By Seyi Balogun

Credible intelligence has enabled the Anambra State Police Command to arrest two suspects allegedly involved in the production and distribution of adulterated alcoholic beverages in the state.

The suspects, identified as Ikechukwu Okeke, 42, and Okeke Chukwuemeka, 38, were arrested in the early hours of Monday by operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad following credible intelligence received by the police.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the arrest of the suspects saying they are currently in police custody. Exhibits recovered from them have been secured for forensic examination and evidential purposes.

Ikenga added that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were members of a syndicate specialising in the adulteration and counterfeiting of various alcoholic beverages.

Items recovered from the suspects include Seaman’s Schnapps, McDowell’s, Eagle Schnapps, Elliot Hot Drinks and Baileys Fresh Cream, as well as dangerous chemicals allegedly used in the production process.

According to Ikenga: “Operatives of the Anambra State Police Command attached to the Rapid Response Squad/VCRU have arrested two suspects allegedly involved in the production and distribution of adulterated alcoholic beverages in the state.

“The suspects, identified as Ikechukwu Okeke, 42, and Okeke Chukwuemeka, 38, were arrested in the early hours of June 15, 2026, following credible intelligence received by the police.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects are members of a syndicate specialising in the adulteration and counterfeiting of various alcoholic beverages.

“During interrogation, the suspects reportedly confessed to the crime and subsequently led operatives to their mini-factory.

“At the facility, police operatives recovered several suspected adulterated alcoholic products, including Seaman’s Schnapps, McDowell’s, Eagle Schnapps, Elliot Hot Drinks and Baileys Fresh Cream, as well as dangerous chemicals allegedly used in the production process.

“Also recovered were numerous empty bottles, labels and other packaging materials intended for the continued manufacture of the counterfeit drinks.

By Son Tertsea, Abuja

Femi Falana, Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has condemned electricity tariff hikes by power distribution companies, without any measurable improvements in power supply as required by law.

The legal luminary while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Friday, criticised successive PDP and APC administrations over the handling of the power sector.

He expressed disappointment that despite the privatisation of 18 electricity companies, the government still injects trillions of naira into the sector with little visible benefit to consumers.

In his words: “Somebody sold 18 electricity companies, according to a former minister under the Jonathan administration, and Dr. Usman Shamsudeen, that we sold the electricity companies to our friends.

“Now, the government has been giving again a lot of trillions of naira to the electricity companies. At the end of the day, you hear of Band A, Band B, and the rest of them.”

He highlighted the ongoing hardship faced by Nigerians, who, he said, are “paying more for services that are not rendered.”

Warning against arbitrary electricity price hikes, Falana emphasised that electricity companies planning fresh tariff increases must first provide justification under the Electricity Act saying:

“Again, this time around, you will have to justify. Because under the law, under the Electricity Act, you can only increase your tariff if there is improvement in services. So if the situation is getting worse, there can be no justification for an increase in tariffs.”

The SAN’s press interaction monitored in Abuja is comforting to many consumers who continue to experience erratic supply, frequent outages and poor service quality despite previous tariff hikes.

Nigeria’s privatised power sector has long been plagued by challenges, including inadequate generation capacity, high technical and commercial losses, and heavy reliance on government bailouts.

The introduction of service bands such as Band A, for customers reportedly enjoying up to 20 hours of electricity supply, has been criticised for failing to deliver promised improvements for the majority of households and businesses.

By Felix Umande

The Presidency has announced significant progress toward establishing state police in Nigeria, with a constitutional amendment expected “shortly” after months of consultations among the Executive, National Assembly, and security authorities.

Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing State House Correspondents after a consultative meeting on state policing convened by the Presidency at the State House, Abuja.

Gbajabiamila said deliberations began three to four months ago on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive, and the process has now “gained considerable traction.” He stressed that creating state police requires careful handling of constitutional and legal issues and cannot be done hastily.

“We started deliberations in the last three or four months on how to go about the establishment of state police as directed by Mr President. Establishing state police is not something that you do with the snap of the fingers. There is a lot involved in terms of constitution and legalities, and thank God we have now gained a lot of traction,” he said.

“Hopefully, the amendment will come shortly, and the details of the amendment will come after that.”

According to the Chief of Staff, discussions have advanced to drafting the necessary constitutional amendments, with enabling legislation to follow.

“Right now, what we are looking at is the constitutional amendment itself, and then the enabling law would follow thereafter. That is what we have been deliberating on in the last couple of hours,” Gbajabiamila added.

He noted that national debate has shifted from whether state police should exist to how the appropriate legal and institutional framework will operate. President Tinubu, a long-time advocate of decentralised policing, will receive a comprehensive report on the meeting’s outcome.

The Presidency said state police is being pursued as a necessary response to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges. A decentralised structure, it argued, would strengthen grassroots security, improve local intelligence gathering, and boost sub-national capacity to address emerging threats.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker of the House Benjamin Kalu, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi, Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, and other senior officials.

The consultative session is part of ongoing federal government engagements aimed at developing a workable framework for state police to enhance internal security and protection of lives and property across the country.