The Nation Newspaper

Category: SouthEast

  • ‘This kind of carnage musn’t continue’

    ‘This kind of carnage musn’t continue’

    EBONYI State Governor David Umahi has invoked the famous three-word phrase, enough is enough – as he visited communities allegedly attacked by assailants from  neighbouring Cross River State.

    On January 13, the people of Azuofia-Edda community of Abakaliki Local Government Area in Ebonyi State were reportedly attacked by persons from a number of communities in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State.

    The Ebonyi community said they lost a number of persons in the attack and that property worth millions of naira was destroyed.

    Governor Umahi bemoaned the attack, hailing the Ebonyi community for not retaliating, saying vengeance belongs to God. Umahi seemed to agree with the attacked community that their assailants were from Cross River State.

    The Nation could not, however, ascertain the veracity of the claims, especially the identity of the attackers or the reason for attack, since our reporter could not speak with anyone from the Cross River end of the boundary. It is expected that a comprehensive and independent probe of the incident will lay all the facts bare.

    The governor, during an assessment visit to the community, lamented the violence.

    He said similar attacks were launched in the past in Izzi Local Government Area and Ikwo Local Government border communities.

    He warned that the state government and the people of the state will not fold their arms and watch the people being slaughtered by their neighbours.

    He said, “This is man’s inhumanity to man, It is disheartening that this kind of thing will be happening in our society, it’s so shocking.

    “These same people pass through our land to conduct their business, we have been very nice to them and I will not blame our people for not retaliating, vengeance belongs to God but I am so sad that people will move from one house to the other to commit this kind of carnage.

    “It is not an attempt by one community, it is something that was calculated and planned by a committee of communities to unleash this evil on our people. The root cause of the crisis is very funny, we have security agencies in our state who know very well we don’t bury people with human heads and our people have offered [the] olive branch and said let us discuss this but when people are jobless have nothing doing than to drink ogogoro (local gin), they can always ignite this kind of crisis, they could commit that evil by themselves to have an excuse to do what they have done”.

    “This is capable of breeding civil war between the two states, so let me warn that enough is enough. We have this same carnage in Izzi axis, we have this same evil at Item-Amegu axis,  but today as Ebonyi people we are saying enough is enough. Izzi is a very large clan, very large, an Izzi man is capable of defending himself, Ebonyi people are capable of defending themselves, so this message must get to our neighbours, under my watch no Ebonyi man will be slaughtered again, we will not allow that to happen”.

    He commended the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo for his timely intervention in the crisis.

    “I spoke to the acting president a few days back and I commend him for his commitment and support by sending men of the military and other security agencies to the area to restore peace”.

    The Chairman of Abakaliki Local Government Area, Peter Nwaogbaga said the crisis began after the people of Obubra accused the people of Azuofia Edda of beheading  a commercial motorcyclist from Obubra.

    He said the man was accosted on January 10 near the Obubra village by unknown gunmen suspected to be cultists who killed him while the woman she was carrying was not harmed.

    The chairman said, “Information got to me on 11th January and I initiated peace talks. We had agreed to meet on 14th in Abakaliki after initial talks with leaders of both sides on 13th but they struck at 4am. The invasion led to killing of people, burning of houses and destruction of properties running into millions of naira.

    The marauders, he lamented, beheaded three men while three others were kidnapped while another man was shot to death.

    “It is sceptre of the greatest inhumanity of man to his fellow man. The displaced persons are currently taking refuge at Nwida Primary school”.

    “The state Commissioner of Police, Titus Lamorde  on behalf of heads of security agencies in the state assured that security agencies will stay in the community to ensure that the crisis does not reignite”.

    The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons distributed relief materials at the ceremony.

    Handing over the materials to the IDPs, National Commissioner of the agency, Sadiya Umaru Farouk represented by Maria Ngaji said federal government is fully committed to finding a lasting solution to the plight of internally displaced persons in Nigeria.

    This attack was said to have started by 4am with sporadic shootings.

    These aggressors allegedly travelled over 10km to reach the villages of Azuofia-Edda community. Villagers fleeing their homes reported that amongst the attackers were hired fighters and warriors, native doctors brandishing charms of all kinds and youths of various age groups carrying sophisticated weapons – including machine guns and Kalashnikovs, machetes, axes, motorized saws and petrol etc., with the sole aim of wiping out the villages in Azuofia-Edda community.

    A security source who spoke anonymously to our correspondent said that it was a well-planned, coordinated and premeditated attack.

    The people of Ovurokponu village in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River state had on January 10, 2017 accused the people of Azuofia-Edda community of Abakaliki in Ebonyi state of beheading a commercial motorcyclist, one Isagha, from their village.

    The said young man had gone to Nwida market in Edda community of Abakaliki where he picked up a female passenger. They reportedly travelled about 30km, passing through villages, farmlands, rice swamps and forest areas around Ophenna area.

    The passenger, it was learnt, narrated that while they were riding, they noticed that they were being followed from the market by another motorcycle carrying two men but they didn’t know that they were being trailed until they stopped at a junction in Ophenna village where the other motorcycle sped past them and waited in the front – they sensed danger yet failed to report their suspicion to anyone in Ophenna village. They zoomed off and passed the assailants on the way and they kept trailing them, passing through the centre of Ophenna village, their lands and farms. It was while they got to the outskirts of the young man’s village of Ovurokponu, kilometres away, that they were double-crossed.

    The woman reported that the assailants asked her to run away. She hid in the bush and watched them shoot the young man. They asked her again to run when they noticed she was watching before beheading the young man.

    It was said that the Azuofia-Edda community, upon being informed by the Ovurokponu village of the circumstances of the death their kinsman, made peace overtures, assuring the Cross River community that Ebonyi people were not involved in the killing.

    They invited their elites in Abaklaiki town who immediately reached out to the elites of the Obubra people in Calabar town including one Ernest Irek, former member of the House of Representative and the Paramount Ruler of Obubra Local Government Area HRH Chief Clement Obogha and others, and tried everything possible to get them to understand that the act was not carried out by anyone from the Abakaliki side but they insisted on avenging their son and warned that they were coming for war.

    After several efforts by the elites from Abakaliki, on Thursday the 12th of January, the Obubra people assured their counterparts from the Abakaliki side that there would be no crises and agreed to a meeting in Abakaliki town to settle the problem but unbeknown to the people of Abakaliki it was a plot to set them off their guard and attack on Friday morning – the Friday this supposed peace talk was to hold.

    A statement by Youth Leaders of the community signed by Chinedu Nwasum and Obinna Nwasum said: “Let it be noted that the only route accessible to the over seven villages of Obubra that came on the attack passes through Azuofia-Edda community. That if the Abakaliki people had planned on attacking them as they allege, they would have done so while they passed through their road every day to access the Nwida market, the Abakaliki rice mill and the markets in Abakaliki, Enugu, Onitsha and indeed the rest of the country. That the electricity being enjoyed in these Obubra villages was installed by the Abakaliki Local Government Council and the roads being used by these aggressive villages in Obubra were built by the Abakaliki local Government Council”

    “When the attack happened, the people of Azuofia-Edda in Abakaliki were taken unawares because while the aggressors prepared for the attack and informed the Abakaliki people that they were going to avenge their son, the Abakaliki people never believed them – for they had lived in peace, inter-married, farmed together and attended each other’s festivals since 1984 that these Obubra villages last attacked the Abakaliki people”

    “It is also important to note that the young man had passed through many villages around Azuofia-Edda community of Abakaliki while returning from the Nwida market, passing through their farmlands, forest areas and rice swamps – areas that could be said to be easy spots for a killer to carry out his attack, yet he wasn’t harmed until he was around the outskirts of his own village, still they accuse the Abakaliki people of carrying out the killing – is it not obvious that if the Abakaliki people had carried out the killing with the intention of using the boy’s head for any nefarious end whatsoever, common sense would posit that the assailants would have also killed the woman with him so as not to have any eyewitness and that their bodies would have been cartered away so that they would never be found since the incident happened around a forest area.  Therefore the nature of the killing suggests that it was the handiwork of cultists prominent around the Obubra area”.

    “It could be recalled that in June 2015, one woman was beheaded in Ofomana village of Obubra and they alleged that she was killed by an Ikwo man of Abakaliki, but further investigation by security operatives showed that it was an Iyala man from Ogoja, Cross River State – a hired assassin who had since been arrested and is currently at the Zone 6 of the Nigerian Police Force in Calabar.

    The Nation could not confirm the allegation that the killers of the motorcyclist were cultists, possibly from the Cross River end. For if it was the job of cultists, why could they spare the female passenger who would possibly tell what happened?

    Only an unbiased investigation will unravel the circumstances surrounding the crisis.

    But the message of the Ebonyi State governor is worth taking to heart. Enough should be enough, and neighbours who have been living peacefully for years should continue to do so, and settle whatever problems amicably.

  • Militancy: Time to rebuild Imo’s wrecked communities

    Militancy: Time to rebuild Imo’s wrecked communities

    Imo State’s communities devastated by militants are about to be rehabilitated, reports OKODILI NDIDI

    It may not have dominated the national headlines. Nor did the international media find it newsworthy, but militancy in Imo State caused untold havoc. In Ohaji-Egbema and Oguta Local Government Areas, fighters ran riot, brandishing sophisticated weapons and wrecking everything they could. The result was expected. Most residents fled. Monarchs abandoned their prized palaces. Schools shut down. Business and other forms of commerce collapsed. Erstwhile buzzing communities lost their vibrancy. People who could not run away lived at the mercy of the marauders, and often submitted to their violence. The oil-producing areas were in turmoil. A report put the number of casualties at over 1,000. More than 800 buildings, including schools and health centres, where razed by the rampaging militants

    Then came what everybody had been praying for: the disarmament. The excitement was widespread. Everyone who mattered showed up on the day the militants handed over their weapons, pledging not to cause any more problems. The Amnesty Programme was a success.

    But another challenge has popped up. Now that the militancy has died out, the communities it devastated have to be rebuilt.

    The state government is well aware of this challenge and is quite prepared to surmount it. The Amnesty Committee is charged with the responsibility of rebuilding the the communities as well as the confidence of the devastated residents. Wife of the governor, Mrs Nneoma Okorocha heads the committee.

    A visit to the community confirmed the level of devastation that was visited on the once sleepy but oil-rich communities. The streets are still deserted with very few vehicular movements, while beautiful palaces and gigantic buildings that were once occupied by the kings and the rich now play host to reptiles and rodents.

    The young men and women who breathed life into the communities have all absconded to other parts of the state and beyond, fearing for their lives.

    At the height of the militancy, oil companies and their workers who had made the economy boisterous all ran away. Now the few farmers remaining are stranded as they can hardly find patronage for their produce.

    But there is something to cheer about at last, as the state government has voted a whopping N2 billion for the rehabilitation of decayed infrastructure in the affected communities.

    During an on-the-spot assessment of the level of the devastation in the area, the Chairman of the Amnesty Committee Nneoma  Okorocha, said that plans have been set in motion for the full rehabilitation of the decayed and destroyed infrastructure.

    She said that the idea behind the initiative is to rebuild the ruins caused by the militancy and to give the indigenes of the affected communities a new lease of life.

    Mrs. Okorocha reiterated the commitment of the state government towards ensuring that the people of the oil-producing communities enjoyed improved quality of life.

    She said the Committee is poised to meet the demands of the ex-militants in the development and rehabilitation of infrastructure in the area.

    Some of the schools that have been inspected and mapped out for renovation by the Amnesty Committee, include Community Primary School, Ohaji, Umuapu Secondary School, Umuokanne Comprehensive Secondary School, Ohoba Comprehensive Secondary School, Egbema Secondary School, among others.

    Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of the Committee and Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) to the Imo State Governor, Hon Kingsley Uju, said that the state government is also ready to rehabilitate and reintegrate the ex-militants to the society by training them on different vocations.

    He added that the government will leverage on the prevailing peace in the region to address issues of infrastructure and other challenges in the oil producing communities.

    Giving graphic details of how the state government brought the rampaging militants and dreaded cultists to drop their arms and embrace peace, Uju disclosed that apart from series of negotiations, the state, through the office of the governor’s wife, engaged in intensive prayers in the troubled communities.

    He added that Governor Okorocha’s commitment to the development of the troubled oil-rich communities motivated the state government to set up the Amnesty Programme.

    He said, “Asa,Obile,Obiti and Ochia have been under severe attack by the militants , members of the communities deserted their homes and flee to other parts of the state, but today, spirituality came to play, we engaged notable men of God to pray for the success of the amnesty and today all those that ran away from their homes are back courtesy of the commitment of Governor Okorocha”

    Uju hinted further that the state government has embarked on measures to sustain the peace in the area by providing jobs to 1000 indigenes of Egbema and Oguta.

     

  • Obiano-Okorocha rift: Anambra professionals sue for peace

    THE League of Anambra Professionals (LAP) has expressed worry about the lingering spat between the Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and his Anambra State counterpart, Willie Obiano.

    It urged the two governors to rise above it in the overall interest of Ndigbo.

    In a statement issued in Lagos by its President, Mr. Willy Nzewi, the league called for resuscitation of Southeast Governors Forum to provide an enabling environment and framework for the Southeast governors to focus more productive time on how to fast-track the integration of their states’ resources into “making the Southeast a full employment economy latest by 2025”.

    The league bemoaned the “untypical inertia” stalling the regular meetings of the governors’ forum and wondered if the governors were not as worried as their citizens as to the opportunity cost of this anomaly.

    It cited the case of 19 Northern States Governors, whose regular meetings resulted in pooling and attracting $1.3 billion funding for transmission of electric power through their region, among many other planned massive agricultural, industrial, educational and other projects that have been mapped out by them for integrating the economy of the region.

    Noting that the Eastern Nigeria before the civil war was adjudged the fastest growing economy in Africa, the League boss expressed confidence in the ability of the crop of Igbo leaders to repeat the feat, once they resolve to pool the synergies of the five states appropriately as expected of them.

    The group expressed its readiness to interface with the governors in pursuit of this noble cause.

    LAP is a non-partisan association of capable Anambra State indigenes who believe in partnering with governments to build their home state and the Nigeria into a safer and more prosperous society.

  • Lawmaker tackles poor roads in Aba

    Lawmaker tackles poor roads in Aba

    Aba, Abia State, known for its high revenue generating profile, its commerce and small businesses, is also just as notorious for its horrible infrastructure. Its two federal constituencies, Aba North and South, host major industries and markets, Ariaria International Market, perhaps the most popular. But its roads are impassable. Other facilities are few and far between, leaving the people in pretty bad humour.

    A resident of Ngwa Road in Aba South Local Government Area, Mr. Godwin Onyeka described their situation as unfortunate, stressing that apart from food they eat, “life at Ngwa Road could best be compared with life at various IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps across the country”.

    Apart from making life miserable for the inhabitants of the two local governments especially while trying to access the city centre, the impassiable nature of Aba South, Obohia, Ohanku, Umuogele and other parts of Ngwa road has contributed to the high level of crime in the area.

    This has also adversely the response of security agencies to crime in the area. Even the fire servive struggles when responding to emergences in the Aba, no thanks to the worful roads.

    A trip to some of these areas during the rainy season would make one shed tears as residents whose shops and offices are within the city centre are subjected to all manner of stress on a daily basis because of the deplorable nature of their road.

    It was gathered that some of the Aba South residents especially those living at Ohanku, Obohia and amongst others pay thrice of the normal transportation fare to get to their homes while those at Nkwo Ngwa or Umuogele have to pay able bodied men to ferry them through the flood or stagnant water or risked being carried away by the flood.

    Recounting a 2015 experience during a heavy downpour that left many family homeless with property being swept away in the flood, Mr. Kingsley noted that they are still suffering the effect of the loss till date.

    Worried by the situation facing his constituents, the lawmaker representing Aba North and South Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ossy Prestige has acquired a grader and since moved into the affected areas to begin massive grading of internal and bypass roads across the constituency.

    Some of the streets and roads graded in Aba North Local Government area until the time of this report are Garden Avenue off Okigwe road, Uzonkpa/Umuobu, Railway/Salad Market avenue, Cemetery, St. Eugene, Anya Umunna off PZ, Osusu, Chibuike streets, Samuel Njoku and Imo Avenue, among other locations where work is ongoing.

    Joyous residents of Aba North including Samuel Njoku, Osusu, St. Eugene inhabitants who spoke to newsmen could not hide their joy.

    They recounted how for over a year they have resorted to using public transportation, leaving behind their luxury cars because of the impassable terrain of their residences due to the neglect from both state and local governments, even as they said that they have been paying their taxes and other levies from the state and local government authorities respectively.

    One of the residents who simply gave his name as Ifeanyi blamed past governments in the state and representatives of the Aba North and South at the Green Chamber of National Assembly for their woes, stressing that apart from Orji Kalu’s administration that tried asphalting and grading some of the internal roads in the area, subsequent government administrations were concerned with collection of revenue and failed to engage on infrastructural development project in the last  eight years, living them to groans in penury.

    Ifeanyi and others who spoke thanked Prestige for remembering them and urged him to extend such gestures to other parts of the constituency.

    They hoped that the efforts of the Abia lawmaker will go a long way in complimenting the efforts of the incumbent Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration in alleviating the sufferings of road users in the commercial town.

    In an interview, the lawmaker said that after a need assessment survey, he discovered that a lot of his constituents find it difficult to access the city center due to the impassible nature of their roads, stressing that in order to alleviate their sufferings ahead of the rainy season; he decided to embark on the project.

    Prestige who told reporters that he would have loved to asphalt the roads after the rehabilitation sighted paucity of funds as a barrier because he was using his personal money to fund the ongoing rehabilitation exercise, but added that Garden Avenue off Okigwe road, a 7.5km road project which he attracted through the federal government intervention funds would be asphalted with a good drainage system to channel water to the appropriate water channel.

    He used the opportunity to solicit his constituents’ continued prayers and assured that he old never relent in his efforts in making sure that he keep using his personal or government funds to improve their lives and attract government presence within his tenure as Aba h and South legislature.

    He said, “Aba must be fixed. In the next couple of days, I shall be bringing an investor from Korea who will come to partner shoemakers in Aba. Mr. Jacky Zhang will be coming to inspect what the shoe makers are doing in Aba, see how is going to help them improve technologically and as well, take their wares to the global scene for marketing and attracting investors with like minds.”

     

  • Soldiers nab two robbery suspects in Aba

    Soldiers of the 14 Brigade, Ohafia, Abia State, have arrested two suspected robbers accused of terrorising motorists on the Opobo-Azumini highway.

    It was gathered that the robbery suspects named Victor John and Nsikak Johnson were nabbed by soldiers at a checkpoint along Azumini Road and handed them over to the Abia State Police command.

    Abia State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade confirmed the handover of the suspects to the police.

    Oyebade, said, “The robust synergy of the Abia State Police Command with other sister agencies paid off when officers of the Nigerian Army, 14 Brigade, Ohafia, on checkpoint at Azumini Road in Ukwa East, arrested the suspects and handed over to the operatives of the anti-kidnapping section of the State Criminal and Intelligence Department. They confessed to the crime and effort is being intensified to arrest other members of their gang.”

    The CP added that the suspects are among notorious criminals who have been robbing motorists along Azumini highway and listed items recovered from them to include a locally made single-barrel pistol, two live cartridges and a small bag.

  • Like Vampire like El Chapo

    Like Vampire like El Chapo

    Alleged cross-border kidnap kingpin Henry Chibueze’s dramatic escape from a court in Owerri, the Imo State capital, just as drug lord El Chapo did in Mexico, has left the state’s residents terrified, writes OKODILI NDIDI. Additional reporting by OGOCHUKWU IKEJE

    Henry Chibueze, the alleged cross-border kidnapper, who escaped from a court in Owerri, the Imo State capital, may well have a soul mate, if not a mentor, in Joaquin Gusman, also known as El Chapo, a Mexican drug baron, reputed to be one of the most dreaded, brutal and powerful men on earth. El Chapo who reigns over a vast drug cartel, which supplies narcotics to the United States and Europe, among other locations, is said to have murdered many persons and was always one step ahead of the law.

    In 1993, Gusman was captured in Guatemala and extradited to Mexico where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder and drug trafficking. He bribed prison guards and escaped from a federal maximum security prison. He was rearrested in 2014 in Mexico but in 2015 he escaped again from prison through a tunnel that led to a construction site. He was recaptured in January last year and extradited to the US last month to face trial. The world is waiting for what comes next.

    Vampire may not be as rich as El Chapo, but he is just as stocky of build as his South American hero, and boasts the Mexican’s cold bravado, influence and methods.

    Since Vampire’s dramatic escape, the feeling in Imo has been that of fear and uncertainty, especially among the business class. Prior to his escape from custody, residents of Owerri had heaved a sigh of relief, just as his arrest in 2015 elicited widespread jubilation but this sense of safety has suddenly been replaced with fear.

    This feeling of insecurity may not be unconnected with the terror unleashed on the wealthy residents of the state and other parts of the Southeast by Vampire and his gang before he was arrested by men of the DSS in May 2015.

    At different drinking outlets in the Imo State capital and other public places, the Vampire’s escape is the latest topic of discussion, even though the name is mentioned in hushed tones.

    He was arrested in May 2015 by the Department of State Security (DSS) but why he was not nabbed earlier is a mystery, even though the security community said they had kept an eye for him for more than 10 years.

    Whatever the case, his disappearance has left many in Imo scratching their heads, not to mention the fact that no one knows where he is or what might be going in his mind.

    The fear is understandable. Vampire is reputed to be a cold-blooded killer. He wasted his victims at little provocation. For instance, he did not hesitate to shoot and kill the people he kidnapped if thought their relatives were not forthcoming with the ransom or if he felt they were delaying.

    He is also known to have the heart of a lion, moving on the streets with his arms in search of anyone who offended him. For instance, he relived the killing operation he once launched against his girlfriend.

    Diminutive with broad shoulders and a pair of burning eyeballs that betray his ruthlessness, Vampire recounted how wiped out his girlfriend’s folks.

    “Yes, I killed my girlfriend and her parents because she stole my N45 million I kept in my house. I went to her family house in Lagos and when she saw me coming she ran into the house. I went in and shot her and other people in the house. She died instantly but I don’t know how others died”.

    Born 36 years ago to the family of Chibueze in Nwangele Local Government Area of Imo State, Vampire who was orphaned at the age of seven, joined the world of crime at the age of eleven, after dropping out of school.

    During his interrogation at the DSS office in Owerri, he took to crime after his elder brother sent him out of the house because he could no longer pay his school fees.

    He also told of how he first tried out his hands in crime in the Southeast, then travelled to Cotonou where he learned the evil trade of kidnapping for ransom.

    Feeling he had received enough tutelage, Vampire returned home to put his knowledge to practice. He did not do it alone, probably sensing that he would accomplish little if he struck on his own. He recruited several persons, some with military backgrounds, like those who deserted military service and still using even their identity cards. Former militants were also brought in, and together they wreaked havoc, kidnapping, collecting ransom and killing their victims. Their onslaught last for over five years.

    Luck once ran out on him. According to the then Imo State Director of the DSS, Francis Ejiofor, Vampire was arrested after an operation in which the victim was released after the family paid N15 million ransom.

    Ejiofor noted, “This suspect Mr. Henry Chibueze, aka Vampire engages in kidnapping from Nigeria to Cotonou, Niger and Ivory Coast. He is a vicious kidnapper and he kills his victim at the slightest suspicion that security operatives are on his trail.

    “When we learnt that he was in the state and had kidnapped a woman we waited until he has collected the ransom and released the woman and we went after him. We traced him to a hotel close to Owerri where he was planning to kidnap the Tribunal Judges who were lodged there but our men stormed the place and he escaped with gunshot wounds to the home of his native doctor in Abia State where he was picked up. Another member of the gang who provides the security cover for the gang is an Army deserter, Akeem Bello who still uses his Identity Card to navigate security checkpoints”.

    The DSS boss attributed the successful smashing of the notorious gang to the support of the state government, assuring that the Department will end incidents of kidnapping in the state in no distant time.

    The arrest of Vampire was celebrated across the Southeast with some of the victims thronging the DSS office to give account of their horrific ordeals at his hands. Of particular note was the father of Vampire’s late girlfriend who he murdered alongside her mother and siblings in Lagos state for allegedly bolting with his money. The man came all the way from Abia State with pictures of his murdered children and wife and pleaded that Vampire should be made to pay for what he did to his family and others.

    But rather than face the music for his crimes, Vampire, immediately he was remanded at the Owerri Prisons, assumed a king status and was worshipped by other inmates and corrupt Prison officials.

    Vampire at the prison continued with his kidnapping racket and allegedly recruited some prison wardens who served as go-between for him and his gang members in the outside world. He was allowed uncommon privileges to the extent that he was receiving visitors, some of them his gang members and had unrestricted access to his phones, laptops and concubines.

    In 2016, a warden serving in Owerri Prison and a member of Vampire’s gang was arrested for kidnapping and charged to court and remanded in prison.

    It would appear that Vampire also has very loyal members who would risk anything to set their master free.

    Last Friday, those diehard loyals staged an El Chapo-like rescue effort, stunnig everyone in that courtroom, from the judges to the litigants, reporters to court workers, and to just about anyone in sight.

    The guns began to boom. Everyone ran in different directions. Vampire’s men picked out their boss and took him away. It looked that simple.

    In Imo, and possibly beyond, fear has set in. Where is Vampire? What might he do next? Why was the security community caught napping?

    In Mexico, such questions were also asked. Unfortunately, there were not many answers. With El Chapo, you never knew; you could never tell how things happened the way they did. Even in the case of Vampire, you cannot quite explain why things happened the way did.

  • Ndigbo chart new path to presidency

    Ndigbo chart new path to presidency

    One major obstacle that has stood between Ndigbo and their age-long ambition to produce the President of Nigeria is disunity. This has been fueled by greed, selfishness and lack of leadership structure among the Igbo. But at last, there is something to cheer. The Igbo are gradually coming together as brothers, irrespective of political or religious differences. They have decided to heal old wounds, reignite the kindred spirit for which the Igbo is famous and most importantly, go for the Nigeria’s Presidency as a people.

    Recent events, very much confirms this new Igbo spirit. Among them is the resolution of the leadership crisis that rocked the Igbo apex organization, Ohaneze Ndigbo. The polarization of the Ohaneze leadership structure had actually affected all genuine efforts to unite the Igbo in order to pursue any common goal, after all the Igbo will say that a man’s house cannot be on fire and he hunts for rat.

    This plan to reconcile the various factions of Ohaneze was initiated and sponsored by the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, who had severally contested the Presidency of the country but failed due largely to lack of support and backing from his kinsmen.

    Today Ohaneze if back and the Igbo are gradually coming together to build a formidable bloc that can spearhead the actualisation of the ambition that has perpetually eluded them.

    Again the new resolve by Igbo political heavyweights to join the Imo Governor in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and form alliance with the North has been lauded as a bold step towards the age long dream.

    In a recent crucial meeting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, frontline Igbo politicians after a closed door meeting, resolved to work for President Muhammadu Buhari’s reelection in 2019 so as to get the support of the North for the much expected Igbo Presidency in 2023.

    At the meeting attended by former Senate President Ken Nnamani, Emeka Offor, Ifeanyi Araraume, George Muoghalu, Tony Eze, Ebuka Onunkwo, Jombo Offor, Imo Deputy Governor, Eze Madumere, members of the National Working Committee of APC, as well as other prominent politicians, it was disclosed that three serving Governors in the Southeast will be joining the APC to strengthen and consolidate the new plan.

    Speaking shortly after a closed door meeting, the host Governor,  Rochas Okorocha said, “now that Igbo leaders are together in APC, Nigerians will hear us. There is a vacuum of leadership in the Southeast APC. I am a Governor. My brothers Chris Ngige and Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu are Ministers, hence the importance of Ken Nnamani coming at this time. I declined the leadership of Ndi-Igbo in APC. With Ken Nnamani, the question of who is the leader of APC in the Southeast has been answered. Ken Nnamani is the leader of APC in the Southeast”.

    He continued, “Senator Nnamani should then work with other leaders like Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Jim Nwobodo and a host of others to give Ndigbo Political direction. Those who have joined the Party or who want to join should do so to build the party and not to cause confusion. APC is the right Party for the Igbo and the only Party that can guarantee Igbo Presidency”.

    Speaking further, he said, “We are going to support President Muhammadu Buhari for the eight years he is going to lead the nation. This is the time for Ndigbo to come and work together. We are also going to use the Anambra election to show that APC has arrived in the Southeast. The Igbo played bad politics in 2015. Today we have lost a lot. We are not anywhere because of our bad politics”.

    Governor Okorocha also disclosed that three serving Governors in the zone were in touch with him and will soon join the APC, adding that being the only APC Governor in the Southeast does not give him joy and advised that other Political leaders in the geopolitical zone should take “advantage of the moment and come into APC”.

    In his speech, Nnamani said the Igbo need more of their leaders at the National leadership of the APC where decisions are made and also at the National Assembly and other strategic areas.

  • Community: our oil, our burden

    Residents of Owaza community in Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State have crude oil, but rather than celebrate the black gold, they are agonising. In 1958 when Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) commenced operations in the community, they have never known peace as the people of the area have been impoverished.    Their plight has been made worse with the entrance of Total Gas Producing company, the community said.

    The state governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu visited the community and decried the waste and environmental degradation that has been going on in the community over the years and called on the oil companies involved for a meeting on the way forward.

    The Nation went to the community to see the extent of degradation.

    It was revealed that one of the facilities called Imo River 1 which produces 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day including gas empties its content into a neighbouring state and the revenue accruable to Abia state is being paid into the account of that state.

    In spite of these, the oil companies have denied the community of the necessary incentives such as pipe-borne water, good roads and light while there is constant flaring of gas which damages their ecosystem and made them to go to the neighbouring communities to farm in order to eke out a living.

    The people of the community have not been spared the constant intimidation with security agencies especially the military by the oil companies which escorts the oil workers from Port Harcourt to their place of work every day fully armed and ready to shoot at anyone who tries to stop them from going to work.

    On the day our correspondent visited the community, the youths of Owaza community had demonstrated against Total Oil Company which has a gas producing plant in the area over their inability to employ people from the community.

    The oil company which came into the area a few years ago is alleged to be engaging workers from outside the area to work in the plant which the youths are protesting against, saying that they have capable hands to do the job.

    The Nation observed that in an effort to evade paying the required tax one of the oil companies devised a means of flaring their gas underground which increased the damage on the soil and also having serious health hazard on the community and it’s people.

    Speaking with The Nation at Owaza, the youths president of the area, Austin Nwarie said that the people in charge of the gas plant find it difficult to employ any of the youths despite the fact that most of them are more than qualified to work in any position there.

    Nwarie said that apart from Total, that there is also Shell oil company which has been in the area since 1958, stressing that all these years that the oil companies have been operating that the community has been suffering.

    The Owaza youths president regretted that the Total oil company and Shell company have been destroying their roads, “Yet they find it difficult to repair any of the roads they have been destroying, no water and light”.

    He said, “All we want is employment for our youths as there are no Owaza people working in any of the oil companies operating in our area all these years, we have over 5000 capable youths, yet they bring workers from outside our community which is no right”.

    The youths said that there will be no work at the plant as they blocked the road and stopped workers of the plant who were on the way to work from Port Harcourt in a convoy escorted by soldiers.

    One of the soldiers who was escorting the convoy of workers on sighting the protesting youths decided to shoot into the air with the aim of scaring them away but the youths surged forward asking the soldiers to kill everyone in the crowd.

    It took the prompt intervention of the former member of NDDC, Chief Sam Nwogu who was around the area at that time to stop the youths from attacking the convoy of Total oil workers and also averting a blood bath.

    Nwogu who is from the area pleaded with the youths not to do something that will give the community a bad name, stressing that their community has never been known to be militants despite the environmental degradation caused by the oil companies working there.

    The paramount ruler of Ipu West community, HRH Eze Young Ogbonna regretted that Shell which started operation since 1958 has not done anything to improve the welfare of the people of the area and that there was no agreement with them because oil exploration is being controlled by the federal government.

     

  • Community fetes Enugu police image maker

    The saying that a prophet is not respected in his community was disproved recently when the Itungwa community in Obingwa local council of Abia State honoured its son, the spokesman of the Enugu State Police Command, Ebere Amaraizu, a Superintendent of Police.

    The well-attended occasion was witnessed by many including the indigenes of the community in diaspora. The ceremony was held at the community’s civic centre which also featured the unveiling of scholarship programme to indigent students of the community.

    The community described Amaraizu as a proud son, decent and fine police officer, a good ambassador and a role model for the youth of the community. “He has distinguished himself in both the police job and sports activities,” the community credited Amaraizu.

    According to the President of the Itungwa Peoples Assembly, Hon Emeka Awuda, “Amaraizu has distinguished himself in the police and in sports growth and development thus proving that a prophet can be known by his community and I urge other youth and individuals to be upright and embrace good virtues at all times in order to always connect and impact on mankind for the development of the society just as Amaraizu is doing.”

    The Traditional Ruler of Itu Ahiafor Ukwu community who graced the occasion, HRH  Eze Appollos A.Orji a reired Deputy commissioner of police, described Amaraizu as a man with many parts and with burning desire to turn around things positively and challenge other youth to be good ambassadors of their communities despite all odds.

    The chairman of Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, Hon Amaechi Sunday Hanson, thanked God for the the occasion, pointing out that the event has shown that whatever one is doing,  the person should know that he is being watched and charged the youth to always strive to distinguish themselves positively and be good ambassadors of the community, local government, state and the entire nation.

    Amaraizu in his reaction expressed his satisfaction on the gesture and thanked the entire community pointing out that such recognition and honour was always a propelling factor to put in his best and never to derail. He also thanked the Almighty God for “revealing the mystery to His mere children.”

    Highlight of the event was the formal presentations of footballs to the community at the playing ground as a mark of commitment to set the ball rolling in terms of football development from the field where Amaraizu started his football career.

  • Osinbajo enlivens SMEs in Aba

    Osinbajo enlivens SMEs in Aba

    The visit of Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo to Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, to flag off the maiden edition of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Clinic lifted the spirits of small business owners who turned up in droves, reports SUNNY NWANKWO

    On January 24, the acting President and Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo launched the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Clinic. At the launch, in Abuja, Osinbajo said, “Nigerians complain about how practically difficult it is to get approval on practically everything. When I toured the nation with the support of USAID, the whole idea was to signal our support MSMEs and to find out what their problems were. But almost every stand I went to had complaints about how it was so difficult to get approvals for practically anything. I was frankly taken aback on that occasion because practically every point we went to had the same complaint. We also went to Kano on one of our social intervention programmes and it was the same problem, same issues.”

    On Thursday, January 26, Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State and the Southeast was agog as traders’ unions from every part of the state moved their wares to the Golf Course of the Aba Sports Club were Prof Osinbajo was to flag off the SMEs clinics.

    The event provided the acting president and government agencies such as Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), Nigeria Export Promotion Council, and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC), among others, the opportunity to register, certify and approve the use and consumption of several products.

    The August visitor could not hide his amazement at the craftsmanship and the technological ingenuity of the people of Aba who will virtually replicate almost manually what their counterparts overseas in some cases may not use their machines to produce or replicate. No wonder owners of shipping companies and other conglomerates have so much relied on the ingenuity of Aba fabricators to keep their ships afloat on our waterways.

    The event also gave the traders high hopes that the incumbent government of President Buhari mean well for the SME’s. This as some of them in a chat with The Nation expressed hope that the steps taken by the federal government would help to reduce some of the challenges they face in registering their products, importing raw materials and exporting finished goods to other parts of the world.

    Speaking after the inspection, the Vice President assured the Aba SMEs of the commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to support the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Abia and other states of the federation to grow the country’s economy in the face of the present economic challenges.

    Osinbajo who described the SMEs as the highest employers of labour and engine house of every great nation’s economy said that President Buhari has great interest in the growth of the SMEs and stressed that it was the intention of the incumbent administration to make the industry to compete favourably and to even surpass their counterparts at the global stage.

    He said that the essence of visiting Aba, Kano, Nnewi, Onitsha and any other parts of the country is to interact with the people, identify their problems and as well finding a lasting way to tackle some of the challenges that are hindering the SMEs from performing optimally.

    “Mr. President gave two examples of how some of our agencies make it difficult for people to be able to register anything or do business and I think that everybody today understands that if we are talking about diversification of Improving our economy, it starts from those who are manufacturing, those who are doing local manufacturing. I am sure you know that the biggest employer of labour and the largest earning to our GDP comes from the local manufacturers and the local industries; that is how it is in everywhere in the world. Our focus is to support the local industry. I have seen all sorts of things today. I want to encourage those who are in manufacturing and industry to know that whatever that it will get you to do you business well and to become major competitors worldwide, that is exactly what we intend to do and that is why we are going round, we are making sure that we understand what the problems are so that we can be able to address all of those problems. We are looking forward to a greater Aba, an Aba that will compete with any of the industries that are established in China and any other part of the world.”

    Earlier in his remarks, the State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu said that the choice for Aba for the flag off of the MSME Clinics was apt and that Aba merited it.

    Ikpeazu who hailed the resilience of Aba manufacturers and industrialists said that the state government was working assiduously to ensure that the goods of the SMEs produced in Aba will get the requisite certification to meet best global practices and standard.

    Lauding the energy that the Aba manufacturers deploy in producing their wares, Ikpeazu said he was excited that the efforts of the state government in promoting Aba made wares have been receiving acceptance and at the same time, getting the endorsement of the President of the country, Muhammadu Buhari.

    The governor urged the manufacturers to be proud of what they produce, adding that the state government was building “a one-stop shop specifically to make businesses to excel” and promised that the state would be giving land freely to any agency of the federal government involved in the certification of locally manufactured goods that wishes to establish its office(s) in any part of the state.

    In their separate reactions, some of the traders at the event, including Mr. Fidelis Offor, Christian Madukwem amongst other traders from Ariaria International market thanked the federal government and Abia State government for their initiatives.

    They were unanimous that if the Bank of Industry (BoI) and other commercial banks gives them soft loans with low interest rate, concerned government agencies register and approve their products without being exploitative and making the process of registration and certification of products cumbersome, that they would help the country raise its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) especially now that the country is facing economic recession and the federal and state government respectively talking about economic diversification.

    The traders while calling on the federal government to address the issue of poor electricity supply and road network in the state and other parts of the country, this is even as they also lamented excessive levies and taxes by agencies of government who most times doesn’t remit such monies to government coffers.

    The traders expressed hope that the multiplier effects of the SME’s Clinics will be beneficial to both the government and traders if the state and federal government would back their plans with action.

    The event attracted various dignitaries across the state and country including the Hon. Minister for Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelama, Hon. Ossy Prestige, member representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, Abia State Deputy Governor, Sir Ude Okochukwu, State Commissioner of trade and investment, Chief Henry Ikoh and amongst others