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  • Group lifts the needy

    Group lifts the needy

    Members of St Peter’s Society of Saints Joachim and Anne Catholic Church Ijegun, Ikotun in Igando/Ikotun Local Council Development Area of Lagos State empowered six widows, three indigent students and one unemployed graduate. This was part of activities marking the commemoration of the Feast Day of their Patron Saint (St Peter) which they marked penultimate Sunday.

    The event, which held at the church premises, was preceded by days of prayers and public lectures on issues of faith and the nation.

    However, the occasion was not all about prayers and lectures as the group took time to consider the physical well-being of select members of the church. This year, the society focused on widows and indigent students in the church.

    Each of the widows received cash donation of N50, 000. The group secured employment for one of the beneficiaries; Mr Okechukwu Nnoli who had been unemployed since graduation some years back at Patrician Group of Schools; one of the best private schools in Lagos State.

    Other beneficiaries were Master Chukwuemeka Madu who is on scholarship in Patrician Group of Schools, Ijegun. The scholarship covers the period from JSS1 to SS3, Master Uche Eresaba whose scholarship covers from SS2 to SS3 at Fidel Madonna College of Excellence Iba New Site and Miss Ekene Rita Kanu whose scholarship runs from primary two to SS3 at Holy Family School, Ijegun.

    Presenting the gifts to the beneficiaries at the main auditorium of the church, the Parish Priest Rev. Fr Gasper Olanrewaju praised the efforts of St Peter’s Society towards contributing to the growth and development of the Church and their decision to assist the less-privileged in the church which, he said, is part of the larger society.

    “The Church is saddled with the responsibilities of caring for the spiritual and physical well-being of the faithful. However, the Church may not be able to do all these alone as its main concern is the spiritual aspect of life. This though does not indicate that the Church shies away from responding to the physical aspects of our being.

    “In the circumstances, therefore, it becomes necessary for individuals and groups within and outside the church to complement the efforts of the Church in carrying out its statutory responsibilities. This is what St Peter’s Society is doing today which is both service to God and humanity. Note that the beneficiaries are not only members of St Peter’s Society; members of other societies and ethnic groups make up the list of beneficiaries.

    “I commend their efforts, even as I enjoin other societies in the church to emulate what St Peter’s Society has done. Through concerted efforts, our society will be a better place to live in,” Fr Olanrewaju said.

    In a chat with Newsextra after the event, the Secretary-General of St Peter’s Society Bro. Fabian E. Ewendu (KSM) explained the rationale behind the empowerment programme.

    He said: “We have been enjoined by our Lord Jesus Christ to be our brothers’ keepers and to remember the poor and needy in our midst. What we did today is in line with the tenets of Christianity.”

    Ewendu noted that the society was moved by the poverty level of some people in the church, adding: “We considered the plight of members of the larger society which the church is part of. We decided to, within the limits of our financial strength, empower six widows, three indigent students and an unemployed graduate.

    “These people were picked after serious and thorough screening exercise by the Empowerment Committee of St Peter’s Society. We believe that helping the needy is part of worshipping God.”

    One of the widows Mrs Helena Omotayo, who spoke to Newsextra through an interpreter, expressed her gratitude to St Peter’s Society for the gesture, adding that the donation would go a long way in improving her well-being.

    “I never expected to be so favoured by a group I don’t belong to. The gesture from St Peter’s Society is a manifestation of practical Christianity. May God bless them,” she said.

    Miss Ekene Rita Kanu said she was happy with the society’s kindness, even as she said that the group has given her hope of completing her primary and secondary education.

  • Ado-Ekiti transforms

    Ado-Ekiti transforms

    Capital city in renewal

    Heaps of sand and laterite dot the roads. Caterpillars are excavating sand. Trucks are loading it.   Construction workers are busy trying to meet the deadline. Everywhere you turn, one major construction or the other is being undertaken.

    The heavy work comes with pain. Traffic is heavy. And more man-hours are wasted on the road than before.

    Welcome to Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State, where everything seems upside down now so that it can truly live up to the billing as a befitting state capital.

    Someone who has not been to the town in a while is bound to be taken aback. From the most popular road in the capital, Ajilosun Road, to Ojumose- Fajuyi-Basiri Road, Ijigbo-Ilawe Road, Old Garage-Okeyinmi- Ojumose Road, Old Garage-Ikere Road and Fajuyi-Teaching Hospital Road,  men are literally working themselves out to renew Ado and make the roads form an impeccable network.

    Sixteen link roads, such as Mobil-Irona Road, Ben Folarin–Isato- Oke Ori Omi Road, Old Governor’s Office –Okesa Road, Ola Oluwa-Omisanjana Road, Housing Corporation Road, Oke Ila- Stadium Road, Okeyinmi- St. Andrews-Oke Ila Road, Okesa- Staduim- Oremeji Road and Oke Ori Omi- Aremu Road, are experiencing total makeover.

    Not left out of the race to make the landscapes of Ado posh are Adebayo-Olora-Hosuing Road, Ile Abiye-GRA Road, Egbewa–NTA Road, Adekaitan–GRA, Oke Ila internal roads, Oke Ila–Idolofin Road and Mugbagba- St. Pauls–Odo Ado Road.

    In Ado, it is not all about roads. Lush green vegetation is finding space. Interlocking stones are marking walkways apart. Medians are wearing glowing shades. Drainage channels are being opened. The dredging of River Ofin has commenced to prevent flooding,  which may result in the loss of lives and property of citizens.

    Really, years of urban planning errors are being corrected.  But, like the saying that there is no creation without destruction, many a structure has given way for decades of haphazard development to be rectified. More are to follow. The first-ever petrol station in the town has become history for Ado to be renewed. Structures that made the state capital to be smeared with buildings without lay-out, plans or certificates of occupancy are giving way. But, efforts have been made to ensure sacred places and local monuments in the ancient city are preserved.

    Demolition with human face

    Unlike the usual practice, the Dr. Kayode Fayemi administration has given new meaning to government’s demolition of structures for developmental purposes. The administration has ensured that no single structure has been pulled down without the owner first receiving compensation.

    The Chairman, Ekiti State Urban Renewal Agency, Mr. Babatunde Fakoyede, said the decision to pay compensation before demolition is to ensure proper valuation of property. “Or, how do you value a property after demolishing it?” asked Fakoyede.

    He added that the administration, even after paying the compensation, still gives enough time for evacuation.

    Fayemi has presented cheques of  N190, 860, 923 as compensation to people whose structures hinder the dualisation of New Garage-Ojumose-Okeyinmi-Baptist Church Road and Atikankan-Igbehin Road. Another N83,679,627 has also been spent paying compensation to “ameliorate the pains of our people arising from these projects”.

    Significantly too, even owners of structures without certificates of occupancy are not being denied compensation.

    The governor explains his approach to urban renewal: “If anyone had described this government as do-nothing, I guess they do not understand the processes involved in ensuring that you take the people along with you even if you have a vision and a plan. That is what we have consistently demonstrated; we wanted to ensure that those affected by the changes that are going to occur are not treated shabbily; we wanted them to be paid adequate compensation for the properties that are bound to be removed for the dualisation process and do it in accordance to due process.

    ”That is what we have done; we have allowed people to complain about issues relating to their compensation. We have allowed others to raise issues concerning the legality or otherwise of what we are doing but I am happy that this has happened. You can see that people are overjoyed by at least clearly that there is a direction and the plan that we put in place clearly stated what we will do in 2012.”

    Demolition without discrimination

    One striking discovery about the demolition exercise is that the administration has tried not to be partial. As the Bafon of Ado Ekiti, Chief Olu Ogunremi  is a man of no mean influence. He has the ears of the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe. For someone with such a clout, not many expect that his property would be one of those to give way for the renewal of the capital of Ekiti State.

    In an interesting twist, Ogunremi and many other influential sons and daughters of the ancient city have willingly allowed their property to go down for Ado-Ekiti to rank among the best capital cities in the country. The respected Ekiti chief and others have also commended Fayemi for paying their compensation before their buildings were demolished. They believe this underscores the fact that the governor has the welfare of the people at heart.

    Fayemi believes Oba Adejugbe has been instrumental in ensuring that the people understand what the government is doing and complying with the quit notice given them. So thrilled is Oba Adejugbe that he is planning a thank-you visit to the governor.

    A matter of cash

    But such massive work as being undertaken comes at a huge cost. Aside the N275 million spent on paying compensation, the construction and rehabilitation that have turned Ado into a huge construction site is money-guzzling.

    The 16 township roads in the capital city alone are to gulp  N1,790,578,794. Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation  Funminiyi Afuye said the administration decided to spend this much to make Ado Ekiti a befitting state capital.

    The cost of the dualisation of Old Garage-Ojumose Road, dualisation of Atikankan- Post Office- First Baptist Church Road, re-asphalting of Fajuyi-Police Headquarters Road, Fajuyi- Teaching Hospital Road and Old Garage- Ajilosun Road is about N5billion.

    The governor believes that at the completion of the road projects , the urban renewal and beautification project, investors  would be attracted.

    In the beginning

    It became a state capital in 1996. At that time, there were only two major roads there, with Ajilosun Road being the more popular. Now, things have really changed and will continue to change, said Afuye.

    Vision 2014

    Fayemi has promised that his administration would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the vision of making all major roads in Ekiti State motorable by 2014. He said when this vision is actualised, Ekiti would have the best road networks in the Southwest. By then too, Deputy Governor Funmi Olayinka believes the pains that are being experienced as a result of ongoing construction work would soon give way to pleasure and sublime standard of living that are unprecedented in the state.

    The Ministry of Physical, Urban and Regional Planning said it has now become a sin not to comply with Urban Planning regulations.

    All building plans of newly developed property henceforth must carry the seal and signature of a professionally qualified architect in order to qualify it for government’s approval.

    Property developers are to observe the minimum setback as prescribed in the Urban and Regional Planning Law of the State, which is 20ft (6m) from the edge of the road for developed areas, 30m for state roads and 50m for federal roads.

    All property developers are to strictly observe all building codes and regulations.  Owners of properties whose construction, are not in compliance with the Urban Renewal Law are to regularise them.

  • LP thugs unleash violence on ACN supporters in Okitipupa

    The campaign of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Okitipupa yesterday turned bloody as thugs of the Labour Party (LP) attacked ACN supporters.

    An eyewitness said the rally, which was attended by a massive crowd, was on when the LP thugs came from different directions and attacked ACN supporters with machetes and other weapons.

    The source said many ACN members were injured, adding that they have been taken to hospitals.

    The Director of Media, Publicity and Strategy, Akeredolu Campaign Organisation (ACO), Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, said: “This is to confirm the position of the Akeredolu Campaign Organisation that the LP and Governor Olusegun Mimiko have brought in thugs to Ondo State in the last three days to intimidate, harass and rig the election.

    “ACN supporters were restrained from retaliating as a result of the intervention of the party’s standard bearer, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and other leaders. The party urges the Commissioner of Police and other security agents to be alive to their responsibilities by protecting not only ACN members but the entire citizens of the state.

    “We are not weaklings. If the police and other security agents shy away from their duties, ACN members will have no choice than to device other means of defending themselves.

    “If the late General Sani Abacha could not cow the late Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin, the leader of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and the people of Ondo State, Mimiko and his co-travellers can not cow the ACN as the party is poised to win the October 20 election.”

  • Delta communities battle floods

    Delta communities battle floods

    The unprecedented flood ravaging parts of the country has sacked over 20 coastal and inland communities along Ase River, in Delta State, leaving the victims in grief and counting their losses.

    Among the communities that suffered the most devastation are Asafo, Asaba-Ase, Egbeme, Ibedeni, Ase, Ivrogbo and Iyede-Ame and environs.

    Added to these are other numerous towns and villages along the River Niger. As of the last count, more than twenty towns and several villages have fallen prey to the flood, a development that has no history of its kind known to any of its victims.

    Some displaced residents of the communities, told The Nation over the phone, that all the people have fled the areas, except a few community leaders, living in canoes, who opted to stay just to monitor the situation.

    A fleeing resident, Mr. Sam Odiebara Miller, said what has happened is a complete disaster, adding that the situation is getting worse. “Nobody has a clue as to what to do next, or the way out of this. We are so confused, we don’t even know how to respond. All we have to do is gather the family together, take to the hired speed boats and outboard engines and flee,” he stated.

    On government’s response to their plight, he said the intervention is slow and far between. He said nearly all the people that have relocated did so on their own sponsorship, adding that no assistance came from the government. He said however, that he understood the state government arranged for the rescue of inhabitants of Iyede-Ame and other surrounding settlements whose conditions, deteriorated, adding that other areas along the River Niger have been included in the rescue effort.

    At Asaba-Ase, the Youth President, Nosike Anagbogu, said the situation has reached an alarming rate, with over 4,000 people squatting in the only landed portion, with virtually no means of sustenance. He said the Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, sent a monitoring team to the town, promising that relief materials would be sent at a later date.

    At Asafo and Egbeme axis, only a few individuals are left, with the majority relocated to Irri, Oleh and other places in Isoko South and Isoko North Local Government Areas, where relief centres have been established, while others with means and family assistance, have secured temporary accommodation.

  • Ex-Delta SSG Omo-Agege donates rice, other items to victims

    FORMER Secretary to Delta State Government (SSG) and governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2011, Ovie Omo-Agege, has donated 100 bags of rice, salt, indomie noodles and other food items to flood victims in Uwheru, in Ughelli North Local Government Area.

    The affected communities are: lwhreana, lwhruche, lwhregbo, Ohoro, Agadama, Owarovwo, Ogode, Ophororo, Iwhreure and Ophororo, all in Uwheru.

    More than 3,000 residents have been sacked from their homes in the submerged communities.

    Omo-Agage, who described the flood as a natural disaster, said it has affected the socio-economic psyche of the people.

    He commended the prompt intervention of the state government.

    Sympathising with the victims, he urged them to move into the camp established in Uwheru for their safety.

    He said storm water was not good for human consumption and their health, even as he appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of flood victims.

     

  • Jega to visit Ondo Tuesday

    Jega to visit Ondo Tuesday

    Ahead of the October 20 governorship election in Ondo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Attihuru Jega, will arrive the state next Tuesday, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Akin Orebiyi, said yesterday.

    According to him, the INEC chairman is expected to attend a stakeholders’ meeting that will be attended by the 13 governorship candidates.

    Orebiyi, who spoke during a stakeholders’ meeting at the INEC headquarters in Akure, said Prof. Jega is expected to leave the state on Wednesday after the meeting.

    He said: “The INEC Chairman has asked me to commend the political parties that will participate in the election for displaying maturity. He urged them to continue to embrace peace. Jega said he would be in the state next week to meet stakeholders, in order to conduct a free and fair election.”

    The REC said over 1,000 students of the Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo are expected to work as assistant presiding officers during the poll.

    Orebiyi, who highlighted some of the INEC activities towards the preparation for the election, said voting materials would arrive on October 18, adding that party agents are expected to be in attendance.

    He said the electoral body would on that day begin the distribution of the materials to the two riverine local government areas.

    “The election will be a benchmark for future polls in the country. Voting on October 20 must begin at 8am. We will move the election materials to the riverine areas two days to the election so that voting will start at the appropriate time.

    “Party agents are expected to monitor the materials from the INEC office to Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government, where materials for the elections in the two local governments will be kept. They will be kept at the Naval Base Office till Saturday morning. Materials for election in Ese-Odo Local Government will be moved that morning to Igbekebo, the headquarters of the council, which is about 30 minutes to Ilaje.

    “The electoral body will start the distribution of the election materials on the eve of the election day. All the materials must arrive various wards that night so that before 8am on election day, materials must have been at all the units,” Orebiyi said.

  • ACF parleys with Ohanaeze

    Members of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) yesterday stormed Enugu, the Enugu State capital, to parley with the pan-Igbo group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo for the inauguration of the Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi state chapters of the forum.

    They also planned to rub minds with the Ohanaeze on how to resolve several national issues on Nigeria.

    The meeting with Ohanaeze leadership will hold today.

    The inauguration of the chapters held yesterday evening at the Universal Hotel, Enugu.

    At the head of the delegation were Chairman of the National Executive Council, Alhaji Aliko Mohamed, and the Secretary-General of the organisation, Col. Musa Shehu (rtd).

    Others in the entourage included the Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Saidu Barda; Assistant Chairman, Joseph Kennedy Waku; Maj.-Gen. Lawrence Onoja (rtd); Ambassador Adamu Mohamed; Hajia Halima Alfa; Ibrahim Mai Sule and Alhaji Ladan Shinnu.

    There were also the Legal Adviser, Mr. Bitrus Gada; the Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani; the Treasurer, Ismaila Zarma; Amina Ladan Baike and Col. Mohamed Abdu.

    The leaders spoke on the legacies of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, who they said never discriminated between Christians and Muslims.

    Onoja and Waku who spoke on the late northern leader asked those in attendance to emulate him.

    “Sardauna never distinguished between Christians and Muslims but saw everyone of us northerners,” they said.

  • Anger in Senate over lynching of four students

    Anger in Senate over lynching of four students

    There was anger in the Senate yesterday over the killings of four students of the University of Port Harcourt , Rivers State .

    This followed the adoption of a: “Motion condemning the murder of students of the University of Port Harcourt and one other person at Omuakiri Village, Aluu, Rivers State’’.

    It was sponsored by Senator Ayogu Eze (Enugu North) and supported by 90 others.

    On October 3, the Senate decried what it called the reprehensible murder of 46 students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa State .

    Senate President David Mark, described the ‘gory incident’ especially as posted on social network as totally condemnable and atrocious.

    He noted that the manner of the students’ death has brought to the fore the urgent need for state police.

    The Senate President deplored the inability of security agents to apprehend perpetrators of crime in the country.

    But he insisted that Nigeria should not be classified as a failed state, saying that the existence of the legislature, judiciary and executive arms of government clearly show that the country is not a failed state.

    He said: “There is no doubt that this act is condemnable. We feel for the students who have lost their lives, we feel for their parents, but there is a local saying that when you point a finger to someone else, four others are pointing at you.

    “So, we all have a share in ensuring that there is safety of lives and property in this country.

    “It is not that crimes don’t happen else where, but the difference between crimes else where and crimes in Nigeria is that outside this country, the perpetrators are arrested as quickly as possible and brought to book.

    “The reason why people don’t want to commit crime is the fear of punishment that is the consequences of it.

    “Here if you commit crime and you think you can go scot free, then it is jungle justice.

    “I must also emphasise that the legislature exist in this country, the judiciary is there and the executive and this clearly are not signs of a failed state.

    “If we have not reached where we ought to reach and where we want to be that doesn’t make us a failed state. I must emphases that.

    “The mere fact that we can sit down here and debate issues is a clear indication of democracy at work.

    “In a failed state, you will never have an institution like the Senate, every one will be out on the street with guns and machetes and knives.”

    Mark said what happened in Aluu community and the way it was posted on the social media show the merit and demerit of the social media.

    “One thing that has come out of it is that those who were at the scene of the incident can easily be arrested by the police.

    “The video is there and they can easily be identified and so they should as quickly as possible bring them to book as a lesson for others.

    “I think the police truly is being challenged and there cannot be police everywhere but the moment it happens and they get a report they should be able to bring those involved to book

    “I have said this before that I was against state police but I have since changed my mind.

    “I said so the other day, because the actions, the frequency with which so many crimes are being committed in this country and the difficulty the police have in carrying out their investigation means that there are real security challenges that we need to address.

    “To address them realistically, we must make sure that there are enough police men that can police this country.

    “Those who are against state police of course they have their good reasons but the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages at the moment.

    Senator Eze lamented the lynching and burning on October 5 of the three 200-level students, Chiakika Lordson (Theatre Arts), Ugonna Kelechi Obuzor (Geology), Mike Lioyd Toku (Civil Engineering) and their friend, Tekena Erikena, all below the age of 22 years.

    He urged the Senate to condemn the dehumanising manner in which “the four students were stripped naked, marched along like common criminals, battered into stupor and eventually coma in a most horrifying display of callousness ever captured on celluloid before setting them ablaze in the full glare of cheering and enthusiastic spectators and traducers.”

    The Enugu State lawmaker said he was appalled by “the flimsy and yet-to-be substantiated allegation of theft of laptops and blackberry phones.”

    He quoted a Student Union activist Rhino Owhorkire, who is an indigene of Aluu, as saying that “till date the laptop and blackberry phone have not been produced as evidence of the trumped-up robbery tale.”

    Senator Eze said all the theories adduced as the reason for the crime, including allegations that the killing was masterminded to cover up the brutalisation the deceased suffered in trying to recover a debt owed them by an indigene of Aluu as well as that the deceased and one other person allegedly at large were conducting cult rites when they were caught, “be thoroughly investigated for a clue to this descent into barbarism.”

    He said the Senate should be worried that the Uniport incident is coming one week after another systematic murder of over 40 persons, majority of them students in another institution of higher learning in Mubi, Adamawa State and less than two weeks after another shooting within the University of Jos.

    He cautioned that the situation could flare up across the country and escalate out of control if not properly diagnosed, treated and curtailed.

    The Senate, he said, should equally be worried by “the cold attitude of leaders of Aluu community who allegedly gave approval for this extra judicial killing after keeping the victims between 5.30 am and the time they were eventually hounded into death in a most gruesome torture known to modernity.”

    Eze agreed with the spokesmen of the Police in Rivers State , Ben Ugwuegbulem, Vice Chancellor of University of Port Harcourt, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ajienka and the Rivers State Government that the community had no right to take the law into its hand or to indulge in self help in dealing with the students.

    He described the arrest of the traditional ruler of Aluu, Alhaji Hassan Walewa and 12 members of the community as a good step but “a little too late in the day given that a police station is allegedly located within a shouting distance of the scene where the killing took place, yet the noise that attended the spectacle did not attract the attention of the police till after the boys had been liquidated.”

     

  • Saraki, CPC urge probe of Kwara burglary

    Former Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki and the state chapter of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) have called for a probe of the burglary at the Ministry of Finance.

    The former governor said it is callous to link him to the incident.

    Saraki, who is the senator representing Kwara Central, was reacting to the incident in a statement by his media aide, Akintoba Fatigun.

    He described the incident “as a serious crime against the state and the people of Kwara”.

    The statement said: “The incident is a dastardly act that must be condemned in its entirety…”

    The senator representing Kwara Central at the National Assembly condemned the burglary.

    The statement added: “It is more worrisome that a group of people with vested interest, yet undefined, can attach such act to Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki.

    “This attempt is mischievous, callous, and inhuman. We see the comment trying to link this unfortunate situation to Saraki as an attempt to derail the public from seeking the truth to get to the bottom of the matter.”

    The CP Chairman, Alhaji Buhari Suleiman, demanded an investigation into the matter to “determine the level of damage done, the amount of money and documents carted away, the culpability of any present and former public servants of the state.”

    He added: “The CPC also demands a public apology on behalf of the good people of Kwara State from the government for keeping the public, without whose legitimacy the government could not be operating in the first instance, in the dark about an incident…”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • My agony, by mum of lynched student

    To waylay them and beat them with planks until they died like chicken is the most savage thing one can witness in Nigeria of 2012” the aggrieved mother of one of the four University of Port Harcourt students killed in Aluu Community, last Friday laments in a petition to the Senate.

    Mrs. Chinwe Biringa, mother of Chiadika Biringa. He ordered in the petition dated October 9, 2012, prayed the Senate to ensure that those who killed her son did not escape the law.

    The petition, addressed to Senate President, David Mark, is entitled, “Gruesome murder of my son at Aluu, University of Port Harcourt host community.”

    She said her family wanted only two things namely: To clear the name of Chiadika (of stealing); and justice (for his murder)

    The petition read: “My name is Mrs. Chinwe BIRINGA. I am the mother of Mr. Chiadika BIRINGA, a second year student of Theatre Arts at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).

    “My husband is a senior officer at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

    “My son turned 20 years this week and we gave him pocket money to celebrate it with his friends.

    “On Friday morning, we were called by my second son, also a UNIPORT student that all was not well and he was hearing bad rumours that villagers at ALUU, the host community of UNIPORT 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 in UNIPORT Teaching Hospital.

    “I could not believe my eyes and 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 further from the truth. My son 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 the end.

    “My son and his friends were savagely beaten and burnt to death while villagers at Aluu watched.

    “All this has been caught on film!

    “The video shows that all this was filmed in broad day light which suggests that they were killed after 7.30 am.

    “Further investigation has revealed that they left their friend’s house at ALUU at about 7 am to go and prepare for lectures.

    “To waylay them and beat them with planks until they died like chicken is the most savage thing one can witness in Nigeria of 2012.

    “First they were stripped naked, marched around like frogs and then beaten to death. What savagery and bestiality.

    My husband and I want only two things, namely: a) To clear the name of Chiadika, b) justice.

    “Your Excellency, every responsible parent knows what I, my husband, and the entire family are passing through over this beastly murder.

    “We do not want this thing to be swept under the rug like most Nigerian investigations.

    “We seek the help and intervention of the Senate to ensure that justice is done.

    “Justice is the only thing that can assuage the pains and emotional traumas consuming us and clear the name of our son so that he can rest in peace.

    “Again, and for emphasis, the film shows everything in clear view and all the perpetrators must answer for their crimes.

    “We want justice. Those who murdered my son must face the wrath of the law.”

    “Heartbroken mother, Mrs. Chinwe, BIRINGA BI.”