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Tag: Delta

  • Alleged human parts seller set ablaze in Delta

    Alleged human parts seller set ablaze in Delta

    A woman, allegedly found in possession of human parts, was Saturday afternoon set ablaze by a mob around Ekete-Inland area in Udu council area of Delta state.

    The Nation gathered that the woman, who was reportedly known to be moving around the area, disguised as a lunatic, was caught with human parts as well as a fresh human corpse at the spot where she stays.

    According to eyewitnesses, the woman was discovered with the unsightly possessions when residents were disposing off refuse and burning dirt gathered during the day’s environmental sanitation exercise.

    One of the witnesses, who spoke under conditions of anonymity, said the woman, whom she said had always been seen in the area as a mere lunatic, attracted the attention of some members of the community, who suspected her strange attitude while they were burning refuse close to her shack.

    “When some of the people who were burning refuse observed she was behaving strangely, they went on to look into her hut and to their surprise, they saw a fresh corpse of a young girl and other human parts. This made the people to raise the alarm and suspecting that she might have been in this sort of business for a very long time, people got angry and seized her”, the source said.

    The crowd, which grew more and more with time, unleashed their anger on her and before long and before security agents could arrive the scene, the woman, whose name could not be ascertained in the melee, had been set ablaze.

    Meanwhile, when reached for official comments, the spokesman of the Delta state police command, Andrew Aniamaka (DSP), said he would only be able to comment after getting briefed by the relevant Divisional Police Officer of the area.

  • INEC Commissioner expresses concern over voters’ apathy at reruns

    INEC Commissioner expresses concern over voters’ apathy at reruns

    Dr Mohammed Lecky, the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) National Commissioner for Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Delta, has expressed worries over the low turnout of voters in recent elections across the country.

    Lecky expressed the worries on Thursday in Calabar, after touring INEC facilities in Cross River.

    He told journalists that the INEC was not comfortable with the low turnout of voters in the recently concluded reruns, especially that of Anambra.

    He called on the electorate in Cross River to endeavor to vote at the 2019 general elections, adding “my major advice to them is to register and vote at elections.

    “The present INEC has ensured continuous voter registration across the country. So this is an opportunity for every eligible voter in the state to register and be ready to vote.

    “We are distressed that people are not coming out to vote as witnessed in the last rerun election in Anambra Central where we recorded just above nine per cent turnout.

    “If we want change we must change through voting. We need to own the electoral process,” he said.

    The national commissioner said INEC would meet some challenges it faced in the state, especially the inadequate infrastructure in the state capital and the local government areas.

    Lecky said that the commission would make the working environment conducive for the workers and added, “we will also do our best to motivate the staff ahead of the elections.”

    NAN

  • Delta: Violence, irregularities mar council polls

    Delta: Violence, irregularities mar council polls

    The 2018 Delta state local council elections, across the 25 council areas of the state, started out on Saturday on a violent note as unknown armed men set the State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) office in the Ughelli council Secretariat on fire.
    The situation was not less volatile in other council areas, especially in the Delta Central District. There were reports of violent attacks, leaving more than two persons hospitalised in Ughelli.
    There also reports of malpractices in the distribution of election materials, leading to mass resistance by voters in both Ughelli South and Udu council areas.
    Although the take off of the exercise in Warri South and Uvwie council areas was relatively peaceful as DSIEC officials and party representatives were seen going about the distribution processes, the situation in many other parts of the state was opposite.
    However, the chairmanship candidate of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) in Uvwie council area, Ufuoma Okenini, has raised the alarm over alleged intimidation and threat to the lives of members and supporters of his party by those he described as “thugs of the PDP”.
    In Ughelli, as at about 8:30am, sources in Ughelli, the headquarters of Ughelli North council area of the state, said while the DSIEC, party representatives and security officers were distributing materials to various units, some armed men invaded the Secretariat, shooting sporadically and left the DSIEC office ablaze.
    A source told the Nation that the atmosphere in the council Secretariat was tense as the attackers carried out their mission. Although there was no report of death, it was learned that many persons sustained various degrees of injuries.
    “At about 8:30am this morning, while the security agencies were on ground waiting for election materials at the Ughelli secretariat, some armed men bust into the place , shooting very rapidly.
     “As we speak, the secretariat has been set ablaze while all on ground are looking for where to hide. Some comrades monitoring the election have run into the bush for hiding,” the source said.
    In Udu council area, the exercise did not go peacefully as voters and officials of opposition parties refused to allow distribution of election materials after finding out that the returning officer allegedly ran away with the original result sheets.
    The rancorous situation persisted until well after 11:20am when some persons, said to be officials of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), under the cover of  local vigilante men and policemen, pushed their way through the angry crowd, loaded the remaining materials and sped away.
    In the neighbouring Ughelli South council area, election materials were still holed up in the Divisional Police Station at the council headquarters in Otu-Jeremi as at noon. The Nation gathered that voters and members of opposition parties, including the APC, had kept vigil around the police station after realising that sensitive materials, including result sheets, were missing from the available materials.
    Things, however turned bloody in the early hours of the day when some armed vigilante men, allegedly working with the ruling party, attacked some members of the APC, shooting two, in an attempt to scare people away and make way for easy get away with remaining materials.
    A chieftain of the APC in Otu-Jeremi, Ifeanyi Adjekota, called for a rescheduling of the election in the council area, noting that there was no way election would hold and be seen as free and fair any longer. He said trouble started when voters sensed foul play in materials brought, adding that the returning officer allegedly ran away with some sensitive materials.
  • DPR seals 80 petrol stations in Delta

    DPR seals 80 petrol stations in Delta

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Warri Zonal Office, said it has sealed over 80 petrol stations in Delta since fuel scarcity begun in December.

    Its Zonal Operations Controller, Mr Antai Asuquo, said petrol stations were sealed for various offences ranging from selling above the government approved price of N145 per litre and absconding on sighting DPR officials.

    He said: “DPR has sealed over 80 filling stations since the fuel scarcity began last month. Those we sealed are because they refused to dispense at the government approved price of N145 per litre and those that abandoned their retail outlets on sighting our personnel.

    “Today, we have been to many filling stations in Asaba; one actually abandoned his station and we sealed the facilities because they have an equivalent product of 30,000 litres.

    “We will revisit the station to ensure that appropriate sanction is melted out on the owner.

    “We also saw stations selling above the approved pump price; we compelled them to sell at the regulated pump price.”

    Asuquo advised petroleum marketers not to purchase fuel if they knew that they could not sell at the regulated price of N145 per litre.

    “It is our intention to keep monitoring the products and price; we will also ensure that the products are not sold to the third party.

    “Overtime, we have observed that some depots sell to third parties and they add their margin and that affects the ultimate price,” he said.

  •  Gas Emission: Delta Ijaw communities raise the alarm over disaster

     Gas Emission: Delta Ijaw communities raise the alarm over disaster

    Some Ijaw communities in Gbaramatu council area of Delta state have cried out to the federal and the state government to help them prevail on the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company Limited (NGPTC) to halt the gas emission that has polluted their environment since August 2017.
    The communities; Ikpokpo, Okpeleama, Otogbene, Atanba, and other communities affected by the continuous gas emission, in a statement signed by two community representatives; Edwin Odudu and Godwin Akori, said the incident, which started from August 27, 2017, had continued to negatively affect the health of the people of the communities as well as their environment.
    They further alleged that the gas company, even after being invited by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), to carry out a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the site, to determine the cause of the, had evaded the sister federal agency’s invitation and had since refused to take a step to either halt the emission or move in to take steps to ameliorate the people’s plight.
    However, when reached for reaction, the NGPTC said it was unaware of the allegations of its evasion from the community, adding that its relationship with its host communities had been very cordial.
    The statement by the community representatives said “during the festive period, especially from the 24th of December, 2017 till date, there has been a constant and massive leakage from the gas pipeline and all efforts to get the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company, owners of the facility, to stop the leakage has proved abortive.
    “The people of the communities are now living in perpetual fear of inferno with unimaginable consequences.
    “Therefore, for fear of an unfortunate inferno, the affected Gbaramatu communities have called on President Buhari, Governor Okowa of Delta State and Minister of State, Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, to come to their aid by directing the management of the NGPTC to immediately stop the continuous emission of gas from the gas pipeline at Ikpokpo.
    “They also demand that the company sends relief materials and medical facilities to the affected communities to treat those suffering different ailments and cushion the effect of the explosion, carry out joint investigation visit and pay compensation for the victims of the gas explosion”, the communities said.
    Meanwhile, reacting to The Nation’s query during a telephone conversation in Warri yesterday, the Community Relations Officer of the NGPTC in Warri, Violin Antaih, said the company had not gotten any complaint about its alleged complacence from the communities and when asked if the company had done anything to stop the emission, he said “that part is not within my jurisdiction to speak about.
    “We have strong relationship with our host communities and if they are alleging that to you, that has not been mentioned to us from the part of the community. I’m just hearing it from you”, Antaih said.
  • Ex-commissioner lauds Buhari’s New Year address

    Ex-commissioner lauds Buhari’s New Year address

    The former Delta Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Mr Raymos Guanah, has said that the President Mohammadu Buhari’s New Year address gave hope to Nigerians.

    According to him, the president’s address has information on every sector of the country’s economy.

    Guanah, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Raymos Guanah Farms, gave this commendation in an interview on Tuesday in Asaba.

    “I want to particularly laud the plan to completely ban the importation of rice; this act will surely encourage and boost cultivation and consumption of rice in Nigeria,” he said.

    He called for the imposition of very strict sanctions on rice smugglers and that there should be a jail term without option of fine for a minimum of two years.

    Guanah also suggested that smuggled rice should be given to internally displaced persons and prisoners while the vehicles used in conveying the rice should be donated to security agencies.

    Read also: Sagay: Buhari’s critics over dead men’s appointment are Lilliputians

    He also said that any government official found guilty of involving in rice smuggling be dismissed from service.

    On the fuel crisis, he said that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC ) should not be the sole importer of petroleum products into the country.

    Also, on road infrastructure, he said the Federal Government should complete the Ajaokuta/Alaja railway project, complete the East-West road and rehabilitate the Amukpe/Agbor/Uromie road.

    Guanah said that power generation and distribution should be improved to encourage Small and Medium Enterprises ( SMEs ) in the country.

    On security, he said that the Federal Government had done well in trying to contain the Boko-Haram insurgents, but added that “there is still much to be done’’.

    He urged the government to address the agitations by the Niger Delta militants as well as take steps to intensify entrepreneurship training for the youth to reduce the level of graduate unemployment.

    NAN

  • Delta lost property worth N11bn to fire in 10 months

    Delta lost property worth N11bn to fire in 10 months

    Mr. Ernest Ogwezzy, the Delta Commissioner for Bureau for Special Duties, said the state lost property worth N11 billion to fire outbreaks between January and October this year.

    Ogwezzy disclosed this in an interview with the newsmen on Thursday in Asaba.

    The commissioner said that the property lost included factories, shops, markets and houses.

    He said the Delta fire command was able to save property worth N65.4 billion during the period.

    The commissioner also disclosed that the command received a total of 175 fire calls, adding that out of the 175 distress calls, 12 were false calls.

    Read also: Lady burnt to death in Delta fire

    Ogwezzy said that in the course of responding to the calls, the command was able to rescue six persons alive and three other persons dead.

    He said that the highest calls received by the command came from Asaba with 69 fire calls, adding that it was closely followed by Warri which recorded 38 fire calls.

    “Ughelli was next with a total of 17 calls and Sapele with 16 calls.

    “Some of the specific fire incidents recorded during the period include Beta Glass factory, Ughelli, which occurred on July 8, followed by another fire incident which occurred at Upper Agbarho, off Isoko Road, Ughelli on April 6,’’ Ogwezzy said.

    The commissioner however noted that the cases of fire incidents reduced slightly compared to what it used to be in the previous years.

    Ogwezzy said that the directorate had been enlightening the people of the state through the media on how to avoid fire outbreak.

    He said that the directorate had also designated some telephone numbers with which it could be contacted in case of fire outbreaks.

    NAN

  • FG issues provisional licences to six new private universities

    FG issues provisional licences to six new private universities

    The Federal Ministry of Education on Tuesday issued provisional licences to the six newly established private universities.

    The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, gave the provisional licences to the institutions in Abuja.

    The institutions are Admiralty University Ibusa in Delta, Spiritan University Neochi, Abia, Precious Cornerstone University in Ibadan, Oyo State, and Pamo University of Medica Sciences, Port Harcourt.

    Others are Atiba University in Oyo, Oyo State and Eko University of Medical and Health Sciences, Ijaniki, Lagos State.

    Adamu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Sonny Echono said the Federal Executive Council approved the take-off of the universities on December 6.

    He said that the approvals were given to the universities to provide quality education in Nigeria.

    He said the approval had increased the number of private universities in the country to 74.

    “The problems of access to quality education in Nigeria has poised serious challenges and therefore required serious efforts to address them.

    “The approval of the universities tends to address the issue of access to university education.

    Read also: FEC approves six private universities

    “Private universities in Nigeria have contributed and will continue to contribute to the development of education in the country.

    “The competition of private universities has contributed to healthy delivery within the system.

    He called on the institutions’ administrators to ensure highest standard of best practices to achieve academic excellence in their programmes.

    Earlier, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission ( NUC ), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, said quality control must be strictly adhered to.

    “ With about two million candidates applying for admission into universities annually, the university system is only able to accommodate about 500,000 students yearly.

    “ And so, there is need to licence more universities to help deal with the challenge of access to education.’’

    Also, Former head of state, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar called on Nigerians to maintain peace in the country to ensure educational development.

    Abubakar also urged universities to maintain and ensure quality education for the betterment of all Nigerians.

    He said with a total of 160 universities in Nigeria out of which 74 are private universities, 46 states and 40 federal universities, there was need to ensure peace to achieve educational development.

    He called for the engagement of the youths educationally, adding that the universities should be adequately equipped for meaningful development.

    NAN

  • Gunmen kill banker in Delta

    Gunmen kill banker in Delta

    Gunmen have killed a worker in one of the old generation banks in Warri, Delta State, identified as Obaro Oji.

    The incident occurred on Tuesday about 8p.m. near Ekpan bridge.

    Although the circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately known, The Nation learnt from witnesses that the deceased was waylaid near the bridge, close to NNPC Housing Complex.

    The sources said the banker was allegedly killed about 8p.m.  by gunmen, who chased him to the spot and shot him without taking anything from his car.

    Police spokesman Andrew Aniamaka said the deceased had earlier been reported missing to the police, adding that the family was contacted when his body was found yesterday.

  • Ogboru vows to end PDP rule in Delta

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Chief Great Ogboru, has vowed to end the dominance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and deliver the state to APC in 2019.

    Ogboru, who said he would run for the governor, added that if given the ticket, he would defeat Governor Ifeanyi Okowa at the polls and give President Muhammadu Buhari 75 per cent of votes in the presidential election.

    Speaking when he visited the Director- General of Buhari Support Group Centre (BSGC), Alhaji Umaru Dembo, in Abuja, Ogboru alleged that it is evident that PDP has always rigged elections since 1999.

    He vowed to stop this in 2019 when he hoped to contest on APC platform for the governor.

    Ogboru said: “We must thank God that President Buhari has come to sanitise the nation and stop impunity, which PDP institutionalised in 1999 when it came to power.”

    He assured people that he will rally the support of his supporters, who formed the bulk of Labour Party (LP) and Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), to coalesce on the platform of APC and rescue Delta State from PDP in 2019.

    The aspirant said: “I can claim that with the huge support base we enjoy in Delta, we can deliver more than 75 per cent votes to President Buhari in 2019.”

    Alhaji Dembo, ex-minister of state for Petroleum, hailed Ogboru for his foresight in joining APC and assured him of the support and cooperation of the centre in the struggle to secure the party’s ticket.

    He said considering President Buhari’s credentials and accomplishments in the last two years, Nigerians would vote for him and those who associated with his vision.