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Tag: Rivers State

  • Building job-seekers’ skill for employment

    Youths from all over the country turned out for the Knowledge Exchange Centre (KEC) Graduate Advancement Programme Network (GAP). The programme helped job seeking youths to build skills that employers need, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Victor Ehirim is recycling solid wastes into beautiful works of art. A graduate of Political Science, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, he is transforming waste into household furniture.

    He was among the lucky candidates who received an offer to undergo training under Knowledge Exchange Centre (KEC) Graduate Advancement Programme Network (GAP)in Lagos.

    Having suffered rejections after interviews, he decided to participate in a six-week employability skills offered by KEC in Lagos. During the training, he discovered interest in creating wealth   from waste. He started with nothing. He makes creative household and office furniture from solid waste products such as tyres. He was part of 15 graduates of KEC’s GAP.

    As a scalable programme, GAP has proven to be effective for reaching trainees within the 21to 35 age range, including university graduates.

    At the core of the programme are transferable skills such as English language and Information Communication Technology (ICT), as well as workplace competencies in growing demand among employers, such as problem solving, team work, and customer service.

    Speaking during the graduation ceremony, the Executive Secretary, KEC, Ms. Maria Glover, said the centre is a non–profit organisation established to tackle employability issues among fresh university graduates in Nigeria.

    Through its various training programmes and activities, she said KEC bridges the skills gap in the labour market by providing training programmes focused on employability, entrepreneurship, leadership, Internships and many other areas intended to prepare them for work, business and the future.

    Read Also: AfDB boosts jobs with $2m for youths

    According to her, Ehirim was initially trained on employability skills.  She explained that the centre now has to encourage him with the skills he has shown in turning waste into products.

    She said close to 750 youths have completed the centres’ employability skills training programmes, leading to job placements.

    According to her, partner companies were required to provide training attachments for unemployed graduates under GAPN.

    She advised more companies to support the programme so that they can contribute to the society and see how they can help graduates earn a living while being independent, improving their livelihood and economy of their families.

    GAP, she said, was implemented as a talent market ability programme that assists unemployed graduates to increase their chances of employment by enhancing their soft skills, knowledge and technical capabilities.

    The programme, according to her, is done in collaboration with private companies.

    She advised graduates seeking jobs to come out of their comfort zones to increase their employability.

    For Miss Nwando Okafor, a  microbiology graduate from Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State,  one of the ladies who completed the programme, GAP provided a “push and positive thinking” that helped them overcome the lack of professional skills  and values that limit their ability to pursue work.

    Another graduate, Miss Oluwabunmilayo Awosusi, said the programme solidified her self-confidence and is going open many new job opportunities for them.

    Martins Godwin, a civil engineering graduate of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi said empowering young people with employability skills strengthens their capacity to explore job opportunities.

    The project officer, KEC, Mr. Aghogho Akporido, said the  training  helps the  participants  to build self-confidence and motivated them to set goals, plan, and believe that they  can achieve whatever they  aspire to do and become.

    KEC is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of the XL Africa Group Limited.

  • Suspected robbers terrorize Rivers residents

    There was palpable fear and panic among residents of Ogbumnuabali area of Port Harcourt, in Port Harcourt City Local Government of  the Rivers state Monday night as suspected armed robbers stormed the area.

    The incident happened in Ogbuga and Ogbundah streets in the area around 7 in the evening, saw the entire community which is usually beehive of activities, being a known commercial area known for computer and electronic business to go deserted within seconds, as people scamper to safety.

    A source close to the area told the Nation that the assailants who were heavily armed young men and teenagers shot sporadically as they de-possess their victims of their valuables, including phones, cash and others.

     He said that the community has been under siege by the hoodlums for a while now, with nothing being done about it.

    Collaborating the source,  a cap driver also told a story of how he stormed into them last week about the same time also,  causing his vehicle to be discharged of passengers who ran out of the car for hideout.

    Read Also: APC: CCTV captured Rivers bombing

    They men of the underworld were reportedly armed with guns and other dangerous weapons and they robbed some petty traders of their money and phones forcing some other shop owners to lock their shops and run for safety.

    A residence who spoke to our reporter on the matter  is now on a daily basis “we are just living in fear now, if we hear noise, we go run for our lives because they can come at any time, I no go fit dey my shop reach 9’o clock for night again because of fear, we no dey safe again even to sleep for night, na one eye we dey carry sleep” she said.

    According to another resident who pleaded anonymity “they even go as far tearing window nets to steal whatever they can lay their hands on, this place is no longer what it used to be, we are pleading with the state government to provide security for us especially this election period”.

    The hoodlums reportedly depossess  the residents of their property ranging from cars and other valuable on daily basis and terrorizes the  area freely without  fear of apprehension or challenge by anyone, including security operatives.

    It is suspected that the assailants are residents of the area who are well knowledgeable of the environment.

    Rumour mills however said that some persons have been arrested in connection with the attack,  but the police could not confirm it as at the time of filing this report.

    Efforts to reach the spokesman of the state police command,  Nnamdi Omoni,  a Deputy Suprindentent of Police failed. He did not answer calls made to his handset mobile phone, neither did he return the calls.

  • Baby factory victim gives birth in cell

    The Rivers State Police Command has paraded 39 suspects it arrested in September for various crime.

    The command also burst a suspected baby factory in Rukpokwu axis of Obio/Kpor Local Government Area and reportedly rescued 16 expected mothers who were awaiting deliver and likely trafficking of their babies.

    Parading the suspects and the expectant mothers at the weekend, Police Commissioners Zaki Ahmed said one of the women, Chinyere Nweke, 16, went into labour in police custody shortly after the rescue and was taken to the police clinic where she was delivered of a baby girl last Friday.

    The new mother and baby were said to be at the hospital last night.

    Ahmed said the command had entered into an agreement with the pastor of a Pentecostal church on rehabilitating and keeping the young mothers after their delivery.

    Addressing reporters after the parade, Ahmed said 39 suspects were paraded for various crime, ranging from child trafficking, cultism, armed robbery, kidnapping as well as vandalism of telecommunication equipment and accessories valued at N30 million.

    He said: “Men of the SCIID in a sting operation in the early hours of September 28 stormed the premises of Gloria Raphael, the General Overseer of Mount Sinai Ministry at Rukpokwu, who is into alleged child trafficking and sale, where 16 expectant mothers awaiting delivery and onward sale of the children to waiting buyers were arrested.

    “Those arrested from the baby factory with the operators and the expectant mothers, who are due for delivery and kept there for commercial purposes, are:  ThankGod Garrick (Male) (43),

    Esther Joseph   (32), Maureen Martins (45),  Glory Raphael   (40), Isabu Joy (23), Progress Ndubuisi (28),  Mary Robinson (29),  Chiamaka Okeze (20),  Amarachi Isaac  (23) and Eberechi Brown (30)

    “Others are:  Favour Gabriel (23),  Adaeze Chinaka (27),  Gift Ufomba (24), Sandra Solomon (17), Esther Mathias (23) and  Chinyere Nweke (16).

    “One of them, Chinyere Nweke, was in labour yesterday and was conveyed to the Police Clinic where she gave birth to a baby girl. All the suspects are with us and are helping us in our investigation at the State CIID, Port Harcourt.”

    Also, six suspected robbers were arrested.

    They were reportedly arrested by men of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS).

    They are:  Obioma Mmerenini (29),  Ezekiel Chibueze (22),  Opone Chibueze (25),  Promise Peter (20), Solomon Otuene (32) and Justice Amadi (19).

    Ahmed said operatives of Anti-Cultism Unit of the command, in the last two weeks, arrested the following suspects: Lebari Nwineewii,  Dormene Nwiaka, Samuel Owhor, Godspower Amakorwo,  Karma Victor, Sudor Mark and Piaro Francis for alleged cultism.

    They were said to have confessed to belonging various cult groups which recently attacked one another in supremacy battles.

    Others are:  Ovie Osumenya, Godknows Nhekanwo,  Alleluyah Justice,  Marvelous Chukwu, Owaji Iragunima, Kingsley Amadike,  Diginee Prince, Gift Deebor,  Gideon Leero (Males) and  Charity Benneth (Female).

     

     

  • Saraki, Bafarawa, chides Buhari over Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges

    The duo of Senate President, Bukola Saraki and former Sokoto state governor, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, both aspiring for the endorsements of PDP delegates for election as Presidential candidate of the party, have blamed the policies and programs of President Buhari’s government as responsible for the present economic and political downturn being experienced in the country, and promised to do ‘’damage control’’, if elected

    Both Presidential hopefuls were respectively in Katsina to campaign for votes from the party delegates to the National convention slated for Port Harcourt, Rivers state on Saturday October 6

    Saraki further advocated generational change in the leadership of the country adding that Nigeria was in need of young and courageous leaders that would bring about the needed socio-economic transformation people are yearning for.

    He said politics at the global level today was centered on youths as leaders, and that Nigeria would be wise to tow such line during the forthcoming general elections.

    He said ‘It was due to this that I decided to offer myself to Nigerians as a viable candidate for Aso Rock, on platform of the PDP.

    “Nigeria needs strong and courageous leaders. Politics in Nigeria today requires tested and courageous people. It is time for the youths to rule the country,”

    Saraki said he was confident of delegates from the state casting their vote for him for the party’s presidential ticket.

    He said his confidence was based on his strong relationship with several PDP stakeholders, particularly the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua as well as ex-governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema.

    Read Also: APC presidential primary: Buhari polls 98% in Zamfara

    He assured that if elected, he would give priority to addressing the problem of poverty in the country, as well as ensure proper representation for the people as nation’s president.

    He said Katsina PDP was first in the country to elect a consensus candidate in person of Senator Yakubu Lado Danmarke that would fly the party’s ticket for the governorship polls in the state.

    He called on party members to elect candidates of the party come next general election s, so that the country would be free from the challenges APC had created.

    Bafarawa on his part said as state governor for eight years, he did not receive any salaries, but could afford to purchase a nomination form in the range of President Buhari’s.

    He wondered why the president would need anyone to buy him the form, even though he had been nation’s leader and occupied various juicy posts in the past.

    On his campaign, Bafarawa said he had traversed through 30 states in the country by road to meet with delegates on his presidential ambition.

    He said if elected, he would carry out what he described as “damage control” to take the country out of the malaise the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) had put her into.

    He said as president, he would not bother about probing into what the APC government had done or refused to do, but would work out ways the nation can move forward socio-economically.

    He however called on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to allow for fairness and level playing field for all its aspirants during its presidential primary and express confidence in the delegates from the state casting their vote for him for the party’s Presidential ticket.

    Speaking, the party’s chairman in the state, Salisu Majigiri condemned the ruling All Progressive Congress-led (APC) government of flouting court orders.

    Majigiri said the APC has little regard for the rule of law, and was in habit of not giving the National Assembly (NASS) the recognition it deserved.

    He called on party members to elect candidates of the party to come out next general election s, so that the country would be free from the challenges APC had created

  • Convention venue: PDP bows to Wike

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has decided to hold its national convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

    This was one of the key decisions taken at the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held yesterday at the Abuja secretariat of the PDP.

    The party reportedly agreed to hold the convention in Port Harcourt, after Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, tendered an apology to the leadership of the party and other stakeholders at the meeting.

    An inside source said some party chieftains also apologised on behalf of the Rivers Governor, adding that he was sober and contrite while tendering his apology.

    Governor Wike had on Wednesday, gone on air, threatening to “teach the PDP a lesson” if the party failed to hold the convention in Port Harcourt.

    The governor’s threat was in response to a statement by the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin.

    Jibrin had, at a stakeholders meeting on Monday, dismissed reports that the PDP convention would hold in Port Harcourt, saying that the party hadn’t taken a decision on the venue.

    Speaking with journalists, shortly after the meeting, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, confirmed that the issue of venue was amicably resolved by all stakeholders.

    Saraki said, “We all agreed  to hold it in Port Harcourt. Some of the issues that we are having before, which were reported in the newspapers were discussed.

    “Everybody decided that we should stay with the party. Where tempers were flared, people apologised and everybody felt that yes, there was a commitment to assure everybody that there will be free and fair primaries. So today has been a very good day”.

    All the aspirants were said to have collectively assured the meeting that their initial fears over the Port Harcourt venue for the convention had been allayed by the leadership of the party.

    They reportedly reposed confidence in the ability of the leadership of the party and the convention committee to conduct a seamless exercise.

    However, the convention, where the party’s presidential candidate will be elected, has been shifted from October 5-6 to October 6-7.

    No fewer than 3,619 delegates across the country are expected to vote to elect the party’s presidential flag bearer at the convention.

    Other resolutions arrived at included a written commitment of all the 12 presidential aspirants to a bond accepting the outcome of the primary election and to join forces with the eventual winner to form a united front.

    The party on its part, pledged to ensure transparent, free, fair and acceptable primaries that will be acceptable to all the aspirants and their supporters.

    The PDP also expressed readiness to engage democratic stakeholders all over the world towards achieving a credible free and fair general election in February 2019.

    The meeting, which was presided over by the national chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, was attended by all its presidential aspirants, the party’s governors, members of the National Assembly among others.

  • Imo Governorship : I’m not afraid of direct primaries, says Nwosu

    Chief of Staff to the Imo state governor and alleged anointed governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo state, Uche Nwosu has said that he was ready to face party members in the state through whatever mode of primary adopted by the party in the state.

    Also, the preferred governorship candidate in Rivers state, Tonye Cole said he was prepared for whatever mode adopted by the party in Rivers state, saying what was important was for the party to present a credible candidate for the general election.

    While Nwosu is widely believed to have been announced for the governorship position by Governor Rochas Okorocha, Cole is believed to be the preferred candidate of Minister of Transportation and former Rivers state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

    Read Also: APC governors insist on indirect primaries

    Speaking after being screened by the National Working Committee of the party, Nwosu who is also believed to be the son-in-law of the Imo state governor said he consider his closeness to the governor as an added advantage to his aspiration, adding however that he believe that he was the best candidate for the job.

    He said “You know that the party wants to make sure that you are qualified and credible to avoid having a governor that does not have what it takes to rule a state because a governor is not a Chairman. I am happy that our National Chairman took it upon himself to actually interview and screens those who wants to run for the office of the governor.

    “It is the state executive committee of the party that decides on the mode. If they decide to use indirect, so be it. If they decide on direct, so be it. The party has the power and the Governor is just one member of the SEC where you up to 200 members and so, one member cannot stop the entire state Executive from taking a decision.

    “The party has decided that they want to go indirect and so, we adopt that and go with that. I am fully prepared for the primaries and by the special grace of God; I will become the candidate of the party.”

    Asked if he consider his relationship with the governor as a plus or minus, he said “Of course my relationship with the governor is a plus. When you have a sitting Governor in your party, you need his support to come up because he is a member of the party.

    “Except where you have another party man as the governor of that state. But once the governor belongs to your party, you will automatically need his support.”

    On his part, Tonye Cole believed to have been anointed and adopted for the governorship by majority of APC leaders in Rivers state who are loyal to the Minister of Transportation said he was ready to go for any form of primary chosen by the party in the state.

    Cole said “I believe that democracy has come a long a way in Nigeria and one of the things we are seeing now is that the people are now looking at the evidences of things that you have done and not what you are promising to do and how you can make a difference in the People’s life.

    “I believe at the end of the day, both direct and indirect primaries are constitutional. What we want to see is the right candidates emerging and how they emerge is a parry affair.

    “As far as I am concerned, we are because we believe that we have the right candidate for Rivers state and whichever way it comes out, I am ready for it.”

  • Pirates kidnap 12 crew members from Swiss vessel

    SUSPECTED pirates yesterday kidnapped 12 crew members from a Swiss merchant vessel in Rivers State, according to the ship owners.

    The vessel was travelling between Lagos and Port Harcourt when the pirates struck 45 nautical miles south west of Bonny Island, Massoel Shipping said in a statement.

    The company said the pirates boarded the vessel, which was carrying wheat, and kidnapped 12 of the 19 crew.

    It did not give the nationalities of the crew members but said it was “working with the authorities and specialists to secure the speedy and safe release of those being held.”

  • Wike, Abe conspiring to defame me – Amaechi

    The Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has stated that his successor, Nyesom Wike, and the lawmaker representing Rivers Southeast Senatorial District, Senator Magnus Abe, are conniving and conspiring to disparage and defame him. 

    He declared that Rivers State governor (Wike), a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Abe, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), were plotting to use his former cabinet members to tell fake, concocted and distorted stories to the media that were meant to denigrate him, impugn his unblemished integrity and paint a very terrible image of him to members of the public.

    Amaechi, the Director-General of Buhari/Osinbajo Re-election Campaign Organisation, who is also the leader of APC in Rivers state and the Southsouth zone, stated this on Friday in an online statement by his media office.

    The immediate past governor of Rivers state revealed that the plot against him was already far-gone and persons were being coached on what to say and how to say it. 

    Wike, a lawyer, was the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt between 2007 and 2011, when Amaechi was governor of Rivers state, while the then governor also appointed the former Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council (Wike) as the Director-General of Amaechi Re-election Campaign Organisation in 2011, before later recommending him the same year to the then President Goodluck Jonathan for ministerial appointment.

    Abe, also a lawyer, was appointed by Amaechi as Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG) from 2007 to 2011, before proceeding to the Senate in 2011. The former Rivers Information Commissioner (Abe) aspired to be the standard bearer of APC in 2015, but a former member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, emerged as the candidate of the then ruling party (APC), but he was “defeated” by Wike in a massively-rigged and bloody election.

    Amaechi, on September 16 this year in Port Harcourt, accused Wike of sponsoring unnamed APC members to cause confusing in the party, but he declared that the Rivers governor would be sacked next year by the state’s electorate, to put an end to his poor performance and bad governance.

    Read Also: Amaechi to Abe: ‘I am not your leader’

    The senator (Abe), who earlier inaugurated a parallel secretariat of APC at Waterlines Bus Stop in Port Harcourt, on September 17 in the Rivers state capital, said: “Whoever God has said will be governor of Rivers State will be governor of Rivers State and there is nothing Amaechi can do about it.

    “I am not being sponsored by Governor Nyesom Wike. I decided to fight for my right, not only as a citizen of Rivers State, but as a member of the APC. Amaechi also fought for his right up to the Supreme Court to be governor in 2007 and we stood by him. The then Governor Peter Odili never accused Amaechi that he was a betrayer or being sponsored by anybody.

    “I am fighting for my right. I want to be governor of Rivers State. I will fight in any way that is constitutionally allowed, both by the party (APC) and our Constitution. Whatever God says at the end, I will accept in good faith. Nobody can deny me the right to fight for my right.”

    The transportation minister, however, insisted that Abe was not sincere with his claims.

    Amaechi said: “I am aware that two former commissioners who served in the State Executive Council when I was governor have been procured by Wike and Abe, jointly and collaboratively, to carry out the hatchet job of ‘hack Amaechi down’ campaign. The plan is to throw as much dirt at me as possible and rubbish my image.

    “While one (former commissioner) is being coached in Rivers State Government House (Port Harcourt) of what to say to the press and how to say it, to do maximum damage; the other one is busy distorting, concocting and fabricating fake screenshots, text messages, documents and all sorts in Senator Abe’s Freedom House campaign office in Port Harcourt; that they intend to release to the media to tarnish my image.

    “I want to alert the media and members of the public of the smear plot by these two political collaborators (Wike and Abe) to unjustly discredit and smear me for their selfish political reasons.” 

    The former Rivers governor also stated that he would not be distracted by any cheap and fake smear campaign of calumny against him, while urging Rivers people to pay no heed to the desperate attention-seeking duo of Wike and Abe and all of their fabricated lies, but to focus on the goal of ensuring that Rivers state gets a better leader that would turn around the fortunes of the state and its people for good, in 2019.

    The transportation minister insisted that no amount of sabotage and fake stories would deter him and all genuine APC members, supporters and Rivers people from changing and voting out the inept Wike’s government in Rivers State, next year.

  • Foundation, PIND partner to train 1,000 youths in agric, ICT

    The Foundation for Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND) and the Ford Foundation, on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, sealed a deal with nine partner organisations to train 1,000 Niger Delta youths in agriculture and information technology.

    The deal was signed as part of the Bright Future Grant of the Niger Delta Youth Empowerment Pathways (NDYEP), which is funded by the Ford Foundation.

    The NDYEP Project aims at training youths in the Niger Delta region to be self-employed in agriculture and information and communications technology and also preparing them with skills that are useful in their various fields.

    In his opening remarks at the NDYEP Grants Award and Signing Ceremony at PIND’s Economic Development Centre, Port Harcourt, the foundation’s Executive Director, Dr. Dara Akala, said: “PIND has provided small grants to nine eligible partner organisations for innovative, demand-led youth training and support for equipping youths with relevant skills for work and job creation.”

    According to him, over the next six months, the grantees will implement technical, business and employability skill trainings that demonstrate actual potential for job readiness. These will include opportunities for internships and job placements through entrepreneurship for trainees in three pilot states of Abia, Akwa Ibom and Rivers states of the Niger Delta.

    He stated that sub-grants have been made available in two intervention areas of ‘Bright Future Grant’ for the ICT sector and the ‘jump-start aquaculture enterprise for youths in agriculture’ because there are so many untapped opportunities in these sectors that can rapidly turn around the narrative of the region.

    He further stated that the target group are the unemployed youths of the three pilot states with a primary focus on young male and female school leavers between the ages of 16 and 26, including young people living in rural areas and persons living with disabilities.

    He stated that the emphasis is not on training alone but also on what happens thereafter. He also said that the trainees are being offered jobs after the training so that they can do something for

    themselves. He stated that by 2019 they hope to explore other sectors such as retail, hospitability and others.

    The Rivers State Commissioner and Minister of Youth Development Hon Akuro Tobin represented by Mr. Godspower Ordu (JP) thanked Ford Foundation and PIND for the youth employment project and for eliminating crime, stating that crime cannot be stopped by the use of guns, arrest and detention alone but that the safest way to create peace is to create jobs that will keep the youth busy; because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.

    He further advised other organisations to emulate the good work that PIND and Ford Foundation are doing and assist the government in their fight against unemployment.

    In his speech, the Director-General, Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Mr. Erasmus Chukwunda said as a chamber, they have taken it as a corporate social responsibility to the society and have been partnering with PIND and other development agencies to provide internship and industrial attachment programmes for youths that are fresh graduates or those that have finished their youth service. At the end, they either take jobs in their member companies or start up their own entrepreneurship businesses.

    He named the daily increase of unemployed youths as a major challenge. He advised that the government should create a platform where the youth will be reoriented because there are a lot of talented youths who do not have the relevant skills to be employed.

    He assured that they are ready to provide relevant jobs that will help the life and career of youths and they are fully devoted and interested in the development of youths of the country.

    On why they chose just three out of the nine states in Niger Delta, Mr. Emeka Ile, Project Lead NDYEP/PIND said they are concentrating on the three states because unemployment level in these states is very high and the potential are there to be harnessed among the youth.

    He added that they intend to include other states on the long run.

    PIND is working in four interrelated programme areas, which includes economic development, programmes of capacity building, peace building and advocacy and analysis that will create an enabling environment for its economic development interventions to flourish in the Niger Delta.

    The grantees include IG Hub, ENDIP, Start Innovation Hub, Ibiteinye Foundation, Clintonel Innovation Centre (CIC); Doctor Fish Agric Consult, Keeping it Real Foundation, Netopps and Cinfores.

    In conclusion, Akala urged the grantees to promote equity in selection of trainees, protect them from any form of work place harassment and ensure that the right age group of young people are selected, including at least 40 per cent women and people leaving with disabilities.

  • IPOB sit-at-home: Four in court over alleged arson

    Four persons have been arraigned before a chief magistrate court in Port Harcourt the Rivers state capital for allegedly setting ablaze a Mercedes Benz vehicle valued at N6 million.

    The vehicle with Registration number, AH 483 ABM, property of one Chilaka Michael was among the nine other commercial trucks burnt by the accused persons in the attack.

    The suspects are Anieti Jacob 34, Okpara Okechukwu 25, Gentle George 21 and Maduabuchi Nwokafor.

    They are charged with three count charge bothering on arson and treasonable felony punishable by death or imprisonment, if convicted.

    The accused persons allegedly committed the crime at Oyigbo express road junction of the state, during the sit-at-home protest declared by the outlawed members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), September 14, 2018.

    The prosecutor, Inspector Wilson Isaiah told the court that their offence contravenes sections 516 A (1), 41 (c) and 443 (a) of the criminal code, cap C38 laws of federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    The charge was not however read out to them, neither were they allowed to take plea.

    Apart from one of the accused person that had legal representation, others were not represented by any lawyer.

    The presiding Magistrate, Sokari Andrew Jaja ordered that they be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the case till December 20, 2018 for hearing.