Tag: Enugu

A Catholic priest, Rev. Father M. Okide of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, and six other travellers have reportedly been kidnapped in Enugu.

The incident happened on Sunday evening, September 18, along Eke-Affa-Egede Road in the Udi Local Government Area of the State.

It was learnt that the kidnappers had already made telephone contact with relatives of the victims, demanding N100 million as ransom before the Catholic Priest and other captives could be released.

It was gathered that the kidnappers had left the children of the victims inside their car crying helplessly before police operatives arrived at the scene to evacuate them.

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The police command is yet to react to the incident but operatives of the Udi Police Division are already combing the area with a view to securing the release of the Catholic Priest and other victims.

The Nation reports that a day before the incident, gunmen suspected to be kidnappers killed a man popularly known as Sunday Nwa Ugwuja, along Edem-Nrobo-Ezikolo-Abbi Road in the Uzo Uwani Local government area.

He was on his way to Nsukka when the incident happened and was confirmed dead at the Bishop Shanaham Hospital, Nsukka due to excessive loss of blood.

Many others also escaped the attack.

Also, on the same Friday, along the Enugu- Ugwuogo Nike-Nsukka Road, a gang of kidnappers was said to have successfully blocked the road and whisked away men, women, especially students into the bush.

One of the victims, is Obiora Omeye, an undergraduate from the Eha-Alumona community in Nsukka Local Government Area of the state and they are still being held captive by their captors.

Workers of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, have foiled a suspected attempt to abduct the Medical Director of the institution, Dr. Monday Igwe.

It was gathered that three stern-looking men had arrived at the facility Thursday afternoon in an unmarked Toyota Sienna bus, and moved straight to the office of the Medical Director.

The development caused panic in the hospital.

Sources at the hospital told our correspondent that the men had wanted to drag Igwe out of his office before words went out.

While workers started milling around the MD’s office, some of them who were already agitated demanded to know the mission of the ‘intruders’.

They were said to have quickly raised the alarm which attracted the attention of other staffers of the establishment.

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“By this time, the hospital’s security personnel locked the entrance and exit gates, ensuring that nobody came in or went out of the premises while information was quickly sent to the DPO, New Haven Police Station,” one of the sources said.

It was further gathered that upon the swift arrival of the police, the suspects disclosed that they were police officers from the Zone 13 Command, Ukpo in Anambra State.

They were said to have claimed to have come to arrest the medical director based on a petition against him.

Their explanation did not go down well with the enraged workers who queried the surreptitious manner they wanted to whisk their boss away.

But, the DPO took the men to the state police command headquarters where further investigations were being carried out.

Speaking with newsmen on Friday, a leader of one of the unions in the hospital accused one of the staff of the school of post-basic psychiatric nursing of being behind the petition.

The unionist who wondered why the staff in question had been embroiled in one crisis or another in the hospital in the last 13 years, was reported to have engaged the services of non-existent civil society organisations to destabilise the hospital.

 “Those people actually came with sinister motives. It took the intervention of the workers to save the situation before the DPO came with his men. They wanted to literally abduct him, but we resisted their attempt,” he said.

Neither the police nor the institution’s Medical Director would speak on the issue.

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, on Friday, signed into law, the Enugu State Electricity Bill, describing it as a major step towards economic growth and making the state the premier destination for investment, business, tourism, and living.

Speaking at the event, which took place at the Government House Enugu, Mbah said the quest by his administration to build Enugu State’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion would translate to a pipe dream without adequate and stable power supply, hence the need for the Electricity Law, which Bill was transmitted to the House of Assembly about a fortnight ago.

He equally commended the leadership and Members of the House of Assembly for the expeditious passage of the Bill and for their partnership with the government across party lines for the good of Enugu State.

 “As you know, following the Constitutional Amendment and the Electricity Act of 2023, electricity is now on the concurrent list. This will now enable us to play in the value chains of the electricity industry.

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 “So, Enugu State has spared no time in making sure that we create our own electricity market. That is the crux of this law.

 “We are now able to play in the generation, transmission, and distribution segments of the electricity market.

 “We are also, through our regulatory commission, which this Law has given us the power to create, going to be able to regulate the activities of these players – the generation, transmission, and distribution companies that will flow from it.

 “So, this is a significant and very important Law towards the achievement of the Enugu of our dreams because the development and growth of Enugu will all be predicated on the platter that this law has created. You cannot talk about industry or private sector investment if you don’t have electricity or power.

 “Enugu, under our administration, is designed and indeed prepared to be the premier destination for investment and this law is part of the enablers.

 “Therefore, we thank Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly for the expeditious way they treated this Bill, which has become Law today by this assent”, the governor stated.

The signing was witnessed by the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu, represented by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ezenta Ezeani; the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Kinsley Udeh; the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, among other state functionaries.

The Indonesian ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Usra Harahap, has expressed the country’s interest in deepening relations with the Enugu State Government in trade, investment and other socio-economic spaces that would be of mutual benefits to both entities.

Usra said this when he led a team of senior delegates from the Republic of Indonesia to the state on a business and working visit to Governor Peter Mbah at the Government House, Enugu, yesterday.

Exploring the areas of interest that could lead to a productive partnership between Enugu State and Indonesia, the ambassador noted that investments in the state and frequent exchange of contacts would not only cement the bilateral ties, but would equally create more opportunities for mutual growth and prospects of further investments in future.

“The potential for collaboration between Indonesia and Enugu State is spanning across Enugu State in many sectors. Firstly, in the area of trade and investment, we see great opportunities for future growth. Our country can benefit from increased trade, exchange of knowledge and collaborative investment venture.

“We look at how our trade will further improve. In this regard, I will extend my invitation to Governor Mbah and the Enugu business community to participate in the Trade Expo, which will be held from October 18 to 22 in the city of Indonesia.

“This expo will provide the unique platform for you to meet Indonesia businessmen, and also be exposed to our services and business opportunities that can be mutually beneficial,” he said.

Usra, who expressed Indonesia’s desire to invest in the energy and mining sectors in the state, said Enugu was rich in mineral resources, agriculture as well as tourism, which would serve as additional sources of revenue, adding that the “trade value between Indonesia and Nigeria is about $4.5 billion, of which the total import amount to $4.3 billion with export at only $5 million.

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“Indonesia has many interests in broadening the collaboration in energy, agriculture, health sector, as well as creative economy. In line with this, the Government of Indonesia has sought investment opportunities in Africa. Currently the Indonesia government has established 35 companies in Africa with values worth of $5 billion. The areas of investment are mining industry, food and beverages, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, construction, textile, agriculture.

“We recognise the potential of the agro-sector in your region and we envisage collaboration between Enugu State and Indonesia business within areas such as food processing, agriculture machinery and irrigation. Indonesia expertise can help significantly to increase agricultural productivity and ensure food security in your state,” he added.

He said Indonesian government was making plans to collaborate with the state in area of education through scholarship programme, to enable bright students from the state to do their doctoral, master and undergraduate degrees in the Asian country.

Responding to the visit, Governor Mbah commended the ambassador and his team for picking special economic interest in the state, saying his administration was not only ready to partner Indonesian investors, but had equally provided an enabling environment to welcome them to the state.

He maintained that the state had an array of investment opportunities such as the sector-based productivity belt, minerals and energy sector, including coal and oil and gas with large deposits in locations in the state.

Mbah enjoined the ambassador to see Enugu as the best state to invest, as his government had already activated the mechanisms that would de-risk investment flow and enable ease of doing business.

He added that “Enugu State is blessed with minerals such as limestone, gypsum, clay mineral, glass sand, and one of the cleanest coal deposit in the world”.

He reiterated the government’s resolve to make the state an investment destination, grow the gross domestic product from its present $4.4 billion to $30 billion, eradicate poverty and make it a tourism hub through deliberate policies being executed.

The governor, disclosing that Enugu State, under his leadership, had been adjudged one of the safest states to do business in terms of security, called on investors to seize the opportunity provided by the government to invest in agriculture and agro-allied industrialisation.

He said over 300,000 hectares had been designated as a special economic zone for agro-allied processing industry and other investment prospects.