Australian authorities just seized £620million in meth in what is the largest ever bust of the substance in its liquid form in the country’s history.
Last month, four people with Hong Kong passports were arrested in Sydney following the import of 190 gallons of liquid methamphetamine – enough to make about 500kg of high-grade crystal – hidden in silicon bra inserts and art supplies, police said.
Australian Federal Police commander Chris Sheehan said that the drugs had a street worth of around AU$1billion, or £620million.
The Justice Minister added that foreign criminals were targeting the highly-profitable Australian market for meth.

‘This largest seizure of liquid methylamphetamine to date is the result of organised criminals targeting the lucrative Australian ice market from offshore,’ said Michael Keenan.
Mr Keenan said that the operation used information gathered in a new joint enterprise between Australian Federal Police and China’s National Narcotics Control Commission.
The four arrested will appear in Sydney court next month.
Each faces a life sentence.

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has urged all tiers of government to fight the current insecurity challenges in the country.
Abubakar made the call during the closing ceremony of the National Qur’anic Recitation Competition in Dutse on Saturday.
He said that the spate of violence, killings and destruction of property in the North East was disturbing, hence the urgent need of more intervention by the government.
The Sultan said that he would continue to appeal until the insecurity problem was addressed.
He urged the government to renew negotiations with all the nation’s aggrieved citizens.
He said that it was not a sign of weakness for any government to adopt dialogue to resolve crisis for peace to reign in the country.
Abubakar stated that it would not be wise to continue to lose the lives of people to the current security challenge.
The Sultan urged the National Assembly members to intervene and work with the executive arm of government to bring peace to the country.(NAN)

The era of Mohammed Abubakar as Inspector-General of Police, seem to be innovating positive ideas and new crime fighting methods in the country.On daily bases, officers and men of the force who have embraced the transformation agenda of their boss in Abuja, engage themselves in fierce competition to out do each other in achieving commendable results.

That is why an Area Commander in Enugu State ingeniously devised his own way of complementing the conventional method of fighting crime by using catapult as an added weapon. While birds cleverly fly to its nests without being hit with catapult, criminals in Nsukka, the University town dread the Area Commander of the zone, Ros-Armson Haladu who is always identified with arming himself with catapult while on patrol.


Though armed to the teeth with his official rifle, the Area Commander’s new dimension of policing has added colour to the onerous duty of the police by carrying catapult at all times to prove that security agencies across the globe have to be combat-ready at any given situation. Walking round Enugu North Senatorial zone while on surveillance, the Area Commander, equipped with his crack team of fierce detectives, still carries his catapult with enough sharp stones to disperse any suspected unlawful gathering.

A police source revealed that the Commander had craftily used his catapult in the past to track a fleeing vehicle in a stop-and -search operation along Nsukka-Adani-Onitsha highway. The bandits who were armed with sophisticated weapons had dislodged policemen in Nsukka main town last year after robbing a first generation bank. They were reportedly fleeing leisurely from the town when the Area Commander who had laid ambush on the highway with his men, used his catapult to shatter their windscreen. In the ensuing confusion, the unsuspecting bandits were dislodged.

The Area Commander’s catapult-style of policing the University Town of Nsukka has eventually given him another identity “the Catapult Policeman” as he stands out among other officers with his well tied catapult which makes the difference in the midst of others. Whenever he aims with it, people close their eyes, bend their heads with the two hands covering their faces as a form of defense.

This policing with style has made him to be at home with both indigenes of the area and visitors. The resultant effect was the benevolence of one of the his admirers who single-handedly built a multimillion naira bungalow for him. The business mogul, Chief William Agbo popularly called Son of Paddy, said he was impressed with the style of the Police officer and decided to erect the structure as a permanent abode for Area Commanders who will serve in the area. “Since his assumption of duties two years ago in the area, the agile officer has increased police divisions in the zone from seven to 12, yet carries his catapult a s a show of security consciousness, ”Chief Agbo noted.

Another prominent traditional ruler in the town, Chief Emeka Ugwu-Asadu Ameze told Crime Guard that “The commander is a focused and dedicated police officer, he is very open and forthright. He is always at the apex of crime situations with his catapult and other weapons together with communication gadgets. To attest to his humble achievements, many residents of the zone heaved a sigh of relief and slept with both eyes closed during the last Christmas celebration.”

When asked the secret of adding catapult to his arsenal in fighting crime, the officer simply laughed and advised the reporter to channel all inquiries to the Police spokesman in Enugu.

The Oyo State Police Command has intervened in the alleged shooting and use of thugs to harass residents of Omi-Adio and 25 other communities by Alhaji Olanlokun Odejobi.
Odejobi allegedly harrassed the residents because of a land dispute.
Officers of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Iyaganku, Ibadan, Odejobi and leaders of the affected communities met yesterday to unravel the causes of the alleged violence
An eyewitness told The Nation that last week Thursday, some thugs stormed the communities, threatening to deal with residents, if they did not vacate the area .
Odejobi is said to be claiming ownership of the land, starting from Omi-Adio railway crossing in Ido Local Government Area to Alatori in Odeda Local Government of Ogun State, which is over 25 kilometres.
Residents were still in fear yesterday following the thugs’ warning to return to deal with anyone who failed to vacate the land.
The Olomi of Omi, Chief Adeyanju Akanola, and members of the Omi-Adio traditional council invited Odejobi for a meeting following reports of harassment by residents.
The Balogun of Omi-Adio, Chief Mikaili Kayode Olasunkanmi, said: “When the matter came to the attention of the traditional council, we summoned Odejobi to appear before the council because we did not want any trouble. We remembered that the riot and burning of a police station some years back started like this . We tried to mediate, but had to invite the police because of the nature of the claim.
“Odejobi told us that his father was the owner of the land from Ibadan to Ogun State, covering over 25 km. In order words, over 40 villages and their inhabitants should vacate the land. “
Ido Local Government Chairman Prof. Adeniyi Olowofela confirmed the incident.
He said the police were on top of the situation and urged the people go about their businesses without fear.
Olowofela said: “We have advised that the claimant should take his case to court. We do not want anybody to take the laws into his hands . The courts are there for him to seek redress.”
  by: Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

Following the recent spate of intra-party violence among members of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Ogun State, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Okoye Ikemefuma, on Tuesday read the Riot Act to all political parties in the state.
The warning by the police to the political parties in the state came few hours to the commencement of the membership registration exercise of the APC.
Ikemefuna, who gave the warning at a meeting with their leaders in the state, urged them to shun acts capable of truncating the ongoing  electioneering process and the prevailing peace in the state.
The police commissioner said it had become imperative for all the stakeholders, particularly the politicians to abide by the electoral laws in order to escape its wrath.
He disclosed that the state police command had already put the political parties under security watch.
Ikemefuna added that measures had already been put in place to monitor the activities of the political parties to ensure that they conformed to the electoral laws.
“Be guided that security machinery has been put in place to monitor all activities of political parties in the state.
“We will ensure that the needful is done to check any negative political occurrence and curb same in line with the provisions of all statutory laws  relating to the general elections,” he said.
The Ogun police boss reminded the party leaders that the ban on political campaigns was still in force.
He therefore urged the political parties not to organise political rallies until the ban was lifted.
Ikemefuna however enjoined them to officially notify the command of other necessary political activities they might want to organise to enable the police to provide adequate security at such events.
”Please be reminded that such letters of notification of activities you may wish to organise must be addressed to the commissioner of police in charge of the state,” he said.
The state chairman of the Citizens Popular Party, Mr Belawu Jimoh commended the police boss for the initiative, pledging the support of his members for the ongoing peace arrangement.
But the state secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Semiu Sodipo, expressed concern over what he described as a “worrisome development” in the ruling APC in the state.
Sodipo expressed fears that the internal crisis rocking the APC resulted in the use of dangerous weapons among its members in some parts of the state.
The APC State Interim Organising Secretary, Wole Adesiji, commended the police boss for the peace in the state and assured the command that APC would conform to the rules.

The chairman, House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) in the House of Representatives, Hon. Dakuku Adolphus Peterside, has denied allegations that he connived with Rivers State governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to block the confirmation of Major General Kenneth Minimah as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) by the National Assembly.
Peterside represents Andoni/Opobo/Nkoro federal constituency of Rivers State, the home-constituency of Minimah, whose appointment was recently, confirmed by the National Assembly, along with three other service chiefs.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State had over the weekend accused the federal lawmaker and Amaechi of making several clandestine moves to thwart the process of screening and clearing of the new COAS by the National Assembly.
The party, in a statement signed by the media aide to the state chairman, Jerry Needam, particularly took a swipe at the legislator, wondering why he connived with the governor and his APC allies in the state to try to deny the army general such a befitting appointment by the president.
But, Peterside, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday denied the allegation and described the allegation by the PDP as a means to ingratiate themselves with their paymasters in Abuja.
The statement reads in part: “This is patently cheap lies by the PDP to curry favour from their paymasters in Abuja that have consistently promoted division amongst people and elevated impunity to new heights.
“Common sense will tell any broad-minded person that I am one person out of 360 members of the House of Representatives that cannot, on my own, block the clearance of anybody in the National Assembly more so my constituent, friend and relative. “
“My duty in the National Assembly is primarily law making and representational. That duty of representation I owe primarily to my constituents, including General Minimah whom I have related with over the years and have come to have great respect for as a gentleman, honest and hardworking patriot.”
“To make it more laughable and expose the ignorance of the PDP desperadoes, General Minimah and his colleagues have been cleared by the Senate and House Committees on Defence; therefore, I cannot understand where this story of blocking General Minimah’s clearance is coming from.
“This further exposes the PDP Rivers State as a bunch of confused people who are desperate to drag decent people to join them in the mud they have pulled themselves in. I have had a solid relationship with Gen Kenneth Minimah for fifteen years running and our relationship can only wax stronger.  PDP owes me an apology. I urge all members of society to ignore them as they do not deserve any attention.”

The Police Command in Bayelsa on Sunday said it was collaborating with its Delta counterpart to rescue, Mr Apelebiri Walabo, abducted by unknown gunmen.

Walabo, 57, is the Registrar, Federal Polytechnic, Ekeowe, Southern Ijaw Council Area of the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr Hilary Opara, told newsmen in Yenagoa that the polytechnic’s Acting Rector, Mrs Emilian Brisbina, reported the alleged abduction to the state command.
“The command has reached out to the Delta command for collaboration on the alleged abduction of the registrar and possible ways to ensure his release,’’ Opara said.
NAN reports that the registrar was abducted by seven gunmen last week on Asaba-Agbor expressway in Delta, while returning from Abuja to an unknown destination.

The abduction came few days after the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) summoned the former Rector, Dr Ineyi Ekpebu, and four others, for alleged diversion of one billion naira. (NAN)