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Tag: Abia State

  • Three die as soldiers clash with Police in Aba

    Three persons were on Friday reported dead in Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State as personnel of the Nigerian Army attached to the Ngwa High School Forward Operation Base (Charlie Coy) and personnel of Mobile Police Force (PMF 55) unit in Osisioma Local Government Area of the State.

    While a yet to be confirmed report has it that a police officer’s hand was severed in the shootout, another report has it that two mobile policemen and a soldier died in the melee.

    It could be recalled that in 2015, soldiers from Ngwa High School FOB and policemen of PMF 55 clashed at the same Osisioma junction, leaving a policeman who was hit by a bullet during crossfire that lasted for about thirty minutes dead.

    While efforts to reach both police and army hierarchy in the state until the time of this report failed to yield fruits as the State Commissioner of Police and the spokesman of the Command, Michael Ogbizi and Geoffrey Ogbonna were yet to reply to a text message our correspondent sent to their phones.

    Sources who claimed to have witnessed the incident feared that incident which caused pandemonium at the major exit and entrance route into the commercial nerve of the state also wounded many passersby.

    According to one Chinyere Ikem, the incident forced many shop owners to quickly close for business while many petty traders along the Expressway abandoned their wares to scamper for safety as lorry load of mobile and regular policemen arrived the scene that is already charged with gunshots.

    Ikem said that while some passengers going to different parts of the country that were yet to board vehicles to their locations were trapped in the shootout, others coming into the country, used alternative routes to avoid being caught in the web of the crisis.

    “It happened like what we used to watch in American movies. It happened in a flash and before you know what is happening, trucks of army and police vans were everywhere.

    Read Also:Court grants bail to seven Jewish worshippers in Abia

    Police and army were shooting themselves face-to-face. From what we later learnt, two policemen and a soldier died in the gun duel. It is better seeing that being told. I don’t know what is happening at this Osisioma junction. Don’t forget that some time ago, police and army clashed here and shoot at each other leaving one policemen dead.

    “I saw some people running with blood stain and I guess that they were hit be stray bullets. Police and army leadership in the state should call themselves to order. They are sister agencies and I don’t think that it is in their own interest to be fighting among themselves when they are supposed to be working hand in hand with each other especially as the state Governor is doing his best in tackling insecurity in the state,” Ikem stated.

    While normalcy has since returned to the area at the time our reporter visited the scene, shop owners were yet to open for business as people in clusters recount their experience of the incident.

    However in a swift reaction, Abia State Government in a press release through the commissioner of information in the state, Chief John Okiyi said that the state received with sadness “disturbing reports of an unfortunate confrontation between a group of soldiers and police officers at the Osisioma area of Aba earlier today (Friday June 15).”

    Okiyi who said that the state government was working with heads of security to bring the situation under control also assured that investigation was ongoing to know the cause of the incident and to fish out those behind the incident.

    “We are working with the heads of the concerned security agencies in the state to ensure that the situation, which has been brought under control, does not repeat itself or escalate within the state.

    “Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has also directed full investigation of the circumstances that led to the breach of public peace with a view to preventing future occurrence of such armed confrontation that endanger the lives of innocent citizens and security agents working in the state.

    “While we are currently working with law enforcement agencies to review the immediate and remote cause of the incidence, members of the public are advised to go about their normal duties as the situation around the area has been pacified.

    “Those responsible for this breach of public peace will certainly be unraveled and punished according the law,” Okiyi added.

  • Soldiers arrest kidnappers, rescue victims in Aba

    Soldiers attached to 144 Battalion under 14 Brigade Headquarters of Nigerian Army, Ohafia, Abia State have reportedly arrested three members of a kidnapping gang operating in Aba, the commercial nerve of the state and its environs.

    The soldiers, our correspondent gathered also rescued a yet-to-be identified kidnapped victim trapped inside the boot of the car being driven by the gang and recovered cache of ammunition and guns which they allegedly used for their operation.

    Sources told our reporter that the incident which happened on the busy Waterside Bridge along the Aba-Ikot Ekpene Expressway took passerby by surprise as no one anticipated the incident.

    The victim, it was learnt was picked shortly after leaving his church premises in one of the new generation churches in Aba.

    Read Also: Soldiers rescue pastor, nursing mother in Aba

    It was learnt that luck ran out on the hoodlums as they were heading towards outside the commercial city when the soldiers through their instinct and on suspicion asked the driver of the SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) to pull over.

    A source who claimed to have witnessed the incident said that the resistance of the gang members to obey the soldiers caused traffic gridlock, the soldiers called for reinforcement who on arrival forced the gang members out of the car and in the process wounding some of them in the process.

    It was gathered that the soldiers after overpowering the gang, forced the boot of the car open and to their bewilderment saw the kidnapper’s victim trapped in the boot of the car.

    The victim was said to have been rescued and the suspected kidnappers taken away by the soldiers in their vans.

    When contacted, a source at the army battalion who pleaded not to be mentioned in print confirmed the incident.

    The source said that the victim has reunited with his family, while the suspects were being interrogated, adding that they would make the outcome of their investigation public as soon as they concluded investigation on the matter.

  • I’m going to senate to help re-write Nigeria’s story -Onyeizu

    Chinedu Onyeizu is a senatorial aspirant in Abia State on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, the 38 year-old petroleum engineer, who graduated from Federal University of Technology (FUTO) Owerri, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, explains how his passion to find solution to Nigeria’s problems led him to take leave from his plum seat at Chevron to conduct advanced research in his bid to re-write the story of Nigeria. He also spoke on the chances of APC in Abia State. Excerpts

    AS a petroleum engineer, gainfully employed in Chevron, what are you doing in politics and why did you pick APC?

    My educational pursuit after my first degree has always been focused primarily on how to contribute to making Nigeria a better place because I realised the need for skills acquisition and exposure in order to move us from where we are now as a country to where we should be. After my programme at MIT, I started a policy research firm called AFRIPERA. It is focused on collaboration with governments at state, national and regional levels to discuss issues and come up with innovative solutions on how best to solve the challenging problems that we have in Africa and particularly in Nigeria. I am here because I want to represent the new generation of Nigerian youths that are still struggling to come out of their shells to lead Nigeria. I am interested in re-writing Nigerian story for the good of all. Obviously, I recognise that the task ahead will be quite daunting and that is why I am using this opportunity to appeal to you, members of the fourth estate of the realm, to support this worthwhile course by sending out the message that I am giving you today by ensuring that young Nigerians would be sensitised for the course of nation building.

    After consulting my creator, family and friends on my desire to go to the senate, the next thing I did was to look at the manifestoes of different registered political parties in order to find out which of them has programmes that tally with my expectations. Amongst all, the All Progressive Congress (APC) manifesto caught my fancy because it’s loaded with issues that touch on the lot of the ordinary people. If Nigerians would look deeply into the manifesto of APC, they will find out that the party designed its policies for the good of the greatest majority of Nigerians.

    But Abia has been a PDP state for a long time now. Why do you think your party, APC, will win either the senatorial or governorship election in the state?

    As you rightly observed, APC may not have been the dominant party in Abia State. But that impression has been consigned to the dustbin of history. The correct position of things now is that our party is going to sweep the three senatorial seats in 2019 and crown it all with taking over the Government House in Umuahia. If you have been following developments in the party, you will notice that a good number of political heavy weights have since joined APC and almost on a daily basis, there are invasion of new members who defected from other parties. Also, I think we should not bother so much about how long a party has ruled or dominated the political space of a state. It is more important to focus on individuals who are aspiring for positions. Like I said earlier, APC has a well-articulated manifesto that has the potential to transform the socio-political and economic landscape of this country.

    Are you aware that Abia South Senatorial Zone has experienced political heavyweights who are still in the other parties and the senatorial seat you are interested in is currently occupied by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, an experienced politician who was once a Deputy Governor in Abia? As a new-comer in Abia politics and a young man, how do you intend to win this battle?

    I believe that I have what it takes to win the 2019 senatorial elections in Abia South Senatorial zone. I am better positioned to emerge victorious in that election because I have fresh ideas and unique perspectives on how to improve  the living standard of our people for good. I also have innovative ideas to achieve sustainable development not just in my senatorial zone and Abia state but for the whole country. Let me inform you that I have the requisite track record of achievement and exposure to link up with world leaders and global decision makers.  I am passionate about seeing the youth in my zone and Abia as a whole inspired. I am familiar with issues that bother them and the demographics are to my advantage. More than 60 percent of voters are youths and I am going to leverage on that strength to defeat  the so-called experienced politicians.

    So you think that the issue of the youth versus the old brigade will play a major role in the coming elections in Abia?

    Yes, it will play a role. Let me tell you, ever since I decided to join partisan politics, I have been spending a lot of time with the youths and I will continue to mobilise them.

    Your interest and work in petroleum refining is well known. Now that you want to represent Abia South Senatorial Zone in the Red Chamber, what policy or law do you think should be made so that oil producing communities would benefit more?

    I have already planned to focus on policies that will strengthen the oil and gas institutions when I get into the Senate. If they are strengthened, we’re going to make recommendations that will help resolve the plight of oil producing communities. If you look at the other parts of the world where oil and other minerals are extracted, the communities are developed partly by the companies that operate in those communities. If you look at Cote D’Ivoire and Botswana in particular, you have an effective partnership between the indigenous communities and the companies that extract oil from these communities. For instance, it is sad to learn that residents of Ukwa East and Ukwa West, where most of oil in Abia State is deposited, lack access to affordable and reliable electricity. One of the policies that I will like to espouse is that the oil companies operating in these communities should come up with a road map that will guarantee 24 hours constant electricity instead of flaring the associated gas that they produce. They need to work out a realisable roadmap that will help bring about electricity for these communities.

    Do you think this kind of agreement has not existed before?

    I believe that efforts have been made in this direction before, but one thing is the approach that stakeholders adopted. There are effective models which I hope to advocate for when I get to the senate that will make sure that penalty associated with flaring gas within those communities will mandate the companies operating there to ensure that their roadmaps are implemented..

    Is Modular Refinery model the solution to PMS importation and regular fuel scarcity?

    I will use an experience I have to answer that question. If you recall, there was a fuel related crisis that occurred in 2012 under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. In fact, government was almost shutdown because of fuel scarcity across the country then.  Airplanes couldn’t fly and cars couldn’t run because of scarcity of fuel. So, as a concerned Nigerian, I said to myself, I could actually research to find out a solution. So, I took a year’s leave from my work and went to MIT to seek solution to the problem as a research work. One of my findings was that Modular Refinery could be an option but I realised that it could only offer a temporary solution to the fuel scarcity problem we are having in Nigeria. And the good thing about my research is that I was able to find a permanent solution to the issue of fuel scarcity in the country.  I documented a recommendation and handed it over to the present government for implementation. Modular Refinery is not economical for investors in the long term. It is for short term measures. Then going forward, the permanent solution that I proposed in my work is that we need refineries like the one Alhaji Dangote is building. They should be built at the terminals of oil producing companies. For example, there should be a mega refinery at Eket where Mobil gathers all the crude they produce in Nigeria. There should be refineries at Focados, where Shell gathers all the crude oil it produces. With close proximity to the source, you are able to have access to the feed stock, which is oil. And these companies have experience in refining crude oil in other parts of the world. It is shameful that we have over 38 billion cubic metres of crude in our reserve. We produce two million barrels of this crude oil every day, even on a Sunday and ship them to either Europe or Asia where it gets refined and fuel is returned back for us to consume. We pay subsidy.  We pay 10 dollars for a metric ton of this product. That’s the height of the corruption we have in Nigeria.

    According to some people, the development of Aba will, to a large extent, determine the health of the state’s economy. Currently, Aba is regarded as a sore sight. If you get elected as a senator representing Abia South, what do you intend to do for the area if you are elected?

    There are enormous opportunities in Aba that are not yet tapped. I was born and raised in Aba.

    I know the waste bin can be transformed to wealth by people that generate the waste. If you bring in private investors that can convert that waste into wealth and pay the individuals that generate the waste, you would have solved the problem of waste in Aba. The other point is the entrepreneurial spirit of Aba man. What will help us harness that opportunity is setting up industrial parks or industrial clusters. Building a gigantic industrial park that will cover over 9000 hectares of land, as is being currently contemplated by the incumbent administration, is a good idea, but it may take some years before such a project will be commissioned.

    My approach to solving entrepreneurial capacity in Aba is to set up small scale industrial clusters where equipment will be installed in order to commercialise the products of an Ariaria shoe maker  or other subsectors.

    How united and powerful is APC in Abia State to withstand the challenge of the rulling party in the state?

    APC stands a great chance of taking power in Abia State. The party is more united now than ever before. Yes, you don’t rule out disagreements in a party but what matters is that after the disagreements, the feuding parties reconcile. I think APC in Abia State is one big family poised to win elective positions in the state in 2019.

    Some people have expressed concern that the big political leaders that recently joined APC in Abia may have created some problems in the party.

    I don’t think so. It is more correct to say that the new comers into the APC fold have strengthened the party to emerge victorious in all elective positions in the state during the forthcoming elections. I said earlier that we have recorded influx of new members who defected from other parties. This has been the case almost on a daily basis. That is not a sign that problems exist in the party.

    Your opponents said APC is not popular in Igbo land. Don’t you see this as a challenge?

    What I tell people is that we should focus more on the individuals running on the APC platform. Parties are vehicles and decisions are taken by individuals that contest on the party platform. I think that is the way it should be. Also, a lot of Igbo leaders have joined APC. We have leaders like Jim Nwobodo, Orji Uzor Kalu, Ken Nnamani, Uche Ogar and other notable people. So, I don’t think it is still correct to say that Ndigbo are against APC.

    Above all, I am bringing a different approach to politics in Nigeria. I think our country will be better for it if we look beyond regional politics and focus more on our country as it were; Nigeria first.

    The current image of the National Assembly and that of the lawmakers is not very motivating. As a fresh entrant into politics, why did you choose to begin with the Senate? Don’t you think it may be difficult to work with the old and retired former governors, ministers and political godfathers hiding and resting at the Red Chamber?

    I will be a thorn in the flesh of elected senators that refuse to do the right thing for the common man. I am going there to serve and demonstrate that you don’t have to be a retired general in the army to aspire to any elective position in the country. You don’t have to be former governor, minister or an occupant of a high and influential position in the country to be effective. Going to the senate for me is to see how laws that would impact positively on the life of the common man would be enacted.

  • U.S. firm equips Abia hospitals

    The Abia State government has received medical equipment and supplies worth over N180 million from a United States of America-based organisation, Commision for Urgent Response and Equipment (C. U. R. E.).

    Speaking to newsmen in Umuahia, the state capital, Commissioner for Health Dr Gozie Ahukannah confirmed that the medical equipment and supplies have arrived in the state and will be deployed to enhance healthcare delivery in the state. He further stated that all the tiers of healthcare in the state would benefit from the supplies.

    Ahukanna assured that the medical equipment would be used on a regular basis in keeping with Governor Ikpeazu’s vow to improve the quality of medical services in the state.

    “The materials were donated by C.U.R.E. in USA but the shipment was facilitated by the Abia State government and we are expecting more,” he said.

    The delivery was a response to Governor Ikpeazu’s call to Abians in the Diaspora to support the development agenda of his administration. It was facilitated by Dr Ngozi  Ogbonna-Erondu, Coordinator of Abia State Diaspora Brain Trust/ Special Adviser to the Governor on Diaspora Affairs, Dr (Mrs) Ocheze Ikpeazu-Ugboaja, Mr Mac Azuogu and the Chairman of the State’s Medical equipment and Supplies Committee, Dr Mike Enyinnah, is the third batch of medical supplies and equipment received by the state from the United States of America.

    While unveiling the materials, Dr Enyinnah informed the public that the current batch of equipment and supplies will be handed over to the management of Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba, to support the establishment of a new Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and improve tertiary healthcare delivery to citizens and residents of the state.

    He said, “This is the third batch of medical supplies we are receiving from the United States of America after Governor Ikpeazu visited the CEO of C.U.R.E, Dr James Jackson, in Denver Colorado USA and the team’s visit to Abia to assess the needs of the state in medical equipment and supplies.

    “Governor Ikpeazu has continued to innovate and engage private and public organizations at home and abroad to ensure improvements in healthcare delivery in the state with a view to ending medical tourism by Abians. I can assure you that the materials we have received compare favorably with the best available in the African continent and the western world.”

    He disclosed that the government spent eleven million naira to ship, clear and transport the materials to the state which arrived in a 40-ft container.

    The state government had previously received various mobility aid equipment for physically challenged persons, which were distributed across the 17 LGAs of the state and another batch of medical supplies which were distributed to primary and secondary healthcare facilities in the state.

    Among the equipment in the current delivery were oxygen concentrators, high tech monitors, nebulisers, dental chair, ICU beds, suction machines, delivery beds, hoyer lifts, anti-embolism extremity pumps, electric transformers, glucose meters, sphygmomanometers, air mattresses, wheel chairs, stretchers, thermotic gastric drainage pumps, bedside commode and many more.

    Also included in the supplies are syringes, dressing materials, feeding tubes, laboratory supplies, pads, adult diapers, infusions etc, all of which passed through regulatory screening by NAFDAC and other relevant agencies.

  • Robbers attack warehouse, make away with over N4million cash

    … Man battling for survival after gunshot injury

    Armed men numbering four have reportedly attacked a warehouse located on Azikiwe road in Aba the commercial nerve of Abia State and allegedly made away with cash worth over four million naira.

    The Nation learnt that the gunmen who operated kin a commercial tricycle had pretended to have come to the textile warehouse to make inquiry before taking advantage of the situation to execute their evil agenda.

    Warehouses in Aba have in the last months been under attack by gunmen who disguised as passengers of commercial tricycles to beat security checks and to have the leeway to carry out their operations at ease.

    Sources around the location of the robbery incident who pleaded anonymity said that the gunmen armed to the teeth made away with cash belonging to the warehouse owner and some of the customers who were there to lift new materials and others who came to pay for previous supplies.

    It was learnt that the gunmen after carrying out their nefarious act stopped another commercial tricycle operator.

    According to the sources, the gunmen robbed the warehouse swiftly that even neighbours and passersby were surprised when customers and the warehouse owner were narrating their ordeals.

    “The man is selling clothes in bell. People were surprised when they (victims) were narrating the incident. The shop owner could not say exactly how much that was stolen from him, but from what we gathered, they (gunmen) made away with cash of over N4miilion.”

    Read Also: Robbers snatch N9m LG workers’ salary in Kebbi

    Another source however called on warehouse owners to install Close Circuit TV (CCTV) in their shops, stressing that it could assist the police and other sister agencies to either identify or track down the hoodlums as was the case in Offa (Kwara State) robbery.

    In another development, a resident of Boudex Lane off 28 Umuola Road, Aba is battling for survival in an undisclosed hospital in the commercial city after he was reportedly shot by an armed robber that invaded his apartment with his group members.

    The middle aged man who operates a provision store was said to have been taken unawares by robbers who came on a tricycle.

    Our reporter gathered that the man who could not watch the robbers cart away the cash he realized from the day’s sales, resisted the armed men from making away with the money, but one of the gunmen angrily shot the man in the head, leaving him in the pool of his blood.

    The neighbours and police patrol team was said to have been alerted by the sound of the gun and screaming of the victim.

    Unconfirmed report has it that the robbers noticing they were been chased by police, abandoned their tricycle at in front of a popular Secondary School along Aba/Ikot Ekpene Highway before dashing into a nearby bush for safety.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO of Abia State Command of the Nigerian Police Force, DSP Geoffery Ogbonna could not be contacted during the filing of this report as efforts to reach him failed.

  • Old Bende endorse Ikpeazu for second term

    The people of old Bende section of Abia state have endorsed Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for a second term in office and also adopted him as their consensus governorship candidate for the 2019 governorship election in the state.

    The position of old Bende people was made public in a communiqué read by Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa during a mega rally organized in honour of the governor and his deputy Sir Ude Oko-Chukwu in Umuahia.

    The section of Abia state which is made up of nine local government areas said that they were impressed with the achievements of governor Ikpeazu in the last three years and assured him of their block votes in 2019 governorship election.

    In his speech, the Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Sir. Oko-Chukwu said that the people of Old Bende decided to honour the governor in appreciation of his giant strides in the governance of Abia State.

    Oko-Chukwu requested Governor Ikpeazu to accept the various calls requesting him to offer himself to be reelected in 2019, as he deserves reelection and that he has no reason to deny the people of the state his quality services.

    In his own speech, the immediate past governor of the state, Senators Theodore Orji described Ikpeazu as a good and loyal successor as well as a performing governor who deserves a second tenure, noting that he has touched all facets of the Abia economy.

    Orji said that old Bende people will force him to run for a second term and advised all those warming up to contest with him in the coming election to preserve  their money as their attempt will be in vain.

    Read Also: Ikpeazu promises more support for health institution

    He said, “Governor, you have done so well and if you refuse to re-contest for a second term in office we are going to get a court injunction compelling you to run so that you can complete the good works you started in our state”.

    Other speakers including Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, Chief Sam Onuigbo, Sir. Cosmos Ndukwe, Hon. Chinedum Orji among others extolled the quality of infrastructural development and good governance of the Governor and expressed the decision of Old Bende people to ensure he is returned in 2019

    Contributing, the Old Bende Traditional Rulers Council led by Eze Godwin Chionye and representative of the President Generals and women groups all appreciated governor Ikpeazu and supported the call for his reelection.

    Responding, Governor Ikpeazu thanked the old Bende people for their solidarity, steadfastness and show of love, adding that he will ensure even development of the entire state irrespective of party affiliation.

    Ikpeazu said that their gesture has placed on his shoulders greater support and assured Abia people that the state is safe in his hands, “With this singular show of love for me you have succeeded in waking up greater vigor to work for the state”.

    He reassured the Old Bende people that he is proud of them and has their interest at heart, stressing that without Old Bende Abia cannot be complete as the people have contributed immensely to the development of the state economy.

    The governor commended them for their enterprising spirit, saying he was humbled by the  reception organized in his honour, he was later honoured with the chieftaincy title of Omekaozuoha of Old Bende.

  • Black Wednesday in Aba as residents accuse army of killings

    “We didn’t kill him”, says Army

    It was indeed a black Wednesday for residents of Chigbu Street off Uratta junction by Port Harcourt road in Aba South local government area of Abia State as a boy in his late twenties simply identified as Nnamdi was allegedly killed by yet-to-be identified soldiers.

    Nnamdi, an indigene of Mbano in Imo State according to some of the residents was said to have been killed by a stray bullet from the soldiers said to be on patrol in the area during the Wednesday sit-at-home protest by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in remembrance of their fallen heroes.

    The soldiers, it was learnt were chasing after some hoodlums believed to have wanted to take advantage of the sit-at-home to cause unrest in the commercial city as they were said to be harassing innocent passersby and motorists.

    The residents claimed that the soldiers after killing Nnmadi who they said to be in his late twenties dragged his body away and deposited it at a yet-to-be identified location.

    A resident of Chigbu Street who claimed to have witnessed the incident in a Press conference said “early this morning, some boys were like stopping vehicles asking them to go back. To me, they are more of touts and rough guys.

    Read Also: Court sentences ex-Taraba governor to 28 years imprisonment

    “Suddenly we started hearing gunshots and men on army uniform with their hilux van parked around Onyike were the ones shooting and coming down to Uratta Junction.

    “On getting here, we all were watching from our house when their bullet hit a boy called Nnamdi from Chigbu Street. When they saw he was down, they started shouting at everyone to run and sit at home.

    “Before you know it, they dragged the dead guy towards their van. We got the pictures, but we took it from afar. They later came back to harass people in the street which made most of the boys to run away.”

    Our reporter couldn’t reach the army spokesman in the state for comments, but senior army personnel in the command who spoke anonymously with our reporter denied the involvement of the military in the death of Nnamdi.

    According to the source, “Our troops at Asa General Area got information that there is a shootout along Port Harcourt road of Aba South LGA. When the troops moved to ascertain the situation, on reaching there, a group of boys suspected to be hoodlums on seeing the soldiers took off and abandoned the body of the deceased.

    “The body of the deceased was recovered and handed over to the police for identification.”

  • NDLEA raids Abia market, arrests four hard drug suspects

    …To setup outpost near market to check dealers activities

     

    Personnel of the Abia State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have reportedly arrested four suspected drug addicts in Aba, the commercial nerve of the state.

    The suspects, Sunny Opai (27yrs), Obinna Daniel (38yrs), Ese Emmanuel (22yrs) and Igwe Agu (19yrs), The Nation gathered were arrested when officers of the NDLEA raided one of the markets (Ahia Ohuru) popular for the sale of various type of textile materials in Aba, the southeast and Africa as well.

    The Commander of NDLEA, Bamidele Akingbade in a chat with our correspondent at the command’s headquarter along Ogbor Hill, Aba confirmed the arrests of the suspects.

    Akingbade stated that the suspects were arrested when personnel of the agency, acting on intelligence on the nefarious activities of the drug addicts which was posing great danger to traders and visitors alike, raided the market.

    According to Akingbade, the suspects and others at large were part of the group that regrouped in a section of the market after a successful joint operation in the same market in 2017.

    “Because of our inability to consistently raid and dislodge them from the part of Ahia Ohuru (New Market) where they were staying in the past to carry out their illegal activity, they regrouped and started unleashing mayhem such as raping of victims, snatching of phones, dispossessing of the victims of their valuables etc, we raided the place and arrested the suspects while the military gave us protection.”

    He added that efforts to check sale and smoking of hard and illicit drugs within and around the market were in top gear as the agency had already secured a place near the market to station an outpost that will be manned on 24hr basis by its personnel.

    The NDLEA boss who disclosed that a committee on drugs and narcotics made up by its personnel and officials of the state ministry of health that has a pivotal role to play in the war against drug abuse would soon meet with the governor of the state to discuss on how to ensure that activities of hard and illicit drug dealers were nipped in the bud.

    He also stated that efforts to involve the local government executives and traditional institutions across the 17 local councils of the state in the campaign against the sale and consumption of psychotropic substances would soon commence. With aggressive rural campaign.

  • Modular Refinery to be established in Abia

    as govt sign MoU with investors

     

    Abia State has reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding and other relevant documents with two firms for the establishment of a modular refinery in the state.

    The refinery, according to information gathered by our correspondent is expected to be sited in Ukwa West Local Government Area of the State which has the highest oil deposit in the state.

    The Information Commissioner, in a press release stated that the agreement was signed in Umuahia, the state capital, adding that Secretary to Abia State Government Dr. Eme Okoro, signed on behalf of the State Government while the Managing Director of GoldTrust Limited, Mr. Freeman George Amadin and the Managing Director of White page Concept, Engr. Mohammed Yakubu, signed on behalf of their respective companies.

    According to Okiyi, the SSG informed the investors that the administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu would always provide the enabling environment that would aid investors to excel as the state remains the best in ease of doing business in the region.

    Dr. Okoro called on other investors to come and invest in the State, as Abia remains one of the safest States in Nigeria with top quality infrastructure deployed by the Ikpeazu administration.

    He assured the indigenes of oil producing communities in the state that they would benefit maximally from the oil refinery deal.

    Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of AG GoldTrust Limited, Mr. Freeman George Amadin, reiterated his belief that investing in Abia will bring huge dividends, as the State has both commercial and social essence that would ignite every business to thrive and succeed.

    He revealed that establishing the modular refinery would help ignite industrial revolution in the State and expressed hope that the refinery when commissioned would create job opportunities for Abia youths and accelerate economic development of the State.

    In his speech, the Managing Director of Whitepage Concept, Engr. Mohammed Yakubu, promised that they would create the necessary platform that would aid Abians to own and develop oil resources in the State

    Some government functionaries including, Commissioner for Petroleum, Barr. Chizuru Kanu, the Deputy Chief of Staff, office of the State Governor, Chief Ukpai Agwu Ukpai (Dr.), ASOPADEC Chairman, Chief Sam Nwogu among others witnessed the signing ceremony.

  • Abia releases N200m for Poly workers salary payment

    Abia State Government on Wednesday announced that it has released the sum of two hundred million naira to the coffers of the Abia State Polytechnic, Aba for the payment of arrears of workers’ salaries.

    A release by the information commissioner, Chief John Okiyi stated that the money which was paid into the account of the Polytechnic on Monday serves as further subventions to the State Polytechnic.

    “So far, the institution has received a total of four hundred and seventy million (N470,000,000.00) from the state government, in the past four months.

    “The amount includes one hundred and eighty million Naira (N180,000,000.00) which was paid from the third tranche of Paris Club Refund but stuck in the accounts of the Polytechnic as a result of a court garnishee obtained by a Contractor whose wife works as Registrar of the institution, and another Ninety Million Naira (N90m) paid to the school shortly before they embarked on the current industrial action.

    “The monthly subvention expected to be paid to the school by the state government is Ninety Million Naira (N90,000,000). It is also important to note that early in the life of this administration the government paid off two billion Naira (N2,000,000,000.00) bad loan taken by the institution. This notwithstanding, the government has continued to pay some monthly subventions to the school.

    “Our independent review of the operating cash flow of the institution indicates a critical need to restructure and ensure that the school operates within its means, through shedding the sundry excess loads that made it impossible for it to run seamlessly, like Abia State University.

    “We therefore wish to encourage the management of Abiapoly to ensure an early return to work by all the staff of Abiapoly as well as take necessary measures to restructure the institution to improve operational efficiency,” part of the release read.

    Chairmen of the tripartite workers’ unions (Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Non-Academic Staff Union and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics)in the school could not be reached at the time of filing the report as sources within the institution told our reporter that they were in a meeting with the management team of the school.

    However, a senior staff of the institution who pleaded not to be mentioned stated that the meeting was expected to discuss on how to persuade the leaders of the workers unions to call off the strike with the N200m coming from the government.

    The source added that they would not come back to school until about two or three months of their salary arrears were paid.