The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Andrew Enwerem

  • Gunmen murder Imo monarch, abscond with corpse

    Unknown gunmen suspected to be hired assassins on Sunday afternoon, murdered the traditional ruler of Mgbe community, Eze Bredan Ibekwe in Orlu Council Area of Imo state throwing the sleepy community into turmoil.

    The gunmen after killing the monarch went away with his corpse which was later found where it was dumped along the Orlu -Owerri expressway, a few kilometers from his palace.

    The assailants also made away with the king’s royal bead, wrist band and his phone.

    There was palpable tension in the community when our correspondent visited the palace of the murdered traditional ruler on Monday. Bemused villagers who wore heavy faces refused to comment on the killing.

    However one of the villagers, who claimed to have witnessed the killing, said that the gunmen shot at the monarch severally at close range and hurriedly carried his corpse which was still dripping with blood into their car and zoomed off.

    According to the source that pleaded for anonymity, “the most annoying part of it is the way they dumped his body on the Orlu-Owerri expressway like a common thief .This has never happened before. It is a sacrilege. Igbo culture forbids it and we want the Police to bring the perpetrators to book”.

    Read Also: Gunmen kill APC member in Ekiti

    The Nation findings revealed that the community has been embroiled in communal crisis which has pitched one village against another.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations officer, Andrew Enwerem, confirmed the killing, stating that the state Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galandanchi had ordered a thorough investigation into the killing.

    According to him, “We received the information of the killing of the traditional ruler of Mgbe community and immediately mobilized to the scene of crime. So far two people have been arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of the monarch. The CP has called for a thorough investigation into the killing and any one found culpable will be made to face the full wrath of the law”.

  • Police reiterates ban on fireworks

    Police reiterates ban on fireworks

    The police command in Imo on Wednesday reiterated the ban on sale, possession or discharge of any kind of explosive or fireworks.

    A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Andrew Enwerem, noted that the ban was still in force.

    He added that “the use of fireworks not only constitute threat to fire outbreak but a threat to security.”

    The PPRO advised parents and guardians to educate their children and wards on the consequences of such acts, especially during the Christmas and new year celebrations.

    He also warned that any person found selling, possessing or discharging fireworks of any kind in the state would be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.

    He advised the public to contact the police command distress control room on
    the following numbers — 08034773600 and 08098880197 — for information on any security threats.

    NAN

  • Four killed in Imo gas explosion

    Four killed in Imo gas explosion

    … Several others injured

    At least four people were killed on Monday evening when a gas cylinder exploded at a fuel station in Orji, Owerri North local government area of Imo State.

    Several other customers who were buying fuel and other petroleum products were also seriously wounded in the explosion.

    The state Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem, who confirmed the incident, said police has initiated full scale investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.

    He said it was too early to reach any conclusion on the matter.

    He said: “We heard about the explosion in a popular petrol station around Orji and four people have been confirmed dead.  Police had rescued the wounded persons and taken them to the hospital.”

     

     

  • Three feared dead during protest over demolition of Owerri market

    Three feared dead during protest over demolition of Owerri market

    Three people were  suspected to have died in Owerri on Saturday when some youths protested against the demolition of the main market in the capital, called Eke Onunwa Market, by the Imo Government.

    The Police Public Relations Officer in Imo, Mr Andrew Enwerem, however, said he could not confirm the deaths.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt  that a protester was allegedly killed by a stray bullet fired by security operatives deployed to maintain order in the area.

    NAN learnt that the death of the protester escalated the situation and subsequently two others died.

    The state government had issued an evacuation order to the traders and advised them to relocate to a new site to make way for development at the market site.

    Efforts of the government to relocate the market from the city centre to decongest the area  have  been resisted by Owerri indigenes who regard the market as their ancestral heritage.

    The people had instituted a court case against the government over the matter.

    However, the market was demolished in the night in spite of the resistance of the natives.

    Following the protest, the state capital was heavily guarded by the military and police to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

  • Police rescue three hostages from Imo forest

    The police command in Imo has rescued three kidnap victims, tied up in a forest in the Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo.

    The three unidentified people were abducted on May 6.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the rescue followed a daring operation by the police early on Tuesday to rescue the abductees in a place called Avu Forest, near Owerri.

    Seven of the suspected kidnappers were captured in the operation, coordinated by the Imo Commissioner of Police, Mr Chris Ezike.

    The Spokesman of the command, Mr Andrew Enwerem, told NAN that the bandits were over-powered by operatives of the Anti-kidnapping Unit of the command inside the forest.

    He said that the operatives came to face-to-face with the abductors in the forest, where they were holding their three victims, tied up on trees.

    Enwerem said that after a hand-to-hand encounter with the kidnappers, the hostages were untied and released unhurt.

    According to him, the police commissioner has directed a mop-up operation in the forest and other hot spots in Owerri.

    He assured residents of Imo that the police were committed to securing lives and property of people in the state.

     

  • Robbers kill family of three in Imo

    Dare-devil armed robbers on Sunday killed an entire family in Nekede, Owerri West Council Area of Imo State.

    The yet to be identified man was killed in a cold blood with his wife and 22-year old son.

    According to an eyewitness, the robbers trailed the man who was returning from a church service in his Lexus 330 SUV Jeep to his apartment at Number 4, Nekede road.

    The eyewitness said, “The man was led into his living room at gunpoint and requested him to bring all the money he had in the house.

    “But when the man returned with N70, 000, the robbers who had expected more money, ordered him to bring more but the man pleaded with them that he doesn’t have any other money in his house.

    “While the man was pleading, his wife who was also in the living room with them began to cry, begging the robbers to spare her husband. Her plea infuriated the robbers who shot her dead.

    “At this point, the man who had been cooperative with the armed men lost his control and inquired why they had to shoot his wife. The callous robbers again shot the man and just about escaping from the scene, they saw the son of the couple climbing down the staircase after hearing the gunshots. The young man was also shot dead by the robbers before fleeing.”

    The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Andrew Enwerem, said he was yet to be officially briefed on the incident.

     

  • FUTO: Police arrest 15 students over violent protest

    FUTO: Police arrest 15 students over violent protest

    No fewer than 15 students of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), in Imo, were arrested following violent protests in the institution on Friday, last week.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Mr Andrew Enwerem, who confirmed the arrest in Owerri on Monday, said that the students were arrested for vandalism and looting of the university property.

    Enwerem said that the students would be charged to court when investigations into the incident had been concluded.

    He dismissed claims by the students that the protest turned violent when policemen allegedly fired teargas at them.

    He said the police intervened at the instance of the school management when the protest degenerated into violence.

    The students embarked on the protest over alleged increase in their school fees.

    The university facilities were damaged by the protesting students who also made away with some valuables.

    One of them, Chinedu Nwakuche, alleged that the university increased fees for first year students from N48, 000 to N54, 000 per session while second and third year fees increased from N32, 000 to N49,000.

    According to him, fees for students of fourth and final years also went up from N28, 000 to 39,000, while acceptance fees has gone up to N45,000 from N25,000.

    Nwakuche said that students now paid as much as N1,500 to register a course every semester.

    The Public Relations Officer of FUTO, Mr Chike Ezenwa, said the management of the university would comment after determining the extent of the damages.

     

  • Northerners flee Imo over attack

    Northerners flee Imo over attack

    Northerners flee Imo over attack

    There is tension in the Hausa community in Imo State, following the arrest of six suspects by the police in connection with the foiled terror attack on a church in Owerri.

    Most of the Hausa, it was learnt, had fled their homes and other locations where they usually converged, for fear of attack by youths, who see them as security threats.

    Some of the deserted areas are Onitsha/Owerri Road and Mbaise Road, where Hausa petty traders and labourers stay.

    Police spokesman Andrew Enwerem, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspects had not been linked to the bombs planted at the Winners’ Chapel in Owerri. He said the nationalities of the suspects would not be made public to avoid compromise.

    There is panic in the state, as people avoid crowded public places.

    Most television viewing centres, where football fans converge, were empty on Monday night during the Nigeria-Iran match.

    Parents and guardians have reportedly withdrawn their children and wards from the Winners’ Chapel school located on the church premises.

    When our correspondent visited the school yesterday, it was in session, but attendance was low.

  • Suspected cult members ‘kill’ 15 in Imo

    Suspected cult members ‘kill’ 15 in Imo

    There was confusion yesterday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, as suspected cult members killed over 15 people in broad daylight.

    The suspected cult members, who were armed, according to an eyewitness, trailed their victims to parts of the city where they were gunned down or killed with axe.

    The source said trouble began after a member of the Black Axe confraternity was allegedly killed by members of a rival cult group, the Buccaneers, who ambushed him in one of the popular hotels in Owerri.

    He added: “The cult group, which lost its member, traced his suspected killers to Ekeonunwa market where about five people were killed in the presence of traders, who abandoned their goods.”

    In another part of the city, the suspected cult members shot a man, who had just married. They cut him into pieces before they were driven away by armed policemen, who engaged them in a gun duel, which lasted for hours.

    Police spokesman Andrew Enwerem said the number of casualties was yet to be confirmed.

    He, however, said eight suspects have been arrested, adding that investigations are ongoing to nab others.