The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Protesters

  • Protesters ground Nnewi hospital

    Protesting health workers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra State, yesterday grounded activities at the hospital for more than three hours.

    Over 1,000 protesters wearing red and black attires marched on the premises and the Nkwo Nnewi Triangle.

    They called for the sack of the Health Minister, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, for being inconsiderate to their plight.

    They carried placards with inscriptions, such as “Mr. Minister remember posterity”; “Mr President please come to our rescue”; “We have unhealthy health minister”; “A quit notice for health minister”.

    The Senior Staff Association, Forum of Federal Health Institution Nurses and Midwifery, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Non Academic Staff Union under the umbrella of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) claimed that the Health Minister was insensitive.

    In a statement by the National Secretary of JOHESU, Yusuf Badmus, said: “The need to carry out this rally becomes more germane and necessary, considering the lackadaisical attitude with which the Federal Ministry of Health is handling the case in the National Industrial Court.

    “It has failed to make submissions for necessary hearing of the case at the last hearing date of January 9, thereby delaying the conclusion of the case in court.”

  • Protesters shut down post office over unpaid pension

    Members of the National Union of Pensioners Awka (NUPA) and Nigerian Postal Service, Awka branch on Friday, shut down the Nigeria postal office, Awka in Anambra State over the non- payment of 43 months of pension arrears.

    Some placards carried by the members read, “Many retirees have died leaving their pensions behind, who then will enjoy it?” and “poverty eradication has no meaning if my arrears is not paid,” among others.

    They blocked the entrance of the post office in Awka along Zik’s Avenue in a peaceful protest, calling for the Federal Government’s attention to their plight.

    Chairman of the pensioners, Mr.Benard Nze, lamented bitterly over the attitude of the management of the post office over their unpaid arrears.

    He added, “Our people are dying of hunger and some are on sick bed and have no money to take care of themselves or money to send their children to school.”

  • Protesters clash over Edo Property Tax Law

    Protesters yesterday marched on the streets of Benin, the Edo State capital, over the new Land Use Charge Law, otherwise known as Property Tax Law.

    Some supporters said it was time the rich started servicing the poor while the anti-Property Tax law protesters said the law should be thrown into the trash bin.

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole last week signed the bill into law, with an assurance that the law would not affect 95 per cent of the population.

    Oshiomhole said his administration would not apologise over the law as, according to him, “the rich must pay to provide for the poor” as well as protect their riches.

    The protesters, under the auspices of Edo Youth Congress, described the law as anti-people.

    They said they had issued a red card to the governor, if he does not listen to them.

    The group’s president, Dan Adebame Eichie, said the law was passed without getting the people’s input.

    Eichie said they protested against the law because the state has not provided basic amenities like in developed countries where the tax is paid.

    He said they were beaten and harrassed by supporters of the law at the Kings Square, where they gathered to start the protest.

    “Property law is not an ingredient of democracy. We are going to court to challenge the law, until it is thrown away.

    “We demanded for a public hearing but the lawmakers did not listen to us. We say ‘no’ to this tyrant law.”

    Supporters of the law, led by Tony Kabaka and the leaders of a group, Edo is in Safe Hands, gathered at the House of Assembly after chasing away the protesters.

    They carried banners, with inscriptions, such as “The rich must pay tax.”; “It is time for the rich to work for the poor.”; “The rich must pay for the poor to enjoy.”; “Stop organising people against tax payment.”; and “We support Property Tax. It is for development.”

    The groups stopped motorists and passers-by, educating them on the property tax law.

    Addressing the crowd, Kabaka said the infrastructural development in the state was a testimony of what the government was doing with the tax already collected.

    He said they earlier supported the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)- led government but were made to believe that there was no money in the state.

    Majority Leader of the House and sponsor of the bill Phillip Shaibu said it would ensure that the rich pay on their extra wealth for the development of the state.

     

  • Protesters burn Ibadan police station

    A Police Inspector allegedly beat up a commercial motorcyclist to death yesterday in Apata, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    It was learnt that the policeman hit the victim, popularly called Akebaje, in the head with a baton for allegedly violating the traffic law.

    Sources said Akebaje carried two passengers on his motorcycle, instead of one, as stipulated in the new Traffic Law.

    They said Akebaje “tactfully” dropped one of his passengers when he saw the policemen.

    Sources said a policeman, who noticed what happened tried to stop him, but Akebaje tried to escape. This reportedly prompted the policeman to hit him with a baton.

    An eyewitness said Akebaje slumped and started bleeding.

    The eyewitness said the policeman dragged him into a patrol van and took him to Kola Police Station.

    A mob stormed the police station and set the building ablaze.

    The protesters were dispersed with tear gas.

    The area was deserted when about 20 police vans arrived later.

    It was learnt that over 20 people, including a two-year-old boy, were injured during the protest.

    But acting police spokesman Mr. Ayodele Lanade said Akebaje was not dead.

    Speaking with reporters at the Police Headquarters in Eleyele, Lanade said the motorcyclist and his two passengers fell from the bike while trying to evade policemen on a stop-and-search duty.

    He said the policemen tried to assist them, but their action was misconstrued by motorcyclists, who beat them (the policemen) up.

    Lanade said commercial motorcyclists used the opportunity to slam their anger against the new Traffic Law on the policemen.

    He said: “The person they claim is dead is alive and in our custody. He only pretended to have fainted.”

    Lanade warned motorcyclists against taking laws into their hands, adding that there was no justification for razing the police station.

    He said 28 suspects had been arrested and 42 motorcycles seized.

  • Protesters storm ministry

    Graduates, who applied for jobs at the Immigration, Prisons and Civil Defence Board, yesterday protested the alleged dumping of their application letters by staff of the Ministry of Interior, at the old secretariat, Area 1 in Abuja .

    The protesters blocked the entrance to the building and prevented visitors and officials from entering the office.

    The action of the applicants caused security personnel to shoot into the air to scare the angry youths.

    Graduates had been submitting their letters for employment to the board since September when they learnt that the Federal Government was recruiting personnel into the Nigeria Prisons Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Federal Fire Service.

    But the applicants, who besieged the board, were disappointed and angry when they saw hundreds of letters strewn on the ground.

    Though a sign pasted on a wall said submission of applications had closed on October 23 but a quick check of the dumped applications showed that some were submitted on October 16.

    An applicant, Joy Usman, described the action as provocative and a mark of disrespect to the applicants.

    The Deputy Director Information, Rotimi Akinyemi, could not be reached for comments, but an official claimed that the applications were submitted late.

     

  • Protesters burn houses over slain UNIPORT students

    Protesters burn houses over slain UNIPORT students

    •My agony, by mum of lynched student

    A MASSIVE protest rocked Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, yesterday over the murder of four students.

    University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) lecturers, students and members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) from the Southsouth and Southeast zones blocked the ever-busy East-West Road at Choba Junction, beside the university.

    Twelve houses belonging to suspected killers of the UNIPORT students were yesterday razed at Aluu.

    The burnt houses included that of the Head of Aluu, Chief Hassan Walewa, who is detained by the police, along with 12 others.

    The students – Biringa, Chiadika Lordson (Year Two Theatre Arts), Ugonna kelechi, Year Two, Geology, Wike Lyod Loku (Year Two, Civil Engineering) and Tekena Erikena – were lynched last Friday for allegedly stealing mobile phones and laptops.

    UNIPORT’s Deputy Registrar (Information) Dr. Williams Wodi, yesterday, announced the indefinite closure of the university, the students to vacate the hostels.

    The angry members of NANS, Zone B, comprising universities in the 11 states in the Southsouth and the Southeast, who came in two buses, described the murder of the youths as “barbaric” and “shocking”.

    The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Ben Angwe, and his team visited the Rivers Police Commissioner, Mohammed Indabawa, in Port Harcourt, to be properly briefed on the murder.

    Eleven of the 13 suspects arrested at Omuokiri-Aluu, beside UNIPORT, where the four students were stripped, murdered and set ablaze, after putting car tyres on their necks and drenching them with petrol, have been arraigned at a High Court in Port Harcourt.

    The protesters in their thousands, were armed with placards, bearing various inscriptions and singing war songs. They vowed not to open the East-West Road, unless the Vice-Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Joseph Ajienka, addressed them.

    The protest brought traffic on the only link road to a standstill from around 11 am, when the protest started, with commuters, especially people travelling to Lagos, Abuja and other places, lamenting the development.

    The East-West Road starts from Oron in Akwa Ibom State and passes through Ogoniland in Rivers State to Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo and Ogun. It terminates in Lagos State.

    The protest paralysed commercial activities, as traders hurriedly closed their shops to prevent looting. Banks locked their premises. Some motorists quickly returned to their homes, their vehicles are not vandalised.

    Chief Security Officer (CSO) Lt.-Col. Reginald Isiguzo (rtd.); soldiers and policemen in over 30 patrol vehicles were overwhelmed for some hours. Military helicopters were overflying the area.

    Some of the placards carried by the protesters read: “You cannot kill Nigerian students and go scot free”; “We want justice”; “Murdered students are not armed robbers, cultists or criminals”; “This is the beginning of revolution in Nigeria”; “Aluu people must pay with their blood”; and “Students in Aluu should immediately relocate”.

    Others are: “Painful murder”; “Provide the killers of four innocent UNIPORT students”; “No seven days protest, no dialogue”; “The murder is inhuman”; “Aluu natives must be taught bitter lessons”; and “Where were policemen, soldiers on Friday?”

    The murder took place at Omuokiri-Aluu in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, beside UNIPORT.

    Residents and students of UNIPORT are now fleeing Aluu, to avoid being arrested by security personnel and not to be caught in crossfire, in case of reprisal by the angry protesters.

    Speaking on behalf of the protesting lecturers, a former Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNIPORT chapter, Dr. Andrew Efemini, described the murder of the four students as inhuman and very sad.

    Efemini said: “We prefer to die at Choba Junction on East-West Road. We will not leave, until justice is done. We are ready to continue protesting till tomorrow (today) morning. We are fully prepared.

    “We adequately mobilised to be part of the protest, for people all over the world to know what is happening at Aluu. The vice-chancellor of UNIPORT must come and address us at this (Choba) junction. Otherwise, we will not open the East-West Road. The travellers should bear with us.

    Prof. Ajienka (vice-chancellor of UNIPORT), political and community leaders, heads of security agencies and other major stakeholders must assure us that people of the host communities will no longer touch the students, much less killing them.”

    The ex-ASUU chairman also asked the security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities, declaring that the murder must not be swept under the carpet, with the 13 arrested persons and others still to be apprehended made to face the law.

    The leader of the protesting students, Prosper Iyere, said the students from the 11 states joined the protest to express their displeasure with the murder of the four students.

    Iyere, who is also the Treasurer of NANS in Zone B, said: “All the universities in the Southsouth and Southeast are represented in this protest. Most of the protesters are students of UNIPORT, who are shocked over the killing of the four young men. “

     

     

    “Emphasis must be placed on the safety of lives and property. Nigerian students must be safe in and around their universities. The murder is a slap on the faces of Nigerian students.

    “Blocking the East-West Road is not meant to punish motorists and other road users, but to let the whole world know about the plight of Nigerian students. The travellers should endure the hardship, in order to ensure justice. We do not want to be violent.

    “We are not saying the murdered students were guilty of stealing mobile phones and laptops or not, but the jungle justice is uncalled for and condemnable. Aluu people should not have taken the law into their own hands. The culprits must be brought to book.”

    Indabawa (police commissioner), who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Thomas Etomi, promised that the security agency would get to the root of the murder, which he described as “barbaric”.

    Angwe had earlier stated that the team was in Rivers state to find out how the four students were murdered.