Category: Southeast report

By Rosemary Nwisi, Port Harcourt

There was palpable fear at a student’s hostel, lodge in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, following an attack on the occupants by unknown gunmen recently.

The incident happened at number 20, Osina Street, Mile 3, Diobu, where students of Rivers State University cohabit.

The gunmen numbering five, who were suspected to be armed robbers, reportedly invaded the lodge in the early hours of Thursday and dispossessed the victims of their personal effects as well as inflicted deep machete cuts on some.

The caretaker of the house, Fidelis Nuale confirmed the incident but declined to speak on what transpired.

Some of the victims who pleaded anonymity disclosed that 13 mobile phones, wrist watches, slippers, laptops, among others were carted away by the suspected armed robbers.

The eyewitness further alleged that the robbers forced one of their victims to transfer money to a bank account the invaders provided.

Meanwhile the matter has been reported at Azikiwe Divisional Police headquarters around the area.

The state Police Public Relation officer, Nnamdi Omoni, is yet to speak on it.

By Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

Two lovers have died in mysterious circumstances in their apartment along NDDC road in Amukpe, Sapele LGA in Delta State.

A community source identified the victims as Ufuoma and Matilda Alome.

The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onowakpoyeya who confirmed the incident said: “When the police visited the venue, they prevented us from going in, so the case was not officially reported.”

The Nation gathered that the victims were reportedly found dead after neighbours peeped through the window and saw two of them dead with one allegedly found on the floor and the other on the bed.

A source who pleaded anonymity said the lovers attended a party the previous night. “They came home late after the party and slept off yesterday, only to wake up this morning and we found them dead.”

According to the source, Ufuoma and Matilda had just returned to the country last year from an undisclosed overseas’ country and had reportedly moved into the vicinity last December.

The source said of the one of the deceased, “He occasionally uses his vehicle to shuttle between Sapele and Warri route, and he was a lively fellow who was always visible and when neighbours woke up that morning and noticed his vehicle was there and there was no sign of the wife and him, we became worried, his window was opened but when we noticed his door was locked inside, we became curious, that was when we looked through the windows and saw the dead bodies.”

However, another source said that their deaths may have been as a result of inhaling generator fumes. “Their generator was put on yesterday when they came back and we are suspecting it must have been the cause of their death.”

By Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

As the plan to build the state modular refinery is in the offing, Bayelsa State government has appealed to investors to partner it to make the initiative realisable to fast-track the socio-economic development of the state.

Technical Adviser to the Governor on Investment, Dr Jonathan Obuebite, gave the hint yesterday in Yenagoa, the state capital, during the Bayelsa Economic Roundtable convened by the Coordinator, Bayelsa Think Tank Group, Mr Ebiekure Eradiri.

He also said plans were underway to revitalise the Bayelsa State Gas Turbine to ensure stable power supply in the state, rationalising that power remains the panacea for all segments of economy to grow.

Obuebite, a former two-time commissioner in the state, said: “Economy is all about investment, and investment is the driver of economy. For us as a government, we are looking at the oil and gas sector and we are appealing to investors to come.

“For any economy to grow, you need power. For agriculture to succeed you also need power. The state has the Bayelsa State Gas Turbine. As I speak, the government is into talks with different groups. We want them to come and take over that gas turbine, make it viable, sell power to the state government and Bayelsans. It is our property, it is our investment but let us also be customers to our own investment as offtakers.”

Also speaking, Commissioner for Agriculture, David Alagoa, said all hands must be on the deck to move agriculture to the next level in the state.

He said the government had provided the enabling environment to make the agriculture sector flourish in the state, stressing that mechanisation should be the new thinking of farmers and investors to maximise the gains of the sector.

On his part, the Convener of the Bayelsa Economic Roundtable, Ebiekure Eradiri, urged the government to support entrepreneurs by promoting small and medium scale enterprises.

By Ben Obinwa Nnaji

A notable Nigerian agriculturist and IT expert, Alhaji Sani Friday Nnaji.  has said that the easiest way for the Federal and State Governments, to curb criminality and check unemployment, is for both governments to take the issue of agriculture seriously.

In a goodwill message sent to the ongoing training seminar of rural farmers holding in 10 major Community Centres of Isi-Uzo Local Government, Enugu State under the auspices of Alhaji Sani Nnaji Foundation, he urged governments at all levels to embark on massive and aggressive approach to agricultural production.

Alhaji Sani emphasised that ‘with agriculture, the ever craze for urban migration, with lots of young men and women trooping into the cities for white collar jobs that are far and few between, would be drastically reduced.’ Now is time to begin to return to the villages to farm, cultivate and grow more food for the nation, he explained.

The Sani Nnaji Foundation, carrying out simultaneous training of selected farmers at approved centres Mbu Akpoti and Mbu Agudene;  Mbu Amon and Mbu Akpoga; Emeora Neke and Akpani Neke; Uno Neke and Mburu Amanyi Neke; Umualor and Umuzuogbu Umualor; Eha Agu and Aguamede; Umuhu, Amede and Ihenyi Eha-Amufu; Mgbuji and Abor Isiala; Ikem Uno and Umuaram; and Ikem Nkwor and Ikem Etiti, plans that after the two-day seminar , the farmers would have been fully groomed in the rudiments of intercropping and planting of Cotton and Coconut crops.

The Membe representing Isi-Uzo Constituency at the  Enugu State House of Assembly and also Chair person House Committee on Agriculture, and Secretary of the Board of the Foundation ,Hon Mrs Amaka Ugwueze, said the farmers are to be provided with 75 per  cent inputs, which include seedlings, fertilizers, chemicals and stipends , while the farmers make up the other 25 percent.

The Assembly member said there was already market for their produce as the Foundation would buy up their yields according to the prevailing market prices.

Speaking during the exercise, one of the agronomists Obianefo A. Chukwujeku urged the rural farmers participating, to approach farming with entrepreneurial spirit, as they have lots of money to make through resilience and commitment.

Professor Charles U.Onugu, advised the farmers not to be afraid of the scourge by pests listing out methodologies to tackle such stubborn pests that eat up maizes or other crops.

The General Coordinator of Umualor Centre Hon Japheth Ejimba, had in his remarks encouraged the village farmers who were participating to brace up to the challenges ahead and the eventual success of their toils, taking the participants through several lectures and training on Maize, Melon, Cotton, Cowpeas Legumes and Coconut planting.

The interactive session was educating as the farmers were in high spirits to hit the ground running as planting period is about to begin with the expectant first rainfall .

By Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

As the tenure of the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Otuoke (FUO), Prof. Seth Accra-Jaja, ended, he has lauded the Federal Government for addressing the lecture theatres crisis in the institution.

The outgone VC said at some point the university did not have structures that could be called lecture theatres but expressed satisfaction that the government had ameliorated the problem to the extent that the school now has well over twelve lecture theatres against one they used to have.

He, however, said the journey was not easy, but attributed his success while he held sway as the institution’s VC to teamwork and collaboration with students, lecturers and stakeholders.

The Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, is one of nine federal universities established by the Federal Government under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in February 2011.

Prof Accra-Jaja, who spoke during his send-off on Thursday at Otuoke, also said when he came on board, the student and staff population stood at 2000 apiece.

He said the development was not proper for a university system, but expressed satisfaction that the situation had been reversed and the student population had grown to over 8,000 at present.

He said: “The success story and fulfilment of promises under my watch as Vice-Chancellor were made possible by the efforts of students, lecturers and management of the institution.

“Under my stewardship, FUO like every human organisation is comparable to a living organism, with its assembly of units functioning as a whole.

“We have improved on what we met on ground. For instance, when I came on board, the student population was 2000 same with staff population. We also had problem of two functional facilities with twelve programmes.”

Accra-Jaja added that his successor would be working from a more befitting edifice, adding that the transformation witnessed by the university is the beginning of better things to come.

The outgoing VC also urged the institution’s lecturers, students and staff to extend same support to his successor, Prof Teddy Charles Adias.

By Emma Elekwa, Onitsha

It was celebration galore for families of eleven youths discharged from the Correctional Centre in Anambra State following a ruling at the High Court sitting in Otuocha in Anambra East Local Government of the State

The accused, from Uruebo Nkewelle Ezunaka community were arrested last year June over alleged attempted kidnapping, cultism and malicious damage against a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obimma (Ebubemonso).

When the matter was called up for trial, the complainant, who is the Spiritual Director of Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry Uke, told the court of his intention to withdraw the case as the accused were his brothers who should be forgiven.

He said, “If we should go by the legal interruption, I don’t think, the youths will come out of the case but there is a saying in law that we should tamper justice with mercy and in justice man was condemned and at the same time in mercy man was redeemed. They are my brothers but something happened, so I had to forgive them.”

The presiding Judge, Justice H. N Ozoh after hearing from the complainant, discharged and acquitted the youths.

The accused who returned from Correctional Centre with prison uniforms immediately changed their attire and reunited with their families who besieged the court with other members of the community.

Reacting, two elders of the community, Ogbuefi Abel Okafor and Ogbuefi Augustine Okadigbo whose sons were among the freed youths commended the court for doing the needful, stressing there were much to be done to bring lasting peace to the area.

“Our children never committed the crime they were accused of by the Rev. Fr. Obimma. The withdrawal of the case has not only vindicated them but has paved a way forward for peace and reconciliation,” they added.

By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

Gunmen riding on a motorcycle have killed three youths in Oyigbo, Rivers  State.

It was gathered that the victims were killed at Komkom Railway area of Oyigbo at about 10.30pm on Thursday.

A Facebook user, Rose Alloysius, who hinted on the development, said sounds of the gunshots unsettled the area.

Alloysius wrote: “People of Oyigbo, sad news has happened. This evening. unknown gunmen shot our three youths just this evening”.

Another source, Jessica Nwabueze, said her cousin was among the persons shot by the gunmen.

Though the police said the matter was yet to be reported to them, most residents of the area confirmed the incident with others attributing it to cultism.

It was also learnt that five persons were in critical condition following an explosion that occurred at a filling station near the timber axis of Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state.

The victims were said to be working in the filling station before the explosion occurred.

President of Oyigbo Youths Association, Victor Nwachukwu confirmed the incident.

He said: “There was an explosion at Sobax Filling Station, opposite Timber.

“I have gone to the scene and I noticed that five persons were injured as a result of the explosion. I have also gone to the hospital to see their state of health.

“The fire exploded from a tank but I don’t know whether it is petrol or gas. Four of them are critical to a large extent.

“They were working there when it happened and they said the explosion was from a surface tank, so the thing affected them.”