The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ekpoma

  • Pastor’s wife murdered in Ekpoma

    Pastor’s wife murdered in Ekpoma

    Gunmen have shot dead wife of the pastor of House of Testimony, a Pentecostal church located along Idumebo Road in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Pastor (Mrs.) Obehi Irabor.

    The victim was shot at close range at her residence in Ihumudu Quarters in the presence of her husband, Pastor Ose Irabor at about 11:00pm.

    It was gathered that she was shot from the back by two gunmen while she was padlocking the gate to their apartment to return to their church all-night programme.

    She was said to have returned home to change her clothes.

    The death of the mother of nine- month- old baby has thrown the family and church into bewilderment.

    Sources said the husband and her relatives have struggled to fathom the cause of the suspected assassination.

    Oblivious of the fate that awaited her at home, the late Mrs. Irabor had requested her husband to drive her home just before the commencement of the all-night programme to change her clothes, which had zip problem.

    She had made the request because her pastor husband had told her he was going to pick his brother few streets from their home for the all-night service.

    Like using a stone to kill two birds, the pastor husband obliged.

    Reports said the deceased had successfully changed into other clothes and was padlocking the gate to her apartment when the unthinkable happened.

    Two armed men emerged from the blues and one of them pointed a gun at her and shot her at her back, killing her instantly.

    The pastor husband, who was already inside the car, rushed out while her killers hurried away, it was learnt.

    The police were immediately contacted and evacuated the corpse to the morgue.

  • FG now serious with Lassa Fever – ex-VC

    FG now serious with Lassa Fever – ex-VC

    A former Vice Chancellor of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma and Professor of Microbiology, Prof. Dennis Agbonlahor, has said that the Federal Government of Nigeria now appeared serious and willing to listen and provide necessary support at controlling the scrounge of Lassa fever.

    Prof. Agbonlahor who described the inauguration of the National Committee on the Control of Lassa Fever as a step in the right direction said the menace of Lassa fever was an “annual recurrent budget of death for the poor people in Nigeria.”

    He spoke at the weekend while delivering the distinguished Lecture of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), with the title, “Combating Lassa Fever: a National Health Challenge.”

    Agbonlahor noted that for the past 47 years, Nigeria made noise in the name of creating awareness during Lassa fever outbreaks but goes to sleep at the end of each episode.

    He said government of developed countries showed little or no interest to providing financial contribution to Lassa fever eradication because “they look at the disease as a regional problem which is mainly endemic in West Africa”

    According to him, “Despite the thousands of deaths from the fever, Nigeria is still unprepared to contain the disease, waking up every year an outbreak is reported, running like a decapitated chicken in any direction and forgetting about the disease till another year of another outbreak,” he said.

    “There should be accurate epidemiological data on the distribution, rodent typing and rodents’ Lassa viral carriage according to geopolitical zones and states in Nigeria.”
    “We must therefore use infection control measures, such as complete equipment sterilization in hospitals and medical laboratories.

    “Trapping of rodents in and around homes and occasional fumigation can help reduce rodent populations.”

    Earlier in his opening remarks, Vice Chancellor of UNIBEN, Prof. Faraday Orumwense, said the institution has set up a committee to sensitize the university community on ways to prevent the disease and to ‎collaborate with the government, the NGOs on ways to eradicate Lassa fever.

  • Fire razes two buildings in Edo varsity

    Fire razes two buildings in Edo varsity

    Two buildings in the Edo State owned University, the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma were Thursday night gutted by fire.

    The buildings housed the departments of Civil Engineering and Philosophy.

    Property worth millions of naira including computer sets, televisions, air conditioners, ceiling fans, office cabinets, refrigerators, office chairs and tables were destroyed by fire.

    The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained as at press time but there are speculations that the office of the examination officer of the Civil Engineering, containing students’ results, examination scripts and records were burnt to ashes.

    Sources said some students claimed they saw somebody pouring liquid substance suspected to be fuel on an air conditioner before striking a match, after which he allegedly ran away.

    The source said many of the properties were not burnt as they were looted.

    Spokesperson for the institution, Chris Adamaigbo, was not available for comments due to a strike action called by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) chapter of the university.

  • Suspected ritualists behead Okada rider in Ekpoma

    Suspected ritualists have beheaded a commercial motorcyclist, popularly called Okada rider, at Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

    The incident took away the head of their victim.

    The incident was said to have occurred at 8pm on a lonely street adjacent to the Ambrose Alli University College of Medicine.

    The body was left in a pool of blood with splashes of blood on the scene.

    It was learnt that the hoodlums boarded the motorcycle, pretending to be passengers.

    The hoodlums were said to have attacked the Okada rider on the street.

    A resident said he heard a loud shout for help, accompanied with heavy bangs on the gates of some houses on the street.

    The ritualists reportedly overpowered the hapless motorcyclist and took away his head.

    The source said the residents met the headless body the following morning in a pool of blood.

    They alerted the police, who removed the body.

    The residents are said to have become used to retreating indoors early, following constant robbery attacks on the street.

    The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Esan West Local Government, Mr. A. A. Shaibu, confirmed the incident.

    He said the matter had been transferred to the command’s headquarters in Benin, the state capital, for further investigation.

    A police source said some suspects, including the younger brother of the deceased, were being investigated.

    “The younger brother is being interrogated as the last person that called the deceased’s mobile phone before the killing,” the source said.

     

  • Woman commits suicide after baby’s dedication

    A 35- year old woman identified as Ejobosele Okoruwa has committed suicide hours after dedicating her three- month old baby in a church.

    Okoruwa’s body was found dangling in her bedroom. She used her wrapper as rope to commit the act.

    The deceased residence at Ekpoma in Esan West Local Government of Edo State was filled with sympathisers who went to see the dangling body.

    Husband of the deceased, Mr. Okoruwa told journalists that he slept in the sitting room with two of his children while the wife slept in the bedroom with their eldest daughter and baby.

    Okoruwa said it was a shout from his daughter at about 2am that woke him up only to see his wife lifeless body dangling.

    He said his wife’s recent behaviour indicated that she was depressed but that it did not occur to him that she would take her life.

    “She exhibited some strange behaviours. She was moody, sometimes she will just be looking at one direction. When you call her she won’t respond and after several calls, she will respond with a shock.

    “I tried to enquire from her to know if she had any problem bothering her but she said she was okay. There was a time she told my eldest daughter to take care of the children that she would be going away.

    “I thought she was abandoning the marriage, I pleaded and she promised to stay. She equally complained of some health problems. I asked her to go for test which she did,” the husband said.

  • Varsity Don calls for functional centre for diseases control in Nigeria

    A university lecturer, Prof. Onyebiguwa Nmorsi, says if the country must control diseases, a functional centre for diseases control has to be set up.

    He said that lack of a disease control centre was responsible for disease specimens from Nigeria being sent to developed countries for extensive and detailed research work.

    Nmorsi made the call at the 46th Inaugural Lecture of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo on Thursday.

    Speaking on the topic “Impact of some Parasitic Infections on Longevity of Man”, Nmorsi blamed parasitic infections for being responsible for significant reduction in longevity of man.

    He said that to reduce the impact of these factors to longevity, government must among other things provide potable water as basic amenity.

    “There should be an improvement in personal and environmental hygiene through appropriate health education.

    “The study of parasitology and parasitic diseases and tropical medicine should and must be encouraged in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

    “And more importantly, setting up of a functional centre for disease control in the country,’’ he said.

    The parasitologist said the provision of pipe borne water was important because it would help check some water-borne parasitic diseases like amoebic dysentery and schistosomiasis.

    He said that the refuse/waste dumps in markets and homes should be removed promptly and burnt by the appropriate government agencies.

    “The present state of allowing these refuse dumps to accumulate before they are removed is unacceptable as it constitutes health hazards.’’

    Nmorsi therefore urged governments at all levels to put in place functional waste management boards.

  • Kidnapped lecturer regains freedom, another slumps, dies in office

    Kidnapped lecturer regains freedom, another slumps, dies in office

    Prof. Celestina Isiramen, a lecturer at Ambrose Alli University in Ekpoma, Edo, who was abducted by unknown gunmen last week Wednesday has regained her freedom.

    Her release came as the university community of Ekpoma was thrown into mourning, following the death of Prof. Solomon Momoh of the Institute of Education.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Isiramen was released to her family on Thursday morning amidst jubilation by family members.

    Isiramen, of the Religious Management and Cultural Studies Department, was abducted by unknown gun men while driving into her residence.

    The kidnappers forcibly made her to leave her vehicle and entered theirs, whisking her away to an unknown destination.

    NAN reports that the amount said to have been paid to secure her release could not be ascertained.

    Meanwhile, the university community was on Thursday morning engulfed in mourning after Momoh slumped and died in his office.

    It was gathered that the deceased professor had just returned from lecture hall when he collapsed as he was entering his office.

    All efforts to revive him failed as he gave up the ghost before any medical attention could be arranged.

    A spokesman for the university confirmed the two incidents.