In the heat of the rush for the National identity Number Registration going on now, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), last week, caught illegal operators who were providing registration services of the National Identification Number (NIN) in Kano state with the assistance of the NIMC legal team.

NIMC on this twitter handle stated:

“We have arrested some illegal operators of NIMC activities by some Business Centre operators in Kano metropolis. For three days we went round Kano and we successfully made arrest of some illegal NIN enrolment agents, who pretend to be licensed NIN enrolment agents and deceive some Nigerians to illegally enrol them into the NIMC database.”

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The Legal Officer at the NIMC office in Kano, who was part of the raid, said the exercise was to discover those areas around the state where illegal NIMC registration activities were going on, especially in business centres.

He said that arrests were made and NIMC documents recovered in the business centres during the exercise.

He listed the documents to include fake NIMC plastics identity cards, NIMC’s original NIN slips, and other vital documents that were not supposed to be under the custody of any non-NIMC staff.

He said those arrested have been handed over to the Police for investigation, after which they shall be charged to court for prosecution.

NIMC had warned Nigerians not to register with any individual, body, association or agents that are not duly licensed by NIMC.

NIMC had in December last year, licensed 200 enrolment agents comprising of 173 agents and 30 state governments/public sector institutions to conduct enrolment of all persons, including legal residents into the national identity database of the the National Identity Management Commission on behalf of NIMC.

The approval, which was given in different categories, included all telecoms operators and private companies, and they are expected to commence enrolment into the NIMC database.

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NIMC, Mr. Kayode Adegoke, Head of Communications, who confirmed the licensing of the agents, said they have been mandated to commence registration immediately.

Last week, the federal government reactivated over 20 enrolment centers within the Nation’s Capital – Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to make the process of NIN enrolment much easier.

The reactivated centres commenced enrolment activities from Monday last week, and NIMC has warned Nigerians not to enrol outside of the licensed enrolment agents.

This is important as not to be wasting your time somewhere without knowing that you have been defrauded.

On  the early hours of Sunday morning, Armed bandits said to be numbering over 200 invaded some communities in Munya and Paikoro Local Government Areas of Niger State, killing two security operatives, a middle-aged man and injuring about 15 others in an operation which the villagers said was targeted only at foodstuff.

Over 15 women were abducted and forced to help the bandits carry the looted foodstuff, packed in bags from the communities.

The bandits, however, promised to release the women after helping them to evacuate the foodstuff to a particular location.

The communities invaded by the bandits include Beni, old and new Dalolo, Aboloso, Ishau and Amale, all in Paikoro Local Government, while Gwari Nyayi, Kabiri and Biri in Munya Local Government were also raided by the bandits.

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Beni, Alhaji Jafaru Umar Sarki, the District Head, confirmed that the invasion started on Saturday evening when the armed men numbering about 200 and in over 50 motorcycles stormed the communities in three different groups.

The Saturday operation only lasted for one hour and the bandits went away with sacks loaded with foodstuff and other items looted from shops in the town.

He said on Sunday morning, the bandits returned and shared themselves into three groups, moving from one community to another targeting only foodstuff and provisions from various outlets , from 9’o clock in the morning and lasted for over three hours.

According to him, a helicopter owned by one of the security agencies was sighted hovering over their heads within and around the communities while the bandits were operating on the ground.

“We saw a helicopter moving around the communities for about six times when the bandits were operating but the helicopter did not attack the bandits.

“We did not know what the helicopter was doing in the air because bandits were operating freely on the ground

He pointed out that “Immediately the bandits finished the operation and left, we did not see the helicopter again, so we don’t know whether it was providing cover for the bandit or to attack the bandits”.

He disclosed that the communities became helpless when all calls made to relevant security agencies to come to their rescue failed, adding that “in fact, the Divisional Police Officer attached to the area said, that they had no fuel in the car”.

The District Head, a retired police officer, disclosed that only the local vigilantes were on ground to provide some help but their ammunitions got exhausted after over 30 minutes of gun exchange with the bandits.

They, however, lost two of their men, leaving the bandits with only gunshot injuries.

Francis Daniel, a middle-aged man, who operates a computer centre at Kafin Koro, was shot and killed from a far distance of hundred metres, when he attempted to escape into the bush on sighting the bandits.

This incident is happening again, barely one year and two weeks after the last attack where the bandits on 9th January 2020, invaded Beni and other communities, kidnaping over 32 villagers, including the son of the District Head of Beni.

The bandits also asked for a ransom of N49million for the release of the abducted, asking the District Head to pay N17million out of the amount before they would release his son.

Rochas Okorocha, Senator representing Imo West in the National Assembly has has reaffirmed his love for the ruling party after a series of doubt concerning his to and membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former Imo state Governor, had recently honoured an invitation from Governor Nyeson Wike to commission some of the state of the art projects that was initiated and completed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration in Rivers State.

The senator had equally hinted on a political movement during a live broadcast.

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But addressing some party executives of the APC, including the State Working Committee (SWC) at the weekend in Owerri, Okorocha clarified that he remained a member of the APC.

He said: “Our party is APC. Don’t be confused when I said that there were bad people and good people in both APC and PDP. And that the good people in the two parties should come together for the good of the nation. I was only talking about a movement and not party.

“I have not left APC. I am still in APC. Nobody has (better) stake in APC than me. The worst insult I had in Imo and in the South East in 2015 was because of APC and President Muhammadu Buhari. APC was formed by President Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, myself and a few other people. But those on congratulations trip have taken over the party.”

The chairman of Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism observed that Buhari was unaware of the “crisis of injustice ravaging the party in the state”, insisting that Daniel Nwafor remained chairman of the party in Imo “based on the decision of the Appeal Court, which is yet to be vacated.”

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He also said: “Daniel Nwafor and others, duly elected as executives of the party, remain as such. Those who want to destroy the party lied to President Buhari. The judgments on the issue all stated that the NEC of the party or the governor cannot remove the party excos. The party executives can only be removed by convention.”

Okorocha continued: “Whatever they do here without the duly elected party officials in the state, including the planned registration exercise, expected to begin on Monday (today), would not hold water. We do not recognise Governor Uzodinma’s APC in Imo. That’s not APC in Imo State. That’s PDP People. How many APC members are among his more than 120 appointees? None of course!

“We had a formidable APC until those who came through Ben Johnson way with the help of their likes, came to to take over the party. Now, they cannot go anywhere because nature does not support an injustice system. President Muhammadu Buhari, as a man of Justice, does not support injustice.”