Author: The Nation

Leaders of the Ebira community in Ondo State have promised to expose any of their kinsmen involved in any act of crime or criminality in the state.

The Ebira leaders, however, warned against stigmatising any ethnic groups as responsible for kidnappings in the state.

Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu had last week warned Ebira community to expose criminals living amongst them.

The warning of the Governor was due to statements from kidnapped victims that they were taken to Ebira farmsteads before ransom was paid for their release.

Also, suspects arrested in connection to the June 5th terror attack in St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, were found to be from of Ebira extraction.

Speaking at a press briefing in Akure, the Ebira leaders from Kogi State, said certain steps had been taken to ensure security of lives and property in the state.

Mr. Abiodun Umoru, who read a communique from the Ebira leaders, said they were not ready to support or defend any of their kinsmen arrested for crime.

They said their political leader, the Special Assistant (Ebira) to the Governor should be invited to interrogate in Ebira language any suspect arrested in any part of the state that claimed to be an Ebira person.

“Our plan is to periodically present such data collected from arrested suspects to our paramount ruler, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland , Alhaji Ado Ibrahim, for tracing, invitation and interrogation of their parents at the palace of Ohinoyi in Okene, Kogi state.

“As part of steps to address stigmatizing our people with criminality, politicians who have cultivated the habit of importing Ebira youths from their state to Ondo State as political thugs will be exposed to the security agents and government while we are ready to deal decisively with such youths.”

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They called for the establishment of Amotekun Posts in areas predominantly inhabited by their people as well as enlistment of their interested youths into the Amotekun Corps to secure the villages which are predominantly occupied by Ebira people.

The Ebira leaders banned all Ebira traditional festivals from being held in any part of Ondo State, saying anybody who wishes to hide under traditional festivals to perpetrate evil in the state will be handed over to the security agents.

He said, “We can no longer fold our arms while some of kinsmen will be acting against our cherished cultural norms and values.

“We have warned and educated our women who sell food items at strategic locations on the major roads on the dangers of hobnobbing with suspected criminals by volunteering information to them.

“They have been admonished to report any suspicious movement of unknown persons where they live, work and play to their village heads and the security agents nearer to them.”

A woman and two of her children were on Saturday evening killed after stored Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) exploded in their makeshift abode in Lagos.

The incident occurred around 4:30pm at Dantata Area of Satellite Town, along Old Ojo Road, in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area (LGA).
The Nation gathered that the woman identified as Omolade Olabanji, 33, was burnt to death when she rushed into the shop to rescue her two toddlers said to be sleeping at the time of the explosion.

It was learnt that the family used the makeshift structure as their shop where they sold black market petroleum products.

The woman’s husband, David Olabanji was alleged to have been involved in adulteration of the products when they exploded.

The man was said to have sustained fire burns and rushed to the hospital for treatment, his wife and children were said to have been burnt beyond recognition.

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The Nation gathered that the woman and her children were visiting the man at the shop as they usually did and have not stayed long when the explosion occurred.
Confirming the incident, police spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said investigation had commenced.

He said: “Preliminary investigation shows that the owner of the shop was adulterating PMS in his shop. It exploded and his two children, aged three and five, who were sleeping inside the shop were caught in the fire. The mother rushed in to save the children and she also got burnt.”

212 people were killed and 1,132 were injured in 334 road crashes between January and July 2022, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Niger state Sector Commander, Kumar Tsukwam has disclosed.

Tsukwam said 2,168 people and 439 vehicles were involved in these road crashes across the state while lamenting that there is an 8.4 per cent increase in the road crash rate within the same period last year.

The Sector Commander, who spoke during a courtesy visit to the Executives of the Niger state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Minna, said the major causes of the road crashes include overspeeding, tyre bursts, use of phone while driving, fatigue, overloading, route violation and wrongful overtaking.

“Between January to July 2021, there were 308 road traffic crashes with 1,901 people and 461 vehicles involved, 229 people killed and 1,055 people were injured.

“Between January to July 2022, 334 road traffic crashes were recorded which showed an 8.8 per cent increase, 212 people were involved which showed a 7.8 per cent decrease, 2,168npeople were involved which showed a 14 per cent increase while 1,132 people were injured which showed 7.3 per cent increase from last year”, he said.

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Tsukwam said since his resumption in the state, he has been working towards ensuring that the indices of road crashes are reduced in the state by increasing the level of public awareness and education to all stakeholders adding that the sensitization has been extended to schools.

He said that after meeting with stakeholders and traditional rulers, the installation of speed limital in commercial vehicles would soon commence in the state adding that this would go a long way to reducing road traffic crashes.

The Sector Commander seek the collaboration of the media to help the Agency achieve its advocacy and sensitization towards a zero-free crash rate across the state.

Over 25 banks and hotels in Anambra State have been sealed by the State Internal Revenue Service, (AIRS) over nonpayment of taxes and levies.

Head of the team and desk officer in charge of Anambra State Waste Management Authority (ASWAMA) in the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service, Mr. James-Morgan Ezeodili, said the levies were on sanitation, business premises and sundry government taxes.

Amongst the facilities sealed in Awka and its environs are Nigeria Police Force Micro Finance Bank, Mumbai Festus Hotel, Finotel Classic Hotel, and Shalom Hotel, all in Awka.

Others include Zaramax Hotel, New World Lounge, Summit Splendor Hotel, Ndiolu Micro Finance Bank, and Landmark Hotel Nibo, among others.

Addressing reporters weekend after the monthly sanitation exercise, Ezeodili
said the enforcement was made following a court order on August 11, 2022 to seal off the business premises for their refusal or failure to appear in court, after being served with writ of summons, as they refused to pay stipulated levies to government.

He said the exercise was part of the government’s resolve to boost its revenue, and to ensure environment was clean by removal of wastes across the roads and streets in the state.

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Anambra Central Zonal Coordinator, under Non-Tax Department of AIRS, Mr. Sylvester Uzoh, disclosed that the exercise would be sustained to ensure every dime owed to the government would be paid, just as he urged residents to support Governor Chukwuma Soludo administration.

While warning business owners and companies not to pay levies or taxes to anyone by hand, but through the designated government’s account with their ANSSID number, Uzoh was optimistic that the payments would guarantee dividends expected of government.

Counsel for AIRS, Barnabas Udemba insisted that violation of the court order after being served with court summons occasioned contempt of court and defaulters would be punished accordingly.

Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups, a Coalition of 225 Youth Groups mainly of Northern Nigeria, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the service chiefs over ‘their failure’ to secure the nation’s pipelines against vandals.

The Coalition was reacting to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)’s award of a N4billion monthly contract for the security of pipelines to Mr Government Ekpemupolo, otherwise known as Tompolo.

According to them, Tompolo should be appointed to replace the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, since the ex-militant leader had been found competent to whip oil thieves into line.

In a statement issued by its spokesman, Comrade Victor Duniya, Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups, condemned the award of pipeline surveillance contract to Tompolo, describing it as an empowerment scheme for Niger Delta Youths, despite the billions of Naira spent on what it called “the failed amnesty programme’ that is exclusively designed for them.

It described the NNPC gesture as against the spirit and letters of the Nigerian constitution that advocates for federal character in all government dealings.

It also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, Group Executive Director, Upstream of the NNPC LTD, Mr Adokiye Tombomelye, for promoting ethnic and regional interest over National interest and GMD of NNPC, Mele Kolo Kyari, for using his office to reward ‘criminality and treasonable tendencies instead of patriotism’.

It said: “We received the news of the award of Pipeline surveillance contract worth over Four Billion Naira Monthly by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited to Mr Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo, a Former leader of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta with rude shock.

“Our group gathered that the said contract is meant to end illegal bunkering, illegal refining and other forms of oil theft in the Niger Delta.”

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It threatened to sue the From the above background, We therefore which to make the following demands: That the Niger Delta Youths should chose either the Tompolo contract or the Presidential Amnesty program. As we can’t continue to fold our arms and watch government spent her scarce resources on few unpatriotic elements

“That President Muhammadu Buhari should sack His Excellency, Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr Adokiye Tombomelye, Group Executive Director, Upstream of the NNPC LTD, for promoting ethnic and regional interest over National interest and Mele Kyari, GMD for using his office to reward criminality and treasonable tendencies instead of patriotism.

“That the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs be sacked since they can’t use the instrument of coercion at their disposal to end Oil Bunkering in the Niger Delta, we wish to also, suggest that Tomopolo be Appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff since he has been found competent to whip oil thieves to line. The role the service chiefs have consistently failed play.

“That each region in the country is faced with its peculiar challenges, hence, the NNPC Limited and the Federal Government should vote out 4 billion Naira monthly, for Youths of the 5 other geopolitical Zones that are not beneficiaries of the NNPC Limited gift to Niger Delta Youths.

“That we will be forced to take both physical (protest) and legal actions, if the NNPC Limited and the Federal Government failed to revoke the awarded Contract to Tompolo’s firm in the next Seven (7) days,” it demanded.