The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Afikpo

  • Two abducted Ebonyi children freed by kidnappers

    Abductors of two children who were kidnapped in Ebonyi have been freed by their abductors.

    The two children were kidnapped last two weeks while sleeping in their Uncle’s home in Afikpo South Local Government Area.

    The release followed the arrest of the leader of the kidnapping gang and his collaborator by the Police Anti-Kidnapping Squad.

    The abducted children Chinwe and Ibiam Igwe aged nine and five years were freed on Sunday afternoon.

    An Eyewitness, Mr Lawrence Mbachime said the children were loitering on Amasiri Amangwu Road when a commercial motorcyclist spotted them.

    He explained that the development was coming after some community members acting on a tip off had laid ambush and conducted a search in a thick forest between Amasiri and Amangwu communities.

    Police spokesman in the state, Loveth Odah confirmed the development.

    She noted that the children were freed after men of Anti Kidnapping squad put one of the kidnappers holding the two children in the forest under pressure.

    Mrs Odah said efforts were on to arrest a fleeing member of the gang.

    The spokesman said the the two children were looking sick and traumatised printing the Policeto rush them to the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki on the orders of the Commissioner of Police in the State, Mr Titus Lamorde

    It was gathered that the grandfather of the children aged one hundred and four years who suffered serious machete cuts when the kidnappers came to abduct their victims had died.

  • APC sets up committee to mobilise eligible voters on CVR

    APC sets up committee to mobilise eligible voters on CVR

    The All Progressives Congress ( APC ) in Ebonyi State has set up a six-man committee on voter education to mobilize eligible voters to participate in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration ( CVR ).

    The six-man committee comprised Mr Okenwa Uka as Chairman and Gibson Nnachi as secretary.

    The State Chairman of the party, Mr Eze Nwachukwu inaugurated the committee on Monday in Edda, Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi at a sensitisation to mobilize the people to participate in the exercise.

    Nwachukwu charged the committee to liaise with community leaders, traditional rulers, women groups to mobilize eligible electorate at wards, villages and communities.

    Read also: Ondo APC urges Buhari to dissolve NDDC board

    The chairman urged the committee to report difficulties that might be encountered to the state secretariat for prompt action.

    “Report issues of breakdown of INEC registration machines or any other difficulties you may encounter promptly to our office.

    “We count on you for the success of the exercise in Afikpo South and you must live up to the confidence reposed on you,” he said.

    Nwachukwu also appealed to community leaders, traditional rulers, youth organizations and political stakeholders in the state to effectively mobilise eligible voters to participate in the CVR.

    He advised the people against selling their PVCs or exchanging it for whatever reason, as the voter card remained the only power and right available to them to choose leaders of their choice.

    “Do not sell or exchange your voter card. The card is the only legal right and power you have to participate in the election.

    “Report any person or persons engaging in buying, selling or hoarding of the PVCs to the police or any law enforcement agency.

    He assured that the APC was committed to conducting free, fair and credible general elections in 2019.

    “The era of election malpractices, forceful snatching and stuffing of ballot boxes during elections in Ebonyi are over.

    “We are here in Edda today to appeal to every eligible voter, especially those who are yet to register and obtain their voter card, to go and register and collect their Permanent Voter Card ( PVC ).

    “Any eligible voter without his or her PVC is in error and not a good indigene of Edda. It is your civic right to vote and you cannot vote without being first registered and obtain the PVC which is your authority to vote.

    “The system being put in place by the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) to conduct, regulate and monitor the 2019 general elections will make rigging impossibile.

    “As party in control of the Federal Government, we want to reassure the electorate that votes will count and that only leaders freely elected by the people in a free, fair and credible process will emerge.

    “The FG and INEC have demonstrated this commitment in the governorship and senatorial elections held recently in Anambara and same will be replicated in Ebonyi in 2019,” Nwachukwu said.

    The chairman on behalf of other committee members assured the party of commitment to the task, pledging not to leave any stone unturned in effective mobilisation.

    NAN

  • Transperancy, accountability key to good governance – Group

    Transperancy, accountability key to good governance – Group

    An Ebonyi-based Non Governmental Organization, (NGO), Ebonyi Transperancy and Accountability Network (ETAN), says transperancy and accountability in public service are key to enhancing good governance in any society.

    The President of the group, Mr Eze Igwe, disclosed this while addressing newsmen on Saturday in Afikpo ahead of proposed town hall meeting of the group with the elected state and federal lawmakers from the Ebonyi South Senatorial District.

    According to Eze, ETAN is an advocacy group made up of professionals from Ebonyi resident in Nigeria and in the Diaspora who united to pull both material and intellectual resources to assist in the development of the state.

    He said that the NGO was committed to driving transparency and accountability in public service by engaging those occupying public offices, especially the lawmakers in public discourse in organised town hall meetings.

    “We drive transparency in governance and especially demand accountability from people in public office and that engagement has been going on since 2016.

    “In this 2017, our target is to meet with elected lawmakers from Ebonyi South, engage them during the town hall and make them meet one on one with the people of their constituencies,” Eze said.

    He said that there was a detatchment between the people and their representatives arguing that most times the product of legislators did not reflect the wishes of the people.

    He said that the proposed meeting would provide a platform for seamless communication between the represented and the representatives during which issue-based problems could be focused on.

    He said that the initiative would further provide opportunity for the representatives from the zone to give account of their stewardship to the people which he noted would boost and strengthen citizens active participation in governance.

    “There is a detatchment between the people and their elected representatives and most times when you see the product of legislators, it does not reflect the wishes of the people they are representing.

    “So, we wanted to start this town hall meeting so that there is a seamless communication between the people and their representatives so that issue-based problems can be focused on.

    “This engagement will ensure that we have more responses to people-based problems as against just governance.

    The group called for more openness in government and more access to freedom of information, to enable the people to connect with the day to day activities of government especially in fiscal governance.

    “States should be able to increase access to more information, be able to put their budgets online so that citizens can see their budgets.

    “States should also be able to publish their annual accounts and audited annual reports that enable citizens to have a greater understanding of what government is saying its priorities are and where it is actually spending its resources.”

    Eze explained that when citizens were actively involved in governance and political process, the quality of service delivery would be enhanced.

    He commended Gov. Dave Umahi for embarking on aggressive infrastructure development in Abakaliki but called for decentralisation of some of the projects.

    The group further called on government to give greater attention to the education sector, improve the security architecture and power infrastructure to enhance industrialisation of the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the group has urged eligible electorate to register and obtain their voter cards to qualify to vote in the forthcoming general elections.

    The group also enjoined the electorate to ensure that only people who understood the value of human resources, maintained transperancy and accountability in public leadership got their support.

  • Ebonyi CJ frees 38 awaiting-trial inmates

    Ebonyi CJ frees 38 awaiting-trial inmates

    The Chief Judge of Ebonyi State, Justice Alloy Nwankwo has freed 38 inmates serving in Abakaliki and Afikpo federal prisons  during a jail delivery exercise.

    Nwankwo, while addressing journalists, said that the jail delivery exercise was in exercise of the constitutional rights conferred on the Chief Justice of the Federation and the Chief Judges of states by the Nigerian Constitution.

    Giving a breakdown, the Chief Judge said nine inmates were released from Abakaliki prisons while nine others were released from Afikpo prisons.

    He said the exercise was to decongest the prison yard by releasing awaiting trial inmates who have been in custody without trial over a period of time.

    According to him, 11 inmates awaiting trial were discharged, nine were granted bail on self-recognition while the other nine were admitted to conditional bail in Abakaliki prisons.

    Also, in Afikpo prisons, 5 inmates were discharged without condition, 3 released on bail condition and 1 freed on self-recognition.

    He said that the facility was built to accommodate 387 inmates but lamented that no fewer than 1000 both awaiting trial and convicted inmates were presently housed in the facility.

    “There are over 1000 inmates in the prison yard built to accommodate 387 inmates hence the need for us to regularly visit the prisons to treat deserving cases in order to decongest the prisons in line with  the  prisons reform policy.

    “Our work as I said earlier does not include coming here to release all awaiting inmates, there are procedures otherwise we will be disobeying the law and that is not our intention”, Nwankwo said.

    Justice Nwankwo commended the prisons authority for compiling the case files in proper order, saying by October, there would be a repeat of the exercise to further decongest the prison.

    He urged the freed inmates to be of good conduct and to avoid engaging in further criminal activities that could throw them back to prison.

    “You must be of good conduct, shun further criminal activities and work to contribute meaningfully to the society.

    “Those on bail we are charging to be of good behaviour and to stick to the bail conditions to avoid revocation of the bail,” he added.

    Those released include; 66-year-old Patrick Orji accused of alleged murder incarcerated for nine years without trial, Ikechukwu Okoro and Chibueze Nweke.

    Others discharged are: Chinonso Nwibo who is deaf and dumb, Chibuike Agbo, Ndubuisi Ogbonna, Ndubuisi Nworie and 12-year-old Chibuike Omuka charged with alleged burglary among others.

    Also, the Prisons Boss, Comptroller Emelia Adaobi Oputa, has handed over barbing saloon equipment to one of the freed prisons inmates  Chinonso Nwibo, as part of efforts to rehabilitate prisoners serving various jails terms within the facility.

    Handing over the equipment to Chinonso Nwibo, she advised him to be of good behaviour and make use of the equipment to start his trade.

     

  • Widow banished for having sex on late husband’s bed

    Widow banished for having sex on late husband’s bed

    For allegedly having sex with a man on her late husband’s matrimonial bed, a 70 woman been banished from her community.
    The widow Mrs Maria Okoh, it was gathered, was allegedly caught by her granddaughter allegedly having sex with the 30 year old man said to be  her lover at Amaudo Nkpoghoro village, Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

    In Afikpo, it is a considered a taboo for a widow to make love on her late husband matrimonial bed.

    Maria’s  grand daughter was said to have gone to her grandmother’s house to give her some food items which she bought for her when she saw the 30 year old man making love with the grandmother.

    She immediately raise alarm and immediately reported the matter to some members of the community who reported it to elders in the area.

    Some of the villagers immediately held the woman and the man and dragged them out of the house chanting disgraceful songs on them.

    The villagers paraded the widow and the man round the community while chanting disgraceful songs  as punishment for their act.

    The woman was allegedly banished from the community after the parade.

    One of the villagers, Egwu Azubuike said  the woman would have faced  greater punishment if her husband was still alive.

    He noted  that the act has brought shame to the widow’s family, adding that the widow was among the most respected women in the community
    before the incident.

    Meanwhile, according to the community’s custom, the woman will  give three goats as fine  to appease the land before she will be accepted back.

  • Labour Party’s gains in Afikpo

    Labour Party’s gains in Afikpo

    The recent primaries of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) may have further alienated the people from the party. Ogochukwu Anioke in Abakaliki takes a look at the Afikpo North/South Federal Constituency and reports that the battle is shaping up for another landslide victory for the Labour Party candidate

    THE People’s Democratic Party has never been as unpopular in Ebonyi State, a state it has ruled since the inception of the present democratic dissension in the country in 1999, as it is right now, less than a month to the elections.

    The reason for this is not far-fetched. The recent acrimonious primaries of the party which led to mass defection of major stakeholders from the party has turned the party from one of the most formidable state branches of the party to the least cohesive.

    The party before the primaries was used as a reference point by national leaders of the party as a model to be emulated by other state branches of the party. But a few weeks after the charade of a primary, which produced allegedly unpopular candidates in virtually all the positions, the party is now in total chaos which was precipitated by the exodus of aggrieved supporters of Governor Martin Elechi to the Labour Party.

    The primaries were marred by lots of irregularities starting with the delegates congress down to the House of Assembly and National Assembly primaries and up to the gubernatorial primary.

    A Second Republic Senator, Offiah Nwali, aptly captures the mood of the electorates and the stakeholders in a protest letter to the National Chairman of the party, Adamu Muazu. Nwali in the petitioned expressed dismay and condemnation for the primaries of the party in the state.

    He described the delegate’s election congress in the state as just a delegate selection congress wherein all the contestants of the party delegates who are not candidates of the Deputy Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, were removed as delegates.

    “May we inform you that the deputy governor connived and conspired with the delegates committee to fill the names of their selected delegates.”

    He expressed concern, saying, “Imagine a situation where the names of delegates were recruited by one man who claimed to have won primaries, not to talk of the said primaries that were openly rigged through over voting and none voting at all”.

    “We therefore call on the NWC of the PDP, led by Alhaji Adamu Muazu, to cancel the gubernatorial primaries in Ebonyi State”, Nwali added.

    Similar sentiments were also expressed by other stakeholders, many of whom have since left PDP to team up with the Labour Party.

    Even many of those still left in the party, it was gathered, are not favourably disposed to supporting the candidates of the party.

    If fillers from Afikpo North and Afikpo South Federal constituencies are anything to go by, then the PDP may have to kiss the positions which it has held since 1999 till date goodbye, that is if the votes count. This is also based on the popularity rating of the PDP candidate for the constituency, Idu Igariwe, and the Labour Party candidate, Hon Eni Uduma Chima.

    Born on March 23, 1977, Eni Uduma Chima, a lawyer, hails from Eziukwu  Amogbu, Ekoli Edda.

    On April 14, 2007, he was elected into Ebonyi State House of Assembly to represent Afikpo South-West (Upper Edda) Constituency. He was re-elected on April 2011. Hon.Eni uduma Chima has participated in several leadership trainings and programmes at home and abroad like the Peoples Democratic Party Policy Retreats, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) conferences in Tanzania, Kenya, Malaysia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, etc and has been on working visit to Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Island of Malta etc.

    As a lawmaker, his admirers adore him for reportedly “attracting the reconstruction and asphalting of Ebunwana /Ekoli/ Nguzu Edda roads; Actualisation of the creation of Afikpo South Development Centre and citing of the headquarters in Ekoli Edda, “actualisation of the creation of Amaiyi/Ebiri ward from Nguzu ward by Ebonyi State House of Assembly; the creation of Owuu ward from Ebunwana ward, among other projects.

    Another factor in favour of Eni is his alleged control of the structure of both local government areas backing him, from the two council chairmen, to the development centre coordinators and many other stakeholders who defected to the LP, including the current holder of the position, Hon Omo Isu.

    Unlike Eni however, Igariwey’s opponents in Afikpo North are harping on his alleged betrayal of Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, accusing him also of poor performance as the Chairman of Afikpo North Local Government Area for the two terms he was chairman.