The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lokoja

  • Kogi warns against illegal occupation of National Housing buildings in Lokoja

    Kogi warns against illegal occupation of National Housing buildings in Lokoja

    • From; Olaide Oyelude, Lokoja

    The Kogi State Government has issued warning to individuals illegally occupying National Housing buildings in Phases I, II, and III, located at Crusher, Lokoja, Kogi State.

    A statement by the state Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Taiye Abanika on Friday, implored  the illegal occupants of the National Housing buildings to vacate with immediate effect.

    The Commissioner alleged  that the illegal occupation of the housing units had compromised the National Housing Programme (NHP), designed to provide affordable housing solutions for Nigerians.

    Read Also: Police promise to arrest killers of ex-controller of works in Ilorin

    Investigation revealed that over 85% of the houses in the estate were being occupied illegally.

    Some individuals were also alleged to be selling the houses to unsuspecting buyers.

    The statement also provided detailed breakdown of the housing units affected.

    The units  and their locations were : Phase I , (76 units, comprising 4 one-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, 48 two-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, and 24 three-bedroom semi-detached bungalows); Phase II (92 units, comprising 20 one-bedroom semi detached bungalows, 28 two-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, and 44 three-bedroom semi-detached bungalows); Phase III: (92 units, comprising 16 one-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, 28 two-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, and 48 three-bedroom semi-detached bungalows.)

  • Ramadan: Gov. Bello calls for peace, unity

    Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has urged the Muslim faithful to use the Ramadan to show more love to their neighbours and pray for sustainable peace and unity in the country.

    Bello said this in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Onogwu Muhammed on Monday in Lokoja.

    He extended his best wishes to all residents of the state, especially the Muslim community, on the occasion of the commencement of the Ramadan fast.

    The governor also urged wealthy individuals to show compassion and extend hands of support to the less privileged in the spirit of the season.

    “The holy month offers another opportunity to all to be fair and just,” he said.

    Read Also: Kogi APC elders: no second term for Bello

    Bello described the month as one of the five pillars of Islam.

    “The month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, with the month-long fasting, it is a period of total devotion, spiritual rebirth and an opportunity for Muslims to re-evaluate their relationship with God,” he said.

    He urged the people to use the period to offer prayers to God to bring about healing, repentance and renewal.

    “As Ramadan starts, I want to felicitate with the Muslim Ummah for witnessing yet another season of spiritual importance.

    “We have enjoyed relative peace in Kogi State, and I want to urge all of us to use the holy month to reflect and re-dedicate ourselves to prayers for sustainable peace and progress of our dear state and country.

    “This is also a period to show more love to our neighbours, the less-privileged and other vulnerable members of the society,” Bello said.

    NAN

  • NiMet predicts cloudy, sunny atmosphere for Sunday

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), has predicted cloudy to partly cloudy and sunny weather conditions with widespread thunderstorms over most parts of the country on Sunday.

    NiMet’s Weather Outlook on Saturday, in Abuja, predicted partly cloudy to cloudy morning over the central states with day and night temperatures of 32 to 41 and 20 to 27 degrees Celsius.

    It also predicted possibilities of thunderstorms over Lafia, Makurdi, Abuja, Lokoja, southern Kaduna and Jos axis as the day progresses.

    The agency predicted that Northern States would experience morning sunny conditions and partly cloudy to sunny afternoon and evening with day and night temperatures of 41 to 43 and 21 to 29 degrees Celsius.

    Read Also: NiMet predicts cloudy, sunny weather for Wednesday

    According to the report, Southern States will witness cloudy morning and thunderstorm over Ijebu with widespread thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening period.

    It said the temperatures of both day and night would hover between 33 and 36 and between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius respectively.

    “Sunny to partly cloudy conditions are to prevail over the northern parts of the country.

    “However, there are possibilities of thunderstorms over the central cities and widespread thunderstorms activities over some parts of the southern states in the next 72 hours,” NiMet predicted.

    NAN

  • Jilted 100-level female student commits suicide

    A 100-Level student of the Kogi State University (KSU) Ayingba, Rebecca Michael on Wednesday committed suicide over a breakup with her alleged boyfriend.

    She was reported to have taken her own life shortly after the boyfriend broke up with her.

    The deceased, it was gathered, recently gained admission into the Department of Philosophy, KSU.

    She reportedly committed suicide in their 200 housing unit residence, in Lokoja, the state capital.

    Unconfirmed sources have it that the deceased is in her 20s.

    It was reported that the deceased drank sniper, an insecticide, when the boyfriend, said to be a prominent disk jockey (DJ) in Lokoja, informed her that he was no longer interested in the relationship.

    Read Also: 22-year-old commits suicide in Anambra

    She was said to have been rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Lokoja, where she later died.

    She was later buried on the same day at the Lokongoma Cemetery Lokoja.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), William Aya, said he was yet to get report on the incident.

    He however promised to get back to our reporter, as soon as he gets information from the ‘C  Division,’ office of the Nigeria Police Force Lokoja.

  • Gunmen injure five, disrupt fishing festival in Kogi

    This year’s edition of the annual Dankwo fishing festival in Lokoja ended abruptly on Saturday when gunmen opened fire on participants.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the festival, which is an annual event organised by the Lokoja Traditional Council, was just about one hour underway when the gunmen invaded the venue, Kabawa Waterfront, in two engine boats.

    The armed invaders, three in number , positioned themselves strategically inside the boats before firing gunshots indiscriminately into the crowd.

    Guests at the event fled in different directions for safety but five of them were not so lucky as they were hit by bullets.

    Read Also: 7 die as truck plunged into river in Kogi

    Police were immediately contacted but the gunmen had escaped the scene before their arrival.

    They escaped in the same engine boats, it was gathered.

    The Kogi State Police Command spokesman, DSP William Aya, while confirming the incident, described it as unfortunate.

    According to him, all the five injured victims have been taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja for treatment.

    He explained that nobody died in the attack , saying that two suspects had been arrested.

    Aya said that full investigation into the incident had started, adding that all those linked with the attack would be arrested and prosecuted.

    NAN

  • Impressive turnout at Lokoja 1 supplementary poll

    The supplementary House of Assembly election is going on peacefully in the four polling units in Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State.

    As at 7:30am, voters were observed at the polling units watching with keen interest as Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) officials prepared the exercise.

    Our correspondent reports that the turnout was impressive at the three polling units where the house of assembly rerun election is being conducted in Ward D.

    Member representing Lokoja 1 state constituency, Alfa Imam, at the Cantonment Polling unit in Ward B, expressed satisfaction with the turnout of voters.

    He lauded the people of Lokoja for their orderly conduct.

  • NiMet predicts cloudy, sunny weather for Monday

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy to partly cloudy, sunny and hazy weather conditions with chances of thunderstorm activities over most parts of the country on Monday.

    NiMet’s Weather Outlook on Sunday in Abuja predicted partly cloudy to cloudy conditions with day and night temperatures of 35 to 37 and 19 to 23 degrees Celsius.

    It also predicted chances of localised thundery activities over Mambilla plateau, Lokoja, Makurdi, Jalingo and Bida in the afternoon and evening period.

    The agency also predicted that Northern States would experience sunny and hazy conditions with day and night temperatures of 35 to 39 and 19 to 20 degrees Celsius.

    Read Also: NiMet predicts hazy weather

    According to NiMet, Southern States will experience cloudy morning and localised thunderstorms over Benin, Calabar, Warri and Port Harcourt with day and night temperatures of 34 to 37 and 20 to 25 degrees Celsius.

    “Sunny conditions are expected to prevail over the north while partly cloudy to cloudy conditions over the central states.

    “There are chances of localised thunderstorms activities over the southern part of the country within the next 24 hours,” NiMet predicted.

    NAN

  • Six INEC staff kidnapped, released in Kogi

    Six staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were kidnapped and later released in Lokoja, Kogi State during the state assembly election on Saturday.

    The kidnapping of the staff was one of the incidents recorded during the election that was  generally marred by violence.

    The staff  were kidnapped by armed thugs decked in fake police and army uniforms at the polling unit inside the Crowther Memorial College in Lokoja.

    They were taken away in a van  by their armed abductors.

    The Director of publicity in Lokoja office of the INEC, Mr Ahmed Bimabo said the victims were released few hours later and were  being medically examined at the Lokoja office of the commission.

    He did not say whether the workers returned with the sensitive election materials and ballot boxes that were seized by the hoodlums as they were taken away.

    Also in Ward D area of Lokoja , the election was marred by violence launched by thugs who invaded the area when the election was underway.

    A witness  said that voting took place in only in one out of the five polling units.

    Hoodlums were also on the rampage at the workers village on Hassan Usman Katsina Road in Lokoja.

    Masked armed hoodlums invaded the village and  carted  away ballot papers and sensitive election materials from the only polling unit in the area,  amid gunshots.

    At Ganaja village , a former Commissioner for information in the state, Mr Anthony Puke lost his bungalow and three cars, as they were  set  ablaze by hoodlums.

    Puke is said to be a chieftain of the APC. Why the hoodlums attacked him was not so clear.

    Also incidents of  ballot box snatching were recorded  during the election in Kabba/Bunu, Yagba West, Yagba East and Ijumu local government areas of the state.

    Sunday Karimi, who represents Yagba federal Constituency in the House of Representatives described the election as sham.

    ” There is no need for future election . They have taken us back to the old days when crude ways and outright manipulation of figures were the order of the day,” he said.

    Karimi lamented the use of armed thugs in fake police and military uniforms for ballot box snatching and arm twisting of traditional rulers to win election at all cost.

    Meanwhile , the election has ended and results being collated at the ward level.

    The turnout for the election was generally low but the card readers performed better than what happened during the Feb. 23 elections.

    It was.also observed that the INEC made better preparations when compared with the Presidential and National Assembly  elections on 23 February. ( NAN)

  • Hoodlums snatch ballot boxes in Lokoja

    Some armed thugs in police and army uniforms invaded polling units in Adankolo community in Lokoja, shooting sporadically to scare away voters on the queue.

    Our Correspondent reports that the armed hoodlums arrived in a van and immediately started shooting.

    Voters and electoral officers scampered to safety, a development which made it possible for the thugs to carry away ballot boxes, ballot papers and other sensitive election materials.

    Worst hit were the five polling units at St Luke Primary School at Adankolo where materials at all the five polling units in the school premises were taken away.

    Also at the Polling Unit in NEPA area in Lokoja, the hoodlums, some of whom were masked, also made away with election materials after scaring away INEC officials and voters.

    Other areas under the siege of armed thugs were polling units in Ward A in Lokoja Constituency 1.

    At Okengwe Polling Unit in Okene Local Government, voting was temporarily disrupted when hoodlums attempted to snatch ballot boxes and other election materials.

    There had been fears about the possibility of armed attack on the election day among residents before now.

    One of the candidates contesting for a seat in the state House of Assembly had earlier raised the alarm over plans by some elements to disrupt election in the ward.

    The candidate, Mr Suleiman Babadoko of the PDP, had appealed to the police and DSS to quickly move in to stop the violence.

    NAN

  • NiMet predicts cloudy, thundery weather Friday

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy and sunny weather conditions with thundery activities over most parts of the country on Friday.

    NiMet’s Weather Outlook released on Thursday, in Abuja, predicted scattered thunderstorms and moderate rains over the western part of the central region with day and night temperatures of 28 to 35 and 18 to 25 degrees Celsius.

    It also predicted partly cloudy to cloudy condition with chances of localized thunderstorms over Lafia, Lokoja, Taraba, Benue, Mambilla Plateau and Adamawa axis in the afternoon and evening hours.

    The agency predicted that northern states would experience partly cloudy to cloudy conditions with chances of morning thundery activities over Katsina, Kano, Zamfara, Zaria and Bauchi axis.

    It further predicted partly cloudy to sunny conditions over the region in the afternoon and evening with day and night temperatures of 30 to 36 and 17 to 23 degrees Celsius.

    Read Also: NiMet predicts hazy weather

    According to NiMet, southern states will experience localised thunderstorms in the morning with cloudy morning over south-west inland.

    “Scattered thunderstorms are probable over the entire southern region in the afternoon and evening period, with day and night temperatures of 29 to 33 and 21 to 28 degrees Celsius.

    “There are possibilities of rainfall activities over the south, central and few places around the northern states in the next 24 hours,” NiMet predicted.

    NAN