The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Onitsha

  • MASSOB anniversary march holds in Onitsha

    MASSOB anniversary march holds in Onitsha

    The Ralph Uwazuruike-led Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB)  yesterday held its anniversary march all over the country.

    In Anambra State, the march flopped in Nnewi, but was a success in Onitsha, with commercial activities at a standstill as members marched through the streets with their flags.

    They went round the Onitsha Owerri road, Old Market road, Nkpor New road and Enugu/Onitsha Expressway, chanting Biafra songs and praising Uwazuruike for reviving the Biafra struggle.

    The march hampered human and vehicular movement.

    The Onitsha celebration did not record any casualty and a combined team of security agencies paraded the streets to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

    Leader of the group in Anambra North, Vincent Iloh, said May 22 was the date Uwazuruike re-declared the New Biafra struggle.

    “It is exactly 17 years today. What we are still saying is for Biafra to be granted independence from Nigeria. That was what our great hero, the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, tried to do in 1967 but was misunderstood.

    “This is what the new Biafran leader, Chief Uwazuruike, has continued to say since 1999 without force, and until the needful is done, we will not relent, and as long as the intent and purposes of the amalgamation of the North and South were to cheat Ndigbo, Nigeria can never make any appreciable progress.

    “We want Biafra because the resources of the Biafran land have been confiscated, with military might, to develop other areas, while the Biafran states are left to wallow in dilapidation and disrepair,” he said.

    Meanwhile, a statement by the National Director of Information, Comrade Chris Mocha, said many of their members in Cross River State were arrested.

  • Police officer feared dead as armed men attack check point

    Police officer feared dead as armed men attack check point

    Two armed men operating on a motorcycle on Wednesday reportedly killed a police officer and made away with his AK47 riffle in Onitsha, Anambra.

    The incident occurred barely three weeks after a police inspector was killed at a road block at Ugwunwasike round-about, Ogidi near Onitsha.

    An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said Wednesday’s incident occurred at about 3.30pm at a check point near Nkpor junction.

    The source said the hoodlums shot the policeman at close range, collected his riffle and sped-off, adding that the incident made people around and other police officers scamper for safety.

    Efforts to get further details of the deceased and the mortuary where his body was deposited from the Ogidi Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr Mark Jafaru was not successful.

    Jafaru said the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Nkeiru Nwode was in a better position to comment on the development.

    However, when Nwode was contacted on phone, she said “I have not been brief on that; when I am fully briefed, I will brief you people.”

    Wednesday’s incident makes it the third reported case of gun snatching around Onitsha this year by armed men with police officers being allegedly killed in the process. (NAN)

  • Ohanaeze applauds FG on agric initiatives

    The President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, has applauded the agricultural initiatives of the Federal Government saying they are yielding positive results in Igbo speaking states.

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo is the apex socio-cultural organisation of Igbo speaking states in Nigeria.

    Addressing newsmen in Enugu on Wednesday, Nwodo contended that with the implementation of the initiatives, the federal government had taken the best move to take the people out of recession.

    He said that the various agricultural schemes embarked by the government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) were a huge success.

    The Ohanaeze chieftain said that the CBN governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, should be commended for the intervention of the apex bank in various empowerment programmes aimed at stimulating the economy.

    Nwodo said: “we want to use this opportunity to salute the governor of the Central Bank.

    “This gentleman has had one of the most difficult challenges that have faced any governor of the CBN.

    “What he has done lately in terms of fighting the value of the naira is most commendable.

    “His programmes at assisting agriculture have impacted positively on the sector.

    “It is working in Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, Anambra and it is beginning to work in Enugu state and we are immensely grateful to him.

    “We encourage him to continue to work in this way to ensure that the ordinary people in Nigeria can bounce back as this recession continues to recede in its calamitously effect on our standard of living.”

    Nwodo said that the achievements of the government in the petroleum sector should not be overlooked as the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had been reinvigorated.

    He said that the achievements recorded in the NNPC during the tenure of Dr Ibe Kachikwu as Minister of State for Petroleum and Managing Director were outstanding.

    “Since the NNPC was incorporated, no minister or managing director has ever put the corporation on public portal.

    “But by the click of the mouse, when our son was there, you could tell how much came into NNPC every day and how much was spent.

    “For the first time, petroleum subsidy was removed without the economy collapsing,” he said.

    The Ohaneze president appealed to the Federal Government to intervene and rehabilitate the Enugu/Port Harcourt expressway which he described as “death trap.’’

    “While we commend the minister of Power, Works and Housing for the work that has started on the Enugu/Onitsha road, we want to draw his attention to the road between Enugu and Port Harcourt.

    “The road is a death trap. It is tortuous and God knows how long it will take to rehabilitate the road especially with all the stops by security men,” he said.

    Nwodo expressed concern that the entire South-East seemed to be under security siege by officers of the armed forces, who he alleged, extort money openly from innocent citizens and road users.

    He said that complaints by the organisation against the brazen impunity of the security agencies on the roads across the zone had remained unattended to.

  • NAN founding GM Nzekwu dies at 89

    The founding General Manager of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Chief Onuora Nzekwu, has died at the age of 89, the family confirmed on Saturday.

    Nzekwu, the author of a popular novella, Eze Goes To School died by 4.30p.m. On Friday in his home at Onitsha, Anambra, where he had been living in retirement, a family member, Mr Louis Chuke, said.

    Nzekwu joined the Federal Civil Service as an editorial assistant at the Nigeria Magazine Division of the Federal Ministry of Information.

    He worked as an editorial assistant from 1956 to 1958 when took over the position of editor-in-chief of the magazine.

    In 1966 when the Nigerian civil war broke out, he transferred his services to the Eastern Nigeria Public Service and returned to the federal service at the end of the crisis in 1970.

    He served as General Manager of NAN from 1979 to 1985.

    Nzekwu wrote Troubled Dust, a novel that recounts the experiences of the civil war.

     

  • Army arrests impersonator in Onitsha

    Army arrests impersonator in Onitsha

    The Nigerian Army, 82 Division, Enugu, says a naval patrol team has arrested one Mr Abdullahi Yakubu at Kara, Atani road, Onitsha, Anambra for alleged impersonation.

    Col. Sagir Musa, Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, made the disclosure on Friday in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Onitsha.

    Musa said the incident occurred at about 12 noon on April 10, noting that Yakubu was at the time of his arrest, dressed in the Nigerian Army camouflage uniform and combat boots.

    “On interview, he could not provide correct answers to the questions asked, thereby exposing him as an obvious impersonator.

    “Further questioning revealed that the culprit had been in the habit of harassing and extorting members of the public under the guise of being a soldier, and presents fake identification card as evidence.

    “The patrol team, on April 10, at about 2:50 p.m., handed the culprit to troops of 302 Artillery Regiment deployed for duty at the Onitsha Head Bridge,” Musa said.

    The deputy director said the suspect had since been questioned at the Regiment’s Military Police Orderly Room, with the view to handing him over to the police for further action.

    He urged members of the public to take note of the occasional tendency of hoodlums who disguised as military personnel to defraud them.

    “The public are also requested to report such bad elements when seen to the nearest police station or any security office close to them,” Musa said.

     

  • NAFDAC arrests nursing mother, seven others over adulterated drinks

    NAFDAC arrests nursing mother, seven others over adulterated drinks

    The National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Saturday raided the Ogbaru relief market, near Onitsha, arresting eight persons over their alleged involvement in the production of fake alcoholic drinks.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that one of the suspects is a nursing mother.

    The agency also sealed three shops in the market,confiscating adulterated drinks and production materials worth millions of Naira

    Some registered drinks, being adulterated in the market included J&W, Baron Romero, Lord’s dry gin, Seaman Schnapps, Carlo Rossi, Red Label, Hennessy, McDowell’s and Remy Martins, among others.

    Addressing newsmen after the raid, Mr Waheed Agboola, Assistant Director, Enforcement and Investigation Directorate of NAFDAC in Lagos, expressed displeasure over the unhygienic production sites.

    “Factories are not supposed to be cited in markets; the factories are in unhygienic environment and we even saw maggots and cockroaches.

    “These fake products are sold within the market and it is difficult to differentiate between the original and fake products,’’ Agboola said.

    According to him, fake products are largely responsible for the increase in people having liver and kidney problems.

    “The unwholesome practice must have been taking place for years because we saw receipts, dated as far back as 2006, and nobody reported until recently.’’ he lamented.

    Agboola said the eight suspects would be screened to ascertain their level of culpability.

    He added that some of the suspects might be taken to Lagos for further investigation while others would be prosecuted in Onitsha.

    Also speaking, Mr Hassan Tanko, Chief Regulatory Officer, Enforcement and Investigation Directorate of the agency in Lagos, called for collaboration between the market leadership and the agency, to stem counterfeiting.

    He said the agency would sustain its sensitisation campaign against unwholesome practices, as well as prosecute suspects to serve as deterrence to others.

    “Nigerians are not fair to themselves from what we saw at the market’

    “We will invite the management of the market to explain why counterfeiting is taking place in the market,’’ Tanko said.

  • Two soldiers arrested for maltreating physically challenged person

    The Nigerian Army says it has arrested two Military Police who allegedly maltreated a physically challenged person on New Market Road, Onitsha, on Feb. 7.

    Col. Sagir Musa, the Deputy Director, Public Relations, 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said the suspects wore army camouflage uniform.

    Musa said that the action of the two soldiers did not reflect the attitude of today’s soldiers under the leadership of Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.

    The statement reads in part: “The attention of the Headquarters 82 Division, Nigerian Army, has been drawn to a video clip of two military police maltreating a physically challenged person.

    “The Division has with great concern studied the video, identified and arrested the perpetrators of this gross professional misconduct.

    “It is our position that their action does not reflect the attitude of today’s soldiers under the leadership of Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.

    “The action is uncalled for, unwarranted and is therefore condemnable by all civilised people or organisations.

    “The soldiers have been tried at the unit level and referred to higher level for appropriate punishment commensurable to the offence,” Musa said.

    According to him, the Army has always preached tolerance, respect for others and peaceful coexistence.

    The spokesman said that the Army of today had consistently maintained zero tolerance for indiscipline and human rights violation among soldiers.

    “Whatever human right infraction is seen, appropriate sanction will be applied to serve as deterrence to others; this case will not be an exception,” Musa assured.

    Meanwhile, a human rights body, Justice and Peace Foundation, has condemned the action of the two military police, describing it as inhuman.

    The foundation Chairman, Mr Dede Uzor, while commending the Nigerian Army for arresting the perpetrators, called for a robust relationship between the army and civilians.

    Uzor urged the Army to always be in touch with civilians by organising forum, workshops and seminars, public debate, among others to promote understanding and avoid similar experience.

     

  • Hoodlums invade entertainment garden in Onitsha

    Over 20 hoodlums in three vehicles and motorcycles yesterday invaded Maimi Garden, a popular drinking and entertainment joint at Omagba Phase 2 in Onitsha, Anambra State.

    They reportedly injured one person and destroyed property estimated at over N16 million.

    An eyewitness said eight workers of the joint and a vigilante were overpowered and beaten up.

    Also, the mobile phones of the victims were reportedly taken away.

    But the owner of the garden was said to be away when the hoodlums struck.

    When reporters visited the scene yesterday, some policemen from Inland Town Police Station were inspecting the scene; many residents trooped out to have a glance of the damage.

    Speaking with our reporter, the garden’s Managing Director Onyeka Ezeuzor said the incident happened between 3.30 a.m to 4.30 a.m yesterday.

    The police command confirmed the attack.

    It said the attackers were not gunmen but people who committed malicious damage to property.

    Police spokesperson Princess Nkeiruka Nwode said some suspects had been arrested over the incident.

    She said investigation had begun into the incident, adding that those responsible for the damage would be charged to court.

    Nwode urged the residents to go about their normal businesses without fear.

    Ezeuzor said: “They (hoodlums) damaged my musical instruments valued at over N6 million, five plasma television sets which cost over N150,000 each, the wine bar containing assorted wines of over N700,000, structures, chairs, tables, cartons and bottles of alcoholic beverages.

    “They broke into my office, ransacked and turned it upside down. They took N1.8 million cash, being the money we made from the previous day’s sales.

    “According to my workers, the attackers were shouting at them, asking for where I was. They were threatening that since I did not want to leave here alive, I would leave as a dead man. Everything I lost here is over N16 million.

    “I didn’t know some people could come in the wee hours of the day to do this kind of destruction and steal money from my office. They were asking for me. They probably came to kill me. The level of destruction here showed they are heartless and mean.

    “I have the names of the people I am suspecting to be behind this destruction. I have made a statement with my workers to the police. My life is in danger. I have told my lawyers and the police the people I am suspecting.

    “I started business here in 2006, when my in-law owned this place and later sold it to some people. One day, a woman came with Federal Anti-Robbery Squad, officials and told me that she wanted to take inventory of all that were here.

    “I was surprised. On further discussions, she claimed to have bought the land and Miami Garden as a business entity, a business I registered as Maimi Garden Nigerian Limited with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). I thought it was a joke, but since then, I have been constantly harassed.”

     

  • Guinness revamps Eye Hospital in Onitsha, donates N5m equipment

    Guinness Nigeria Plc has revamped the Guinness Eye Hospital, Onitsha, and boosted its operation with N5 million worth of equipment.

    Commending the company, Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, praised Guinness management for its long-standing involvement in the provision and management of quality eye care centres in the country.

    Chief Obiano said he was extremely happy with the gesture and the re-inauguration of the Eye Hospital.

    He said: “This auspicious project is an important subject, which ties into one of the key enablers of my government. I would like to heartily commend Guinness Nigeria for their huge investment and commitment to providing world class eye care solutions across the country. As a testament, this facility and the equipment, which Guinness Nigeria Plc has bequeathed to the Eye Hospital, ranks among the very best in the world. Therefore, Anambra indigenes do not need to go abroad again to get treated for eye problems.”

    Guinness Nigeria Plc, Managing Director, Peter Ndegwa, said the re-inauguration of the eye hospital was in keeping with the company’s commitment to support Guinness Eye Centres across the country.

    “As a company, our focus on eye care reflects our recognition of the far-reaching impact that good eyesight can have on the overall health and wellbeing of everyone. We are here to celebrate the notable accomplishments, which the Guinness Eye Hospital, Onitsha, has delivered to many Nigerians. Our investment in the various eye hospitals is keeping in line with our commitment to make a positive impact on the communities in where we operate. By helping Nigerians to preserve their sights, we play a strong role in enhancing their ability to learn, earn and get the best out of life,” he said.

    The Guinness helmsman, who announced a donation of eye equipment worth N5 million to the hospital, thanked past and present staff of the hospital for their unwavering sense of duty and ensuring the sustenance of the institution for over three decades. He urged them to make their services  reach more Nigerians.

    Governor Obiano also used the occasion to announce the launch of a PPP-driven health insurance policy, funded by the government and citizens in the Diaspora to ensure that doctors get paid for treating patients. He also revealed the state government’s plan to provide free eye screenings for 1000 citizens at the hospital.

    The Governor urged the people  to take advantage of the best-in-class services provided at the Guinness Eye Hospital through regular eye screenings and prevent visual impairment and blindness.

    On the rationale behind the revamp, Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Nigeria, Sesan Sobowale said: “Over the years, we have supported the hospital with funding to purchase equipment so that specialist eye care can be obtained here.

    “In 2015, the management of the hospital drew our attention to the need to upgrade the facilities, create more space for doctors and patients while making the atmosphere more conducive for treatments. We then decided that the request was an investment with merit and therefore, approved the funding for the project and mobilised contractors to site for the reconstruction work. We are really very pleased with the output and the fact that the hospital can now cater for more patients in need of eye care.”

    The Chief Medical Director, Nnamdi Azikwe University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Anthony Igwegbe, who went down memory lane, chronicled the history and achievements of the Guinness Eye Hospital, which had only two consultants to attend to over 850 people yearly at its inception, but has progressively increased its capacity and  caters for over 15,000 patients with a manpower of 144 staff.

    He noted that the hospital has enjoyed continuous support from Guinness Nigeria through subventions such as financial contributions, state-of-the-art optical equipment and various infrastructural upgrades.

  • Bloody pro-Biafra protests in Onitsha, Asaba, others

    Bloody pro-Biafra protests in Onitsha, Asaba, others

    Clashes in Aba, Umuahia, Owerri, Abakaliki,  Rivers

    The Southeast was on the boil yesterday as pro-Biafra agitators staged protests in major cities to mark the 49th declaration of the state of Biafra by the late Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

    The declaration led to the 1967 Civil War, which  lasted till January 1970. No fewer than two million people died in the 30-month war.

    But the recent agitation was given a fillip by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), an organisation propelled by Nnamdi Kanu, who is standing trial for alleged treason.

    There were protests or planned protests in capital cities – Owerri, Abakaliki, Umuahia and Enugu. There were also protests in commercial cities of Aba and Onitsha, where it was fiercest, with a big casualty figure.

    Protests were also held in Asaba, the Delta State capital, Port Harcourt, the Rives State capital and Ikom, Cross River State.

    In Onitsha, the protesters clashed with a security team of police, soldiers and naval ratings. Five protesters were killed and soldiers injured.

    The police confirmed two of their men were killed in Asaba by the violent protesters, who also lost five people.

    In Port Harcourt, protesters blocked the East-West Road, which is the major artery of the South, before the police moved in and arrested 13 of them.

    A man was shot; 19 were arrested in Umuahia. A clergyman and 320 others were rounded up as they were about to proceed on a protest in Abakaliki.

    Twenty-one people were arrested in Owerri and 13 in Enugu. The police foiled the protest in Aba, which has been the boiling point of previous agitations. The rally in Calabar was peaceful.

    Seven persons, including two policemen, were confirmed dead in Asaba by police spokesman Charles Muka, a Superintendent.

    He said in a statement that five members of the Movement for the Actualisation of theSovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) were killed by military men who confronted the group on the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway.

    It stated that the military arrested and brought eight members of MASOB to the police and “they are now in custody in Asaba’’.

    According to Mr Muka, the protesters attacked the policemen deployed to monitor the protest, killing two and injuring two others.

    “We had to deploy our officers to ensure that the protest was peaceful but we were surprised that the people turned violent.

    “To our surprise, they started attacking our men and at Okwe Junction in Abraka area of Asaba, the group killed a police corporal and took his AK47 riffle.

    “Also, along the Dennis Osadeby Way in Asaba, they wounded a police officer and took his anti-riot gun.

    “This group also attacked and wounded two policemen, suspected to be marine police, and threw them into the River Niger at Cable Point in Asaba and in the process one died and one was rescued.

    “This brings the casualty number to two with two others injured on the side of the police.

    “The protesters also attacked military vehicles along the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway, which left four members of the group dead and eight others arrested and brought to the police headquarters.”

    It added that an expectant woman was hit by a stray bullet during the fracas, is receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba.

    The statement advised parents and guardians to warn their children and wards to follow the path of peace and pursue their agenda constitutionally.

    It was gathered that a police patrol van and a military van were vandalised by the protesters at Mammy Market junction on Nnebisi Road.

    The trouble started after policemen fired tear gas canisters to stop the protesters around Anwai Road in Asaba metropolis.

    The crowd regrouped and attacked a police patrol team stabbing a policeman in the melee that ensued.

    Two policemen were reportedly thrown by the protesters into the River Niger. One of them was retrieved and rushed to the FMC. Efforts to recover the other was ongoing as at the time of filing this report.

    The rescued policeman had a wound in his navel while he bled from his swollen forehead. He had a bruise on his left leg apparently sustained from the fall into the River.