The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Odukpani Local Government Area

  • Many feared dead in tanker explosion

    Many people were feared killed in a petrol tanker explosion along the Calabar-Odukpani Highway in Odukpani local government area of Cross River State on Friday.

    The incident occurred at a bend close to the Odukpani local government secretariat.

    It was gathered the petrol tanker fell while trying to negotiate the bend with residents rushing to the scene to scoop petrol.

    Eyewitnesses reported the clamour for petrol resulted into a spark as some of the residents used metal containers to scoop the product.

    Read Also: Tanker explosion: Ondo orders agency to assess damage

    This led to an explosion which killed several people at once.

    At the scene, the police tried to contain the situation as the fire raged.

    Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Irene Ugbo, could not confirm the number of fatalities as at press time.

     

    Details shortly…

  • Price hike: DPR shuts down three fuel stations in C/River

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Cross River State has shut down three fuel stations in Odukpani local government area for selling petrol at N150 per litre against the government approved price of N145 per litre.

    DPR Operations Controller in Cross River, Mr Bassey Nkanga, who led his team on a surveillance of fuel stations across the state, said the stations were shut down for violating the seal order of the DPR.

    Read Also:DPR raises alarm over adulterated engine oil

    Nkanga, who expressed dissatisfaction with the hike in price of the affected stations, said they had no reason to hike the price when some stations were selling the product at N143 per litre.

    He said that the stations will have to pay a fine of N1million each for violating the `seal order’.

    The Operations Controller explained that the intensified surveillance became necessary with a view to ensure that marketers do not increase pump price ahead of the yuletide period.

    “Any marketer that is caught cheating in any form, either selling above government price or adjusting the metre will be sanctioned severely. We have been doing this in the past two weeks and already some marketers have been sanctioned.

    “If you have been a serial violator of the regulations, if you pay the fine; it is not a guarantee that we will unseal your station for business to commence immediately.

    “The level of stability in the sector is nearly 100 per cent especially in Cross River Central and South. We will try our best to sustain this tempo of surveillance activities in all outlets.

    “The initiative is a routine exercise. We are only intensifying the monitoring and surveillance activities to ensure that marketers do not take undue advantage of the yuletide period to hike the price,’’ he said.

    Nkanga said as the yuletide season approaches, there is the tendency that people will want to take advantage of the period to dupe the public.

    He said that DPR in Cross River was doing its best to create awareness and giving assurance to Nigerians that there will be stability in the sector, especially the downstream sub-sector during the yuletide.

    “We are on ground working and the exercise will continue on daily basis because we want to make sure that the yuletide season is hitch free.

    “I want to advise depot owners and marketers to abide by all rules and regulations of the DPR, because anyone that is caught cheating the public will be sanctioned,’’ he said.

  • Four feared dead as suspected herdsmen invade Cross River community

    Four feared dead as suspected herdsmen invade Cross River community

    Four suspected Fulani herdsmen are feared dead in a clash when they allegedly attempted to invade the Mbiabong Ito Community in Odukpani local government area of Cross River State.

    A source in the area said the herdsmen in their numbers had attempted to enter the community with a large herd of cattle on Tuesday night, but were resisted by the community people.

    According to the source, the herdsmen, who were armed, started shooting, but the community people did not back down and attacked them leading to the death of four of the cattle rearers.

    It was gathered that the herdsmen retreated and returned with some soldiers to help them get back their cattle, which had scattered as a result of the clash.

    According to the source the soldiers came in and were firing sporadically and the villagers had to flee their homes.

    “The situation created panic and most of the villagers had to escape into the bush. Most of them are yet to return as we speak as they are afraid for their lives,” the source said.

    Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, said policemen had been deployed to the area and calm restored.

    She did not confirm if it was a Fulani herdsmen invasion. She said they learnt of disturbances in the area and had to deploy men to ensure that there is calm.

    She also did not confirm the fatalities.

    “We have heard about it and right now we have sent men to the area and the area is calm. It is not a bad situation. There are men on ground to make sure nothing happens. We have not been able to confirm yet. That is what we heard,” she said.

    She said she was going to get back to our reporter if she got confirmation but did not until press time.

  • Senator seeks end to herdsmen attacks in Cross River

    Senator seeks end to herdsmen attacks in Cross River

    The Senator representing Cross South, Gershom Bassey, Tuesday said that stakeholders in Cross River State are working round the clock to put a permanent stop to herdsmen attacks in the state.

    Senator Bassey who was reacting to herdsmen attack in Obio Usiere community in Odukpani Local Government Area said that the stakeholders have vowed to get to the root of series of herdsmen attacks in the state.

    He said that the Odukpani attack was not the first although no nobody was killed in the first attack

    The lawmaker also said that the state government was working assiduously to assuage frayed nerves in the affected area.

    He noted that a situation where intruders would attack indigence under any guise should be condemned in its entirety.

    He said, “I condemn the killing in Odukpani local Government Area in its entirety. There is no room for such attack in Nigeria. The elders are looking for ways to resolve the problem.

    “Stakeholders in the state will get to the root of the problem but we don’t want people to take the law into their hands. We are engaging the elders; I have also engaged the House of Assembly member representing area to put a permanent stop to the attacks.”

    On the number of casualty, the lawmaker said that they were engaging the police to get the actual number of people killed in the attack.

    He noted that even if one person was killed in the Odukpani attack, it called for serious action to stop it in the interest peace and tranquility in the country.

    Senator Bassey said that what they agreed in the Senate was that since attacks were local, state governments should play prominent role in the resolution.

    He said, “On the Odukpani attack, the state government has deployed a detachment of police and army to the area. As long as we are losing lives, then there is a problem that must be solved. Whether it is in Enugu, Benue, Taraba or any other place, it is a problem that should not be left unsolved. We are as stakeholders, determined to solve the problem and put a permanent stop to attacks of any kind.”