that President Tinubu nominated Mrs Eyesan to take over the NUPRC after the abrupt resignation of her predecessor, Mr Gbenga Komolafe as well as his counterpart in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed.
In her new capacity, Mrs Eyesan also set a firm production ambition of growing Nigeria’s output and increasing gas production.
“The goal is that we must enable the industry, we are regulators. We must enable the industry from our interactions with the stakeholders, from our interactions with everybody.
“My main objective is to ensure that we make a difference. I believe the NUPRC is at the Center of the industry,” she said.
The commission boss who has served for over three decades in the oil and gas sector, promised to entrench digitisation, transparency and efficiency in operations.
The NUPRC head said with the support of staff and management, the NUPRC will become the gold-standard regulator in Africa. She also promised capacity development, stronger technical depth and sustained engagement with stakeholders, unions and professional teams.
On leadership style, Mrs Eyesan promised an open-door policy and frequent staff engagement, while also soliciting for support and cooperation as the industry embarks on the next phase of transformation.
“If we work together we can unleash opportunities, I don’t see impediments only opportunities,” she added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians to embrace religious tolerance, peace, and unity, urging citizens of all faiths to reject violence and intolerance amid ongoing security challenges across the country.
In his 2025 Christmas goodwill message issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President emphasised that no Nigerian should suffer discrimination or violence because of their religious beliefs, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to safeguarding freedom of worship and national cohesion.
“As your President, I remain committed to doing everything within my power to enshrine religious freedom in Nigeria and to protect all people of different faiths from violence,” Mr Tinubu said, noting that all Nigerians have the constitutional right to live, worship, and pursue their aspirations in safety and dignity.
The President acknowledged growing concerns around religious intolerance and insecurity, revealing that he had engaged extensively throughout the year with leaders of Nigeria’s two major faiths.
In the last few months, the country faced a spate of attacks including kidnapping of school children and armed terror, involving the death of a high ranking army personnel.
He also said the government would continue to build on these engagements to strengthen collaboration with religious institutions, prevent conflict, and promote peaceful coexistence.
President Tinubu described Christmas as a period for reflection on the message of Jesus Christ as the Prince of Peace, urging Nigerians to draw inspiration from values of love, compassion, and goodwill that cut across all major religions.
He commended Christians in Nigeria for their contributions to national development, particularly their role in caring for the vulnerable and promoting harmony within communities.
“The love for God and love for humanity is at the heart of all the great faiths. These shared values must continue to bind us together as one indivisible and resilient people,” he said.
Reiterating his administration’s stance on security, the President said the government’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s unity and stability has remained unwavering since he assumed office in 2023. He stressed that the state would not tolerate violence targeted at any group on the basis of ethnicity or belief.
President Tinubu also appealed to Nigerians travelling during the festive season to exercise patience and discipline on the roads, wishing them safe journeys and returns.
Expressing optimism about the country’s future, the President said that with faith in God and collective resolve, Nigeria would overcome its challenges and build a nation that future generations would be proud of.
He concluded by wishing Christians in Nigeria and around the world a Merry Christmas and Nigerians a happy New Year in advance.
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