The Nation Newspaper

Tag: COMMUNITY

  • Community moves against its gods

    Community moves against its gods

    Thousands have gathered in an Anambra State community to neutralise the perceived influence of their once revered idols, reports NWANOSIKE ONU

    It would have been unthinkable once upon a time to move against the community’s deities. It was the tradition. Every family had their gods and shrines to which sacrifices were periodically offered. It was their life, their faith.

    Now, that is changing in Umuchu, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. Some residents have jettisoned the community’s spiritual beliefs and have mounted a counter-spiritual offensive to neutralise what they believe is the negative influence of the idols on their people.

    They gathered at the Nkwo triangle market to seek God’s intervention in this anti-idols offensive. The prayer session was headed by the Anglican Bishop of Amichi in Nnewi South, Most Rev Ephraim Ikeakor.

    Indeed, the intervention has become a yearly ritual in the sleepy community.

    Before now, the prayer session had dwelt on flushing out idol worship, believing that they impeded the growth of the area. But since the last prayer session in the area, some of the youths who claimed they were caged by the community’s deities, said the gate of progress had been opened to them.

    A crowd of over 7,000 people from all walks of life consisting especially of citizens of the community assembled again at the village to step up the offensive. This time around the session focused on eradicating the spirit of idolatry, which the cleric said had held the people back.

    The cleric who equally hails from the community chose the topic “Refusing and resisting shame” in his sermon. According to him, there is shame of poverty, shame of untimely death, shame of dependence on parents, late marriages and unprecedented cases of divorce in Umuchu. These issues Bishop Ikeakor blamed on idolatrous lifestyle of some of the people in the community.

    Drawing his sermon from the book of Joel 2:16-27, Ikeakor observed that God, who commanded Joel to forgive Israel their sins, could still show the same mercy to the area.

    He said some people, despite the presence of God in the community, are still paying deaf ears to the issue of idolatry, adding that idolatry and adultery are the two major weapons the devil uses to push people to shame.

    Heaid, “It pains me that no Umuchu-born citizen has been a governor, commissioner, permanent secretary or head of any Federal Government agency or parastatal in this generation but I want to assure you that God manifests His miracle during difficulty and abnormal situations.

    “In this land, God will raise people that will use their contacts and influence to change the fortunes of the people. Our youths will prosper and parents will reap the fruit of their labour.”

    The programme is sponsored annually by one of the community illustrious indigenes, Mr. Godwin Ezeemo.

    Mr. Ezinna Samuel Ezeudo said the programme had been an immense help to most of the youths in the community.

    Also, Mr. Dona Agupusi, a native of the community but based in Lagos, praised the organisers of the annual programme, which he said had lifted the area.

    For Mr. Dominic Ottih, another Lagos-based businessman, God had been using the clergy to salvage the community from occultists. He  called for its sustenance until the land was totally cleansed of evil deeds, adding that God’s powers supersede other powers.

    The sponsor of the programme, Mr. Godwin Ezeemo, told The Nation that the prayer session had really transformed the community and many lives.

     

  • 150 get free treatment in Edo community

    ONE  hundred and fifty residents of Usen community in Ovia Northeast Local Government Area of Edo State benefited from a medical outreach held last  Sunday by the University of  Benin (UNIBEN) chapter of the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students Association (FECAMDS).

    The association’s president, Raphael Oludele, said the outreach is held yearly to help people in rural areas fight diseases and other life-threatening ailments.

    He said: “We know many people living in villages are in the habit of not going for medical checkup because of the cost and hospital distance. We decided to take free medical treatment close to them to help them fight diseases.”

    He said the outreach was unique, because it coincided with the period the national leadership of the association embarked on nationwide health project.

    The students departed the Ugbowo campus of UNIBEN for the Usen village at 8 am, worshiped with the villagers at St Peter and Paul Catholic Church before the outreach commenced.

    Sensitising the villagers on Lassa fever, Agatha Odaman, a 400-Level Medicine and Surgery student, said unhygienic conditions were responsible for breeding of the vector that cause the disease. She enlightened the villagers on ways to prevent the disease, saying maintaining a constant sanitation, keeping foodstuff in covered containers and going for check would help them fight the disease.

    Free medical checkup followed the seminar and it lasted for four hours. The villagers, which turned up for event, underwent blood pressure check-up, urinalysis, visual screening and general body examination. Also, malaria tests were held for children under five years. The dentists rendered free scaling and polishing of teeth to some beneficiaries.

    The students gave out drugs and mosquito nets donated by the Edo State Ministry of Health to the villagers.

    A 58-year-old Evelyn Otasowie praised the students for the gesture and urged them to take the mission to neighbouring villages.

    Members of the Catholic Church  hailed the students for holding the outreach in the village. They prayed for the students, urging them not to relent in their studies.

  • Ogun community laments bad bridge

    Ogun community laments bad bridge

    For residents of Ilogbo, a town in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun, these are not the best of times. No thanks to their being cut off from their neighbours because the bridge linking them caved in last week.

    The bridge was constructed over the Atuwara River and passes through the boundary between the town and Oju-Ore, Ota.

    The bridge also served as major link between Ilogbo and Ota, Iwoye and Ota, among communities in the area.

    Residents are calling on the state government to fix the bridge.

    Onilogbo of Ilogbo Oba Samuel Olufemi Ojugbele said the three major roads linking the 37 communities in Ilogbo had become impassable.

    He said: “All the three major roads linking Ilogbo to other areas like Ota, Iju and old Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway are in bad shape.

    “We were relying on this road linking us to Ota, until last Wednesday when the bridge collapsed. Now we are totally cut off from our neighbours. The economic activities of my people are affected. I could no longer travelling to Abeokuta to attend meetings. It is that bad.

    “I have already contacted the state government, and I believe they will intervene in reconstructing the bridge.”

  • NLNG showcases CSR system to Korean community

    NLNG showcases CSR system to Korean community

    Upon request by the Embassy of South Korea, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) has presented the model of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) to the  Business Community, revealing its strategies and key success factors.

    The invitation was inspired by the enviable impact of NLNG’s efforts in improving the lives of its host communities and numerous stakeholders in the country, the firm said in a statement.

    NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations, Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke, said the main secret to the company’s CSR success was its commitment to being a trusted partner to all its stakeholders for the sustainable development of Nigeria and its host communities.

    Eresia-Eke attributed NLNG’s success to its corporate values of integrity, excellence, teamwork and caring, especially the company’s ability to listen to the stakeholders, learn from them, be fact-based, think sustainability and put the people and country first in all its CSR considerations.

    He said: “We are pleased for the opportunity to present our CSR model to the leadership of the Korean Embassy and business community. We view the invitation to do so as welcome recognition of the unique and effective projects we run in the communities and elsewhere as part of our corporate vision of a global LNG company helping to build a better Nigeria.”

    He illustrated with some of the company’s programmes/projects including sponsorship of the most prestigious literary and science prizes in Africa, The Nigeria Prize for Science and The Nigeria Prize for Literature, which come with cash prize of $100,000 each; the $12 million University Support Programme through, which it is implementing the construction and equipping of engineering laboratories in six selected Nigerian universities drawn from the country’s geo political zones, to mention a few.

    Eresia-Eke also praised NLNG’s host communities for providing the conducive environment for the company to do business, and actualise its CSR initiatives.

    The Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Noh Kyu-duk, who led the delegation of top Korean diplomats and senior executives of the major Korean companies in Nigeria to the event commended the company’s CSR and thanked them for honouring its invitation. Korean companies represented at the presentation included Samsung, Daewoo, Hyundai, and Korean Energy Management Company Limited (KEMCO).

    Nigeria-South Korea trade and bilateral relationship have continued to grow since the establishment of ties in 1980. Today, the volume of trade between both countries has risen to over $4 billion, while Nigeria has also become South Korea’s 52nd largest export market and its 30th biggest source of imports.

    Recently, Nigeria LNG acquired six new build Dual Fuel Diesel Electric vessels from South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for $1.6billion.

  • Change in community’s fortune

    Change in community’s fortune

    A picture of life in Unguwan Mai Kanti village, west of Rigasa in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State was painted in the May 3 North Report. The story highlighted the plight of the 3000-inhabitant community.
    Since then, the community has been witnessing life-changing attention. The Nation had reported that in Unguwan Kanti women deliver their babies at home unaided. There is no medical personnel in sight. Only a lorry that probably comes to get firewood from there plies the road into the community. There is no potable water, nor hospital, nor electricity. The only school there has never received any form of government attention since the residents built it in 1997.
    The community, which is surrounded by Ungwan Daudu, Kwati and Rigar Fulani, is always cut off from other communities and the state capital for about two months during the rainy season because the only road to Kaduna is always flooded.
    Investigations revealed that the residents were drinking water from a pond which is far from them. Women and children wake up early to get water which is not drinkable from the pond. Women trek a distance to fetch water from the pond.
    A resident, Talatu Iliya, said the water from the pond smells and is sometimes covered by dry leaves, “but that is what we use to cook because we have no choice”, adding that their children complain frequently stomach ache and also suffer from cholera.
    She said, “You can see the kind of water we drink. Even dogs wouldn’t drink from the pond. The water smells and that is what we use to cook our food”.
    There is only one water well in the village said to have been dug by a white woman who visited the community years ago. But the people hardly get water from it. Women in the community complain that they can only get water from the well very early in the morning, adding that in most cases, they can hardly fetch more than a bucket of water from it. They have decided to reserve the water in the well for the children who attend the community primary school. They appeal to government to construct a borehole for them.
    Following the report, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division Nigerian Army, Maj-General Adeniyi Oyebade, sunk and donated a borehole to the community. And interestingly, a group of Kaduna Polytechnic Students, under the auspices of Kadpoly Enactus is about to complete the first in West Africa, Sand Dam in the village.
    The Nation investigation revealed that, sand dams have successfully provided potable drinking water all year round for villages in East African countries like Kenya and Ethiopia. And it has equally provided water for irrigation farming throughout the year.
    The Kadpoly Enactus Dam Project which is equally a multi-facet project, to provide drinking water and irrigation for farming in the community is scheduled for completion by the end of June, with 98% of purity level.
    It was gathered from the students that, suitability of the project made them to choose the dam and not borehole, as their feasibility study revealed that water table of the community is very deep.
    As at the time of visit to the community last week, members of the the community rallied the team of Investigative Journalists who they said brought the challenges of their community to limelight.
    Speaking with the team of Investigative Journalists, Kadpoly Enactus Team Leader, Adikpe Odeh said, Enactus is a non-governmental organisation. A community of student academic and business world who come together to solve societal problems through the positive powers of business.
    “The dam project we are carrying out right now, we looked for the entrepreneur problem solving skills in the community to empower the people. Because we believe that in sustainability, the people have to see the value from the project in an economically inclusive way as that would make the project very sustainable.
    “Our three thematic areas are environmental factors, social factor and economic factor in solving any problems. Now we came across that community week after you visited the area. The spirit is one actually, so you were reporting and the spirit was telling us.
    “The water drive project started last year. We were in Ligari village last year where they had water access problem. They encounter the same problem with Kanti. We carried out the need assessment to understand their source of water and we discovered that it was nothing to write home about. Although they have wells but water was not forth coming. We now look at the environment for what will be suitable. Because if there is a well and the water is not forth coming, you may dig a borehole and have similar problem in the nearest future.
    “So, we now look at the terrain of the environment and we saw that it’s good for sand dam. So, what we are constructing in that community is a sand dam and the first of its kind in West Africa. The only places that have sand dam are Ethiopia and Kenya built by USAID.
    “The reason why we chose sand dam is this, that place you saw with the gully stuff whether you like it or not will keep expanding and during the raining season you will see water there while in the dry season, it is off.
    “Again, from the need assessment we discover that the water table of the community is low. And that is why you are unable to see water in the well. If the water table were to be high you would have seen water in the well. So the essence of sand dam is to raise the water table. And then you will get a very clean water which according to the United Nations, it is 98% clean.
    “And the fantastic thing is that even there is no rainfall in that community for one whole year, they will still have enough water to drink because it has large storage capacity. In fact, Kenya and Ethiopia sometimes have drought problem and that is the reason it was built there.

    “We are also carrying out a survey to see how they will be able to pump the water and also use for their irrigation farm land. That we are using a windmill to be able to pump the water because there is no electricity in the community. And that is the sustainability, because if you take generator set and petrol there, it means the community has to buy fuel which comes with more expenses and that they can’t afford because they are poor. But with the windmill which is natural, all they need is pump the water and get clean portable water to drink all year round.” He explained.
    On their source of finance, Odeh said, “The concept is a head for business and a heart for the world. We believe that it is just an empty head and an empty heart that can stop a man from solving a societal problems and not an empty pocket. But however, you need money in some cases through the power of business, so we engage in entrepreneur activities as an organization. We also go out to see individuals that are willing to partner in some certain areas and not necessarily begging for funds. For instance, you are an engineering firm, we approach you that can you help us bring out the architectural design of this place because we want to help this community. And ordinarily if you are to pay for that, it will be to the tune of N100,000. So these are the creative means we use in solving societal problems. We go about to identify individuals that want to invest in communities. So these are how we get our funds here and there and then we move to solve societal problems.
    “And our school also helps us with funds. We have been able to gain a level of reputation for the school. In fact, all ENACTUS students right now are on scholarship because of the level of sacrifices we are putting in to work, recognition. We were in South Africa, Spain, Germany and Paris to represent Nigeria. Now, all of the journey don’t come with money but because of what we are doing, its local content is wow come and showcase these. So the school are happy that some students are bringing some level of recognition to the institution.”
    He commended the team of Investigative Journalists, saying, “I wish we have more journalists that do investigative and developmental journalism, because to us, that is journalism.
    However, the GOC while commissioning the borehole at the village last week, the said, he was touched by the newspaper report and sent down his men to access the village with a view to assisting them.
    General Oyebade who addressed the Gbagyi dominated community with the help of an interpreter assured them that, President Muhammadu Buhari led administration and the respective state governments were working tirelessly to ensure welfare of all Nigerians, but the Army having recognised that government cannot do it alone with always reach out to the needy populace.
    According to him, “I read recently on The Nation Newspaper, while I going through the dailies to know what is happening within my AOR and the nation at large, about your community. According to the report, your major problem is lack of portable drinking water. So, I told myself that my heart will not be at peace until I give you water. So, I asked one of my officers to locate this place, so that I can give you borehole.
    “I want to assure you that President Muhammadu Buhari led administration and the respective state governments are working tirelessly to ensure welfare of all Nigerians, but government cannot do everything for everybody, so we can always support the government.
    “Also, the Army is not just about fighting war, we also assist the civil populace, because the Army under the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Tukur Buratai is very friendly with the civil populace.” He said.
    Responding on behalf of the community, The Village Head, Aliyu Bala expressed appreciation to the GOC for giving the community life. He also used the platform to call on government to come to their aid by providing them with a primary healthcare centre, standard primary school and good road.

  • Community savours lawmaker’s impact

    Community savours lawmaker’s impact

    For many lawmakers, the provision of constituency projects has become one of the ways of adding value to their constituents’ lives.
    But the people of Billiri/Balanga Federal Constituency of Gombe State have not enjoyed such gesture since the return to democracy in 1999.
    Their current representative Ali Isa J. C. has now changed all that.
    To the admiration of all, he organised a programme at which loyalists of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) mingled without rancour;  something that had never happened in Gombe before.
    Little wonder that the Chairman of the occasion, Gabriel Suswan, immediate past governor of Benue State, described Ali as a blessing to his constituents and state, urging them to support him.
    ”Rarely do we have people who expend their time and resources to train people in various skills and then give them the working tools necessary to succeed in the pursuit of their dreams. But today, we are witnessing the benevolence and generosity of one of these rare politicians.
    ”This programme which is an eloquent testimony of his care and concern for humanity and I must confess that the people of Billiri/Balanga Federal Constituency and Gombe state in general are blessed to have this young man as her ambassador at the House off Representative,” Suswam said.
    The former governor of Benue State therefore commended the lawmaker effort in empowering his constituents, saying most people in elective positions tend to get carried away by the glamour of good roads, infrastructure and life in Abuja as well as their personal pockets and then forget about the plight of the people that elected them.
    He then urge Nigerians to always ensure that they elect into positions, people who would work through thick and thin in order to bring development to their constituencies, even as he commended the lawmaker for coming up with such intervention at a time of hardship and global recession.
    And when he stood up to speak, Ali Isa J. C. said he was spurred by the resolute commitment towards fulfilling his campaign promises, which the gesture was just part of. He recalled that he promised to empower women and youths to be self-employed through various skills hence had gathered the people to the promises as it is time for governance, not politicking.
    J. C. purposely chose May 4, 2016, being his birthday to celebrate with his constituent through the event announced that more than five hundred people had undergone training in such skills like tailoring, hairdressing and knitting under his skills acquisition programme for the past three months; and that he was empowering with tools and equipment at the occasion so that they can pursue their dreams and aspirations in life.
    Also to be supported through the programme were about four thousand farmers who collectively got more than five trailers of fertilisers, seedlings, herbicides chemicals and napsak sprayers.
    In addition, motorcycles were distributed to the present and immediate past PDP Ward Chairmen and their deputies in the twenty Wards that make up his constituency alongside other select constituents while the sitting party Chairmen of Billiri and Balanga local governments got a brand new Peugeot 406 car each.
    As a mark of respect for constituted religious authorities, Honourable Isa also gave one car each to the Chief Imam of Tangale, Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Balanga local government and Chairman, CAN, Billiri local government.
    The Honourable Member also happily to announced that trough his efforts at lobbying for Federal presence in projects and employments, some youths of Gombe state have been recruited in various areas.
    And in order to make for easy access and interaction between him and his constituents Ali J.C built and commissioned his constituency office in Billiri so that every member of the constituency could reach him through the staff that will be operating from the office.

    All the items he said were provided in line with proper consultation on the basic needs of the people, pledging to work judiciously towards providing more dividend of democracy to his people because his business in the system is to make a difference in the electorates’ lives. It was on that note that he urged Nigerians to: “Please let’s join hands to give our leaders a helping hand to make a difference in our lives.”
    Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Right Honourable Yakubu Dogara who graced the occasion as Guest Speaker after a lavish out-pour of encomium on Ali J.C and his large-hearted act took a swipe at insinuators and antagonists of constituency projects, arguing that it creates balance in the polity as well as cushions constituents hardship and give them sense of belonging.
    He proped his position with the argument that it was in realisation of the fact that the conditions are hard for people at the grassroots; and because service to humanity and electorates is central to representations, most legislators have taken it upon themselves to provide entrepreneur and entrepreneurship training and to deliver some of the thing the ones Honourable Ali Isa had given to his constituents.
    ”If not through the instrumentality of the zonal intervention or what is known as constituency projects, it would have been absolutely difficult if not impossible for the honourable member to provide the things he has provided and even train some of his constituents.
    “That is why I argue always with those who believe that there’s no need for zonal intervention or that it should have no place in our budget.
    ”We know that the only way by which we can maintain fairness in governance, fairness across the board, across the length and breadth of this country is by patronising Federal Constituencies.
    ”When you patronise Federal constituencies, you have touched every nook and corner of Nigeria. That is why we should continue as leaders to ensure that we have programmes in governance that touches directly on constituencies,” he posited.
    Other speakers, Senator Binta Garba and Honourable Chukwuma Ujam at length about the goodwill of their colleague which is the attraction of colleagues to him as well as the empowerment packages, while calling on beneficiaries to not to let the efforts go in vain by maximally utilizing what they got for the purpose they were provided.

  • 12 Nimbo community herdsmen victims for burial

    12 Nimbo community herdsmen victims for burial

    All is set for the burial this weekend for 12 of those killed by herdsmen in Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani Local Council of Enugu State last April 25.

    Parish priest of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Nimbo Rev. Fr. Joseph Obetta Okeke made this known to visiting coalition of non-governmental organisa-tions (NGOs) from Enugu led by Fr. Ambrose Ekereku of the Carmelite Prisoners’ Interest Organization (CAPIO).

    Although, he was not sure of the number, he said at least 12 bodies are awaiting burial. Others which were badly mutilated had already been buried.

    The cleric, who suffered mild stroke following the herdsmen attack, recounted how he smashed his car while rushing himself to hospital.

    “My blood pressure was so high that I did not know when I hit a tree on my way to the hospital,” he said.

    In the coalition were Women Aid Collective (WACOL), Juliet Ibekaku Hope Project, Women in Peace Network (WIPNET), National Council of Women Society (NCWS), National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ).

    The visiting NGOs donated various foodstuffs and one million naira to the devastated people of Nimbo.

    The leader of the team, Ekereku called on the state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to urgently rebuild Nimbo community. Ekereku also urged government to pay more attention to the development of rural areas.

    He said: “It is evident that life in rural areas has remained rustic where the inhabitants lack even the most basic of amenities while those in the metropolis have a surfeit of such amenities. That situation has become untenable considering the environmental risks the inhabitants of the rural areas are exposed to.

    “The government should embark on extensive agricultural activities in Nimbo which is an agrarian community rather than abandoning the people to an agrarian subsistence existence.

    “Government’s failure to exploit the agricultural potentials of the community is akin to abandoning the people to the devilish whims of the herdsmen who are attracted to the lush grass in the area.

    “A stronger government presence in Nimbo and other communities in the council will attract investors in the agriculture sector.”

    According to Ekereku, such presence would definitely keep the herdsmen away.

    And at the palace of the traditional ruler of Nimbo, Igwe John Akor, the NGOs condoled with the community over the loss of lives and property during the mayhem.

    The traditional ruler thanked the group for the visit and donations, saying government and other organisations were doing their best to rehabilitate the people. He equally urged the government to come and make use of the large expanse of land the community is endowed with.

    “If government could heed to this advise by building institutions like Agricultural institutions in these lands, the Fulani will not have access to roam their cows anyhow”, he said.

     

  • Community hails Rotary for donating 500-capacity hall

    Community hails Rotary for donating 500-capacity hall

    It was all encomiums penultimate week at Isolo-Opin, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State at the launch of a 500 capacity examination/assembly hall donated to its Senior Secondary School.

    Rotary Club GRA Ilorin donated the hall which was built for N3.5 million.

    Members of the community trooped out to witness the ceremony.

    At the event, the club’s outgoing president and former military administrator of Bauchi and Osun states, Col Theophilus Bamigboye (rtd), painted a sorry picture of the building before the club’s intervention.

    Bamigboye said the club had adopted the community as a global village, adding: “the next project is your health centre. We will rehabilitate it to a world standard for other communities and villages to envy and emulate you.”

    The former military administrator added: “I recall that the first time we came here everywhere was dusty. The ceilings of the hall blown off, walls not plastered and no door and window. Today we are celebrating Rotary and humanity. I therefore urge the students to take good care of the facilities.”

    Asolo of Isolo-Opin Oba Raphael Are went philosophical, saying: “Only God knows why Rotary adopts our community as a global village. But for the club many things would have happened negatively. Today we are celebrating something brought by the Rotary Club GRA Ilorin. Today we are celebrating something brought by the club. This school was then just a block of three classrooms. I m saying this because there is joy in collective efforts

    Now I am proud of inviting people to come to my community’s school. Interestingly, the community has no financial input in all the projects so far executed in the school.”

    Also speaking, Vice President of Isolo-Opin Development Association (IDA), Michael Adewunmi appreciated the humanitarian of Rotary, adding that the club’s intervention, the community secondary school’s laboratory was a right off lacking in facilities and reagents.

    Mr. Adewunmi said that the laboratory had been concluded and furnished with up-to-date equipment.

    Earlier, the school’s principal Ayo abegunde said the club’s intervention in the school was divine and timely.

    Said he: “Were it for the club’s intervention “this place would have been an eyesore; hitherto the laboratory was no laboratory at all. For all this we are grateful and indebted to the club. We pray and hope the plan by the club to build administrative block for the school will be realized very soon.”

    Students of the school entertained the audience with cultural dance supported by the traditional talking drums.

  • Man kills in-law in Ebonyi community

    The Ebonyi State Police Command has arrested a man, Maduabuchi Ede, for allegedly killing his in-law, Kenneth Nkwegu Elom, with a piece of firewood.

    The victim and his wife, Scholastica, had reportedly been married for over eight years and have had four children before it collapsed.

    Scholastica was said to have returned to her parents’ home in the nearby village.

    But she allegedly continued to harvest her estranged husband’s yams in the ban and other crops in his farm, which reportedly angered him.

    Kenneth, in company of his friend, Augustine Nwankwegu, were said to have complained severally to his ex-wife’s parents and family to warn her against the act.

    But she was said to have persisted in the act.

    Speaking with our reporter, Nwankwegu said: “We have been complaining to the woman’s family that their daughter had been harvesting Kenneth’s yams and other crops in the farm and carting away his belongings.

    “The father in-law, after listening to us, fixed a date for the settlement of the matter and urged Kenneth to maintain the peace. He said the matter would be resolved amicably.

    “As we were driving home, Kenneth pleaded that we see the mother in-law to clear his conscience of reporting her daughter’s behaviour.

    “When we got there, it happened that they had locked their door because it was late in the night. But a relative, who was outside, knocked the door and it was opened by the mother in-law”.

    “The son in-law, who heard our greeting when we came in, directed the mother not to attend to us. He immediately ordered us to leave the compound within a second.

    “He rushed in and got a heavy wood while Kenneth turned back to open his vehicle to escape. But Maduabuchi descended on him, hitting him severally with the wood until he collapsed.”

    Nwankwegu said Kenneth was rushed to a hospital that night.

    He added that his friend was in coma for some days and died on May 20.

    Police spokesman George Okafor, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), confirmed the incident.

    He said the suspect had been arrested while investigation into the matter had begun.

  • Gunmen kill eight in Rivers community

    Gunmen suspected to be cultists at the weekend allegedly killed eight persons in Ozochi community in Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    Police spokesman Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the local government’s Caretaker Committee (CTC) chairman, Britain Okpara Ewor, as well as the lawmaker representing the area in the House of Assembly, Edison Ehie, separately confirmed the incident yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    They said the hoodlums stormed the community on Saturday night, shooting sporadically and killing the eight persons, including the oldest man in the community.

    The gunmen reportedly set ablaze shops and other property during the attack.

    Ewor condemned the incident, describing those behind it as enemies of the local government and the state.

    He spoke on phone through his media aide, Monday Oyagiri.

    The council chairman warned troublemakers to steer clear of the local government.

    He added that anyone caught would face the wrath of the law.

    Ewor consoled with the families that lost loved ones in the incident.

    It was learnt that the local government will soon organise a peace and prayer summit for an end to cultism and killings.

    Ehie urged security operatives to investigate the killings and ensure that the culprits are apprehended and punished.