The Imo State Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, has vowed that no criminal would go scot-free, stressing that the state government is intolerant of crime in the state.

Emelumba made the vow on Thursday when he featured on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics.

According to him, the level of security in the state had improved as there is no hiding place for criminals.

He also addressed concerns over the killing of seven people in the Ideato North Local Government Area of the state.

“Yes, it took some time, but the most important thing is that he [the suspect] was arrested and I think the government should be commended for going all out to ensure he was arrested,” he said.

Weighing in on the current state of security, the commissioner said, he said there had been an improvement compared to previous years.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has dismissed claims by Nigerian musician and hotel proprietor, Felix Duke, that its operatives stormed his hotel in Lagos, vandalised property, and stole foreign currency.

Duke, who also serves as president of the Creative Industry Group, alleged that on August 1, eight armed men arrived at the Duke and Duchess Hotel in the Abule Egba area in an unmarked bus, identifying themselves as EFCC personnel but failing to present any warrant.

He claimed the men attempted to detain his wife, an American citizen, who refused to comply without a court order.

“They blocked the hotel entrance, chased away customers, and forcibly entered rooms, saying they were looking for me. I later found out they made away with €5,000 from my room,” Duke told journalists.

He suggested the incident was linked to an ongoing land dispute with a retired soldier who had previously petitioned the EFCC against him. According to Duke, he had earlier filed a separate petition against the same individual.

The musician said he has taken legal action against both the EFCC and the petitioner, alleging a breach of his fundamental rights. His suit seeks a formal apology and N50 million in damages.

In a swift reaction on Saturday, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale denied any connection to the reported incident.

“There is nothing like that. The Lagos Directorate confirmed no such operation occurred. It’s not the EFCC,” Oyewale stated, adding that the agency’s most recent operation in Lagos took place on Wednesday at Chevron on Lagos Island, resulting in several arrests.

He also advised Duke to “redirect his energy and insinuations to other quarters, not the EFCC.”

Troops of the Operation SAFE HAVEN (OPSH), set up to maintain peace and tackle insecurity in Plateau State, have arrested a middle-aged man, Musa Ali, for impersonating a personnel of the outfit to extort money from the family of an arrested criminal.

The Media Information Officer of Operation SAFE HAVEN, Maj. Samson Nantip Zhakhom, who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, said Ali was apprehended after he fraudulently presented himself as a serving member of the OPSH and fraudulently collected the sum of N400,000.00 from the family of a notorious gunrunner who is currently undergoing investigation.

Maj. Zhakhom said Ali had approached the suspect’s family and falsely claimed that he could stop the ongoing investigations and secure the suspect’s release from custody before the fraudulent scheme was uncovered by operatives of OPSH, leading to his arrest.