The Nation Newspaper

Category: Southeast report

  • Niger Delta group mentors Abia youths on jobs

    Worried by the high level of unemployment, poverty and youth restiveness among youths in the Niger Delta, a non-profit organisation, Niger Delta Youth Employment Pathways Project (NDYEPP) under Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has undertaken to change the dismal job outlook and reverse the criminality and negativity in the area.

    NDYEPP aims to do this by training and exposing youths of the area to  opportunities provided for them by ICT to become not only self-employed, but employers of labour.

    The organisation, funded by Ford Foundation, brought ICT experts and other successful entrepreneurs to mentor the youths on how they can use modern-day technology and facilities to become successful in three areas: agriculture, ICT and construction with plans to explore the leather and garment industry already in place in the state.

    The interactive session had representatives of the state government, captains of industry and entrepreneurs who mentored and shared ideas with the participants. Other beneficiaries who are already doing well in their businesses also had the opportunity to share with the participants how the programme has been able to help them not only get jobs but also become employers of labour in their respective fields.

    In an interview, Mr. Emeka Ile, the Project Lead for the Niger Delta Youth Employment Pathways Project (NDYEPP) said that the programme is geared towards changing the narrative of the people of Niger Delta States.

    He said, “We have been working across the nine Niger Delta states. Our work cuts across four thematic areas, but two core activities which include, Economic Development and Peace Building. So, basically, we are looking at how we can reduce poverty and reduce conflict in the region and working with state governments to advocate policies that make the poor to be included in the economy.

    “Anybody today knows that one of the biggest challenges that we have in Nigeria is youth unemployment rate is completely troubling and in many ways, it is connected to the kind of restiveness and challenges that we face across the Niger Delta.

    “The huge population of young people that exist is a huge asset to the country, but if that huge asset is not being utilized, that is a huge challenge.  So, people begin to channel their energies to different kinds of things. In the country as a whole, we are faced with the challenge of where you see nearly half the population of young people who ready and willing to work are not finding work.

    “You also see a situation where over 36% of the youth population in the Niger Delta area is unemployed. That is unacceptable and it is a challenge that we will all have to tackle straightforward.  I think that government at both federal and state levels needs to understand that these challenges exist. It will be a huge challenge if these problems weren’t tackled headlong.

    “We need to tackle unemployment in the Niger Delta. We need to begin to find new and innovative ways of getting young people trained, making them employable and supporting them to get into the employment market.

    “The truth is that Nigeria on itself is a paradox.  We are a very strong oil producing nation, where it is assumed that we have all the resources that ought to be, but yet, poverty is high.

    “The paradox is even worse when you now think of the Niger Delta which is the location where there is high unemployment rate which is probably higher than the National Average. So, that is a bit of challenge. The oil sector is a big sector, but in terms of employment generation, it is nothing to write home about.

    “The thing is that we need to get young people involved in other sectors that are creating job opportunities for the young people than the oil sector. That however doesn’t mean that we are not going to see ways of assisting them when there are opportunities in the oil sector.

    “We know that agriculture has a capacity to absorb young people, but we need to make that agriculture done in such a way that young people will be attracted and willing to participate.

    “Based on our study and evidences we have on the field, we also know that there are growing sector like construction etc. we need young people to be trained in skills that are currently being filled by people from outside the country.

    “The question is how we begin to skill them up in such a way that they begin to take these opportunities themselves and making interesting? That is why we are looking at agriculture, construction and ICT.

    “ICT may not create all the jobs itself, but it is a very transformative sector because it can help create job in every other sector. And rather than have young people leave the region and begin to head towards Lagos which is the next big buzz city, why don’t we create a pool of talents that can live, work, earn and spend in the region. These set of persons will help to build the economy here locally and they at the same time, help their parents and other people that may depend on them for daily living.

    “We are also looking at opportunities that exist in renewable. Here in Aba, we are also looking at renewable and here in Aba, we are also looking at other sectors where the government and others are also working. We know that Aba is the SME capital and opportunities are in leather and garment sector. We are looking at opportunities to create work for the unemployed youths within this sector.

    “Our point is not to train the youths in market relevant skills that are in demand and as well supporting them through business advisory, mentorship and to transcend from training into work. That is the core of our model.

    “This is a pilot project, we are basically aiming to demonstrate a model which other partners can buy into and scale up. For the first phase of this project that we just concluded, we targeted a thousand young people to be supported. We concluded with a thousand, four hundred and sixty eight of them that have been supported and many of them have transited into acquiring different training through apprentice into which some of them have been employed and others, starting their own business. We have over 600 people that have been trained in Abia.”

    Mr. Nkwachukwu Agomoh, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise Development speaking on behalf of the state government said “PIND has helped us to have a direction in terms of youth inclusiveness. The governor has also approved a summit that will help to channel our ideas towards initiating policy direction of how it will affect those in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME).

    “We are trying to collaborate with our sister ministries; Women Affairs, Agriculture, Trade and Industry on how we can partner and d one particular project that will affect the youths with respect to providing jobs for the youths. In the next month, we are going to do groundbreaking projects that will affect both the youths and the elderly.

    What the present administration in the state is trying to do is to make sure that by 2023 we would have been able to wipe out a generation of youths who are presently unemployed. We are thinking of making those who are going to come out of school are going to be work ready.

    “By December, the governor is going to launch the Enyimba Economic City which is targeted at creating employment. We are going to have a free trade zone where most of us who are in one trade or the other are going to have share where we will have consolidated fees and there will be tax haven.

    “So, for whoever that is going to have a shop at the Economic City will have financial prosperity.  I am very much excited about it, because it is what has been bordering the government and everybody that is thinking for the youths that we have in the state that are unemployed.”

    Dr. Nnenna Chikezie, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Women Affairs, in an interview said, “I was very happy to hear testimonies of how the programme has been able to transform the lives of some of the youths that embraced it.

    ”The ability of the organizers to partner with the state government is opening channels for the teeming unemployed youths.

    “We are looking for how to get the youths engaged because the white collar jobs that they are looking for is not there. It is a fact in Nigeria that one needs not to question.

    “Considering the number of youths that are being churned out from our universities every year, there must be need for us to open up the private sector for the youths and other entrepreneurs.

    “In my ministry, the government has been training people in skill acquisition over the years and we concentrate on women and youths.

    “The good thing that I have seen here is trying to deemphasised the meaning of empowerment by the political class and I am glad to say that you have the same mindset with us in government because when you train a person, you have empowered the person. When you train a person, you have empowered the person and when you give someone a skill in any skill, you have also empowered the person as well.

    “If the person is passionate about the skill he or she has acquired, she will go a step further in raising money for him or herself. Equipment empowerment is the best we can give to anybody. It is unfortunate that some of the items used for the empowerment is sold before the donor to bystanders and collect the money.

    “We need this kind of training for our women and the young population it will go a long way to help- the families.”

    Some of the participants thanked the organisers for holding such event and stated that they were committed in ensuring that they helped the organisers to achieve the purpose for which they initiated the programme.

  • Mother of five seeks help as husband absconds over pregnancy bill

    A Middle-aged woman, Mrs Chioma Nwaemerum has pleaded for assistance from spirited individuals to enable her pay her medical bill and re-unite with her family.

    Nwaemerum, a mother of five children, was admitted at the Christian the Saviour Hospital, 3-3 near Onitsha, Anambra state, where she was to put to bed.

    The Nation gathered that the hospital had billed her the sum of N224,000 for cesarean operation following her inability to deliver through the normal process.

    She was however, allegedly abandoned by the husband due to his inability to pay the said sum of money.

    Speaking with the Nation, Nwaemerum said the husband had left her to her fate in the hospital as a result of the whopping bills.

    She however expressed appreciation to all who intervened to ensure a successful operation.

    She said, “The medical director has been of immense assistance to me. He even operated me without deposit because, he knows we do not have money.

    “My husband could not afford such money and left us to our fate to solicit for help and people have since then been giving helping hand.

    “The parish Priest of St. Augustine Catholic Church, where we worship in Omeide 3-3, Father Benjamin Okonkwo, brought N75,000.

    “State chairman of Civil Liberties Organisation, Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme, did not only bring his personal and organisational money, but was the brain behind the financial help coming from spirited individuals.

    “I urge the public to come to my help as I am still here in the hospital waiting for the bill to be completed before discharge”.

    A source from the hospital said the husband hurriedly left the hospital shortly after he was informed of the amount for the operation to save the baby and his wife.

    The source however regretted that the woman lost the baby due to delayed labour.

    The source said, “Though the woman was eventually operated upon by the hospital without the deposit, the baby could not survive the prolonged labour.

    “The husband who works as a mason, later sent N10,000 after some days, and another N12,000, making it N22,000 from his hideout.

    “It was not enough to take care of the woman’s feeding let alone paying the hospital bills, so, she is still kept at the hospital.”

    Reacting, the CLO boss, Comrade Ezekwueme, thanked God for a successful operation, urging the woman to take heart over the death of her baby.

    He appealed to the state government to establish maternity homes in all the 21 local government areas of the state to enable indigent pregnant women access free medical care.

    He equally thanked the medical director for his understanding on the condition of his patient by operating her without waiting for deposit.

  • Anambra coastal communities celebrate outstanding NYSC members

    It was a memorable day for outgoing 2018 Batch “B” Corps members in Anambra West Local Government Area of Anambra State when the management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) stormed the area.

    Over 63 of them deployed to carry out their one year national service in the riverine communities could not hold back their joy as they trouped out in their numbers to receive the team led by the State Coordinator, Mr. Kehinde Aremu.

    Their excitement was not unexpected as such visits by the NYSC management team were rare in the area in view of the peculiarity of the terrain.

    Among the corps members were four of them who were honoured with Chairman’s Award for distinguishing themselves during their service year.

    The award recipients, Mr Sunday Anonime, Mr Iwuoha Ekemezie, Mr Omotunde Oluwafemi and Miss Grace Eze, were also presented with cash rewards.

    Speaking during the occasion, the NYSC state Coordinator, Mr Kehinde Aremu, said he chose the council area to celebrate with the corps members owing to the peculiarity of the terrain.

    He described Anambra West as a people in special need and promised that the NYSC would do what was within its reach to bridge the manpower deficiency gap.

    He appreciated the council for the love and hospitality shown to the corps members, assuring them that their requests would be considered.

    Commending the corps members for accepting to serve in the hard to reach riverine area to impact positively in the lives of the people, Aremu noted that such sacrifices hardly go unrewarded.

    He said the NYSC would help to tell the story Anambra West to the world, while promising to work on their request.

    The awardee corps members said the community lacked access to quality education, good healthcare and sanitation.

    They said they apparently shouldered the education of the people of the council as they made up the bulk of teachers.

    The only female awardee, Grace Eze, who was among those who declined being evacuated when crises erupted in the area, said she insisted on serving in the community due to the passion she had for the people.

    She said she thought mathematics and physics in the school where she was posted to, saying she also organized tutorials for the students including on weekends.

    “I also thought the locals how to prepare local okpa and abacha. I equally thought them cultural dances,” she added.

    Eze called on the state government to address the myriad of challenges in the area as a way of checking their underdevelopment.

    Earlier, Chairman of the Council, Mr Sylvester Okafor, appealed to the NYSC in the state to post more health specialists to the council to bridge the manpower gap in that sector.

    The council boss said the local government did not have any functional health facility nor government doctors in the 21 health centres in the council and prayed the NYSC to help uplift the people of the area.

    He said they also needed the service of pharmacists and laboratory scientists as there was no place where people can run simple laboratory tests for as little as malaria in the riverine area.

    He said, “Your coming to this place is not just for the fun of it, you have seen the condition of the people here, this is our request and I hope it will be granted, please post more doctors to Anambra West, if we can get five we will be happy.

    “We don’t have a laboratory here where we can even run a simple malaria test in this whole local government, but if we can have laboratory scientists, somebody can come from Ndiora, Oroma can come to Anam for the test.

    “The only hospital we have is a missionary hospital in Mmiata, managed by the Holy Rosary Sisters with one doctor who works day and night, that is why are calling for these graduate doctors to help the people in Igala area, Mmiata and other hard to reach areas.

    “The two we have now are leaving and by that we don’t have any again, so, please send us more doctors, we don’t need them to give us drugs, we need them to give us the manpower.”

    Okafor promised good incentives for corps members who work in the council.

  • Suicide: ESUT medical school brainstorms the scourge

    Irked by the ravaging epidemic of suicide in the society, the College of Medicine, University of Science and Technology (ESUT) packaged a lecture where the issue was discussed and dissected by an expert.

    With the theme: “Alarming Rate of Suicide: the underlying factors and issues”, the Vice Chancellor of ESUT, Professor Luke Anike in his opening remarks said suicide, basically has to do with the individual’s self-perception and ability to withstand stresses of any kind.

    Stressing that the lecture not only addressed a problem of the society but that it should be noted that it most importantly addressed “the problems of university communities as a greater percentage of those that were recently involved were undergraduates.”

    “Now that it is ravaging our youths especially in the university communities, it is important that we take a very close look at it from all ramifications with a view to stemming the tide”, Anike said.

    Professor Richard Uwakwe who teaches Neuropsychiatry at  the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi campus was the guest lecturer.

    He told the audience at the auditorium of the College of Medicine that a number of factors were found to be associated with either suicidal attempt or ideas which he listed as young age and traumatic experience.

    He said explaining the cause of suicide could be quite complex, involving philosophical, sociological and neurobiological issues.

    “Although, primarily, suicide in itself is not a mental disorder, however, most (90%) people who committed suicide have been found  to have had a mental disorder.

    “Incidentally the majority of mental disorders that are associated with suicide are treatable. But there is no treatment for suicide because it is the end of life. Rather what is available is the prevention of suicide,” the lecturer hinted.

    He asserted that the most important point in prevention of suicide is the recognition of at risk individuals. “While psychiatrists are trained to do formal risk assessment, there is a collective responsibility for suicide prevention, without necessarily medicalising a complex problem.

    “People who have mental disorders and those who are single, separated, widowed, divorced usually have higher risk.

    “Suicidal threats are not to be taken lightly and once an individual shows signs of possible suicide in the context of risk estimation, there is need for active intervention. Sometimes simple measures such as listening, showing concern and empathy can be very helpful.”

    Uwakwe posited that a number of factors constitute barriers in fighting against suicide in the Nigerian society.

    He gave for example, that psychiatry has a very low profile in most medical school curriculum, coming as a mere appendix to the more glamorous areas of medical specialties.

    He explained: “Consequently, many medical graduates have only a faint idea of psychiatry, where it is taught at all. Coupled with stigma, this is complicated by the fact that as today, Nigeria has no Mental Health Law.

    “Nigerian psychiatrists still operate with the outdated 1916 Lunacy Act and this has sometimes led to inability to prevent extended suicide.

    Uwakwe called on government at all levels to resolve the challenges of unemployment, job losses, poverty and insecurity as a necessary step towards tackling the problem of increasing rate of suicide in the country.

    He told the audience that Nigeria was under siege by suicide with 42 cases in six months.

    He recommended that in addition to addressing economic downturn in the country with the pressure it is putting on individuals, African values which enhance social integration should also be encouraged to help prevent suicide and suicide tendencies.

  • Flood destroys N50m drugs in Onitsha market

    Drugs worth over N50milion have been destroyed by flood water at the Drug Market, Bridge Head, Onitsha, commercial city of Anambra State.

    This is even as a 45-year old trader, Nnaemeka Okoli, reportedly got drawned in Umuchu community in Aguata Local Government Area of the state.

    The two-day down pour which lasted for several hours on the first day, spread to almost half of the market, destroying drugs in over 130 shops.

    Some of the victims who made efforts to evacuate cartons of drugs already damaged by the flood, described the disaster as alarming.

    Speaking with the Nation, the traders attributed the cause of the disaster to the blockage of drainages in the area with refuses.

    They narrated how the previous rain compelled them to carry out emergency sanitation exercise which took them over three hours.

    One of the victims, Arthur Ndimele said the flood that ravaged the market so much that it was difficult to identify the drainages from the roads within the market.

    He said, “The early morning down pour started by 5.30am and by 7am our shops had already been flooded.

    “It was not up to twenty minutes we finished evacuating the flood that another heavy dòwn commenced.

    “The entire market got so flooded that we could not identify the drainages from the roads within the market.

    The Executive Secretary, Anambra State Special Taskforce on fake drugs adulterated and substandard products, Chibuzor Nwokeji said his team would embark on routine check soon after the flood recedes.

    He said, “The traders embarked on sanitation but the second rainfall has destroyed a lot of  drugs.

    “The drainage system linking the flood water to the River Niger have been blocked, making it difficult for easy passage of flood.

    “The taskforce will embark on routine check. If the drugs were totally damaged we will confiscate them to avoid selling them to the consumers which have now become poisonous to the body.”

    He appealed to the state government to come to their aid in view of the huge loss they experienced.

    The body of late Okoli, a trader at Nkwo market Umuchu, was said to have been dumped at the boundary between Osete and Ugwuakwu villages, both in Umuchu community.

    According to an eyewitness, the deceased had shut his shop around 7pm and was home bound when the incident occurred.

    He said, “It was raining heavily and night was fast approaching as at the time he closed. But on his way home, he fell into a deep drainage system that was filed to capacity with fast moving, devastating flood.

    “His where-about was not known and as his family went to sleep and handed over the entire thing to God after waiting tirelessly for his arrival.

    “The next morning, a search party was set up which later discovered the dead body at a lonely boundary spot after an intense search.

    Reacting, state Chairman, Civil liberties Organization, Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme attributed the death to the ongoing rehabilitation of the Umuchu road by the state government.

    He added that the flood was not properly channeled by the construction firm.

    He said, “There should be proper channeling of the flood. This man had closed his shop and left because it was raining heavily and night was fast approaching.

    “Little did he know that it was death that was knocking on the door until he was washed away by the devastating flood.

    “The corpse has since been deposited at a morgue in Umuchu.”

  • Transporter introduces welfare scheme for drivers

    A leading transport company, Peace Mass Transit, with headquarters in Enugu,  has introduced a new welfare scheme which transfers ownership of buses to drivers within an agreed period Chairman of the company Dr. Sam Onyishi expressed optimism that the new policy will bring about a better safety record and as well give drivers an assured sense of belonging and responsibility to handle vehicles in possession with more care.

    The scheme known as Driver-To-Owner (DTO), first of its kind in the transport industry will come into effect from July 1, 2019.

    Addressing drivers at the Emene headquarters of the company Dr. Onyishi said that all PMT buses in their possession technically becomes theirs and would formally change ownership if and when they make steady financial returns up to an agreed amount.

    He assured that the new policy was well thought out and designed to appreciate and empower drivers just as he noted that drivers are more safety conscious when they have a stake in the vehicle they drive.

    Over 3000 buses in the PMT active fleet are involved in the scheme in the first instance in addition to another 200 units of New King Hiace buses to be injected shortly.

    Onyishi told the staff that the DTO policy was meant to reward hard work and create a future PMT drivers that families would look forward to with assurance and pride.

    Before the introduction of the DTO, the company had over the years rewarded diligent drivers who had put in 15 years with a fairly used vehicle on retirement.

    Peace Mass Transit is the leading transport company in Nigeria with operational depots in over 65 locations across the federation.

  • Population commission trains officers ahead of head count

    A total of 57 officers engaged by the National Population Commission (NpopC) for the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) exercise in Anambra State have resolved to put in their best towards a successful and accurate housing and population census.

    The field functionaries, comprising 10 supervisors, 23 mappers, 23 listers and quality assurance assistants drawn from various communities of the council, converged at Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area for a three-day training in preparation for the exercise.

    The EAD, said to be the bases for both planning and execution of the census project, is scheduled to last for 21 days and expected to cover the entire communities in the Aguata local government.

    Addressing the officers, Federal Commissioner, NpopC for Anambra state, Mr. Chidi Ezeoke described the exercise as critical element that constituted the foundation on which the entire census architecture stood.

    He charged personnel involved in the demarcation to take the exercise seriously to guarantee its success.

    He said the officers should consider themselves privileged to be chosen for the exercise, stressing that any mistakes could mar the overall results of the census.

    He said, “This job is a critical national assignment and must be given all the seriousness it deserved.

    “You must consider yourselves lucky to be engaged to work for Nigeria, and you can’t afford to fail the nation.

    “If you make any mistakes, the output will be faulty and you’ll have yourselves to blame.

    “We’ll therefore not hesitate to kick out anyone who makes mistakes in the course of the job.”

    According to Ezeoke, five local government areas of the state had so far been demarcated, expressing hope that the remaining local governments would be covered in record time.

    He urged the leadership of the host community to make the environment conducive for the officers including provision of welfare packages to ensure they put in their best to the assignment.

    He also solicited the support and cooperation of the residents by allowing the demarcators carry out their duties professionally as well as give them unfettered access to facilities and places to be demarcated.

    On the security arrangements put in place for a hitch free exercise, the commissioner allayed fears of any unforeseen dangers, assuring the officers of maximum security.

  • Flood destroys N50m drugs in Onitsha market

    Drugs worth over N50milion have been destroyed by flood water at the Drug Market, Bridge Head, Onitsha, commercial city of Anambra State.

    This is even as a 45-year old trader, Nnaemeka Okoli, reportedly got drawned in Umuchu community in Aguata Local Government Area of the state.

    The two-day down pour which lasted for several hours on the first day, spread to almost half of the market, destroying drugs in over 130 shops.

    Some of the victims who made efforts to evacuate cartons of drugs already damaged by the flood, described the disaster as alarming.

    Speaking with the Nation, the traders attributed the cause of the disaster to the blockage of drainages in the area with refuses.

    They narrated how the previous rain compelled them to carry out emergency sanitation exercise which took them over three hours.

    One of the victims, Arthur Ndimele said the flood that ravaged the market so much that it was difficult to identify the drainages from the roads within the market.

    He said, “The early morning down pour started by 5.30am and by 7am our shops had already been flooded.

    “It was not up to twenty minutes we finished evacuating the flood that another heavy dòwn commenced.

    “The entire market got so flooded that we could not identify the drainages from the roads within the market.

    The Executive Secretary, Anambra State Special Taskforce on fake drugs adulterated and substandard products, Chibuzor Nwokeji said his team would embark on routine check soon after the flood recedes.

    He said, “The traders embarked on sanitation but the second rainfall has destroyed a lot of  drugs.

    “The drainage system linking the flood water to the River Niger have been blocked, making it difficult for easy passage of flood.

    “The taskforce will embark on routine check. If the drugs were totally damaged we will confiscate them to avoid selling them to the consumers which have now become poisonous to the body.”

    He appealed to the state government to come to their aid in view of the huge loss they experienced.

    The body of late Okoli, a trader at Nkwo market Umuchu, was said to have been dumped at the boundary between Osete and Ugwuakwu villages, both in Umuchu community.

    According to an eyewitness, the deceased had shut his shop around 7pm and was home bound when the incident occurred.

    He said, “It was raining heavily and night was fast approaching as at the time he closed. But on his way home, he fell into a deep drainage system that was filed to capacity with fast moving, devastating flood.

    “His where-about was not known and as his family went to sleep and handed over the entire thing to God after waiting tirelessly for his arrival.

    “The next morning, a search party was set up which later discovered the dead body at a lonely boundary spot after an intense search.

    Reacting, state Chairman, Civil liberties Organization, Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme attributed the death to the ongoing rehabilitation of the Umuchu road by the state government.

    He added that the flood was not properly channeled by the construction firm.

    He said, “There should be proper channeling of the flood. This man had closed his shop and left because it was raining heavily and night was fast approaching.

    “Little did he know that it was death that was knocking on the door until he was washed away by the devastating flood.

    “The corpse has since been deposited at a morgue in Umuchu.”

     

  • Young man’s killing by cop shakes Imo

    The killing of a 25-year-old man by a police sergeant in Imo State has led to the torching of a police station, the intervention of Governor Emeka Ihedioha, and a manhunt for the killer cop. OKODILI NDIDI reports

    In a feat of rage that was never known or ever seen among the people of Otoko in Obowo Council Area of Imo State, hundreds of youths defied the rifle and marched on a police station and razed it to the ground.

    That police station once held in awe by all in the community was desecrated by the rampaging youths who chased the policemen on duty into hiding and opened up the doors for those that were detained in cells.

    The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) was whisked away by officers in the division after the riotous youths attempted to lynch him.

    It was a day the sleepy community will never forget in a hurry. Innocent motorists were not spared the horror that attended the fury of the aggrieved youths.

    Their grievance: a trigger-happy policeman shot and killed one of the youths in the community, Mr. Ikenna Ogbunigwe in cold blood over a disagreement. The youths watched while the victim bled to death. The killer cop shot his way through the crowd and escaped.

    According to an eyewitness account, trouble started when the deceased confronted the police officer over a minor argument at a popular restaurant in the area.

    He said that the police officer pointed the gun at the victim and pulled the trigger, killing the victim on the spot before shooting into the air and escaped.

    In a swift reaction, the Imo State police command has identified the killer cop as Sergeant Okechukwu Nwanefi and subsequently declared him wanted over the death of the 25-year-old man.

    The state Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Ladodo, who visited the scene shortly after the news broke out, said the killer cop abandoned his rifle and ran away.

    He, however, said that the command had declared the fleeing police officer wanted for the unprofessional conduct.

    Ladodo said, “I am at the scene of the incident as I speak to you. The killer police officer has abandoned his rifle and run away. We have recovered the rifle. But let me assure the good people of Imo State that no matter how far he runs, we will find him.

    “I want to commend the leaders of the community for helping us to restore normalcy in the area. The youth have stopped rioting and the whole place is 100 per cent peaceful now”.

    Also commiserating with the family of the deceased, Imo State Governor Emeka Ihedioha, who visited the community, assured that justice will be served.

    The governor charged the CP to fish out the killer cop and the hoodlums who burned— down the police station

    Addressing leaders of the community, Ihedioha said, “the officer that provoked this action must be found and brought to book immediately, under no circumstance should a police officer who is supposed to protect the people and maintain peace go to the extent of killing a citizen he is meant to protect.

    “Adequate steps must be taken to forestall this kind of action. We should be cautious because human lives can’t be duplicated; it is the responsibility of anyone that carries arms officially to protect lives and property”.

    The governor noted that from his findings, the victim was not a criminal and so there was no justification for his death.

    He chided the community leaders for allowing the youths take the law into their hands.

    Referring to them, he said, “You have a duty to make available those persons that burnt the police station and made away with guns, it is a crime to steal guns and anybody doing it under the guise of retaliation is a criminal and must face the full wrath of the law”

    He equally mandated the Divisional Police Officer to ensure that all those that escaped from detention during the mayhem are found or be declared wanted.

  • Millions of cash gone in Aba fire

    An Aba, Abia State-based hotel owner Chief Chinedu Ezinwa and other business owners situated at No. 219 School Road housing Tourists Inn have cried out over the loss that they suffered in a fire incident that brought down the facility.

    An eyewitness, who lives around Enyimba International Football Club Stadium, some distance away from the fire incident, said the fire started from Room 13 of the 25-room apartment before it spread to other rooms.

    Mr. Prince Anyanwu, the hotel manager, explained that the fire started at about 5pm and destroyed property worth over N20 million.

    He stated that officials of the Abia State Fire Service arrived late at the scene, which resulted to the heavy loss.

    He commended the bravery of residents and passersby that prevented the raging fire from spreading to adjoining buildings.

    “When the fire started, we called in the fire service, but by the time they came, half of the facility was gone. No life was lost, but we didn’t pick out a pin.

    “The 25 rooms and boys’ quarters, a boutique, hairdressing salon and a mother care shop are now in ruins.

    “We noticed fire from room 13 and we don’t know the cause of the fire up till now. This hotel has been here since 2007,” he stated.

    Chief Ezinwa, the owner of the hotel lamented that the fire incident ruined him, as that is his only business.

    “This situation has finished me. The only thing left for me now is my life. As I speak with you, I’m a nobody. I’m finished. This is the only business I have and it’s gone. This property alone is worth over N20 million.

    “The fire service officials came when the whole place was almost razed down. They gave many excuses. Firstly, they said they had no gas, secondly they said the driver was not around and when he was called, he said he went to eat.

    “And even when they managed to fix their vehicle, they arrived here and did small thing and said their water was finished. They left and came back by 7.00pm. It took the efforts of Aba people to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings”.

    Ezinwa pleaded with government to always equip agencies, like the fire service, to provide quality service to the people.

    “They’re very important. I don’t want what happened to me to happen to another person. All their tools and workers need to be ready at all times.

    “Had this happened in the night, lives would have been lost. I plead with government to equip the fire service so that they can tackle such situations. The workers are there, but there are no tools”, he observed.

    Meanwhile, the Aba Commander of the Abia State Fire Service, Mr. Uche Okezie, contrary to the earlier statement in an interview stated his men tried their best to put off the fire.

    He explained that they got information about the fire at about 6:05pm, while they arrived at the scene by 6:10pm and did all they could to bring the situation under control.