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  • Youths rampage over exhumed bodies in Imo

    IT started 10 years ago with a dispute over six plots of land. Now two caskets buried in the disputed land have been exhumed and angry youths rampage through the community, causing a lot of damage.

    It happened on Tuesday in Isiozi-Akah community in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State.

    Some youths in the community staged a violent protest when they saw two caskets displayed by the Nkwo Ikpa Market Square. The caskets bore the bodies of Mrs. Monica Anopueme and her daughter-in-law Maggie Anopueme initially buried in the disputed land. The youths were angry that the caskets were exhumed overnight and displayed publicly.

    The youths ran riot, setting ablaze houses belonging to persons suspected to be behind the exhumation.

    The Nation learned that two families, Anopueme and Nnanyereugo, had for 10 years been in dispute over six plots of land in the community.

    It was gathered that the Nnanyereugo family had obtained an alleged kangaroo judgment in their favour over the disputed land which Anopueme family claimed belonged to their grandfathers.

    When the family of Anopueme attempted to bury the late Monica Anopueme and Maggie who died four and three years ago respectively, on the disputed land, the move was resisted by Nnanyereugo family who claimed that they had a court judgment in their favour over the disputed land.

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    This claim was said to have stalled the burial of the late Mrs. Anopueme and her daughter-in-law Maggie who were kept in the mortuary for four years.

    It was gathered that some persons in the community who were displeased with Nnanyereugo family’s claim, filed an appeal at the Customary Court of Appeal in Owerri, the state capital.  On June 25, 2019, the appeal court reportedly gave the appellants permission “to bury on the land in dispute their late mother, Mrs. Monica Anopueme and wife, Mrs. Margaret Anopueme who died since 29/2/2016 and 1/8/2017 respectively pending the hearing of this appeal and conclusion of the case.”

    It was gathered that the Anopueme family decided to bury the deceased on September 4, 2019, after obtaining the court judgment but they were shocked to discover that three weeks after they had buried the corpses, the deceased were allegedly exhumed and placed on the road by members of Nnanyereugo family.

    “This was after we had obtained a court judgment to bury my mother and brother’s wife,” said Osita Anopueme, son of the late elder Mrs Anopueme.

    It was gathered that the exhumation of the bodies angered the youths who went on a rampage attacking passersby and journalists before setting houses belonging to Nnanyereugo family members ablaze.

     

     

     

     

  • Power crisis looms as NBET, GenCos disagree on service charge

    THE Power sector may soon be plunged into crisis, it was learnt on Sunday.

    The Electricity Generation Companies (GenCos) at weekend threatened to declare force majeure (superior force) should the Nigerian Electricity Bulk Trading Company (NBET) stick to its guns that thermal GenCos must pay 0.75 per cent administrative charge on transactions.

    With the administrative charge on every transaction, NBET will be raking in N2.7 billion from the disbursement of the N600 billion power sector intervention fund.

    Addressing reporters in Abuja under the aegis of the Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC), its Executive Director, Mrs. Joy Ogaji, quoted the NBET as saying it was acting on the Presidency’s directive.

    She said: “The time may just be right for GenCos to declare force majeure and release themselves from all market obligations. Surely, GenCos will remain blameless for taking such actions.”

    According to her, NBET has made the charge as a condition for the disbursement of the N600 billion interventions for gas suppliers and GenCos.

    Mrs Ogaji insisted that “0.75 per cent administrative charge is compulsory as it is a Condition Precedent (CP) for GenCos to access the N600 billion the Federal Government has approved for immediate payment to gas suppliers and GenCos”.

    Responding to the APGC allegations, NBET’s Managing Director Marilyn Amobi told The Nation via a text message: “Please, I don’t know what Mrs Ogaji is talking about. NBET deals with generation companies and has never dealt with Joy Ogaji and her association.

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    “Please, as I told you in the past, kindly, if you can, send us a letter with your concerns, perhaps providing the document Joy Ogaji sent to you in which she bites the so-called allegations, raise your questions or seek a meeting to discuss the issues and we will oblige you.

    “Credible journalism is not done vide text messages. I do hope you would be committed to confirming the veracity of the things you hear before proceeding to publish them.”

    The APGC spokesperson, who described the NBET directive as a usurpation of the role of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), added that the enforcement of the unilateral decision of the latter was impossible for a market licensee.

    She said: “As if that was not enough, NBET is at it again, this time mandatorily issuing arbitrary and unilateral decision, which should not be possible for a market licensee.

    “NBET, on September 13, 2019, issued a letter to individual thermal GenCos directing them to obtain, as a matter of urgency, their respective board approvals or resolutions, bequeathing responsibility for payment of gas and transportation to the respective supply companies for an administrative charge of 0.75 per cent.

    “The letter gave each GenCo three working days ultimatum to respond with the board resolution; that is, September 18, 2019, or face non-payment of energy invoices.

    “It should be noted that NBET, like other market participants, is a licensee of NERC and as such is expected to understand that in a regulated market, every expense/cost must be backed by a regulatory approval for effective computation of the market tariffs.

    “The generation companies are not aware that such approvals have been issued by NERC nor is there any policy directive to this effect.”