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Members of the House of Representatives have vowed to stick to the crude oil bench mark of $80 for the 2013 budget.

According to several lawmakers of the lower chamber who spoke with The Nation, the executive must come up with a superior argument to overturn the decision of the legislators, a task that appears to be uphill.

Besides, the lawmakers rued the fact that the executive has been economical with the truth concerning comparisons with other economies around the country.

Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Abudlmumin Jubrin, said it appeared a group of people are determined to keep the country perpetually in darkness over the revenue accruing to the government.

He said: “Yes, we increased the bench mark, but we are not sitting here like people who don’t know what they are doing. Two important questions we ask ourselves are, why did they peg it at $75 and what is their objection to a slight increment? It is only when you address those questions that you may be able make a decision. We addressed it and we provided our argument but we are waiting for them tot give us a superior argument, but they have not been able to.

“So we have a situation where few people running our economy are assuming monopoly of knowledge. At $75, the only argument they provided in terms of analysis of international crude price, they brought up the issue of crisis in Euro zone. Of course we know the crisis in Euro zone and we know the consequences can be severe.

“We are not being complacent about that and not taking it for granted but it will not be fair when making important decisions like the bench mark when other factors that can also affect demands of crude oil in international market are conveniently ignored. So they did not remind the nation but we are telling Nigerians that yes there is crisis in Euro zone but at the same time, there is huge crisis in the Middle East and that can actually affect supply.

“There is also instability in Sudan, they did not tell us that that the Sudanese situation can also affect supply. Why are they not telling us Nigerians that the economy of the United States is building up? And of course the relative growth in China, India and other countries.?

“They based $75 in considering 5 and 10 years moving average, we agree with them over that but the point that Nigeria has the highest bench mark among all other OPEC countries, they cannot justify the rationale behind their decision and always economical with the truth because it will be unfair as clearer picture would not presented.

“But the pertinent question we ask is, what does those countries with so low bench mark do with their surpluses. The answer is the first thing they do is to balance their deficit because or the importance of deficit to global economy. Why are not balancing deficit with ours but the question is: if we are not doing same thing as they are doing, then why are we drawing comparison with those countries? Are we going to save the way those countries are saving? Are they saving the way we are saving? Are they borrowing the way we are borrowing?

“Look at the pattern of our own economy, on the issue of bench mark, we are operating on surplus, we are having large deficit, we are saving hugely and we are borrowing hugely. I ask all of them to interpret this pattern of the economy to the committee, none of them could that.”

pled with the fact that revenue generating agencies made well above their projected targets. Some made more than double their projected revenue for the year. The implication is that we were able to save but what are we doing with this savings. I think what we should be doing is to make use of this to the benefit of our people by giving these MDAs enough to execute heir capital projects that will boost our economy. What we are after is the development of this country but the executive should not take us for a ride, where the executive deviates from the Appropriation Act, we will not hesitate to react and tell them the right thing to do. That is what the people that sent us here expect from us.

This House is determined to make sure that it is no longer business as usual, we have shown Nigerians what we can do, we have through our modest interventions exposed certain faults concerning accountability and transparency in our corporate transactions. Let me tell you, the activities of our Public Account Committee have started generating impact in the MDAs, so when we maintain our stands on certain subjects, we know what we have found out. As legislators, especially House of Representatives, what we are after is for good governance and for our people to enjoy the practical benefits of democracy. What we are after is not just the benefits or welfare of the people but also something that can be seen as development as a country.

Unless they come ip superior augments justify the $75 bench mark, we remain convinced that $80 dollars is the realistic figure. We have the constitutional right to adjust the budget and there is no way we would be meeting the aspiration of our people by failing to examine the merits of the estimates presented before us by the executive.

Dr. Abiola Ajaja (AP, Oyo) who was a member of the House Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) gave reason why the legislators are resolute in their decision to stay their ground on $80 bench mark. She cited corruption in governemt Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA). She narrated her experience to The Nation while on oversight inspection of road project in Niger State. She expressed shock at being misled to a project that has not commenced, saying that the discovery has supported the need for physical inspection of infrastructural projects across the country by the lawmakers.

Her words: “It is rather unfortunate to have travelled all the way from Abuja, over such a long distance only to see nothing and all we could hear was that the contract was awarded two weeks ago and nothing to show for it. When the legislators are showing concern over level of budget implementation for 2012 that it is nothing to write home about, it is for occurrences like this. It shows insincerity on the part of the agency because I want to believe that there is no reason for this lack of activuty if they have been given money. I just don’t understand the reason why we should be taken to where nothing is happening, that is just the most ridiculous aspect of it”. In a situation like this, how do we yield ground to the executive that could not satisfactorily explain its objection to raising the benchmark to $80. We are even tying the increment to servicing the deficit not be shared not to be squandered, so that gradually we can get to a level that is very manageable or sustainable without depriving us of other development projects. So, what is the opposition about?

Abdulrazak Zaki (PDP,Bauchi), another member of the Committee said the House would not allow itself to be used by the executive to cover up corruption to the deferment of the people. Besides, the executive must address corruption frontally before demanding for the controversial $75 bench mark. He also cited the Niger misadventure as part of reason he would need a superior argument from the executive to change his mind on the increased bench mark. He said corruption was too deep rooted in the MDAs not be be worried for the future of the country. He also narrated his experience saying, “We are angry because they misled us because we were told that work has commenced on site only to get and discover that it was at zero level. We would not have embarked on this tour if documents presented to s by the agency showed otherwise. The document is showing that work is in progress but what do we find here, the contractor has not mobilized to site at all, so what is the essence of our oming here? Having been here to see by ourselves, and discovering that contrary to document’s figures that funds have been released nothing was on ground, then one cannot be faulted hat there is a connivance between the agency and the contractor. We are not happy and our job is to let Nigerians know what is happening, we are not here to cover anything up. To me, the so called fight against corruption by the Executive is just a farce because they give cover to corruption”.

On the part of Solomon Adeola Olamilekan, Chairman House Committee on Public Accounts, the Speaker has made it clear on the way to go, saying, “The Speaker in his remark has made it loud and clear that the report reaching us from the field on our oversight function has not been impressive regarding the implementation of year 2012 budget. And this is fundamental to what year 2013 will look like. Yes, The president has alluded to the fact that with continuous efforts and continuous work they will try as much as possible to ensure that the year 2012 budget actually perform, but so far so good, it has not been too impressive.

“And also looking at the bedrock of the 2013 budget which is the passage into law of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), and we have raised salient points on those issues, ranging from the issue of benchmark, leading to the missing of the external borrowing in the MTEF and as well as revenue from revenue derivable from gas and other sources of revenue. And the House has also called,on the President that with all these omissions, we don’t have any other choice than to have another look at the MTEF before passing it into law.

“And one of the fundamental things which the Speaker made in his remark is that the benchmark of oil has been raised from $75 to $80 per barrel. And it is on that that we as a House will be working on the 2013 budget.

Not only that, the so called gain that will be derived from from the $5 per barrel increase is to finance this year’s deficit as this country can no longer afford to borrow, because now, government is the biggest spender in town and all the private sector has been subsumed under the government because they don’t have access to these funds. To that extent, the government has no choice than to,look inwards and take advantage of the increase in benchmark to finance the budget deficit. Because the budget presented by the President is to the tune of almost a trillion Naira in deficit, and with the internal borrowing, the deficit comes to the tune of N6 trillion. We cannot continue like that”.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa (ACN, Lagos) Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora said: “Am going to support the decision of the Parliament to increase the benchmark to $80 because it was fully explained to us here on why we should do that and reduce the deficit. You see, what matters is the implementation, if we ensure this budget is implemented, Nigerians will be better for it. We are closer to them, we see them all the time and we feel their pain.

“But one good thing that we have to admit is the first time we are having the budget before us not too late into the year. So, this is perhaps the first time that we would have a budget that would pass and start being operational in January. But like every other proposal it’s the implementation that matters. And it’s going to take concerted efforts on both part of the Parliament and the Executive to ensure full implementation. If we implement this budget, we will probably make a bit of a progress as a nation”.

Now, is it true that the Tinubu administration built only one Millennium school in eight years? The whole idea of Mega schools was actually copied by Mimiko from Lagos. The Tinubu administration built four of such Millennium secondary schools in its first term in office

It was only natural that the Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Segun Mimiko, and his Labour Party would respond forcefully and fiercely to the recent massive campaign rallies of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ikare, Ondo and Ore. The leadership of the ACN at every point promised to replicate the ongoing radical modernisation of infrastructure in Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun, Edo and Oyo in Ondo State if the party’s candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, is voted into office on October 20. They decried the perceived non-performance of the Mimiko administration over the last three and a half years, aggressively made the case for the ongoing process of regional integration in the South West and argued that Ondo, where the Action Group was launched in the first republic, cannot afford to be isolated from the rest of the region at this critical stage in the evolution of Nigeria. On the character issue, the ACN campaign hit Mimiko hard over his alleged reneging on his pledge to join the party following the fervent support he received from the progressives during the legal battle to reclaim his mandate. They contended that such lack of gratitude and breach of trust is alien to the ‘omoluabi’ culture of the Yoruba.

The Labour Party seized the opportunity of its rally at Okitipupa in the Southern Senatorial District of the state to hit back at the ACN. Taking a swipe at the ACN national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Mimiko said: “In Ondo State, the ACN is not on ground and they will meet their political waterloo. Please ask them what they are doing in Osun that we have not done better? In any of their states, Ondo State is better managed than them. I salute Babatunde Fashola, whatever anybody may say, he has shown a flash of brilliance in governance. But the eight years before Fashola, what did they do in Lagos? They used eight years to build just one Millennium School; we in Ondo State, in just three and a half years built world class mega schools all over the state”.

Now, there are several problems with the governor’s logic here. First, he is imprecise on the number of ‘world class mega schools’ his administration has built. Secondly, his admission that Governor Fashola has performed brilliantly is instructive. Fashola is not implementing his own personal programme in Lagos. He is executing the policy plank of the ACN, which was actually commenced by the Tinubu administration. Mimiko is, therefore, indirectly admitting that the ACN has a workable and coherent policy programme. Again, it was Tinubu that recommended Fashola as the best man to succeed him amidst fierce opposition within the party. If Fashola has justified Tinubu’s recommendation by performing well, according to Mimiko, it means that the former Governor of Lagos State is a good judge of leadership qualities and the people of Ondo State can thus rely on his recommendation of Mr Rotimi Akeredolu as a candidate that can transform the state.

Beyond this, Mimiko contended that ACN’s talk of regional integration “is the integration of the pocket of one person”. If that is so, how come that Fashola in Lagos has effectively managed the resources of the state to demonstrate “a flash of brilliance” as Mimiko admits? If the aim is to milk the resources of Ondo State as Mimiko alleges, would the ACN have chosen a candidate like Akeredolu, a SAN and former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) with a reputation for character, integrity and a fiercely independent mind?

Now, is it true that the Tinubu administration built only one Millennium school in eight years? The whole idea of Mega schools was actually copied by Mimiko from Lagos. The Tinubu administration built four of such Millennium secondary schools in its first term in office at a cost of N145 million each. These are Abibat Mogaji Millennium Senior Secondary School, Iloro, Agege; Ajibola Ige Millennium Senior Secondary School, Ajeromi-Ifelodun; The Millennium Senior Secondary, Egbeda and the Babs Fafunwa Millennium Secondary, Ojodu, Ikeja. With the construction of these four mega schools, the Tinubu administration deliberately changed its strategy and focussed on the aggressive rehabilitation of existing schools as well as the construction of smaller and more efficiently manageable school structures.

Some of the Tinubu administration’s achievements in this regard include the provision of 22-storey prototype blocks in 15 secondary schools at a total cost of N130 million; the rehabilitation of 39 functional blocks of classrooms at a cost of N108,689, 939.00; the establishment of 10 new secondary schools in rural and riverine areas of the state; the construction of 39 functional blocks with the 6 in I Bungalow classroom blocks at a cost of N54, 300,000.00; the construction of 501 classrooms in 24 primary and 26 secondary schools at a cost of N1,195 billion; the rehabilitation of 602 schools in four primary and 50 secondary schools at a cost of N561 million; the completion of 68 abandoned classrooms in four primary schools and the central workshop in two technical colleges at a cost of N347 million and carrying out of emergency repairs in 68 schools across the state at a total cost of N50 million.

Between 1999 and 2007, the Tinubu administration constructed 215, 230 pairs of dual desks and benches in primary, secondary and technical colleges. In the first two years of its first term, the administration spent N44, 591, 302.00 on the provision of science furniture, fixtures and fittings to schools. Between 1999 and 2007, the Tinubu government expended N419,693, 740.00 on the provision of science materials for students in public schools towards the WAEC/NECO Senior Secondary Certificate Practical Examinations. Throughout his tenure, the Tinubu administration paid the WAEC and NECO fees for Senior Secondary 111 students in public schools. The Tinubu administration established Computer Resource Centres in 40 public secondary schools in the state equipped with Computer systems, Printers, UPS stabilisers, Computer tables, chairs and scanners. The sum of N7.1 million was expended on the construction of five Introductory Technology workshops and N4,749,000.00 for the installation of Introductory Technology Equipment in the Junior Secondary Schools.

The administration established 14 new primary, Junior and Secondary schools between 1999 and 2007 to accommodate increase in the school age population. These schools are Ije-Ododo Grammar school, Ojo; Onilekere Junior High School, Ikeja; Oto-Awori Junior High School, Ojo; Olorunishola Community High School, Ayobo-Ipaja, Alimosho; Elepe Community High School, Ikorodu; Community Primary School, Ishefun, Alimosho; Community Primary School, Amikanle, Alimosho; Community Primary School, Baruwa, Alimosho; Community Primary School, Togodejoye, Ikorodu; Aiyekoto Primary School, Imude, Ojo; Community Primary School, Shibiri, Ibeju-Lekki and Community Primary School, Nanty Village, Apapa.

In 2006, the administration for the first time in the history of the country paid N4.7 million for the NABTEB examination fees for all final year students in the five state government Technical Colleges. The Ministry of Education presented cheques of N200 million to principals and head teachers of senior and junior secondary schools in December 2006. In 2005, the administration re-structured the state into six new Educational Districts and for the first time, teachers were able to rise to the position of Permanent Secretaries/Tutor Generals as heads of each education district. This brief overview demonstrates that Governor Mimiko was grossly inaccurate in his assessment of Tinubu’s legacy in the education sector of Lagos State.

The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), in Rivers State, was established in 1975, with nine host communities, including Omuokiri-Aluu, where four male undergraduates in their early 20s: Biringa Chiadika Lordson, Ugonna Kelechi Obuzor, Mike Lloyd Toku and Tekena Erikena were lynched by irate mob on October 5.

The four students, according to Aluu vigilance members, allegedly stole mobile phones and laptops, describing them as cultists, rapists, armed robbers and criminals, but their parents, most UNIPORT students and others who knew them, insisted that they were innocent.

Ugonna and Lloyd were cousins, as well as up and coming rappers. Lloyd, who was known as Big L, won a rap contest, Turb Show, aired by Silverbird Television in Port Harcourt.

Investigation revealed that armed robbers had been terrorising the residents of Omuokiri-Aluu, thereby robbing, killing and maiming their victims, as well as raping wives in the presence of their husbands at gunpoint, with other women and young girls in the houses not spared.

Most UNIPORT students who could not secure accommodation on the campus reside at Aluu, beside the university, making the area to be thickly populated, with a lot of commercial and social activities always going on there.

Aluu is off the ever-busy East-West Road, currently being dualised by the Federal Government through Setraco Construction Company.

When the four young men were apprehended by Aluu vigilance members, they were paraded naked round the community from around 7am. The online video clip of the murder showed that it took some time before the victims were murdered. After the parade, they were clubbed to death, while all of them did not die at the same time.

As heavy planks and rods were being used to hit the students on their heads and other sensitive parts of their bodies, they were struggling to escape, but the mob never allowed it, with one of the killers overhead saying: “This one don die, bring tyre and petrol.”

When the mob was sure that all the four students were dead, they put tyres on their necks and took time to drench them with petrol and set them ablaze.

With the barbaric act, the students began to mobilise to unleash mayhem in order to teach Aluu vigilance members some bitter lessons.

While being proactive, the Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, on Sunday, October 7, summoned an emergency State Executive Council meeting at the Government House, Port Harcourt, where he described the mob action as barbaric, sad and really unfortunate.

Amaechi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), warned against lawlessness and impunity, while asking the security agencies to ensure the immediate arrest and prosecution of persons involved in the dastardly act in order to serve as a deterrent to others.

In the evening of Sunday, the Rivers Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ben Ugwuegbulam, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the arrest of 13 persons, including the community’s traditional ruler, Hassan Walewa, who was later arraigned along with ten other suspects, at a High Court in Port Harcourt.

Two of the suspects were not immediately taken to court, with the police saying that they would still assist the command in its investigations, while five more persons were later arrested at Aluu.

Ugwuegbulam, who urged the university’s students not to embark on reprisal, said: “The Rivers State Police Command unequivocally condemns the gruesome killing of four UNIPORT students on Friday by an irate mob from Aluu community. The command sympathises with the families of the slain students and also appeals to them not to take the laws into their own hands.

“Students of UNIPORT are urged not to engage in any reprisal, as such can lead to chaos and anarchy. The command has commenced diligent investigation into the ugly incident. Amazing success has been recorded in that regard, as 13 persons, including the chief of the community, suspected to have been involved in the reprehensible and barbaric act, have been arrested, based on credible intelligence and video clips of the killings.

“The suspects are being interrogated by crack detectives from SCID (State Criminal Investigations Department). The Rivers Police Command is unwaveringly committed to protecting lives and property of people of Rivers state and will not rest on its oars, until the perpetrators of the horrendous act are not only arrested, but also brought to justice.”

The 7th vice-chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Joseph Ajienka, had earlier planned to mark his two years in office with a news conference on October 8, but with the murder, he had to use one stone to kill two birds. Ajienka declared that nobody had the right to engage in extra-judicial killing or resort to self help, no matter the level of provocation, stressing that whatever was the grievance of the lynch mob should have been properly reported to the law enforcement agencies rather than resorting to the law of the jungle.

He gave the identities of the three of the four male victims as: Biringa Chiadika Lordson, Year Two, Theatre Arts, U2010/1805036; Ugonna Kelechi Obuzor, Year Two, Geology, U2010/5565149 and Mike Lloyd Toku, Year Two, Civil Engineering, U2010/3010094.

The fourth person, Tekena Erikena, who earlier did Basic Studies at UNIPORT, according to Ajienka, was yet to be formally identified as a student of the university, stressing that information on his proper identity would be made available to the general public once his status was confirmed. The vice-chancellor also declared a seven-day mourning from Monday and cancelled the Students’ Union Week, which was scheduled to have started on Monday, with flags to fly at half mast to honour the deceased.

Ajienka said: “The reported lynching of the four men took place outside the jurisdiction of the university. The university is also not usually consulted by students and staff wishing to reside in any of our host communities. The university bears no responsibility for security outside the campus, even as it accepts the fact that students live and commute to the campus from some of its host communities, including Aluu.

“Because the incident took place outside the university where it has no jurisdiction, it would be prejudicial to ongoing investigations for authorities of the university to issue independent statements on the issue without cooperation from such agencies, which are in the forefront of the investigations.

“Pre-emptive security measures have been initiated by authorities of the university to secure lives and property on campus. We can confirm to you that the situation on campus is stable as a joint security patrol team has taken charge of the affected area and is also providing security within the campus.

“We wish to use this opportunity to reassure staff, students and other stakeholders that the university remains open, very safe and discharging its core mandate of teaching, research and community service in a satisfactory manner.”

The vice-chancellor also noted that no university all over the world, had been providing hostel accommodation for all its students, expect the new private universities, noting that with UNIPORT’s 30,000 students’ population, providing accommodation for all of them on campus was not possible.

He said initially, each student was paying N2,090 per bed space in the university’s hostels, which was being sold for N30,000, making the authorities to later increase the cost of bed space  to N15,000, stressing that private investors would have assisted in building hostels, but for land challenge.

He lauded Amaechi, an alumnus of UNIPORT, for his timely intervention, which he said prevented the issue from boiling over while also commending the security agencies for promptly arresting the 13 suspects, including the traditional ruler.

The President of the Students’ Union Government of UNIPORT, Soye Maxwell Nyamabo, on October 8, pleaded with students of the university to be calm and avoid any reprisal, thereby avoiding the breakdown of law and order. Nyamabo insisted that the killed students were not armed robbers, rapists or cultists, urging the security agencies to ensure thorough investigation, with the perpetrators brought to book, to serve as a deterrent to others.

On October 9, around 11am, lecturers, students of UNIPORT and members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Zone B, from universities in the South South and South East zones, blocked the ever-busy East-West Road at Choba Junction, beside the university.

The protesters in their thousands, who were armed with placards, bearing various inscriptions and chanting war songs, vowed not to open the East-West Road until the vice-chancellor of UNIPORT came to address them, thereby bringing traffic on the only link road to a standstill.

The protest paralysed commercial activities in the area as traders were hurriedly closing their shops to prevent looting, banks securely locking their premises to avoid being attacked for insensitivity, while some motorists were quickly making detour and returning to their various homes, for their vehicles not to vandalised.

The East-West Road starts from Oron in Akwa Ibom State and passes through Ogoniland in Rivers State to Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Ogun and terminates in Lagos State, making it to be strategic in linking the South South and South West zones of Nigeria.

Some of the placards read: “You cannot kill Nigerian students and go scot free”, “We want justice”, “Murdered students are not armed robbers, cultists or criminals”, “This is the beginning of revolution in Nigeria”, “Aluu people must pay with their blood”, “Students in Aluu should immediately relocate.”

Others included: “Painful murder”, “Provide the killers of four innocent UNIPORT students”, “No seven days protest, no dialogue”, “The murder is inhuman”, “Aluu natives must be taught bitter lessons”, “Where were policemen, soldiers on Friday?”

Speaking on behalf of the protesting lecturers, a former Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNIPORT chapter, Dr. Andrew Efemini, who is also the Head of Department of Philosophy, described the murder of the four students as inhuman and very sad.

Efemini said: “We prefer to die at Choba Junction on East-West Road. We will not leave, until justice is done. We are ready to continue protesting till tomorrow morning. We are fully prepared.

The ex-ASUU chairman also asked the security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities, declaring that the murder must not be swept under the carpet, with the 13 arrested persons and others to still be apprehended made to face the full wrath of the law, thereby serving as a deterrent to others.

The leader of the protesting students, Prosper Iyere, stated that the students from the 11 states volunteered to join the protest, to express their displeasure on the gruesome murder of the four students.

Iyere, who is also the Treasurer of NANS in Zone B, said: “All the universities in the South South and South East are represented in this protest. Most of the protesters are students of UNIPORT, who are shocked over the killing of the four young men.

“Emphasis must be placed on the safety of lives and property. Nigerian students must be safe in and around their universities. The murder is a slap on the faces of Nigerian students. US President, Barack Obama, has condemned the killing, but President Goodluck Jonathan is not showing concern.

“Blocking the East-West Road is not meant to punish motorists and other road users, but to let the whole world know about the plight of Nigerian students. The travellers should endure the hardship in order to ensure justice. We do not want to be violent”.

Iyere also called on the Rivers Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and President Jonathan, both alumni of UNIPORT, to ensure that the murderers were also sentenced to death, possibly by hanging, without delaying justice.

In the evening of October 9, UNIPORT’s Deputy Registrar, Information, Dr. Williams Wodi, announced the indefinite closure of the university, with the students ordered to vacate the hostels with immediate effect.

Wodi said: “The authorities of the University of Port Harcourt have announced immediate closure of the institution. This action is sequel to the unfortunate incident in which some students of the university were murdered by an irate mob. All students have been directed to vacate their hostel accommodation with immediate effect, pending when normalcy would be restored around the university.”

Some protesters later moved to Aluu and burnt some houses and cars, while showing displeasure over the gruesome murder.

Rivers police spokesman, said: “Students of various institutions of higher learning, under the aegis of NANS, congregated and blocked some part of the East-West Road. The Deputy Commissioner, Operations led contingent of policemen to the scene. He pleaded and prevailed on the students not to take the law into their own hands.

“The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youths and Students Affairs also addressed the students and promised inviting the vice-chancellor of UNIPORT to address them. While the vice-chancellor talked to the students, they became unruly and riotous, throwing objects, including sachet water on the vice-chancellor.

“When there was imminent danger to the person of the vice-chancellor, deputy commissioner, operations evacuated him to safety and consequently dispersed the students from the scene.

“Having dispersed and on the pretext of going home, some of the students torched three houses at Umuokiri-Aluu community. Two of the houses were partially burnt, while one was completely razed.  Three shops near Aluu were vandalised.

“The command was able to contain the situation and arrested three persons on the act of committing arson. To forestall future untoward incidents, the command has massively deployed its personnel, to adequately protect lives and property of law abiding citizens.

“People are advised to go about their legitimate enterprise without fear of being molested, while the command continues in the quest to bring the perpetrators of the Aluu killings to justice.”

The authorities of UNIPORT, however, removed Efemini, as the HOD of Philosophy, for participating in Tuesday’s protest, but he said did not regret taking part in the peaceful protest, over the killing of four innocent students of the university and neither vandalised any property nor endangered the life of the vice-chancellor.

The university’s spokesman insisted that Efemini’s removal as HOD was Senate’s decision and not that of the vice-chancellor, but it was learnt that the decision to appoint or remove HOD was solely the responsibility of the vice-chancellor.

Parents of the lynched undergraduates also called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the Attorney-General of the Federation/Justice Minister, Mohammed Adoke, to take over the investigation and prosecution of the killers of the four young men.

Counsel to the parents of the lynched students, Peter Ndukwe, in Port Harcourt, declared that his clients would not get justice at the state level, maintaining that the police in Rivers failed to convince the parents that they could handle the matter well.

Ndukwe also expressed sadness that policemen arrived at the scene of the murder in good time, but could not rescue the victims. The legal practitioner said: “Some police officers and men from Isiokpo Police Station arrived the scene of crime in good time, but could not rescue the students. They watched the killing of the young men. This is absurd and absolutely incredible.

“It calls to question the essence of the Nigeria Police Force, which has again failed in its primary duty of maintaining law and order and securing lives of the citizens.

“Ugonna Kelechi Obuzor left his friend’s house about 7am on the fateful day. This was confirmed by his father, Mr. Messiah Obuzor, and the deceased friends. So, it is wrong for anybody to say that the lynched students were held by 5.30 am on the day they were killed.”

Mrs. Jane Toku, the mother of slain Lloyd, amid tears, expressed shock that the crowd could watch how her son and his friends were gruesomely murdered.

Jane said: “When we got there, one of them was still breathing. He was gasping for breath, but the crowd was watching while my baby (Lloyd) was butchered. Come to my area and ask questions about my child. The child I trained.

“Thursday was his dad’s birthday. He (Lloyd) called him and wished him happy birthday. When his daddy asked him if he would be coming home to celebrate the birthday with the family, he promised to be back on Friday after lectures. But on Friday morning, we got the call that my son was being beaten.

“How can I erase the fact that my son was lynched from my mind? He studied very hard and got admission to the university.”

Lloyd’s father, Mr. Mike Toku, is the Assistant Director, Presentation of Radio Rivers and a father of three male children, who maintained that his son was neither a thief nor a cultist.

Mr. Toku said he got a distress call around 7 am that his son was being beaten by a mob.

The mourning father said: “We quickly rushed down. Initially, it was very difficult to locate the place, but by the grace of God, we were able to locate the place.

“By the time we got there, we saw a mammoth crowd with a few Joint Task Force (JTF) members there. So we pulled through the crowd and when I tried to move closer, the JTF operatives told me to move back.

“Later on, one of my cousins supported me and we moved on again and explained to them (JTF operatives). I moved close to the four corpses on the ground and I discovered that one of them was my son. We were also able to identify the other three as his friends.

“We took the corpses to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), to ascertain whether they were still alive. A doctor came out, examined them and they were all dead. My son has never stolen before.”

Lloyd’s parents appealed to the government not to allow those involved in the murder of their child and his friends to go scot free, with justice ensured.

The mother of one of the murdered students has, however, petitioned the Senate, demanding that justice be done. The mother of the late Chiadika, Mrs. Chinwe Biringa, in a petition dated October 9 and addressed to the President of the Senate, David Mark, stated that perpetrators of the heinous crime must not go unpunished.

Chiadika’s father is a senior staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Chinwe said when her son turned 20 years this week, he was given money to mark his birthday  with his friends.

The petition stated: “On Friday morning, we were called by my second son, also a UNIPORT student, that all was not well; that he was hearing bad rumours that villagers in Aluu had murdered four students.

“I immediately rushed to the scene, only to see my son’s dead body being taken away naked to a mortuary at UPTH. I could not believe my eyes, as I collapsed.

“What did my son do? What did the other three young men who died with him do? First, we heard that the four students were alleged to have stolen a BlackBerry phone and a laptop computer.

“This could not be the truth. My son had had a BlackBerry phone and, in fact, a laptop computer since he was in primary school. No way could my son steal such a common thing as a cell phone, which every village woman now owns.

“We have been subjected to several gory videos and pictures on the Internet. This shows that someone filmed the whole barbarism from beginning to end. My son and his friends were savagely beaten and burnt to death, while villagers in Aluu watched.”

Chinwe demanded that apart from clearing the name of her son, justice should be meted out to the killers, and would not want the murder to be swept under the carpet, like most Nigerian investigations.

Most pathetic among those who lost houses, cars and other valuable property to protesters at Omuokiri-Aluu, while avenging the murder, was 65-year-old Sunday Ahanonu, who retired at UNIPORT after 35 years of meritorious service and having 15 children, but said he lost all he laboured for to the reprisal.

Ahanonu’s bungalow and Mercedes Benz car were burnt by the protesters, with the retiree is now pleading with the Rivers State government and the management of UNIPORT to compensate him for the destruction of his property, insisting that he and members of his family were not involved in the killings of the students.

Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday night met with South South leaders at the presidential villa,Abuja,on how  to   foster understanding  the  between the northern and southern parts of the country.

Participants at the reviewed the violence in theNorth and expressed disgust at the continued attacks on southerners during such violence.

The southern leaders who claimed to represent the 17 southern states pledged  their loyalty to the  Jonathan administration and their faith in Nigeria’s unity The  Ijaw  leader,Chief  Edwin Clark who spoke for the southern states said they  are prepared to dialogue with their brothers and counterparts from the north to ensure that the violence is checked.

Chief  Clark, who called for the convening of a national conference, also argued that the National Assembly alone cannot craft a constitution that will be agreeable to all constituent parts the nation.

He said: “We are

not talking about a Sovereign National Conference; we are talking about a national conference. A conference whereby Nigerians will meet to discuss the basis of unity in this country and also to look into our constitution and decide whether it is the best instrument we have for this country.

“We believe that the National Assembly cannot do it alone. We believe that if there is a National Conference which is constituted by representatives from over 250 ethnic nationalities in this country, they will be able to produce a document to form the basis of their unity.”

The former federal commissioner for  Information  said  the recommendations of the national conference would then be forwarded to the National Assembly.

The President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin has warned the embattled former chairman of the union in Oyo state, Alhaji lateef Akinsola a.k.a Tokyo to ignore the recent court judgment that reinstated him, and stop parading himself as the chairman of NURTW in Oyo State, noting that his tenure has as the union’s boss has long expired.

Yasin gave this warning yesterday while addressing a stakeholders meeting of the union in Ibadan.

The NURTW boss said the national headquarters of the union only recognize the leadership of Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde a.k.a Fele-led caretaker committee of the transport union in the state.

“Tokyo is not the chairman of our union in Oyo State, even with the court judgment. His tenure has expired, and going by the constitution of the union, someone cannot run more than two terms in office and Alhaji Akinsola has run more than that.

“Immediately we dissolve the National Executive Council of the union, all the 36 states executive council of the union stand dissolved, of which Oyo state is not excluded. I don’t know what he is claiming, but not certainly Oyo NURTW chairmanship position” Yasin said.

He assured that immediately the three months extension of the office of the caretaker committee expires in the state, a date would be fixed for the proper reconstitution of the Oyo State council of the union by the national body.

The NURTW president, therefore commended the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi for not interfering in the affairs of the union, adding that the restoration of the union in the state has bring about peaceful coexistence among all bounds.