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Tag: Anambra

  • 12 killed, many injured in multiple accident in Anambra

    12 killed, many injured in multiple accident in Anambra

    It was another black Friday in Awka, Anambra State yesterday, when a trailer rammed into three vehicles, killing about 12 persons and injuring many others.
    Eye witnesses said the break of the  trailer carrying diesel with registration number: Abia AE729-UMA from Enugu end of the expressway along Enugu/Onitsha road failed and the driver  lost control of the vehicle.

    The incident happened at about  4 pm on Friday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University junction in Awka.

    Three L-300 Mitsubishi buses were involved as onlookers wept  as men of the Federal Road  Safety Commission (FRSC), police men, Army men, NCSDC members battled to take the injured to different hospitals.

     The Nation was told by an eye witness that when the trailer lost control, it rammed into one of the L-300 buses in transit and another one loading for Onitsha and killed all the passengers.

     Those also involved in the accidents were mainly people selling different items along the park and some okada riders.

    Some of them refused to talk to reporters, adding that they were unable to give correct account of what actually happened.

    Students and on lookers were seen crying their hearts out when the Nation visited the scene of the accident, while vehicles heading to Onitsha were held up for hours along the express way.

  • Anambra varsity may lose Law accreditation

    Anambra varsity may lose Law accreditation

    Anambra State University, Uli, may lose the interim accreditation of its Law faculty, unless urgent steps are taken by the government to forestall such development. And if such happens, it will jeopardise the plans of trainee lawyers in the school to proceed to the Nigerian Law School.

    However, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) in Anambra State has cried out to Governor Peter Obi to assist the university provide for the basic requirements needed to earn full accreditation from the Nigerian Council of Legal Education.

    In a letter to Obi on Monday, signed by the CLO state chairman, Comrade Aloysius Attah and Secretary, Justus Ijeoma, the group lamented that the interim accreditation has already elapsed while the regulatory body has extended its visit to the campus to June 2013.

    The group noted that six departments in the university recently lost their accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC) as a result of failure to meet the required standards, resulting in and anxiety among students and lecturers of the law faculty.

    The requirements for full accreditation of the Law Faculty by the Nigerian Council on Legal Education include: a functional e-library, a law library stocked with certain required books, journals, periodicals and Law reports (both local and foreign), recommended furniture for students and lecturers, as well as efficient and qualified staff.

    Nevertheless, the CLO hailed Obi for improving the infrastructural deficits that had plagued the institution at both Uli and Igbariam campuses prior to assuming office. The group therefore, urged the Governor to maintain the tempo by stepping in to avert the impending loss of accreditation.

    According to the statement “Accreditation withdrawal or denial is a loss situation which neither serves the interests of the government nor that of the people hence the need for this to be averted by any means possible.

    “Most importantly, the Law Faculty of the Anambra State University has gained reputation as one of the best law faculties in the country in terms of performance of it’s graduates at the Nigerian Law School and such a shining light must not be allowed to fade through an avoidable situation.”

     

  • ‘Power ‘ll shift in Anambra’

    ‘Power ‘ll shift in Anambra’

    Anambra State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship aspirant Mr. Godwin Ezeemo spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU on the party’s preparation for the next election.

     

     

    Why do you want to be the governor of Anambra State?

    I am coming out to contest because I want to assist in bringing to Anambra State the much desired good governance they are yearning for. And this will bring succour to the people who have missed good governance for a long time.

    What are your chances of getting your party’s ticket?

    I have a big chance of clinching the ticket. Having registered, financed and supported the party at the grassroots and the state level, and sponsored many aspirants within the party in the last five years, I am known and I believe these will earn me the ticket

    Can ACN beat APGA at the poll?

    ACN has a very good chance of winning Anambra, if it fields a good candidate. You know Anambrarians are after the personality and not the party. The party leaning has dwindled, owing to disappointments we have had since the Second Republic. I want to draw your attention to the fact that ACN is the only political party in the state, which does not have crisis. This already tells you the stuff the party is made of, unlike other parties that have factions.

    What is your agenda for Anambra people?

    I will restore the lost Igbo values. You remember that I organised a programme in Awka last year tagged ‘Re-discovering the Lost Igbo Values’. Prominent Anambrarians and Igbos, including Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Dame Virgy Etiaba , academics, legislators, religious leaders, judicial officers, traditional rulers, women leaders, labour leaders, transporters, traders, keke and okada operators, students and other leaders from all walks of life in Igbo land attended. It was a five-day event, and at the end of the programme, our people were satisfied and felt strongly that there was the need to restore and rediscover our values. Secondly, there should be a functional and qualitative education in the state. Moreover, I will bring the Water Corporation back to life. I will prioritise building functional, basic utilities and infrastructure for industrial growth and development. As an industrialist, I know that when you have industrial growth, jobs will be created for our youths. And when our youths are engaged in gainful employment, our streets will be safer. Then, many social vices will be curbed. The basic healthcare services will be available for all Anambrarians as it is done in other parts of the world where I have lived. I am often surprised when I see how much the state government pays to our civil servants. The truth is that, if you want to get the best out of them and reduce corruption, you should be ready to pay them well.

    What is your assessment of the Obi Administration?

    Governor Peter Obi has done his part, based on his abilities and that probably, is his best. That is okay. One can only give what one has. No one can give what he does not have. However, the reality on ground is that Anambra still yearns for transformation in all areas.

    What is your reaction to the insecurity in the country, especially the Boko Haram insurgency, oil pipeline vandalisation, and kidnapping?

     You cannot divorce criminality from deprivation. In a society where there are limited opportunities, people, especially youths, are bound to take to crime. However, people have to understand that there is no justification for crime. The problem, basically, is that there is social injustice such that the gap between the haves and the have-nots keeps widening. The solution to this is for the government to close this gap through gainful and unselective job creation, emphasis on skills acquisition through technical knowledge acquisition and encouraging local and foreign investors to exploit opportunities here. When people build industries, unemployed people have jobs. When they are gainfully employed, they will have no time to think of crime. Those who are busy in their places of work or business have no time to think of crimes.

    What is responsible for the kidnapping in the Southeast and what is the way out?

    Well, as I pointed out earlier, many of the crimes here can be attributed to lack of opportunities. The way out of this is to have a conducive environment in the Southeast for investment. This is a collective responsibility. The government and individuals who have been blessed by God should help in creating jobs in this region, just as it is done in the Southwest and other places.

    How would you assess Jonathan Administration?

    The leaders of the PDP have done their best. But the truth is that their best has not been enough. There was high expectation in 1999 that, by 2013, power would have been stable; millions of jobs would have been created and the economy in general would have been among the best in the world, given our vast human and material resources. But you know, this dream is yet to be realised.

    Can APC defeat PDP in 2015?

    Yes, the alliance will defeat PDP in 2015. The alliance enjoys the support of the Southwest, the Northeast and Northwest. Do not exclude the Northcentral. Even in the Southeast, many of our people just want a change in leadership, since they feel the PDP has not given them what they have expected.

    What is your reaction to the agitation for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC)?

    Well, every successful country had challenges in the past. The challenges we are having in this country, though enormous, do not defy solution. I am of the opinion that we can fashion out a way of coming together in a round table to discuss the issues affecting us. I do not think it will balkanize the country. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo attempted to do it, although it was not successful. Yes, I think it is necessary and I do not think it will affect our existence, once all groups are represented.

     

     

  • Senate urges Anambra, Kogi, Enugu senators to resolve boundary dispute

    The Senate yesterday asked senators from Anambra, Kogi and Enugu states to resolve the dispute on the ownership of the oil-rich boundary of the three states.

    The mandate followed a motion by Senator Atai Aidoko (Kogi East) on the communal clash between Echenwo/Odeke in Ibaji Local Government of Kogi State and Enugu-Otu Aguleri in Anambra East Local Government of Anambra State.

    Although the motion was not taken, Senate President David Mark asked senators from the three states to meet and take the matter to the National Boundary Commission (NBC) for resolution.

    Aidoko insisted that the motion should be taken since he merely asked the Senate to urge the Federal Government to create a buffer zone in the affected states, until the crisis of ownership was resolved.

    He added that he wanted the Senate to urge the government to deploy the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) to protect the people.

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu told the Senate that when Aidoko informed him about the motion, he advised him to liaise with senators from Anambra State to sponsor a joint motion on the outbreak of hostilities in the oil-rich area.

    Ekweremadu said he was surprised that Aidoko alone brought up the motion.

    Senator Ayogu Eze (Enugu North) said President Goodluck Jonathan invited a delegation from the three states to discuss the matter.

    Eze, who said he was in the delegation, informed that Aidoko was also present at the meeting.

    He said Jonathan asked the delegation to allow the NBC to look into the matter.

    Mark said the senators from the three states should meet to discuss the dispute.

    He added that if there was need for a motion, it should be sponsored by the senators.

    The Senate President explained that there were usually boundary disputes between communities and insisted that if a motion on boundary dispute was allowed in the Senate, it would become a daily occurence.

     

  • ‘ACN ‘ll rule Anambra’

    Anambra State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship aspirant Mr. Godwin Ezeemo spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU on the party’s preparation for the next election.

     

     

    Why do you want to be the governor of Anambra State?

    I am coming out to contest because I want to assist in bringing to Anambra State the much desired good governance they are yearning for. And this will bring succour to the people who have missed good governance for a long time.

    What are your chances of getting your party’s ticket?

    I have a big chance of clinching the ticket. Having registered, financed and supported the party at the grassroots and the state level, and sponsored many aspirants within the party in the last five years, I am known and I believe these will earn me the ticket

    Can ACN beat APGA at the poll?

    ACN has a very good chance of winning Anambra, if it fields a good candidate. You know Anambrarians are after the personality and not the party. The party leaning has dwindled, owing to disappointments we have had since the Second Republic. I want to draw your attention to the fact that ACN is the only political party in the state, which does not have crisis. This already tells you the stuff the party is made of, unlike other parties that have factions.

    What is your agenda for Anambra people?

    I will restore the lost Igbo values. You remember that I organised a programme in Awka last year tagged ‘Re-discovering the Lost Igbo Values’. Prominent Anambrarians and Igbos, including Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Dame Virgy Etiaba , academics, legislators, religious leaders, judicial officers, traditional rulers, women leaders, labour leaders, transporters, traders, keke and okada operators, students and other leaders from all walks of life in Igbo land attended. It was a five-day event, and at the end of the programme, our people were satisfied and felt strongly that there was the need to restore and rediscover our values. Secondly, there should be a functional and qualitative education in the state. Moreover, I will bring the Water Corporation back to life. I will prioritise building functional, basic utilities and infrastructure for industrial growth and development. As an industrialist, I know that when you have industrial growth, jobs will be created for our youths. And when our youths are engaged in gainful employment, our streets will be safer. Then, many social vices will be curbed. The basic healthcare services will be available for all Anambrarians as it is done in other parts of the world where I have lived. I am often surprised when I see how much the state government pays to our civil servants. The truth is that, if you want to get the best out of them and reduce corruption, you should be ready to pay them well.

    What is your assessment of the Obi Administration?

    Governor Peter Obi has done his part, based on his abilities and that probably, is his best. That is okay. One can only give what one has. No one can give what he does not have. However, the reality on ground is that Anambra still yearns for transformation in all areas.

    What is your reaction to the insecurity in the country, especially the Boko Haram insurgency, oil pipeline vandalisation, and kidnapping?

    You cannot divorce criminality from deprivation. In a society where there are limited opportunities, people, especially youths, are bound to take to crime. However, people have to understand that there is no justification for crime. The problem, basically, is that there is social injustice such that the gap between the haves and the have-nots keeps widening. The solution to this is for the government to close this gap through gainful and unselective job creation, emphasis on skills acquisition through technical knowledge acquisition and encouraging local and foreign investors to exploit opportunities here. When people build industries, unemployed people have jobs. When they are gainfully employed, they will have no time to think of crime. Those who are busy in their places of work or business have no time to think of crimes.

    What is responsible for the kidnapping in the Southeast and what is the way out?

    Well, as I pointed out earlier, many of the crimes here can be attributed to lack of opportunities. The way out of this is to have a conducive environment in the Southeast for investment. This is a collective responsibility. The government and individuals who have been blessed by God should help in creating jobs in this region, just as it is done in the Southwest and other places.

    How would you assess Jonathan Administration?

    The leaders of the PDP have done their best. But the truth is that their best has not been enough. There was high expectation in 1999 that, by 2013, power would have been stable; millions of jobs would have been created and the economy in general would have been among the best in the world, given our vast human and material resources. But you know, this dream is yet to be realised.

    Can APC defeat PDP in 2015?

    Yes, the alliance will defeat PDP in 2015. The alliance enjoys the support of the Southwest, the Northeast and Northwest. Do not exclude the Northcentral. Even in the Southeast, many of our people just want a change in leadership, since they feel the PDP has not given them what they have expected.

    What is your reaction to the agitation for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC)?

    Well, every successful country had challenges in the past. The challenges we are having in this country, though enormous, do not defy solution. I am of the opinion that we can fashion out a way of coming together in a round table to discuss the issues affecting us. I do not think it will balkanize the country. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo attempted to do it, although it was not successful. Yes, I think it is necessary and I do not think it will affect our existence, once all groups are represented.

     

     

  • Four youths thrill Anambra

    Four youths thrill Anambra

    For their excellence, four students of the Department of Geology Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) Awka, Anambra State have lifted the spirits of everyone in the state.

    The quartet, Chibuzo Ahaneku, Chinelo Ezidiegwu, Nnaemeka Okoli and Vivian Oguadinma won this year’s American Association of Petroleum Geologist Imperial Barrel Award (AAPG-IBA).

    Traders, children and the elderly trooped out to join the student population in celebration.

    The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Boniface Egboka, went into a dance. The governor, Mr Peter Obi, praised the youth. Others poured encomiums on the victorious four.

    It was pointed out that their excellence reflected the state government’s efforts in raising education standard.

    The students participated in an annual competition for geosciences students.

    The competition requires that university teams analyse and interpret multiple data sets from selected basins around the world known as seismic data, well logs, formation taps, well reports and literatures.

    The competition which was held at the Peninsula Hotel Lagos had six university teams from different countries in Africa.

    Soon, universities from all the continents of the world will gather at the United States of America to compete for the prestigious global award, including scholarship funds.

    Following their exploits, the institution, the people and the state government rolled out drums to celebrate the all-conquering student team.

    Their mentor, Dr Bernard Odoh who is also the faculty advisor and Ms. Nkechi Egboka were equally celebrated.

    Speaker after speaker, including the state Commissioner for Economic Planning Prof. Stella Okunna and Governor Peter Obi’s Chief of Staff poured encomiums on the students.

    Prof. Okunna said the students’ feat is an indication that Governor Obi’s efforts in lifting the standard of education in the state are not in vain, adding that the fatherly role played by Prof. Egboka and his management team inspired the students.

    Universities from Egypt, Tunisia, Nigeria and other countries in Africa participated in the two-day competition.

    The leader of the team and Faculty Advisor, Dr. Bernard Odoh said what the laurel means is that avenue for employment has been opened for the students not only in Nigeria or Africa, but globally.

    Odoh further recalled that three years ago, the university took the fourth position while in 2012, it came third and capped it up with the first position in 2013.

    The Vice-Chancellor of the institution Prof. Boniface Egboka threw caution to the wind and danced to the admiration of the crowd who joined him.

    Sweating profusely, Egboka declared that the award will be presented to President Goodluck Jonathan in due course through the Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC).

    Maintaining that standard of education is not falling, he said it is the people that are falling, adding that soon one of the students will travel to Germany for further studies.

    “UNIZIK is doing well, and we are proud of the people here. I feel like a baby. We know why we are here right now and we know where we are going.

    “Though we have shortfalls in funding, students are still excelling. We should provide resources for the schools. This feat should be celebrated in Aso Rock. We are going to write a letter to Mr. President.

    “This has shown that UNIZIK has really arrived in the academic world. We are proud of being members of this school. We will continue to mesmerize the entire world. Our late hero Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe will be proud wherever he is today,” Egboka said.

    However, he warned some politicians to stop misleading and misusing his students by distracting them from their studies, adding that they should allow them to concentrate on their studies to attract further laurels to the state and country.

    Prof. Joseph Ahaneku told Newsextra that what the students had done was part of the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

    He said: “We are propagating the legacy which the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe left for us and we believe he will be happy in the great beyond.”

    In a chat with Newsextra, Prof. Grey Nwakobi said that the exploits of the students had rubbished the claims from certain quarters that Nigerian graduates are not employable.

    He said that it has equally vindicated the lecturers of the institution, adding that it had become a big challenge to other departments in the institution.

    But for Prof. Paul Orajaka, the students should be given more encouragement by sending them to seminars and international conferences.

    He added that the institution should imbibe a culture of engaging its best brains instead of allowing others to meal on them.

  • Two dead as Anambra, Kogi boundary crisis worsens

    DESPITE efforts by the governments of Anambra and Kogi states to restore peace to Aguleri-Otu in Anambra State and Echonwa/Ideke in Kogi State, the dispute between the two boundary communities escalated yesterday.

    Sporadic gunshots were heard in the troubled area, even as the casualty figures could not be ascertained.

    The Nation learnt that several people have been killed and property worth millions of naira lost since renewed hostility began in the disputed area two weeks ago.

    Addressing reporters at his palace, the Igwe of Aguleri, Christopher Idigo, said his people’s patience was running out.

    He said two of their kinsmen, Obalum Udealor and Onyeka Nnebe, who were abducted when the people of Ibaji invaded Aguleri Otu two weeks ago, were confirmed dead yesterday.

    “When they came to attack our people yesterday, they were telling us that they have eaten our brothers and this is heightening the tension in the area.”

    The monarch added that in addition to the burnt houses, the invaders, believed to be from Kogi, also razed a primary school built by the Anambra State Government and other schools belonging to the Catholic church and a pentecostal church.

    He said: “As we are talking, the people of Ibaji are shooting heavily at Okpeze, which is in Anambra East.

    “It is not that we cannot retaliate but we are obeying the directive of our governor, Peter Obi, that we should remain calm as the government is handling the situation.

    “We are enduring, but what pains us is that this shooting is taking place on our soil.

    “If the Federal Government does not want to intervene in this matter, it can as well allow us to handle the matter our own way so that government can come in later.

    “There is an atmosphere of insecurity in the area and we also believe that taking up arms will never solve the problem.

    “What we think can solve the problem is a roundtable discussion. That will bring lasting peace to the area.”

  • Anambra 2014: PDP factions reconcile

    Anambra 2014: PDP factions reconcile

    Anambra State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is putting its house in order, ahead of the 2014 governorship election. The reconciliation of the factions within the party is yielding dividends, reports NWANOSIKE ONU.

     

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is putting its house in order in Anambra State, ahead of the next year’s governorship election.

    The leaders of the party have woken up to the reality that the five factions cannot win power, unless they fuse together as a united group.

    When the converged at Awka, the state capital, recently, how to forge unity and settle their differences were on the front burner.

    The party chairman, Mr. Ken Emeakayi , the members of the State Executive Committee and party elders reminded the party faithful that only a united front can confront the ruling All Progresssives Grand Alliance (APGA) and effect power shift.

    In the last eight years, the PDP has taken a back seat in Anambra politics. Apart from APGA, the opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), is waxing stronger than the PDP. Nothing attests more graphically to the declining electoral fortunes of the party than the last February 6, 2010 governorship election. The PDP came a distant third. It was a shocking defeat, considering the political heavyweights who are member of the party.

    The reason was not far fetched. Besides taking the electorate for granted, the party chieftains played the politics of bitterness such that the unwritten code of “if not me, then, it should never be you” was evident at the end of the election. Party stalwarts had worked against the interest of the party.

    However, party leaders appear to have woken up from their slumber. At the Awka rally, they spoke passionately about the need for the party to forge a united front, reconcile all factions and work together to avoid defeat.

    Emeakayi, who set the tone for the rally, said the days of imposition of the candidates were over in the party. He said that President Goodluck Jonathan has given the assurance that he would not allow imposition of candidate during the electioneering. He urged aspirants to go to their respective wards and gird their loins. He noted that the true custodians of power are those at the grassroots, who also have the right to choose the candidates of their choice.

    “We are here to start anew. We all know what happened in the last governorship election. We don’t want to be sidelined again this time. It is now almost eight years that we have been out of power in the state. It is not that we do not have the calibre of people to lead the state; not that we do not have the material or means to campaign, but we frittered away the opportunity because of disunity, internal wrangling and factionalisation. Enough is enough”, he said.

    Emeakayi added: “We have decided to come together as united and indivisible family. We are here to start anew, having forgiven one another; to work for the good of our people. We have thoroughly reappraised ourselves and we now agree that only in unity and oneness can we make it happen”.

    To make good the plan to unite all factions in the state chapter, a Peace, Reconciliation and Harmonization Committee has been set up. It is led by a retired jurist, Justice Paul Obidigwe. Other members are the former Idemili North Local Government Chairman, Chief Okey Muo-Aroh (Secretary), Mrs Beatrice Ekwueme, Mrs Chika Ibeneme, Mr Bright Nnebedum and Chief George Okoye. The committee was also given free hand to enlarge its membership, if that would help it achieve its objectives.

    The Committee’s first duty was to register and re-issue a new party card to one of the national grand patrons of the party, Prince Arthur Eze. The brief ceremony was led by Emeakayi. Eze decried the division within the the party and expressed hope that the committee will return the party to victory. He also canvassed support for the Jonathan, saying it has the capacity to foster peace and cohesion, if it is given the support it needs.

    But the question is how far can the Emeakayi-led executive sustain the unity anthem it has begun? For a party that has five factions led by Senator Andy Uba, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, Emeakayi,Chief Mike Nwakalor and Chief Chris Uba, the task ahead is Herculean.

    The PDP has a big opportunity of reviving its political structure in the state at a time the APGA is in a war of attrition in APGA. But PDP also have another hurdle to cross. The ACN is not relenting in its efforts to win the next election. The party boasts of people like Senators Chris Ngige and Annie Okonkwo, who are great political warriors.

    Time will tell, if the PDP will bounce back in the state or not.

     

  • ‘Protect Anambra citizens’

    A  group, the Anambra Grassroots Change Initiative, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to protect Anambra citizens living in the North.

    The group spoke yesterday after its meeting in Awka, the state capital.

    It described the sectarian killings in the North, particularly the Kano bus bombings, as satanic and barbaric.

    In a communiqué read by its coordinator, Tony Ezekwelu, the group said it would be forced to call on all Anambra citizens in the North to return home, if no serious step is taken to secure their life and property.

    Ezekwelu said:”While we sympathise with the bereaved and survivors, we want to state that we can no longer take excuses for these killings, which appear targeted at our people.The people of Anambra State constitute more than three quarter of the victims.”

    The group called on the government to start the process for the conduct of local government elections.

    “The non-conduct of local government elections is illegal. We are calling on the government to ensure the conduct of free and fair election.

    “There is no excuse for not conducting the election in 14 years. Government can settle all outstanding cases out-of-court.”

     

  • Orient Oil: Tension in Anambra as armed men invade Aguleri-Otu

    • 400 houses burnt, three people missing

    Aguleri-Otu people in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State on Friday fled their homes following invasion by the people of Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State.

    The Echonwa and Odeke war mongers allegedly burnt more than 200 houses and other properties worth millions of naira, even as three people were reportedly kidnapped.

    President General of Mkpunando comprising all the arms that made up Aguleri-Otu, Reverend Edwin Chukwuemeka, confirmed the fresh attacks to The Nation in a telephone interview.

    He said more rampaging youths from Kogi State invaded them, forcing their youths, who were looking for peace, to avoid blood bath but appealed to the federal government to intervene before his people resort to self defense. He said Kogi State people from Ibaji cannot win a war with them but they would not want to fight Kogi people sequel to negative publicity they have incurred from previous wars they had with some of their neigbours.

    The Echonwa and Odeke people had invaded the Okpali and Okpeze Aguleri-Otu, Anambra East local government.

    The Transition Committee Chairman of Anambra East Local Government Area, Comrade Chiedu Obidigwe, confirmed the attack on Aguleri-Otu people. He, however, described the attack as unprovoked invasion on his people as they are not ready for war. He accused the Kogi State Government and Ibaji Local Government of fuelling the war.

    Obidigwe said, “I am personally accusing the Kogi State government and the chairman of Ibaji local government area of inciting their people against our people as they have not done anything tangible to contain the excesses of their people.

    ‘’The chairman of Ibaji LGA has done nothing to stop his people from invading us but I have day in day out reached out to our people not to take up arms to avoid outright war with the people of Ibaji and Kogi at large.

    “We are not interested in fighting the Echonwa and Odeke from Kogi State. They have invaded us and as I speak to you, our people have been invaded at Okpali Aguleri-Otu, and Okpeze Aguleri by the Kogi people. They are burning houses and chasing our people away from their ancestral homes and land in an unprovoked attack.

    “Two of our people got bullet wounds, two motorcycles were burnt with properties worth several millions of naira. As at now, nobody was killed and two people were arrested and taken to the police station.

    “We are looking for two persons from our community and police is aware of that and the only soldier and police around that place is from Anambra State. We have not seen or heard that any soldier or police from Kogi State has visited there.

    Eye witness accounts and villagers who spoke to The Nation said the two trucks of Nigerian Army guiding the Orient Oil locations could not do much as they allegely had no brief to quell the invading war mongers. The Nigerian police were helpless also.