By Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

Delta State governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring peace returns to warring communities in the state.

Okowa gave the assurance while receiving the report of the Judicial Panel of Enquiry into the disputed Okpe-Urhobo Forest Reserve from the Chairman of the Panel, Justice Tessy Diai, in Asaba.

He urged communities with land disputes to exercise restraint in their disagreements “as once lives are lost, they can’t be recovered”.

He said the government could only carry out development programmes when communities were peaceful.

The governor thanked the chairman and members of the panel for the great job they did and assured that the state government would study the report with a view to implementing the recommendations made by the panel.

“We must thank God for this day and we are glad that you finished your work and you did a very thorough job.

“Right from the beginning when the panel was constituted, we were sure that we had men with proven integrity in the panel.

“We are glad that you gave room to all manner and shades of opinion and that you also conducted public hearings.

“We are glad that a proper survey has been done because what we had before cannot truly be said to be a proper survey.

“We reassure you that as a government we will study the report very quickly and put the recommendations to use.

“We are confident in your recommendations and actions will be taken based on the findings of your recommendations as a panel.

“I thank the communities for allowing peace to reign during the period of the enquiry and I appeal to all warring parties to allow peace to reign as we study the report,” he said.

By Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki

An unidentified couple in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, have been murdered by gunmen.

The lifeless bodies of the couple who hailed from Amuzu Nkpogoro Community in Afikpo North LGA were discovered by youths of the area at their farmland.

A source from the area said the couple  went to the farm on Thursday but did not  return to their home by nightfall.

This prompted the youths of the area to raise a search party which led to the discovery of their lifeless bodies on Friday morning

“This morning their dead bodies were found, packed together in a farmland and the people promptly reported the matter to the Police who have commenced investigation,” the source noted.

Police Commissioner in the state, Philip Maku confirmed the incident.

By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt 

A female lawyer, Paulette Bisola Ajayi, and an employee of the British High Commission, Paul Nyulaku, who were recently kidnapped in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, have narrated their ordeals in the hands of their captors saying they would have been killed if not for police rescue operation.

Ajayi, a 25-year-old lawyer, was violently whisked away by gun-wielding marauders, who were dressed in military combat fatigue, on October 4 at the entrance of their apartment at Rumuokurusi area of Port Harcourt.

Nyulaku was also kidnapped the same day by the same gang at NTA Link Road, Port Harcourt at about 6pm.

Ajayi said she feared for her life but kept praying to God for survival because the kidnappers had concluded plans to take her to the swamp and kill her.

She said the kidnappers were apprehensive at the wide publicity her abduction generated and resolved that killing her the next day was the only way to guarantee their safety.

She said: “On Sunday evening I was taken by unknown men in front of my house. They shot at me and they took me before my family members. They were going to ask for a ransom of N50m. By the next day, the ransom went up to N200m because everybody had reported that I was missing.

“They were getting quite frantic and looking for how to kill me because they were certain that with the news that had gone round, somehow, something was going to go wrong. They planned to move me into the swamp to kill me yesterday night. The police just came right in time because all I could do was to pray.”

She said one of the hoodlums thought she had a charm wondering while despite all the shootings, she did not sustain a bullet wound.

Ajayi thanked the state governor, Nyesom Wike, the Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan and the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) family for the roles they played in her rescue.

Also, Nyulaku said his abductors threatened to kill him if his family failed to pay them N20million ransom.

He said: “I drove to NTA link road to give a document to my friend at about 6pm. They drove past me and blocked me. When they came out, they said they were officers of the police. They came with guns, opened my door got in and pressed me down.

“I struggled a bit but they used the butt of the gun to hit me on my head several times until I pretended that I had passed out. They left me. They took me to the location I can’t explain at the moment. We were rescued by members of the anti-kidnapping unit.

“We thank God, the team and the commander of the unit because of the kind of professionalism and commitment they showed when they came to where we were tied up. We know the kind of efforts they put into this.

“This was one of the sterling examples of commitment and professionalism by the police. Some of them wore military uniform, others wore plain cloth. They looked like military people. They asked for ransom of N20million. They kept putting a lot of pressure that our family should pay the ransom, otherwise we would be killed”.

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, said operatives of the anti-kidnapping unit in a sting operation rescued the victims at Okomoko Forest in Etche Local Government Area of the state.

Mukan said the operatives stormed the hideout of the kidnappers at about 9:30pm on Wednesday and engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle.

He said “one of the kidnappers, Chinedu Chigbu, aged 39 was fatally injured during the shootout and later died in a hospital while others escaped into the bush with bullet wounds.”

By Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki

Two separate kerosene explosions in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital have inflicted two women with severe burns.

The incident, which involved a 70-year-old  woman and a 21-year- old girl have thrown residents into fear and apprehension over the possibility of adulterated kerosene in circulation in the state.

The 70 years old, Mrs. Elizabeth Igwe, resides at 3 Jemeni Street in the capital city while the girl, Miss Chinenye Ezekwenna resides at 40 Jemeni Street.

Narrating her ordeal, Elizabeth said the kerosene exploded when she was refilling her hurricane lamp in the night.

According to her, the suspected adulterated kerosene was purchased by a little boy from a road side vendor.

Miss Chinenye said the kerosene exploded when she poured it on smouldering firewood as she was cooking.

The victim, who said she suffered burns on her legs, arm and jaw, explained that she purchased the suspected adulterated kerosene from a retail shop.

The Special Assistant to Ebonyi State Governor on Petroleum, Bassey Chima, promised to get back to our correspondent when contacted.

He however failed to do so at press time despite several reminders sent to him.

By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

The Rivers State Executive Council has approved the immediate reactivation of key health facilities to boost healthcare delivery in the state.

Some of the facilities according to a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, are the Kelsey Harrison Hospital and the Dental and Maxillofacial Hospital.

Nsirim said the decision  was taken on Friday at the state executive council meeting presided over by  Governor Nyesom Wike at Government House, Port Harcourt.

Nsirim said that work would  commence  at the facilities which had remained dormant for some time, for the overall benefit of Rivers people.

Read Also; We will continue to do more in health care, says Oyetola

Also speaking, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacheaus Adangor, said council also  approved a  draft bill to give legal backing  to buildings and facilities, which were earlier renamed after prominent sons of the state and those from other parts of the country.

He identified the buildings and facilities as, the former Produce House at Moscow Road, renamed Chief Emmanuel Aguma (JP) House; Waterlines House at Olu-Obasanjo Road,  renamed Chief P.G. Warmate House and the Judges Quarters at Elelenwo Street in New GRA, renamed Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma SAN, Judges Quarters.

Others, he mentioned,  are the Liberation Stadium, Elekahia which is renamed General Yakubu Gowon Stadium and the Old Aba Road also renamed General Yakubu Gowon Road. On his part, the State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kaniye Ebeku said council also decided that the Real Madrid Football Academy would commence academic activities from December, 2020.

He said council directed that the Ministry of Education should liaise with the Special Adviser to the Governor on Real Madrid Football Academy to determine the number of teachers that would be needed in the school.

From Chris Njoku, Owerri

Over 30 physically challenged persons yesterday barricaded the two gates of Federal Polytechnic at Nekede, Owerri, the Imo State capital, calling for five per cent employment slot.

The protesters, under the aegis of the Association of Applicants/Workers with Disability in Nigeria, prevented vehicular movements in and out of the institution.

Some of the polytechnic’s workers and visitors could not drive their cars out of the school premises while those entering could not enter the compound.

The physically challenged persons defied the day’s downpour during the protest; some of them slept on the floor half-naked.

Speaking with The Nation, one of their leaders, Chinedu Ejiogu (aka Shekar), said they were asking for their rights, as enshrined in the Constitution, that five per cent of jobs should be allotted to physically challenged persons.

“We learnt that the management employed about 300 new personnel into the polytechnic without consideration for disabled people. So, what happened to our five per cent?” he queried.

The Nation found the school’s spokesman Everest Nwosu speaking with the protesters in company of some management workers.

He refused to comment on the incident, saying: “I will not speak now.”

But a management worker, who pleaded anonymity, said the school authorities were not aware of the five per cent slot for the disabled people.

He promised to include their request when the school gets a directive from the Federal Government to employ.

It was gathered that the recent job placement was causing ripples in the school.

The Rector, Michael Arimanwa, and other management workers had reportedly been interrogated by security agencies.

This followed a petition by the Director of Intervention and Linkages, Norbert Nworie, who the Rector allegedly suspended over the disputes that arose from the employment of the new personnel, allegedly without advertisement and interview.