The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Onitsha

  • Two dead as militants attack Navy in Onitsha

    Two people were killed yesterday when suspected militants attacked a Naval outpost in Atani, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.

    The outpost is located on the outskirts of Onitsha.

    The Commanding Officer, Onitsha Naval Outpost, Navy Capt A. Ahmed, confirmed the attack yesterday when he addressed reporters in the commercial town.

    He said the hoodlums had been abducting residents and engaging in other criminal activities.

    The Naval officer said his men overpowered the militants as they advanced towards the base to disarm his men and take over the base.

    Ahmed said some of the militants were arrested while the others fled into nearby bushes.

    He said the Navy would sack the hoodlums from Onitsha, especially during and after the Yuletide.

    The Naval officer urged the residents to give useful information on the various camps of the hoodlums.

    Ahmed said the items recovered from the suspects included cutlasses, various weapons, charms and two bags containing substances suspected to Indian hemp and cocaine.

    Those arrested have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) in Awka for further investigation.

    The Nation learnt that the Naval officers were on a routine check following a distress call from the police at Zone 9, Umuahia, that a suspect had evaded arrest.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said the policemen trailed the suspect, who was identified simply as Mmeso, to the area.

    Mmeso had allegedly committed various crimes.

    The police reportedly raised the alarm when the suspect was fleeing.

    The source said: “Policemen from Zone 9 stormed this area at 5am and cordoned it off in search of a suspect, whose name was given as Mmeso. He allegedly resisted arrest. With his gang members, he drove towards the Naval checkpoint. But the policemen raised the alarm. When the Naval officers got the information and saw a vehicle, a Volkswagen Golf car, they stopped the car.

    “It was at that point the policemen arrived and identified Mmeso as the suspect they wanted to arrest. They presented a warrant and arrested him.

    “Unknown to the Naval officers, the fleeing hoodlums had regrouped. They emerged with full force to attack the Naval outpost. They started pulling down the Naval checkpoints.”

     

     

  • Onitsha South arrests hooligan, 30 ‘fake’ revenue agents

    •Hires 100 youths for weekly fumigation 

    Onitsha South Local Government Area of Anambra State has arrested over 30 suspected fake revenue agents and hoodlums in Ochanja Market.

    Its Chairman, Ugochukwu Ezeani, spoke yesterday at the market when he led a fumigation campaign in the council.

    He said the council used 30 policemen to arrest the suspects, who allegedly were defrauding unsuspecting members of public at the market.

    The council chief said many other escaped.

    Onitsha South had arrested three fake agents and handed them over to the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

    Ezeani thanked Governor Peter Obi for allowing him to preside over the affairs of the council.

    He said the fumigation, tagged: Operation kill mosquitoes now, will cover the three quarters in the council, including Fegge/Housing, Woliwo and Oduakpu.

    The council chief said Onitsha South bought 30 units of fumigation equipment from which 10 would be given to the three major areas to rid them of mosquitoes.

    He assured that the chemicals for the fumigation were approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    Ezeani said: “With this weekly exercise, mosquitoes and other rodents will find no place in this local government area.”

    He said the council has hired 100 youths to fumigate the area, adding that he plans to hire 450 youths for the exercise before the end of the year.

    “From now on, fumigation of all sorts within the council will be carried out through the approval of its Sanitary Inspection Department, Ezeani said.

    The council boss said that the council intends to employ 450 youths before the end of the year.

    “Other programmes we would unfold included: drainage scooping/desilting; street light, environmental marshals and Internal Revenue Generating officers.

    “These would absorb the 450 youths to be engaged and would check the spate of vices and idleness among youths within the council area,’’ he said.

    Mr Joseph Anienugu, Chief Sanitary Inspector of the council, lauded the exercise; adding that it would complement other programmes aimed in boosting the health of the residents of the council.

  • Gunmen kill car dealer in Onitsha

    Four armed men on Monday robbed and killed a middle-aged car dealer, Chief Emeka Ekwerendu, at Modebe Avenue Junction in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra.

    The Divisional Police Officer at the Central Police Station, Onitsha, Mr. Tomitope Fahugbe, confirmed the incident to journalists, adding that he had yet to receive its details.

    An eyewitness said the late Ekwerendu was shot by a four-man armed robbery gang at about 8:30 a.m. a few metres away from the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Odoakpu, Onitsha.

    “The gang operating in a light green Toyota Siena without a vehicle number plate trailed their victim from a primary school close to the church, after he had dropped his children at school.

    “As he was driving out in his black Land Cruiser jeep, he was shot dead and an undisclosed amount of money taken from the boot of his vehicle.

    “The gang armed with four Ak-47 riffle shot sporadically into the air to scare the people away as they made their exit,’’ the eyewitness told the News Agency of Nigeria.

     

  • Onitsha, a shopper’s delight

    Onitsha, a shopper’s delight

    Onitsha has become one of the busiest commercial centres in the country. Among other markets, it accommodates the Main Market, acclaimed to be the biggest in West Africa and attracts millions of shoppers from various parts of the world, especially West Africa. 

    If you refer to Onitsha in the heart of Anambra State as the home of all trades, it cannot be disputed. Possibly, due to its strategic position, close to the River Niger, the town attracts great commercial activities. Anyone leaving or going to the Southeast must pass through the town. It, therefore, boasts of several shopping destinations, but the local markets are the most patronised.

    Upper Iweka, known as the take-off point for most commercial vehicles leaving Onitsha, is a large market. The presence of travellers leaving and returning makes the place a shopper’s destination any day. From the massive motor park where commuter drivers pack to load their vehicles, travellers waiting for the take off of their vehicles could buy virtually everything they need. If hawkers are not able to locate you on time, you could dash into the market nearby to get anything you want. This makes the place a stop-over point for a lot of people.

    Away from Upper Iweka, if you are looking for a thriving market where you can shop, among the first to be mentioned is the Main Market, acclaimed the largest in West Africa. Many see it as a market with creative and proactive business men and women.

    It is mainly known for its ability to offer virtually all types of goods and services. There are different sections for retailers and whole sellers. Shoppers always troupe to the market to purchase their daily needs.

    Those who spoke to The Nation Shopping spoke on the stability and progress of the market. A marketer from Enugu, Mr Ogbonna Chibuzor, said: “Since I have been marketing my products I have not seen a place so friendly as the Main market, Onitsha. Business with the people here has been going so smoothly and they also know how to treat a customer. Here, they believe that once you treat a customer right he or she will come back again.

    A seller from the market, Mr Okonkwo Azublke, said: “Here prices are cheaper due to competitors all over the market. Everybody wants to sell even at the gain of one Naira. Every day we see different categories of people who come from far places, some are foreigners, while some come from neighbouring countries such as Ghana, Togo, Chad and Niger Republic. There is also no day that passes without shoppers patronsing us. Business here has been encouraging.”

    Another market that attracts a lot of shoppers is the popular Relief Market on Owerri Road where you can find most of the things you desire. The market also thrives at night.

    The Ose Main market by the river side is also one of the most fascinating places to shop because the traders deal in different kinds of edible things like fruits, yam, rice, onions, wheat and cassava, among others. Here people from different villages in Anambra assemble very early in the morning to showcase their goods.

    Mrs Chika Agu, a shopper from Awada, a suburb of Onitsha, said: “This is a very nice place. Life here is accommodating and the people are very hard working. They sell fresh fruits here and I like it. Prices are equally cheaper if you know how to bargain.

    A seller, Mr Nnamdi Okwudili, said: “Every day, we work hard to make sure that we come out with the best of our goods. We make early cultivation and the Lord God often blesses us with a bounty harvest so we are grateful to Him every day”.

    Other eye catching places are the Ochanja Main market, the Electrical market located on Owerri road; the Ogidi market, Ogidi; Ogbo tile, Nkpor where traders deal on all kinds of tiles. Ogbo Ogbu, at Head Bridge (by the River Niger) is where people go to buy drugs. At Mgbuka Obosi market, the traders sell motorcycles, tricycles and different vehicle spare parts.

     

  • Police ‘arrest’ two trailers, occupants in Onitsha

    Two trailers loaded with human beings were yesterday intercepted in Onitsha, Anambra State, by the police.

    They were impounded at Upper Iweka.

    Police Area Commander, Onitsha, Mr. Benjamin Wordu debunked speculations that the occupants of the trailers were Boko-Haram members.

    He said: “There are so many speculations going on now, but my men have started investigating the matter. We are suspecting that they are destitute. We suspect they were brought into the state ahead of the Christmas celebration, but there is no cause for alarm. We are on top of the situation.”

    Speaking with reporters yesterday in Awka, the state capital, Governor Peter Obi thanked the public for notifying him when the trailers stopped at Upper Iweka.

    Obi urged the people to remain alert at all times and report suspicious movements to the authorities.

    He said the trailers and their occupants would remain in the custody of security agents until their identities and destination are uncovered.

    The governor reiterated his determination to improve security in the state.

  • ‘Ritualists’ kill woman in Onitsha

    •Son kidnapped

    The body of a middle-aged woman was yesterday found on the Upper Iweka Flyover in Onitsha, Anambra State.

    Sources said the woman was killed about 5am yesterday.

    An eyewitness said: “The woman and her little son were walking on the flyover, when a Golf car stopped beside them. Four men came out of the car and tried to forcibly take the child away from her.

    “When the woman continued to struggle with them, the men shot her and took the child away.”

    Police spokesman Raphael Uzoigwe said he had not been briefed on the incident, but a senior police officer confirmed it.

    The officer, who pleaded for anonymity, said the woman’s body had been deposited at the mortuary of an unnamed hospital for autopsy.

    He said: “We have started investigating the matter. For now, nobody can tell how the woman was killed, until the autopsy is out. Although some people said it was the handiwork of ritualists, no part of her body was missing. We suspect she might have been killed in a vehicle and her body was dumped on the flyover.”