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Tag: Ezza North local Government Area

  • Six policemen detained over burning of INEC facility

    Six policemen have been arrested over the attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Registration Area Centre (RAC) by hoodlums in Ebonyi state.

    The arrested officers were deployed to Ezza North Local Government Area for the March 9 Governorship and Assembly Elections in Ebonyi State.

    The hoodlums had attacked the INEC facility around 2 am on the Election Day, burning down three RAC buildings which had all the sensitive and non-sensitive electoral materials for the election in the area.

    It was gathered the policemen were arrested and detained for allegedly allowing the hoodlums to carry out their action without arresting any of the suspects or preventing them.

    Commissioner of police, Mr. Awoshola Awotinde, who reported the incident to Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of election monitoring in south East, ordered for the immediate arrest and proper investigation of the incident.

    Read also: APC rejects Ebonyi governorship result, heads to tribunal

    Police Spokesman, Loveth Odah, confirmed the arrest of the policemen.

    She said that having failed to protect the election materials, they were arrested and undergoing orderly room trial.

    She assured if found guilty, they would face their punishment which may include dismissal from the force.

     “Two mobile policemen were posted to each of the three RACs that were attacked.

    “We post them there because we know such attack could come or for them to counter such attacks, but also because they needed to be closer, while calling on tactical unit once there is any eventuality.

    “But we were surprised that the invaders came and got all the materials and the building burnt unchallenged.

    “Just like I use to tell you every day that police cannot sweep public complaints under the carpet, we don’t tolerate indiscipline and as we checkmate the public, we also checkmate our colleagues.

    “So the Commissioner of Police ordered for their arrest. They have been under investigation to ascertain whether their claims were true,” she said.

    She went on: “The most senior among them said that as soon as those thugs arrived, they switched off the generator and everywhere became dark to the extent that someone could not see the rare end.

    ”The six of them were posted to the three RACs that the incident happened.

    “We are waiting for INEC officials who were posted to come and give their own statement because it will be vital information in the investigation and it will help us to ascertain if what the police officers said is true.”

    Meanwhile, INEC is set to conduct supplementary elections in the two-state constituencies affected by the attack.

    36,000 voters were disenfranchised as a result of the incident forcing the electoral body to declare the election inconclusive.

    The supplementary election is according to a statement by INEC in the state will hold on Saturday, March 23.

    The statement by the Acting Administrative Secretary of INEC in the state, Mr. Andy Ezeani said supplementary election will also hold in some polling units in Izzi local government area.

    “For Ebonyi State consequently, supplementary elections will be held in the following Constituencies; Ezza North West (Ekka Registration Area – 16 PUs and Oriuzor Registration Area, 32 PUs/VPs); Ezza North East (Okposi Umuoghara Registration Area – 27 PU/VPs)

    “Izzi East 19 PUs across the following Registration Areas; Igbeagu Nduogbu, Igbeagu Ndietta, Igbeagu III, Mgbaluku I, Mgbabeluzor and Ndieze Ndiabor Ishiagu,” Ezeani said in the statement.

  • Controversy trails death of APC Chieftain in Enugu hotel

    Controversy has continued to trail the death of Ezza North Local government Area Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Ernest Odu who slumped and died in an Enugu hotel during a party meeting.

    The hotel is allegedly owned by a stalwart of the party in Ebonyi State.

    The Late Odu, a lawyer who hails from Ezza North Local government Area of the State was until his death elected as the Chairman of Ezza North local government area of the party in the just concluded APC party Congress.

    Read Also:By-election: Wike, APC chair clash over ‘N200m bribe’

    A family source who pleaded anonymity said though the true cause of Odu’s death could not be ascertained the family would approach the police for an autopsy.

    The source added that they are suspecting that the deceased might have died of food poisoning.

    The source disclosed that the deceased attended a political meeting at the hotel where he was served food and other consumables.

    The Source further revealed that the late Party local government chairman was said to have slumped and was rushed to the hospital where he died at the weekend.

    “We suspect food poisoning because before attending the meeting, he was hale and hearty but the next thing we heard was that he slumped and gave up the ghost after delivering a vote of thanks” he said.

    Similarly, a group, Ezza Youth Vanguard has called on the Police and the State Security Service to unravel the cause of the death of the deceased to avoid further speculations and accusation.

    The group in a statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Chukwuma Nworie expressed regret over the death of the young legal practitioner adding that it would be unwise for anyone or group of people to politicise the death of the young politician.

    “We receive with great shock the death of our brother and legal practitioner and the controvesy surrounding his death. We therefore call on the Police and the Department of State Security Service, DSS to investigate the death to put an end to the accusations. We have heard some people allege that he died in a hotel, the police should unravel the true story of what happened and if there are any foul play, then necessary action should be taken”.

    “We won’t just allow our son t die and nothing is heard or said about his death. The best we can do as a people is to unravel the controversy surrounding his death and fraying nerves calm”., Said tw source

    Enugu State Police spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu confirmed the incident but said that the matter was not formally reported.

    He said the deceased slumped and was rushed to a hospital in the state where he later died.

    Mr Amaraizu said the command after it was informed of the incident sent an invitation to the hotel manager to report at the police station to throw more like on what transpired.

    He promised that the Police will get to the bottom of the incident as it has commenced investigation into the matter.

     

  • Kidnapped Catholic Priest, Cook rescued by Police

    Kidnapped Catholic Priest, Cook rescued by Police

    Barely 24 hours after he was kidnapped, the police in Ebonyi state have rescued a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Timothy Nwanja, abducted by gunmen in Okpokueze Nkomoro community, Imoho Development Centre, Ezza North Local Government Area of the State.

    Also rescued was the cook to the priest who was also abducted along side with her boss.

    According to sources, the cleric, who serves at St. Mary’s parish, was kidnapped by three gunmen at about 8:30pm on Sunday night in his residence.

    This is even as the police said that they arrested one of the suspected kidnappers.

    They however regretted that they could not capture the remaining two but vowed that the police must track down the kidnappers.

    Police spokesman in the state, Mrs Loveth Odah, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, who conformed the rescue said that the police acting on tip off, raided the criminals’ hideout.

    She narrated that while the cleric was having his dinner, the kidnappers sneaked into his room.

    She said that the priest’s cook who had gone upstairs to get water from the refrigerator was first captured.

    “When the priest heard the loud screaming, he ran upstairs to know what was going on and they also captured him. One of them was familiar with the area while the two were not.

    READ ALSO:  Gunmen kill three NDLEA operatives

    “They took him away in his own vehicle. They blindfolded him and tied his ears so that he won’t be able to listen to their interaction.

    “At a point, they separated the cook and the priest. They allowed the cook to go but it was a plot” she narrated.

    Odah disclosed that the cleric had jumped out through the window of the uncompleted building where he was taken to. She revealed that the trio had taken Holy Communion wine and as a result, slept off.

    She said that the criminals had planned to request the sum N100 million ransom from the Bishop of Abakaliki Diocese in the morning before they ran out of luck. Ends

  • Tragedy as SS1 student drowns in Ebonyi lake

    Tragedy as SS1 student drowns in Ebonyi lake

    A pall of grief descended on Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State, after a Senior Secondary (SS) 1 student of Abakaliki High School, Chinonso Nwokporo drowned in an artificial lake located at the International Market, Abakaliki.

    The body of Nwopkoro, a native of Oriuzor in Ezza North local Government Area of the state, was found floating in the lake on Thursday with blood gushing out of his mouth, ears and nose when it was recovered.

    An eyewitness, Master Okechukwu Eze, said he and the deceased had gone to the pond to swim when he got drowned.

    “We went to the pond to swim and nobody among us knows how to swim. So we were just at the shallow part of the pond where people normally stay and fetch water for their various uses. We stayed there and fetch water and came out and bathed.

    “As were going back to our houses that evening, my friend Chinonso went back and I thought he went to bring a cloth he forgot. Before I could notice what was happening, he had entered the pond and started shouting for help and I went to rescue him.

    “When I jumped into the pond, I started drowning also but I was able to come out and I didn’t know when and how I came out because I was shouting Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! I shouted on top of my voice for rescue of my friend but no one came around until one of the security men stationed to take care of the market came to fetch water from the pond.

    ‘’The security man told me that he doesn’t know how to swim; hence, he cannot do anything about my friend’s case. I then ran to the house of my friend and informed his mother”, he added.

    The father of the victim, Mr. Edwin Nwokporo expressed surprise at the incident as his late son was not known with swimming.

    A resident, who did not want his name in print, said the lake was created by contractors handling the market as a source of water for their construction work.

    They however lamented that the lake had killed many of their sons over the years and called for its closure.

    “This is the third person to die in the lake. The lake has some evil spirit residing there and every year one person must die in that lake. There was a year that a big cow drowned in the lake,” said one of the residents.

    Speaking to reporters at the scene, Chairman of the state’s Emergency Management Agency, Evangelist Ephraim Ononye urged government to close down the pond to stop the continuous drowning of children.