The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Enugu

  • Son hacks father to death in Enugu community

    The Enugu State Police Command has commenced investigation into the alleged killing of a man identified as Osita Nwachukwu by his son, Chibuike Nwachukwu.

    The command’s spokesman, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, a Superintendent of Police, made this known in a statement on Friday in Enugu.

    Amaraizu said that the incident occurred at about 5.30 a.m. on Friday at Enugu-Agu village in Amuri community in Nkanu West Local Government Area.

    Read Also: Enugu auto-crash claims 5 lives – Police

    “A son identified as Chibuike Nwachukwu, about 25 years old, has allegedly hacked his father, Mr Osita Nwachukwu, about 60 years old, to death with a matchete over a yet-to-be established issue.

    “The alleged incident has thrown the entire Amuri community into mourning today,’’ he said.

    Amaraizu stated that the suspect had been nabbed by the police and was already helping the command in investigation of the matter.

    He said that the body of the deceased had been deposited in a hospital mortuary in the community for autopsy.

     

    (NAN)

  • NANS lauds PRO, Police Command over international award

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has lauded DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ogun for the recent international award and recognition as “Best Police PRO in Nigeria.’’

    The award was presented recently at the 15th Conference of Security Watch Africa held on Nov. 15 in Banjul, Gambia.

    NANS National Public Relations Officer, Mr Bestman Okereafor, made the commendation in a statement on Monday in Enugu.

    According to Okereafor, NANS joins lovers of security in congratulating a hardworking and dedicated Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi.

    Read Also: FRSC, NADDC chiefs, others for auto awards

    “This award is a victory to us all who are looking forward for a reformed and effective Nigeria Police.

    “We say big congratulations to Nigeria Police, Ogun Command under the leadership of Mr Ahmed Iliyasu and the command’s Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC).

    According to NANS, the great achievement had been made possible through collective efforts.

    “NANS is imploring Nigerians,specifically residents of Ogun to remain peaceful as well as steadfast in dissemination of information to the police and other security agencies.’’

    NAN

  • Price of rice remains stable in Enugu

    The prices of both local and foreign rice have remained stable in major markets in Enugu metropolis. 

    A market survey conducted on Saturday revealed that prices of both local and foreign rice had neither increased nor reduced when compared to what their prices were some months ago.

    The price of 50kg of foreign rice sells between N18,000 and N18,500 depending on the brand, while 25kg sells at N8,000 and N9,000.

    The price of a 50kg bag of local rice goes for between N11,000 and N12,000, while the 25kg cost between N5,800 and N6,000.

    Some rice dealers, who spoke to our reporter attributed the stable price to availability of both the local and imported rice in the market.

    Mr Osundu Ibe, a rice seller at Ogbete said that the price of rice had not increased since March, adding that different types of local rice were available, thereby making the price to be stable.

    Ibe said that the sales of local rice had been on the increase due to its affordability when compared to foreign rice.

    According to him, a cup of local rice stands between N70 and N80, compared to the price of foreign rice that goes for between N100 and N120.

    Read Also: Police arrest six suspects for house-breaking near Enugu

    He said that the five-litre paint bucket of the local rice, usually the standard measure for cereals in South East goes for N1, 200, while foreign one is sold for N1, 700.

    Mr Mathew Okwuosa, another rice dealer at Akwata Market said the reason for the steady price of rice in major markets was due to persistent increase in domestic rice production.

    Okwuosa noted that the ban on foreign rice by the Federal Government had shifted the attention of many buyers to local rice.

    According to him, the belief is that the foreign rice would be more expensive, thereby lowering its sales and stabilizing the price.

    NAN

  • Nine killed, 12 injured in Enugu road accident

    ‎An auto crash which occurred along the Enugu – Port Harcourt Expressway has left nine persons dead and 12 critically injured.
    The accident occurred at Ihe axis of Awgu local government  at about 8pm on Sunday.
    According to the Enugu State Police Command spokesman, Superintendent Ebere Amaraizu, the accident occurred when an articulated vehicle conveying a caterpillar had a head on collision with a 508 mini bus conveying passengers believed to be worshipers.

    Read Also: China mining accident death toll rises to 21

    According to Amaraizu, the deceased have been deposited at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku – Ozalla mortuary.
    The 12 critically injured were also rushed to the hospital for intensive attention.

  • NNPC pipeline explosion was avoidable – Senate

    The Senate joint Committee investigating the NNPC pipeline explosion that rocked two villages in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area of Abia State has described the incident as avoidable and vowed to ensure that the culprits were brought to justice.

    The joint committee leader, Senator Kabiru Marafa  led the members comprised of Petroleum Downstream and Police Affairs to the scene of the incident at Umuimo and Umuaduru and expressed deep regrets that such an incident which led to heavy loss of lives and wanton destruction of properties had happened in such peaceful communities.

    He insisted that the committees of Downstream and Police will get to the root of the matter, stressing that the committees were also looking into heavy losses that had affected the economy of the nation.

    He commiserated with the traditional rulers of the affected communities, praying for the peaceful repose of the unfortunate citizens that lost their lives to the pipeline explosion.

    The committee also interacted with the contractor handling the repair of pipelines from Port Harcourt refinery who disclosed that the contract with corporation was to maintain one of the pipelines and that he had been up and doing.

    However he disclosed further that on several occasions he had been surcharged by his employers for leakages that were totally not his fault, adding that the original contract was from Port Harcourt to Abia Depot and that later Abia Depot to Enugu was included.

    The contractor explained that the pipeline that exploded was not the one that had a contract on it, explaining further that the distance between the maintained pipeline and the other was less than four feet and that he was instrumental to putting out the inferno.

    Also at the NNPC Depot at Osisioma, the committee was received by the former Depot Manager who told the committee that the exploded pipeline had been abandoned for close to 16 years, but that there was a quantity of product left inside the pipeline.

    Asked by the committee why the pipeline was not flushed since it had been out of use for a good number of years, he insisted it was standard practice, but his reply drew the ire of the team, who insisted that petroleum product was left there to deliberately snuff life out of innocent citizens.

    Read Also: NNPC, BP signs agreement on PMS

    At this juncture Sen. Marafa asked the NNPC to put all their defense in a single document and ensure that the report gets to them before Tuesday, the same instruction was given to the contractor as well as those that have any information that would enable the committee arrive at a peaceful conclusion.

    The committee later paid a courtesy call on Governor Okezie Ikpeazu who thanked them for the visit and urged them to do all within their powers to ensure that justice was not only done but seen to have been done, lamenting that the death of his people was very painful.

    Sen. Theodore Orji for Abia Central Senatorial District who brought the incident to the floor of the senate expressed joy that the committee had come and seen and heard firsthand the immediate and remote cause of the incident and assured that the communities would remain peaceful.

    It would be recalled that a pipeline explosion engulfed the two communities of Umuimo and Umuaduru in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area and claimed the lives of not less than 150/individuals, but the number has gradually increased following the death of some of those receiving treatment at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital and other care centers where they were rushed to.

    Members of the downstream committee that made the visit include Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, Sen. Ibrahim Danbaba, Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa, Sen. Yahaya Abdullahi, Sen. Albert Akpan and Sen. Shuaibu Laa, while those of the Police were Sen. Theodore Orji and Sen. Obinna Ogba.

    The senate had through a resolution given the committee two weeks to report back their findings.

     

  • Enugu denies planning to ban tricycle operation after 2019 general election

    THE Enugu State Government has denied the rumour making the rounds that it plans to ban the operation of tricycles, popularly known as “Keke”, after the 2019 general election, stating that “there is no iota of truth in it.” In a statement by the state’s Commissioner for Transport, Hon. Vitus Okechi, the state government described the allegation as “false and baseless”, stressing that “there is no such plan”.

    The commissioner disclosed that “the state government has implicit confidence in the leadership and membership of the Association of Tricycle Riders Transport Union in Enugu State”, adding that it “has continued to enjoy a cordial working relationship with them as partners in the development of the state”. The government therefore, stated that it will empower the tricycle operators more “after the 2019 general election in line with the policy thrust of the administration”, and urged “the public to discountenance the said rumour as there is no iota of truth in it”.

  • Senior Staff of Statutory Corporations call on restraint towards 2019 elections

    Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) ended its meeting in Enugu with a call on politicians to exercise restraint as we enter the 2019 electioneering period.

    It said no human life is worth losing in the quest for power.

    In a communique issued at the end of the meeting, the association advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain unbiased ‎as the umpire and ensure that the general elections were free, fair and credible.

    The communique signed by the national president, Comrade Muhammad Yunusa and the secretary, Comrade Ayo Olorunfemi also commended government’s efforts in fighting insecurity and criminality in the country.

    It, however, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to combat “the nefarious acts of herdsmen, kidnapping and Boko Haram insurgency in the country “.

    They frowned at the non-payment of workers salaries in the states despite the release of bailout funds and Paris Club refunds to them.
    ‎
    “We hereby call on state governments to as a matter of urgency pay salaries owed workers in order to ameliorate the sufferings and hardship being experienced by workers, ” the association demanded.

    The communique further states: “The NEC in session noted clearly that the present National Minimum wage has been eroded with the current inflation in the country. We hereby call on the government to immediately forward a Bill to the National Assembly on the proposed new minimum wage so as to ameliorate the economic hardship workers have been made to go through.

    “The NEC in session noted with dismay how government at all levels had abandoned the provision of potable drinking water for her citizens, we hereby call on governments to as a matter of urgency begin to resuscitate moribund water distribution networks in the country and fund the Water Corporations in the states.

    “The current poverty in the country is alarming and the need to curb this cannot be over emphasised. We call on governments at all levels to consciously create economic policies that will genuinely alleviate poverty in the land”.

  • Enugu approves 50 per cent discount on land use charges

    The Enugu State government has approved a 50 per cent discount on accrued land use charges across the state.

    Addressing reporters on the outcome of the State Executive Council (Exco) meeting, the Commissioner for Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA), Chidi Aroh, also expressed the council’s delight at the success the government recorded in its Education sector reform.

    He gave the example of Master Anthony Okeke, who won the Prestigious Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) prize for the best student in science.

    The commissioner said only those who pay their land use charges on or before December 31 will benefit from the discount.

    Aroh also said the Exco approved immediate completion of the abandoned Agbani District Hospital, adding that the government had begun similar projects in the two district hospitals in Udi and Enugu North local government areas.

     

     

     

     

     

  • 15 cultists renounce membership

    Fifteen cultists have renounced membership of cults at Diogbe in Igbo Etiti Local Government of Enugu State.

    The cultists, whose ages range between 18 and 25, had engaged in crimes in the community and its environs.

    Administering oath of renunciation and undertaking on the repentant cultists yesterday, Police Commissioner Mohammed Danmallam urged them to shun acts that could bring them in conflict with the law.

    Danmallam, represented by spokesman Ebere Amaraizu, enjoined the residents to accept the repentant cultists, saying they should not be stigmatised.

    “This is part of the Police Public Relations Department’s outreach called Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV) programme meant for countering narratives of cultism and social vices among youths, by making them to be better citizens.

    “Our youths must resist temptation of yielding to negative influences of friends and peer groups if they will become champions tomorrow.

    “I enjoin you to know who your friends are and the kind of lives they live, to avoid getting involved as well,” he said.

    Danmallam described cultism as an envelope containing many crimes such as robbery, murder, kidnapping, rape, drug related crimes and others.

    He advised youths to reflect on the positive sides of their future.

    The monarch, Igwe Uchenna Anikwe, said he and his cabinet members had been battling cultism in the last five years, adding that they had spent a lot of money on security.

    The Chairman of Post Primary School Management Board, Mr. Nestor Ezema, said the government was determined to stop cultism and unruly behaviour among pupils and students.

    He urged parents and guardians to rise up against unruly behaviours among their children and wards, saying they should monitor their friends.

    Rev. Fr. Victor Ozioko, a Catholic priest in the community, admonished the repentant cultists to move closer to God.

  • Police arrest ATM fraudster, recover 12 stolen ATM cards

    The Enugu State Police Command yesterday announced its arrest of an alleged Automated Teller Machine (ATM) fraudster said to be operating at banks in Enugu.

    Found in possession of Obinna Okafor, according to the police ,were  12 ATM cards owned by different  individuals.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Ebere Amaraizu, said the suspect was caught red-handed on Wednesday by police operatives of the New Haven Division.

    “The suspect was nabbed by police operatives on duty at the ATM point of the Ebeano branch of an old generation bank, following an alarm raised by a female victim,” Amaraizu said.

    “The victim alleged a fraudulent and smart exchange of her ATM card with a fake one by the suspect.

    “After securing the pin number of the card, he attempted to escape, but the victim raised an alarm, which attracted the attention of police operatives on duty.

    “The officers moved in swiftly and arrested the suspect,’’ he said.

    According to him, the suspect is now helping police operatives in their investigations.

    The police spokesman advised the public to be watchful and avoid situations whereby they would be tricked into revealing their ATM pin numbers, especially to strangers.