The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Port Harcourt

  • Kidnapping: Police to establish tracking machines in Lagos, Rivers

    Kidnapping: Police to establish tracking machines in Lagos, Rivers

    The Inspector- General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, says the force will establish special tracking unit in Lagos and Port-Harcourt to check kidnapping and other crimes.

    Idris made this known when he was interacting with civil society groups and crime reporters in Lagos on Friday.

    He noted that kidnapping was becoming more serious than other crimes in the country.

    The IG said that the tracking machine established in Abuja had helped to resolve about 90 per cent cases of kidnapping with victims rescued and suspects arrested.

    ”Already, tracking machines have been deployed to states and will start functioning in few weeks’ time, so as to reduce pressure on those in Abuja.

    ”This will enhance the police anti-kidnapping drive.

    ”The machine in Port Harcourt, Rivers will cater for the South-South and South East zones, while the one deployed to Lagos would focus on the west,” he said.

    The police chief also said that there were plans to reinvigorate the force forensic laboratories, noting however, that funds constraints were hindering its implementation.

    Idris urged Nigerians to assist the police in tackling armed crimes, reiterating that the fight against kidnappers was a community fight.

    According to him, it is not what the police alone can handle. It has become a community fight and can only be solved with the help of the people.

    “When I assumed duty, one of the plans we came up with was to rehabilitate our forensic units. I outlined the challenges of the police and how to handle them.

    ”The thing is that we have been having funding challenges.

    “We are trying to address it in a holistic manner. Very soon, we are going to have National Security Summit. Kidnapping seems to be a community problem.

    “Over 90 percent of victims have been rescued. I agree that it is becoming a major challenge. It cuts across the entire country. It has to be addressed in various forms.

    “It is not just the police or security agencies. Take for instance where the Turkish School students were kidnapped. That school is situated at the foot of a swamp.

    ”Despite that parents pay huge amount of money, the school did not invest much in security.
    “So, we are going to use the summit to address these issues as well as others like the herdsmen and farmers issues.

    ”These issues are further dividing us as a nation and we need to solve them.

    You cannot have the maximum support of security in an area without the support of the public.
    ”Everybody has one thing or the other to make our society safe,” Idris said.

    He expressed the need for the media and civil society to be advocates of improved funding for the police through the Police Trust Fund.

    “The funding of the police is costly. What we are trying to do is to pursue 50 percent of our budgetary requirement from other sources.

    ”We are also looking for other avenues where we can address the problem of the police.

    “At the same time, we are hoping that the National Assembly will pass the bill establishing Police Trust Fund, by so doing, open up other sources for the police to generate money.

    ”It is already happening in Lagos (Security Trust Fund) and has been working wonderfully.

    “We are aware that the Federal Government is financially constrained and so, we do not think it is right to over burden the system by creating other agencies.

    ”These agencies would require funding and create rivalry. But if more money is available for the police and more people recruited, we can achieve so much more,” he noted.

    Idris also stated that there were plans to professionalise the police by establishing specialised schools such as Finance, Marine, among others for training.

    He urged civil society organisations to support the police in training its personnel on professional conducts.

    The IG expressed satisfaction at the scorecard of the rebranded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

    “We are working hard to restore the integrity of the police. Earning the confidence of the people is important to us and we can only achieve that by changing the attitude of some of our policemen.

    ”By the time we achieve that, the people’s trust will be regained and things will be better.

    “This is one of the reasons we make it compulsory for officers from the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and above to declare their assets.

    ”My management team and I declared our assets when we came on board,” he said.

    On the strength of the police, Idris said that the service was understaffed and would need over a million policemen to meet United Nations standard.

    ”Thankfully, the government has given approval for yearly recruitment of 10,000 policemen. For so many years, there was embargo on police recruitment.

    “Besides, the police lost so many personnel in the course of the Boko Haram insurgency. We were the worst hit and still we were not recruiting.

    ”All these affected the strength of the police,” the police chief said.

    He revealed that of the N300 billion budgeted for the police in 2016, only N4 billion was eventually released.

     

     

  • Court Verdict on PDP: No cause for alarm, Says Ekweremadu

    Court Verdict on PDP: No cause for alarm, Says Ekweremadu

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Friday asked People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members and supporters not to worry over the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, on the lingering party leadership tussle.

    Ekweremadu stated this while reacting to the Court judgment which declared Ali Modu Shariff authentic chairman of the PDP.

    This is contained in a statement by the Special Adviser (media) to the Deputy Senate President, Uche Anichukwu.

    Ekweremadu said, “There is no cause for alarm. The party leadership will meet as soon as possible to take a decision on the best way forward.

    “I enjoin party faithful to remain steadfast as we will surely emerge stronger from the present challenges. Those dreaming about the death of the opposition in Nigeria will have to sleep much longer, and still wake up to meet us much stronger because a vibrant opposition is the beauty of democracy”.

     

  • ‘Investments in youths are for future of Nigeria’

    ‘Investments in youths are for future of Nigeria’

    The Legal,  Public Affairs and Communications Director of Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC), Mrs Sade Morgan, has stated that any investment made in the youths is an investment into the future of Nigeria.

    She also admonished other companies in Nigeria to find sustainable ways of giving back to their host communities.

    Morgan stated these on Thursday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, at the graduation for twelve pioneer beneficiaries of the Oginigba Youth Maritime Technical Skills Training.

    The colourful event also had in attendance the paramount ruler of Oginigba-Port Harcourt, King Garshon Odum, and two top officials of NBC: Ademola Richards and Ekuma Eze, among other eminent personalities.

    In her keynote address, Morgan said: “The future will be shaped by today’s young people, hence NBC’s special attention to supporting young persons to realise their full potential.

    “One of the focal areas of NBC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) framework is youth empowerment. In addition to women empowerment, water and environmental stewardship.

    “The NBC-sponsored maritime skills acquisition project for Oginigba youths is an initiative designed to equip youths in Oginigba community with skills sets required to secure employment in the maritime industry.

    “This will enable them to compete favourably with their counterparts locally, regionally and globally, and connect them with opportunities in the Nigerian and international maritime industry, based on the skills that were acquired during the project.”

    The NBC director also stated that the first twelve beneficiaries of the maritime training had all it would take to compete favourably in the maritime Industry, having been provided with the requisite employable skills sets to operate in the industry.

    She encouraged the beneficiaries to make the best out of the opportunity and inspire other youths in the community to participate in initiatives that would enable them to develop their careers in their chosen fields of specialisation.

    Morgan assured that NBC would work through its consultant on the project, Kasher Consulting, to scan for employment opportunities in the maritime sector and provide the relevant information and advisory services to the beneficiaries, to ensure they secured employment that would match their training and skills.

    NBC boss disclosed that the project was designed to be sustainable, with their beneficiaries already subscribed and were committed to contributing to a “Pay It Forward” community fund,  with a monthly stipend, upon securing employment.

    Morgan stressed that the community fund, which would be supported by NBC, would be used to take more youths through the programme.

    She said: “As more beneficiaries contribute to the fund, more opportunities will be provided for the teeming youths. This is an awesome way the beneficiaries will give back to the community.

    “In the last five years, NBC has made steady investments in improving the socio-economic well-being of youths in Oginigba community.”

    The NBC director also stated that the company, as a key player in the Nigerian economy, was committed to partnering with government and communities to realise one of the Sustainable Development Goals: to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

    Morgan assured that NBC was equally committed to investing more in the youths in the future, in locally-relevant initiatives, while noting that the company was happy to empower and position the young ones for the leadership tasks ahead of them.

    The monarch, in his remarks, lauded NBC for the initiative, while admonishing other companies in Oginigba, which covers part of Trans-Amadi Industrial Layout, to emulate the firm and also employ people of the host community, especially the teeming qualified youths.

    Two of the twelve beneficiaries: Steven Amadi and Julia Echeonwu, while responding on behalf of others, described the opportunity as memorable and awesome, which they said would enable them to empower other people, thereby commending NBC for giving them hope.

  • New GOC for Army’s 6 Division

    New GOC for Army’s 6 Division

    Maj.-Gen. Enobong Udoh has been appointed as the new General Officer Commanding  (GOC) of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Rivers.

    The Division’s spokesman, Col. Aminu Iliyasu, in a statement he issued in Port Harcourt on Friday said Udoh would command Army formations and units in units in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states.

    The new GOC replaces Maj.-Gen. Kasimu Abdulkarim who was posted to Defence Headquarters, Abuja.

    Udoh, who hails from Akwa Ibom, was the Coordinator, Defence Headquarters Campaign Planning Cell, before his appointment.

    The GOC was commissioned on Dec. 20, 1986, as a Second Lieutenant, and was a member of the 35 Regular Combatant Course of the Nigeria Defence Academy.

  • Motorists groan as ‘hoodlums’ make driving in Port Harcourt a nightmare

    Motorists groan as ‘hoodlums’ make driving in Port Harcourt a nightmare

    These days,  vehicles and motorcycles are blocked in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital by men in white and green T-shirts, with “Rivers State Government” boldly written at the back. They claim to be checking wrong parking, without having identity cards. They are in the habit of impounding vehicles and driving it to an expansive yard on the site of the new Rivers State School of Nursing, directly opposite the old University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).

    Quite unfortunately, the school of nursing, which could not be completed by the Rotimi Amaechi administration has now been turned into a den for illegal acts.

    The old UPTH was demolished by the Amaechi’s government, with the construction of Mothers and Children Hospital started at the site by the administration, but could not be completed till the end of the tenure on May 29, 2015.

    The yard for seized vehicles and motorcycles (school of nursing, Port Harcourt) now has many shanties, with the uncompleted buildings also turned to barracks/accommodation by many policemen, civilians and miscreants, with the bushy environment becoming an eyesore, while many teenage girls having little children litter the yard.

    While Niger Delta Report was at the yard from 9:30 a.m. on undercover investigation to 8:30 p.m., the hoodlums and their friends were freely smoking Indian hemp, taking hard drugs and drinking alcohol, while claiming to be on duty.

    Besides seizing vehicles, the mindless and rough-looking youths also harass commercial vehicle drivers over stickers and hackney permit, while attracting outrageous sums of money.

    The vehicles-impounding squad is headed by a man identified as Boma, whose wife has a liquor shop in one of the shanties in the yard.

    Once vehicles and motorcycles are towed/moved into the yard, behind the popular Sharks Stadium, the tyres would be deflated, keys seized by the miscreants and demand of money from N45,000 would be made, without receipts/booking documents, thereby confirming the hoodlums’ illegalities.

    For the fear of losing their vehicles to armed robbers or to prevent them from being vandalised before daybreak, contacts would then be made through the telephone by the victims, for their colleagues, relatives, friends and associates to assist in raising the money, which might be as high as N100,000 or more, before the keys of vehicles/motorcycles would be released, making the yard to always contain many impounded vehicles and motorcycles.

    Victims would then begin another round of agony of pumping the tyres, with many vulcanisers on standby, but charging N500 per tyre, instead of the usual N50, under normal circumstance.

    Investigation also revealed that from the N500 for pumping each tyre, the vulcaniser would only get between N100 and N150, while the balance would go to the leaders of the hoodlums, which they would share every evening.

    The last point of harassment, before impounded vehicles and motorcycles would be allowed to leave the premises was the main gate, where the usually-drunk gatemen would still insist on collecting N1,000, before opening the gate, claiming that the hoodlums would not share the collected “loot” with them.

    Not minding the number of hours spent by the victims to plead with the terrible gatemen, exit would be denied, until they collected money.

    While in the midst of the miscreants, with identity concealed, the ignorant hoodlums, unaware of who their employer was, claimed they were engaged by the Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Council, popularly called PHALGA, Hon. Christian Chiokwa, who insisted that he and his council were not aware of the activities of the criminals.

    Chiokwa, through his spokesman, Mike Iwezor, noted that he, as a complete gentleman and a child of God, would never be part of illegal activities/engaging hoodlums, especially with his council having competent and committed officials/employees, saddled with the responsibility of legitimately collecting taxes and levies.

    Shortly after a senior pastor’s car was towed into the yard, the cleric made some calls and wanted one of the secretaries to speak with the person on the other end, but the lady in her early 20s declined, while the pastor threatened to report the harassment to Governor Nyesom Wike, his friend, the secretary said: “Na the same Nyesom Wike we dey work for. Go ahead and report us. Nothing will happen,” and she walked away, ignoring the elderly cleric, who complained loudly that they had on the way to the yard, forcibly collected all the money he had on him.

    A secondary school teacher was driving in highbrow D-Line (Direct Main Line), Port Harcourt, when his phone rang and he parked his car by the road side to answer the call, with the car’s hazard lights on, but Boma’s boys towed the car to their yard and accused the young tutor of obstructing traffic, forcing the teacher, who had just N2,000 on him, to contact relatives, who brought huge sum of money, which he refused to disclose, to avoid being trailed, before his car was granted “bail.”

    There was also the case of senior employee of a popular company, who went to a first generation bank near the Federal High Court on Station Road, Port Harcourt to transfer money to his family in Lagos.

    After the transaction at the bank, the easy-going man drove out and linked Station Road to return to his office in Mile One, Diobu in the Rivers State capital, not knowing that the ‘hoodlums’ in unmarked car behind, saw him as he drove out of the bank.

    The top official continued driving, until he got to the ever-busy junction by Post Office Bus Stop and he decided to allow a car, whose driver had indicated that he wanted to enter the road to the Rivers state secretariat, while also slowing down to allow a police van coming from the Port Harcourt office of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), near Government House, to pass.

    Shortly after the imposing Spar Shopping Mall, the bandits blocked the car of the senior official, accused him of obstructing traffic, one of them took over the steering, while three others jumped into the car and insisted that they must drive it to their yard, which they did, with demand of N45,000 made, but the chief executive gave them the N5,000 on him, which they collected and refused to release the car, in spite of pleading from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., making him to return home without the car.

    The ‘hoodlums’, who impounded the car, having earlier indicated that they were working for PHALGA chairman, the senior official simply contacted Chiokwa (the local government boss), who detailed top official of the local government to accompany the man to the yard, only to see Boma, a known face, whom the PHALGA official confirmed had been into touting and thuggery for many years.

    In spite of the PHALGA’s official pleading with Boma to release the car, he was adamant and still insisted on collecting N45,000. The LG official then met with one of the sub-chairmen of the yard, who was well-known to him and who acted reasonably, thereby disclosing that Boma and others were working for the Rivers State Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning.

    The ‘hoodlums’ told Boma that they saw the senior executive driving out of a bank and he should be able to afford the N45,000 demanded.

    When it became obvious that Boma did not want to release the car, in spite of the intervention of the PHALGA’s official, the senior executive opted to contact top military chiefs at the newly-created 6th Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, to come and take the car by force, which one of the touts eavesdropped on and quickly ran to Boma to alert him as the PHALGA official and top executive of the renowned firm were driving out of the yard in the LG official’s car.

    Boma jumped out of one of the shanties and ran to the road, asking the senior executive and the LG official to meet with one of his secretaries to pick the key of the impounded car.

  • Three die in Port Harcourt’s first rain of the year

    Three die in Port Harcourt’s first rain of the year

    •Homes destroyed, telecoms masts fall
    •Govt: we’ve revoked permits for billboards

    Three persons were confirmed dead and several homes destroyed at Monday night’s rains in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
    The downpour, which was accompanied by a thunder storm, also destroyed seven telecommunications masts and 25 advertising boards.
    It was Garden City’s first rainfall in the year.
    Some of the telecoms masts and advertising boards fell on homes, destroying goods and property estimated at millions of naira.
    At Nkpolu School in Port Harcourt City Local Government, a telecoms mast fell on a 16-year-old boy, who was reportedly hawking pure water for his mother.
    He was said to have died instantly.
    Two other persons were seriously injured when advertising billboards fell on their homes.
    The victims were rushed to hospital but did not make it. They were confirmed dead yesterday.
    One of the victims, Mr. Ifeanyi Uba, whose shop and goods were destroyed when an advertising billboard fell on it, said two of his workers were injured and almost trapped.
    He said: “I’m hoping that the government will come to our aid. Though I thank God that my workers didn’t die, because when the advertising billboard fell on the roof, it brought down the building. But we were able to bring them out.
    “The rain was violent. It pulled down the advertising structures. This billboard has been here for more than 10 years. I am not asking for compensation but they should rebuild the shop because it will cost me more than N3 million to rebuild and I don’t have that kind of money.”
    Mrs. Marry Ordu lost her three–year-old daughter to a telecoms mast.
    In tears, she urged the owner of the mast to revive her daughter.

  • IPOB rally for Trump turns violent

    IPOB rally for Trump turns violent

    • One feared dead
    • No, it’s 11 say organisers
    • It’s all false police
    A rally organised by the separatist groups -the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra MASSOB)- to celebrate the new US President Donald Trump turned bloody yesterday in Port Harcourt. 
    Eye witnesses said one person was shot dead by soldiers deployed to stop the rally.
    The organisers claimed 11 were killed.
    The police denied any death.
    The Police spokesman in Rivers State, Nnamdi Omoni, dismissed the death claim as false, saying the Police only used tear gas.
    Many of the protesters who carried photographs of Trump and waved Biafra, American and Russian flags, are believed to have been brought in from the commercial city of Aba in nearby Abia State.
    The protest caused traffic congestion on many roads in the city.
    As they marched through Aba Road towards Mile One in the Rivers State capital, they ran into some soldiers who asked them to disband.
    The protesters tried to wave aside the disband order but the soldiers insisted that the rally must stop immediately.
    A few shots rang out and then pandemonium by the protesters who scampered for safety. 
    The marchers said they were solidarizing with Trump because according to them, the new US president “loves Biafra” and will support their bid for Biafra.
    Shop owners in the area quickly shut down and took to their heels.
    The IPOB in a statement yesterday claimed that 11 of the protesters were shot dead.
    The spokesman for the group Emma Powerful alleged that 27 other people had bullet wounds while 57 people were arrested.
    “The dead bodies of the people killed were carried by the Nigerian soldiers,” he said and asked the international community to “prevail on the Nigerian soldiers to bring back the dead bodies.”
    He added:“Right now, we are being chased by the Nigeria security agencies and they are going round looking and arresting anybody suspected to be IPOB members.But we are not relenting in our support and solidarity with Mr Trump.”
    However, a security source said: “I saw the press release circulated by IPOB that 11 of their members were killed. It is not true: the information is misleading and should not be accepted by the members of the public.
    “Only one person was killed and that happened at about 10:00am along Okporo Road,  by Artillery junction,  in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of State.
     “The incident occurred when a joint security operatives shot at the advancing demonstrating youths in an attempt to disperse them.
    “The deceased and those injured were carried away by security men.”
    Also speaking on the rally, the Director of Information, Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) in the State Mr Anuken Anthony said: “over 70 supporters of MASSOB and IPO have been arrested and about 15 of them are in pains due to bullet wounds. “Our members have taken some of them to the hospital; we are praying that nothing should happen to any of them.
    “Our support for Donald Trump cannot be stopped  by military intimidation and harassment.”
     One of the protesters, Benson Paul who got injured told The Nation that he was just “dancing during the rally,” and the marchers got to St. John Junction “we saw soldiers asking us to go back. But we told them that we are matching in solidarity of Donald Trump’s inauguration but they refused to allow us go our way.
    “We cannot continue to be slaves in our country and some of us tried to push through the barricade mounted b y the soldiers. They began to manhandle and brutalise us.
    “Look at my head and my back. They used their guns to hit me. We want our own country.”
     Another victim, Mr Onyema Njoku alleged that the soldiers broke one of his legs with the gun.
    He threatened to go to court to seek redress.
    His words: “IPOB followed due process to ensure that this rally took place today. Some people protested for President Buhari in Abuja yet nobody shot them.  Today, we are carrying out a peaceful rally and the police, the military are shooting at us.
    “One of the soldiers caught me while I was trying to run away, he descended on me until he broke my leg, as I’m sitting down here I cannot walk. I’m waiting for my friends to take me to the hospital, I will get better, I know it is part of the sacrifice for freedom. The spokesman for the  2 Brigade Command of the Army in Port Harcourt, Lieutenant Sokoya could not be reached for his reaction.
  • Philanthropy: Cleric rewarded in Port Harcourt

    Philanthropy: Cleric rewarded in Port Harcourt

    The Arewa Ambassadors Congress of Nigeria (AACN) made history in Port Harcourt recently as they shunned politicians, money bags and even other religious leaders to present award to the Anglican Bishop of Niger Delta North, Most Rev. Ignatius Kattey.

    Presenting the 2016 Arewa Leadership Award on Humanitarian Service to Kattey, the President of AACN Ambassador Esinrogunjo Musbau said: “We don’t believe in politicians because they have disappointed the people over the years.”

    Musbau said the award entitled “Icon of Hope/Philanthropist of our Time” was given to Kattey because “we want to build bridges and the unity of this country is paramount to us.”

    He also said they chose Kattey because he has integrity and besides “we want the North to be free when they are in the East and we want the East to be free when they are in the North.”

    The AACN President, who is vying for the chairmanship of his Ilorin West Local Government Area in Kwara State under the All Progressives Congress (APC) also explained that his group whose membership is drawn from 19 Northern states did not know the Anglican Cleric intimately but “we only heard of your services to humanity and that is why we have come to present this award to you.”

    Musbau, who stressed on oneness of Nigeria, also stated that “our slogan is unity and we preach unity everywhere we go,” pointing out that “if we enjoy peace and unity, everyone would be better for it.”

    He also revealed that the nomination of Kattey at their congress sailed through without hitch which is why about 11 members of the group, some of who had not been to Port Harcourt before, were sent to come and confer the award on the Anglican cleric.

    Responding, Kattey informed that the award was the 4th he has received on humanitarian services since last year.

    He also revealed that in the letter informing him of the award, the group stated that “the honour is a testimony of your courage, unwavering support, kind disposition, commitment to serve Nigerian citizens and unfailing love which you have shown both at your state and Nigeria at large in time past and till date.”

    While expressing gratitude to AACN for the award, Kattey also advised that since their “overall objective is to promote peace and sustainable development within Northern Nigeria,” they have to embark on re-orientation and building of confidence among themselves.

    Additionally, he told the group that even though they are all young people, they should shun “impatience, get-rich quick syndrome, cultism and kidnapping.”

    While also decrying the global crises which are taking a chunk of human population, Kattey urged everyone to return to God in fasting and prayer as well as to stand for truth “against evils of our time.”

    He further prayed that “no tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, peril or killings separate us from the love of God.”

    In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr Emeka Ichoku said he was surprised when he learnt that the Anglican Bishop was to be conferred with an award by AACN.

    Ichoku said he initially thought it was because Kattey schooled in ABU Zaria, Kaduna State but later found out that it was “because of the Bishop’s humanitarian services which has even transcended beyond Nigeria.”

    Ichoku, who is also the Chancellor of the Church, expressed hope that the award would “serve as a bridge between our Muslim brothers in the North and us because we all serve one God.”

  • Police battle four-man kidnappers’ gang in Port Harcourt

    Police battle four-man kidnappers’ gang in Port Harcourt

    The police Thursday intercepted a four-man gang of heavily armed suspected kidnappers operating along waterways and hinterland in Rivers and Bayelsa.

    Police spokesman Donald Awunah, stated this in a statement in Abuja.

    Awunah said the suspects were intercepted by the Inspector-General of Police (I-G) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) on Azikiwe Road, Port Harcourt, while on their way for an operation.

    He said that the IRT operatives, who acted on intelligence, were engaged in a gun battle by the “kidnappers’’ during which three of the latter were fatally wounded.

    He said that one James Peter, 30, from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa was arrested at the scene, while the rest escaped.

    “The arrested member of the gang has been cooperating with the police in their investigation by providing very valuable information on the membership of the gang and their mode of operation.

    “Weapons recovered from the kidnappers include one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), one AK47 rifle, chains of GPMG ammunition and two fully loaded AK47 magazines.

    “Efforts are in top gear to arrest fleeing members of the gang and recover their cache of arms,’’ the police spokesman said.

    He quoted the I-G, Mr Ibrahim Idris, as reiterating his appeal to Nigerians to keep assisting the police with valuable information on suspected criminals.

    Idris assured the public of renewed commitment on the part of the police in the fight against crime and other anti-social behaviours, Awunah said.

  • Youth corps member dies in Bayelsa

    Youth corps member dies in Bayelsa

    A female member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) identified as Miss ‎Elechi Chiyerum was, Wednesday, confirmed dead after she was found sick at the orientation camp in Kaiama, Kolokuma-Opokoma, Bayelsa State.

    It was gathered that the deceased reported to the camp with a sickness that made her to bleed and vomit.

    The late Elechi, 27, who hailed from Rivers State and studied at the Ignatius Azuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, was reportedly found vomiting at her lodge.

    She was said to have arrived the camp sick and could not participate in most activities lined up for the opening session of the orientation.

    Some NYSC officials who spoke in confidence described the incident as a case of non-disclosure of an ailment by the corps member.

    A search in her hostel was said to have revealed excessive bleeding with some sanitary pads and her dresses soaked in blood.

    A source from the camp said the corps member was found vomiting and bleeding and was immediately rushed to the camp’s clinic.

    The source who spoke in confidence said after initial treatments, the doctors found her case severe and referred her to a hospital.

    “She was driven to a hospital in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital. Unfortunately before getting to the hospital she died. She died on Tuesday at about 9pm. She was only five days old at the camp.

    “The news of her death shocked everybody. We have not recovered from it because it is painful to die that way after going through higher institutions”, she said.

    The state Coordinator, NYSC, confirmed the incident describing it as unfortunate.

    He advised corps members to always disclose their health conditions to corps’ authorities.