The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ebonyi

  • Unforgivable profligacy in Ebonyi

    SIR: Holiday-weary Nigerians ended last week with the shocking news that Ebonyi State, which ranks as one of the poorest state in Nigeria had bought new 2016 model Prado Jeeps for the members of the state House of Assembly.

    Ebonyi which is the last state to be created in the South-east according to a 2013 UNDP Human Development Report has the least Human Development Index (HDI) compared to other states in the South-east.

    Hon. Seriake Dickson, the governor of Bayelsa State was once quoted to have said that the near collapse of the state economy resulting in non-payment of workers salary was because “Bayelsans were lazy” and depended on the government for all their needs.

    Same cannot be said of Ebonyi people who are so resilient that they are willing to subject themselves to even the indignity of engaging in the most menial jobs to earn a living. Also, I have never heard that Ebonyi people are criminals.

    In the South-east, Ebonyi indigenes constitute the highest number of hawkers, house helps and other demeaning jobs. In fact, I have even heard from some Ebonyi indigenes that as much as 95% of the Igbo hawkers in Lagos and other Nigerian cities are from Ebonyi State.

    Ebonyi State is one of the educationally disadvantaged states in the country and the only state to be so termed in the whole of the South-east. Efforts made by the administration of Dr. Sam Egwu to bridge the educational gap through mass scholarship schemes at all educational levels seems to have hit the rocks with subsequent administrations.

    Governor Dave Umahi may have earned himself the award as the most profligate governor. A 2016 model of the Prado Jeep goes for a whooping N15 million and 24 of such for the 24 members of the State House of Assembly would cost N360 million.

    That amount would help many Ebonyi children risking lives and limb in Lagos traffic and would now have to contend with the fear of KAI and LASTMA, get an education. That amount of money invested in skills acquisition project would help lift many Ebonyi people out of poverty.

    In the South-east, locally produced rice used to be known as Abakailiki rice as Ebonyi State was a major hub for local rice production but currently, Abakailiki rice production has dwindled.

    That Umahi chose to give out brand new cars to 24 people (many of whom are returnees that had been given official cars in their previous tenure) whose number are very insignificant in relation to the over 78% of his people living in acute poverty really makes me wonder what is the crime of the ordinary Ebonyi people for electing the governor.

    With the conspiratorial silence of the society on the madness in Ebonyi State, Ebonyi people could be said to have entered a one chance bus without anyone lending a finger or albeit a voice of rescue. Ebonyi State in her current state is a reflection of our hypocrisy as a nation!

     

    • MadukaOnwukeme,

    Lagos.

  • Ebonyi suspends unified examinations

    The Ebonyi State Government yesterday suspended indefinitely its unified examination in the state school system.

    It blamed the decision on the illegal fees collected from pupils by schools’ head teachers for the examination.

    Commissioner for Education, Prof John Eke, announced the policy suspension at a media briefing in Abakaliki, the state capital.

    He gave head teachers seven days to refund the “illegal fees” they collected from pupils for the unified examination.

    Eke warned that any school principal who failed to refund the illegal fees after the ultimatum, would be sanctioned.

    The commissioner said the government introduced the concept in public and private schools to tackle poor performances among pupils in the West African Senior School Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations.

    He noted that the “illegal fees” imposed on the pupils by head teachers for the unified examinations were threatening the concept and tarnishing government’s image.

    Eke said: “We came up with a decision that there must be unified examination for pupils before they move to their next classes.

    “We approved the amount of money to be collected for the unified examination: N1,000 for secondary schools and N500 for primary schools. In it, N100 was approved for logistics for secondary schools while N50 was approved for primary schools.

    “Unfortunately and embarrassingly, some school heads started collecting outside of what we approved. Some are collecting N1,500; others are collecting N700, instead of what was approved. This government feels the plight of our parents.

    “This is why we decided to suspend the unified examination indefinitely and ordered the refund of all the fees collected from the pupils for it because the unified examination is not for money making.”

     

  • Cement production to resume in Ebonyi

    Cement production will soon come alive in Ebonyi State, it has been said.

    A deed of understanding and terms of settlement between NIGERCEM and representatives of the four host communities – Nkalagu, Nkalaha, Umuhuali, Amaezu and the Ebonyi State Government has been signed.

    With the signing of the pact in Abakaliki, the legal battles that had in the past affected the reopening of the once foremost indigenous cement production firm have been put to rest.

    The immediate past administration led by Chief Martin Elechi, had consistently closed the door for an out of court settlement, against Dr. Cletus Ibeto, who re-acquired the firm from Eastern Bulkcem and  tried to revamp the cement factory which was popularly known as NIGERCEM.

    In 2012, for instance, the Elechi administration warned IBETO GROUP against what it called illegal entry into the premises of NigerCem premises, saying its ownership was a subject of dispute in the courts.

    But an elated Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi; Ibeto and the SSA to the Governor on Cement Production, Prince Sunday Ugwuocha, at the event described the signing of the MoU as a milestone towards the revitalisation of the company.

    Governor Umahi, who said he had in line with the popular demand of the host communities promised to allow Ibeto revamp the firm, noted that the journey to its realisation was not an easy one.

    He said, “When we were campaigning under divine mandate platform, the only request that the communities  made was that Ibeto  should be allowed to come and revamp NIGERCEM and we did promise  them that  that was going to be done.”

    Umahi, who thanked the Cement Production Implementation Committee, set up by his administration, for doing a good job, assured Ebonyi people that their 10% equity ownership of NIGERCEM was still intact.

    “Let me announce to Ebonyi people that our 10% equity with NIGERCEM is still alive,” he assured as he described the land of Ebonyi as a land made up of limestone, gold, frankincense, silver, lead, zink, etc.

    He added, “My prayers all the time is for the land of Ebonyi to vomit all the limestone, the gold, the frankincense, silver, the bauxite, lead, zink that the land has swallowed, and it has to started with Ibeto.

    The core investor, Dr. Ibeto, praised Umahi’s ruggedness, saying Ebonyians owed him (governor) for ensuring that the journey to revamp NigerCem started on a good footing.

    He thanked governor Umahi for creating the enabling environment for the takeoff of NIGERCEM.

    The chairman, Cement Implementation Committee, Chief Fidelis Nwankwo, in his opening remarks, had said the signing of the deeds marked the realisation of an age long struggle by the IBETO GROUP to revamp NigerCem.

     

  • Cement production to resume in Ebonyi

    Cement production will soon come alive in Ebonyi State, it has been said.

    A deed of understanding and terms of settlement between NIGERCEM and representatives of the four host communities – Nkalagu, Nkalaha, Umuhuali, Amaezu and the Ebonyi State Government has been signed.

    With the signing of the pact in Abakaliki, the legal battles that had in the past affected the reopening of the once foremost indigenous cement production firm have been put to rest.

    The immediate past administration led by Chief Martin Elechi, had consistently closed the door for an out of court settlement, against Dr. Cletus Ibeto, who re-acquired the firm from Eastern Bulkcem and  tried to revamp the cement factory which was popularly known as NIGERCEM.

    In 2012, for instance, the Elechi administration warned IBETO GROUP against what it called illegal entry into the premises of NigerCem premises, saying its ownership was a subject of dispute in the courts.

    But an elated Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi; Ibeto and the SSA to the Governor on Cement Production, Prince Sunday Ugwuocha, at the event described the signing of the MoU as a milestone towards the revitalisation of the company.

    Governor Umahi, who said he had in line with the popular demand of the host communities promised to allow Ibeto revamp the firm, noted that the journey to its realisation was not an easy one.

    He said, “When we were campaigning under divine mandate platform, the only request that the communities  made was that Ibeto  should be allowed to come and revamp NIGERCEM and we did promise  them that  that was going to be done.”

    Umahi, who thanked the Cement Production Implementation Committee, set up by his administration, for doing a good job, assured Ebonyi people that their 10% equity ownership of NIGERCEM was still intact.

    “Let me announce to Ebonyi people that our 10% equity with NIGERCEM is still alive,” he assured as he described the land of Ebonyi as a land made up of limestone, gold, frankincense, silver, lead, zink, etc.

    He added, “My prayers all the time is for the land of Ebonyi to vomit all the limestone, the gold, the frankincense, silver, the bauxite, lead, zink that the land has swallowed, and it has to started with Ibeto.

    The core investor, Dr. Ibeto, praised Umahi’s ruggedness, saying Ebonyians owed him (governor) for ensuring that the journey to revamp NigerCem started on a good footing.

    He thanked governor Umahi for creating the enabling environment for the takeoff of NIGERCEM.

    The chairman, Cement Implementation Committee, Chief Fidelis Nwankwo, in his opening remarks, had said the signing of the deeds marked the realisation of an age long struggle by the IBETO GROUP to revamp NigerCem.

  • Lawmaker sensitises Ebonyi farmers on vitamin-rich crops

    Lawmaker sensitises Ebonyi farmers on vitamin-rich crops

    For three days, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo in Ebonyi State, Linus Okorie has engaged over 2000 farmers in his constituency in an enlightenment and empowerment campaign on the importance of growing Vitamin A fortified cassava and maize.

    It was not the first time Okorie brought the local farmers together at a seminar or workshop setting  to educate them on modern trends of agriculture. Some months back, he assembled them at Obiozara to engage them on the need for forming cooperative societies, giving them insights of how they could use such groups to attract incentives and do business with their farming.

    The latest gathering was centered on taking agriculture very seriously and the benefits of cultivating Vitamin A fortified cassava and maize among other uses.

    To achieve his objective, Okorie, who is the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions, hired HarvestPlus, an agricultural group that breeds crops for better nutrition, which is being coordinated by the Centre for International Tropical Agriculture and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), to perform the enlightenment and empowerment programme.

    Not only were the farmers in the three local governments educated on the need and how to grow Vitamin A food crops, but the seeds were also handed out to them to  grow right away. They were also taught how to process the Vitamin A cassava into different value-added products such as using cassava to make chips, moi-moi, custard and even tea.

    At the opening ceremony in Ishiagu Civic centre of Ivo local government, Okorie noted that cassava is a staple in Nigeria, consumed daily by more than 100 million people but that while the commonly available white cassava can provide most of the body’s daily energy requirements, it lacks micro-nutrients, such as vitamin A, that are essential for a healthy and productive life.

    He told his people that Vitamin A deficiency can impair the body’s immunity from infectious diseases and causes eye damage, even lead to blindness or death.

    He added that nearly one in three Nigerian children under five and one-quarter of all pregnant women in the country are vitamin A deficient.

    He said that most Nigerians do not get enough micronutrients such as vitamin A, zinc, and iron required to lead healthy productive lives from the foods that they eat, noting also that micronutrient deficiencies can lower IQ, cause stunting and blindness in children, lower resistance to disease in both children and adults, and increase risks for both mothers

    and infants during childbirth.

    “It is estimated that about 1 million of the 3 million child deaths that occur each year as a result of undernutrition are due to hidden hunger. Biofortified crops which have been bred to have higher amounts of micro-nutrients, can help provide these needed vitamins and minerals. They can be effective in reducing hidden hunger as part of a strategy that includes dietary diversification, supplementation, and commercial fortification, among others,” said Okorie

    He stated that the way forward was to ensure that farmers do not suffer the usual glut that has continually resulted from resurgent production of cassava over the years, adding that all participants in the workshops shall also be uploaded unto the Harvestplus e-market platform, which will integrate the participants into an anchor Programme of out growers to be

    supported by funding from single-digit interest rate funds from the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bank of Agriculture (BoA) and related windows.

    The Program’s technical partner and Country Manager of HarvestPlus inNigeria, Dr. Paul Ilona, who grilled the participating farmers throughout the three days in the different venues, told the rural farmers that though the cassava stems he brought came from Oyo state, but that after the program, the cassava stems would henceforth be sourced from Ebonyi state.

    Ilona cited the uses of Moringa tree which he said is powered by Vitamin A to buttress his to the farmers.

    “Hon. Okorie wants us to leave well and that is why he is doing the programme. Vitamin A is crucial to our living. The important thing is to eat nutritional food,” he stated.

    The Harvestplus boss explained the uses of the vitamin A Cassava in making chips, biscuits, bread, flour, Fofo, tea, among other derivatives. He noted that use of crude implements for farming will soon be over in Ebonyi state and will be replaced with mechanical farming. “A farmer is a businessman and should be conscious of that,” he said.

    Ilona taught them basic techniques of farming and planting the cassava for bumper harvest such as spaces to give whiling planting, how to sow the stems and maintain it till maturity. He encouraged them to embrace business farming since every farm crop has value added bye products, whether in cassava, Maize, Rice or palm produce.

    At the end, the farmers nicknamed the new breed crop as “Linus Cassava.” The participants lauded the effort Rep. Okorie for opening their eyes into the benefits of hybrid Vitamin A fortified Cassava and Maize. They agreed they were well educated on new techniques of farming, taking farming as serious business and have been revealed to the nutritional values of

    Vitamin A cassava and maize just like they learnt the derivatives of the crops.

    One of the participants, Mrs. Mary Okonkwo from Amagu-Ishiagu, Ivo local government area said: “I learnt how to plant cassava and maize. I will do my next planting according the way we have been thought particularly on the method of planting the cassava stem for better growth. There is difference on how we used to plant the cassava and how we have been taught to plant it now. Before, we used to plant more than four stems of cassava on one heap but we have been told to space the stems and reduce the number per heap for better yield.

    “Also we have been taught how to use the Vitamin A cassava to make flour, chips and all that, we are grateful. I thank Hon Linus Okorie because this is development and a new thing for us. This is something we didn’t known but he brought experts to teach us these modern techniques in farming and doing business with farm produce, we are happy and may God Almighty bless him.”

    Another participant, Orji Anyim said, “I learnt many useful things like the process of transforming a subsistence farmer to a rich grower.”

  • Cement production to resume in Ebonyi

    Cement production will soon come alive in Ebonyi State, it has been said.

    A deed of understanding and terms of settlement between NIGERCEM and representatives of the four host communities – Nkalagu, Nkalaha, Umuhuali, Amaezu and the Ebonyi State Government has been signed.

    With the signing of the pact in Abakaliki, the legal battles that had in the past affected the reopening of the once foremost indigenous cement production firm have been put to rest.

    The immediate past administration led by Chief Martin Elechi, had consistently closed the door for an out of court settlement, against Dr. Cletus Ibeto, who re-acquired the firm from Eastern Bulkcem and  tried to revamp the cement factory which was popularly known as NIGERCEM.

    In 2012, for instance, the Elechi administration warned IBETO GROUP against what it called illegal entry into the premises of NigerCem premises, saying its ownership was a subject of dispute in the courts.

    But an elated Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi; Ibeto and the SSA to the Governor on Cement Production, Prince Sunday Ugwuocha, at the event described the signing of the MoU as a milestone towards the revitalisation of the company.

    Governor Umahi, who said he had in line with the popular demand of the host communities promised to allow Ibeto revamp the firm, noted that the journey to its realisation was not an easy one.

    He said, “When we were campaigning under divine mandate platform, the only request that the communities  made was that Ibeto  should be allowed to come and revamp NIGERCEM and we did promise  them that  that was going to be done.”

    Umahi, who thanked the Cement Production Implementation Committee, set up by his administration, for doing a good job, assured Ebonyi people that their 10% equity ownership of NIGERCEM was still intact.

    “Let me announce to Ebonyi people that our 10% equity with NIGERCEM is still alive,” he assured as he described the land of Ebonyi as a land made up of limestone, gold, frankincense, silver, lead, zink, etc.

    He added, “My prayers all the time is for the land of Ebonyi to vomit all the limestone, the gold, the frankincense, silver, the bauxite, lead, zink that the land has swallowed, and it has to started with Ibeto.

    The core investor, Dr. Ibeto, praised Umahi’s ruggedness, saying Ebonyians owed him (governor) for ensuring that the journey to revamp NigerCem started on a good footing.

    He thanked governor Umahi for creating the enabling environment for the takeoff of NIGERCEM.

    The chairman, Cement Implementation Committee, Chief Fidelis Nwankwo, in his opening remarks, had said the signing of the deeds marked the realisation of an age long struggle by the IBETO GROUP to revamp NigerCem.

     

  • Rector, Ebonyi lawmakers bicker over employment

    Rector, Ebonyi lawmakers bicker over employment

    The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has engaged the Rector of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana, Ven. Ogbonnaya Ibe-Enwo in a war of words over alleged lopsided employment at the institution.

    The 24-member assembly accused Ibe-Enwo of abuse of office and irregularities in a recent employment exercise, but the rector said he followed due process.

    The assembly set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the alleged irregularities, lopsidedness and non-compliance to the federal character principle in the employment by the institution.

    However, the Rector said that he was not fairly treated by the legislators because he was not allowed to state his side to hear from him, noting that he could appear before the committee  if the supervising authorities approve as a federal polytechnic.

    He said: “After the employment, we also needed to do the regularisation.  In the absence of a governing council, there is what we call Expanded Management Committee.  That committee is made up of the Rector as Chairman, the representative of the Honourable Minister of Education, representative of the Executive Secretary of NBTE, then, all the principal officers of the institution.

    “We all met and did all the due processes of regularisation. At the end of it, I got certificate of compliance by the Federal Character Commission in doing it.”

    Ibe-Enwo explained that it was not a full scale employment and that he had contacted the Governor David Umahi and explained the matter to him.

    He noted that in conducting the exercise consideration was given to all applicants from across the states of the federation including Ebonyi.

    He said that as an indigene of the state he could not have done anything against the interest of his people.

    He, however, added that he could not also do anything against the standing and supervising authorities or the federal character principles just to impress anybody.

    Meanwhile, the Hon. Nkemka Okoro-led adhoc committee said that Ibe-enwo and his management team flagrantly refused to grant any of the requests it made, including to release some documents to them.

    Okoro said the House should use other available options to force them comply as his committee had exhausted all arsenals within its mandate to no avail.

  • Flood wreaks havoc in Ebonyi

    Flood wreaks havoc in Ebonyi

    •‘Building on waterways causes flood’

    Residents of Ebonyi State have decried their woes following last weekend’s downpour.

    A fish farm in Abakaliki, the state capital, Oluchika Nigeria Limited, yesterday said it lost over 4,000 fish to the flood.

    Conducting our reporter round the farm at 6, Edda Close, the company’s Manager, Mr. Onwe David, said:

    “We lost over 4,000 fish to the flood. The damage is so much that we are feeling terrible.”

    The manager said the flood destroyed one of the company’s biggest ponds.

    According to him, the wall demarcating the farm and Salt Lake Hotel caved in, forcing flood water into the farm.

    The company’s chairman, Bestman Anikwe, regretted that millions of naira were lost to the flood.

    He noted that despite government’s effort to contain flooding by building a canal to channel the water, the velocity of the rain forced the water out of the canal.

    Anikwe urged the government and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to assist the affected residents and companies.

    He said: “We pray they will help the people as the water is trying to overpower them.”

    In Ohaozara Local Government Area, the Ohaozara West Development Centre building and an Assemblies of God Church building were damaged by the heavy winds that accompanied the rain.

    Chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Area, Justice Ogbonna, who confirmed the damage, thanked God that no lives were lost to the disaster.

    The council chairman said his administration had done a thorough assessment of the damage and forwarded same to the Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency (EBSEMA) for onward transmission to NEMA.

    Secretary of EBSEMA Pastor Ken Eze said the agency was making an assessment of the damages with a view to reporting to NEMA and the state government.

    “I do believe that as we send our report to them they will respond with relief materials very soon” he said.

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has urged the state government to checkmate the erection of structures on water ways to prevent flooding.

    Southeast Coordinator Martins Udeinya spoke while accessing the damage caused by last weekend’s flooding.

    He said: “Sometimes hard decisions must be taken in order to build sustainable cities. So, it is my advice that government must really do something about the development of the city.

    “People cannot be allowed to build on water ways because it is disaster in the waiting; one day it will happen whether we like it or not.

    “The institutions or authorities responsible for controlling urban development should live up to expectation and ensure that people are not allowed to build on water ways.

    “It is a very hard decision to take but if you take it, you are ensuring sustainability of the future because one bad thing about flood disaster is that you don’t know the dimension it can take.

    “Efforts should be made by government to ensure that people don’t build on water ways and on our own part, we are going to step-up sensitization on flood prevention and mitigation and what people are expected to do for flood prevention and mitigation and other issues around disaster risk reduction’’.

    He described the damage done by the flood as terrible.

    “It is a terrible devastation. I saw lots of devastation; no one can believe that a flood disaster can be of this magnitude.

    “It has affected many people, it has affected properties, it has affected livelihood. So many things caused it. Streams that supposed to flow free were chased to narrow areas. The chasing of the streams into narrow areas directly or indirectly affected free flow of streams”.

    “I have been directed by the Director- General of National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA), Alhaji Muhammed Sanusi to proceed as a matter of urgency to Ebonyi state to look at the devastation and report back to him. We will send the report to Abuja to tell them what we have seen with a view to assisting the victims,” Udeinya said.

     

  • Flood hits Ebonyi

    Flood hits Ebonyi

    No fewer than five communities in Ebonyi State have been grappling with floodwaters after their farmlands were submerged.

    The affected communities are in Ivo Local Government Area of the state.

    Residents of the communities said their farmlands were washed off after a federal government dam under construction forced water to spill over from other channnels into lower-lying lands.

    The incident threw farmers and their families into grief.

    The dam was being built in Npu in Anuri Local Government Area of Enugu State.

    The affected communities are Ameke, Okue, Amaokwe, Ngwo-gwo and Obodo.

    Visiting the dam site on Monday upon learning of the development, Governor David Umahi ordered   a comprehensive report of farms and cash crops destroyed by the flood.

    He noted that the damage was huge, adding that the report would be sent to the federal government with a view to assisting the state and farmers whose means of livelihood had been severely affected.

    He said, “We came to the point of the Ukeh River Dam that is being constructed by the Federal Government in Npu,Anuri Local Government Area of Enugu State.

    “A comprehensive report will be carried out so that we can seek Federal Government’s assistance not only to the state but to the farmers whose agricultural produce has been seriously damaged.”

    The Caretaker Committee Chairman of Ivo Local Government Area, Chief O. Ude, who accompanied Governor Umahi to the site of the dam, said the blockade caused water to overflow backwards, thereby   destroying  the farmlands in  the affected communities.

    “If you look back from where we are standing, you will see a river coming down from there; that is Ivo, and this river is Ukeh. So the rivers meet here and it is from here that the constructors created an embankment that makes water to flow backwards.”

    The chairman of Ngwogwo Community Development Union, Mr. Johnson Ukpai, lamented that the fllod had destroyed agricultural produce like yams, cassava, rice, maize and cocoyam.

    He pleaded with the federal government to come to their rescue.

    “The blockage of the dam which resulted in the overflow of water to  our community has caused enormous damage. Our crops like, yams, cassava, rice, maize, cocoyams have been destroyed.”

    Youths of the area were seen displaying cassava tubers which had decayed due to the impact of the flood.

    Mr. Augustine Ossai, a liaison officer in Ivo legislative council, called on the Federal Government and the National Emergency Management Agency to immediately come to the assistance of farmers in the area.

     

  • 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.