Police are investigating the killing of four persons at Orazi community in Obio-Akpor axis of the Rivers State capital, Port Harcourt.

Our correspondent reports that the deceased are from the northern parts of Nigeria and were involved in currency exchange business.

All four victims were shot dead at their residence at about 11PM last night, but the motive of the attack is yet to be determined.

Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku has backed the calls for the creation of state police to check the rage of violence and killings by criminal gangs in different parts of Nigeria.

Governor Ishaku particular believes that with state police in place, he would have been able to better address the deadly confrontation between herdsmen and local militias protecting farming communities in the state.

The Governor gave this indication during a meeting in the capital, Jalingo with former Vice President and frontline presidential aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

He stressed the need to keep Nigerians united and peaceful, which he said would require amendment of some structural defect.

Governor Ishaku said despite the efforts of the police, the security situation in Taraba persists and has crippled the development of the state.

 The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has commenced training of its personnel of its legal department ahead of the 2019 general election.

The training on prosecution of electoral offences, which is holding on Victoria Island, Lagos, is also being attended by personnel of the Nigeria Police Force.

INEC big wigs from the National Secretariat and the Secretariats of the thirty-six states are attending the workshop alongside other key stakeholders.

Meanwhile; the Independent National Electoral Commission says it is targeting the registration of about thirteen million new voters by the end of the Continuous Voter Registration in August.

INEC’s projection was raised from its initial target of ten million new voters due to the volume of Nigerians who are turning up to participate in the registration exercise.

The electoral body has also said it was aware of concerns by stakeholders regarding the delayed approval of the budget for the 2019 general election.

It therefore expressed confidence that all of the concerns would be resolved and the election budget would be approved on time before the elections next year.

This assurance was given by the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, while responding to questions on a national television programme.

Rotimi Oyekanmi is the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmud Yakubu.

The Rivers State Police Command has paraded suspected criminals who were arrested in different parts of the state over the past one month.

The State Commissioner of Police, Zaki Ahmed told newsmen at the Command Headquarters in Port Harcourt that the arrests were mainly made by operatives of Federal-Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

CP Ahmed said those in custody include members of an armed robbery gang who were caught in their hideout around Ada-George area of Port Harcourt.

He said the F-SARS operatives also smashed a kidnap gang behind most incidents of abductions for ransom around Obio-Akpor and Port Harcourt local government areas.

There is an air of uncertainty around the National Assembly in Abuja, particularly the Senate, ahead of resumption of plenary for the week.

Close sources had hinted that members of the R-APC, which broke out from the ruling All Progressives Congress, planned to formerly perfect their defection in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

However; the Police High Command yesterday summoned the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to appear before the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for further investigation of the recent robbery incident in Offa, Kwara State.

The Police claim that at least two of the suspects arrested in connection with the attack on five commercial banks and a police station had indicted the Senate President in their testimonies.

Our Abuja correspondent reports that policemen were seen on surveillance around the Abuja residence of Senator Saraki, just as another team of security operatives laid siege on the Apo residence of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

The motive for the surveillance around Senator Ekweremadu by operatives of the Department of State Service and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission remains unknown.

Senator Ekweremadu's Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu, confirmed the development to newsmen in a telephone conversation.

Meanwhile; our correspondent James Igah reports that Senator Saraki has departed his residence and appears to be heading to the National Assembly.

In the meantime; the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has dismissed his invitation by the Police High Command as an afterthought designed to achieve a political purpose.

The position of Senator Saraki was contained in a statement released by his Special Adviser of Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu.

The spokesman said the Senate President has it on good authority that the police have already decided to arraign the Offa bank robbery suspects in court in Ilorin, Kwara State tomorrow, based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution.

He noted that that the plan by IGP was to stop an alleged plan by some Senators and House of Representatives members from defecting from the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The Senate President maintained that the issue of his position on the 2019 elections is not a personal decision, adding that he cannot be deterred by concocted and evil plots.

Senator Saraki said he had nothing to do with the robbery incident or any criminal matter for that matter, and expressed the belief that those behind the fresh assault on him will fail.

However; in a personally signed letter of invitation, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, recalled that some of the five leaders of the Offa bank robbery gang made confessional statements admitting their political affiliation to the Senate President.

IGP Idris said after a careful perusal of Senator Saraki’s response in a letter to the Police, it was discovered that the statement required further clarification.

He therefore directed the Senate President to report to the head of the Investigation Team at the Intelligence Response Team at Guzape Junction, Asokoro Extension, in Abuja today for further investigation on the matter

The Rivers State Waste Management Agency, RIWAMA, has converted some offices at its headquarters around Agip-Mile Four, off Ikwerre Road, in Port Harcourt, to detention centres.

In one of the offices, our correspondent counted about sixteen people cramped within in unsanitary and inhuman conditions for several days.

It was gathered that at least five of the detainees have been held at the RIWAMA head office since Tuesday after they were arrested for allegedly dumping refuse at unauthorized locations.

Our correspondent was also told that the other inmates were picked up two nights ago at various locations across Port Harcourt by RIWAMA task force operatives.

But instead of handing over those arrested to the police or charge them before the mobile court, the RIWAMA officials prefer to hold the victims in anticipation that their family members would come forward to pay money for their release.

One of the victims, who was released after the payment of five thousand, said some relatives of other victims paid as much a ten thousand naira to secure their release from the RIWAMA detention centre.

(voice of a detainee)

The spokesman for the Sole Administrator of RIWAMA was not available for comments when out correspondent visited the facility.

However; other officials who spoke on the condition that their voices would not be recorded and their names would not be mentioned, confirmed a directive by the management for a clampdown on defaulters of refuse disposal regulations.

The Rivers State Police Command says it is inappropriate for the Rivers State Waste Management Agency to detain suspected refuse disposal violators overnight.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, said it was the responsibility of the police to detain anyone arrested for any wrongdoing.

However; Omoni who is a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said it was up to anyone who feels his rights have been violated through such illegal detention to report to the police.

Men of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria have arrested eight suspected cultists who fled Andoni to Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Our correspondent gathered from a source close to the VGN that the suspected cultists were caught at a forest in Bordor community.

They men were apprehended yesterday afternoon while purportedly undergoing some kind of rituals with tortoise, native fowl and goat, in a bid to fortify them for an operation in Andoni.

Our source said the young men were immediately handed over the Police Division at Kpor, in Gokana, but it appeared that the local police officers have been put under pressure to release the suspects.

The trial of Ifeanyi Maxwell Dike over the murder of eight-year-old Victory Chikamso around Eliozu resumed yesterday at the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt.

Our correspondent Victor Ezeama reports that for the second time since the murder trial began about six months ago, Ifeanyi Dike put up a strange behaviour in court when he raised his voice to complain about the increasing number of witnesses testifying against him.

Dike claimed that enemies of the state were after his life, adding that most of the testimonies were lies, but he was informed by Justice Adolphus Enebeli that he would have enough time to express himself..

The outburst by the prime suspect came after Justice Enebeli ruled against a statement tendered by the tenth prosecution witness, which was made by Ernest Mmezuoba, who is the father of the slain eight-year-old girl.

However; the defence counsel alleged that the statement was fabricated to ambush the matter in court and indict his client, after which Justice Enebeli ruled against it, saying it was brought by a wrong person at the wrong time.

Meanwhile; the court has adjourned the matter to 9th July for continuation of hearing in the murder trial.

The Nigeria Police Force says it will not succumb to intimidation from any quarter in its investigation of the Offa Bank Robbery that claimed the lives of thirty-three people.

The Police High Command also said the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is still under investigation over his alleged link to five of the principal suspects in custody.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, said the police would do everything within the ambit of the law to ensure that justice is done in the case.

Moshood gave this indication in an update of some latest developments in the on-going investigation based on the confessional statements of the prime suspects.

He said two out of three suspects mentioned by the overall gang leader during the parade of twenty-two suspects last Sunday have been arrested by the police.

The Force PRO gave the names of the suspects as Alhaji Kehinde Gobiri, also known as Captain, and Alhaji Oba Shuaib Olododo, also known as Jawando.

Jimoh Moshood said the suspects have admitted to various crimes allegedly committed in Kwara Central Senatorial District in the guise of political thugs.

Moshood mentioned in a statement that the three gang leaders who participated actively in the Offa Bank Robbery had allegedly accompanied the Senate President when he paid a condolence visit to Offa after the incident.  

He said additional revelations indicate that all five principal suspects have direct connection to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and they purportedly admitted attending a recent wedding ceremony of the Senate President’s daughter.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has again been indicted by some arrested suspects of Offa bank robbery.

The Nigeria Police Force said the Senate President is still under investigation after the suspects indicted him in their confessional statements.

Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood who addressed journalists in Abuja said the two suspects were arrested in connection with the robbery and their confessional statements indict Saraki.

The Police claim that the arrested suspects have confessed to being political thugs for the Senate President and they accompanied Senator Saraki to the palace of the traditional ruler of Offa, Olofa of Offa on a condolence visit after the robbery.

The latest revelation comes after Saraki was earlier indicted by five of the Offa bank robbery suspects who confessed to the crime on Sunday.

The five gang leaders claimed that they were political thugs of the Senate President and the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed.

The Senate President however, denied the allegations.