Police tasked over kidnap of 80-year-old, 4 years ago

Four years after the kidnap of an octogenarian, Lady Roseline Ughanze from her son’s house in Alor, Idemili South local government of Anambra State, her family has called on the police and other security agencies in Nigeria to conclude investigation into the matter.

The Ughanze family in a chat with journalists yesterday in Awka through their counsel, Mr Odinaka Obiorah said the conclussion of investigation will help bring to book the pepetrators of the crime and also set the family’s mind at rest as to whether their matriach is still alive or dead.

Obiaorah said the family still has a strong belief that Mrs Ughanze who was 80 as at the time of his kidnap last four years was still alive, but said that a thorough investigation will also reveal if she was dead.

“We call on the police and other security agencies to rise up to their duty as we are not in doubt as to those who kidnapped our mother. Justice should take its course no matter who is involved or how powerful they are, ” he said.

They reminded the police that the phone number used in demanding ransome from her family by the abductors, which they had surrendered to the police to ease their investigation, but expressed surprise that the police after tracing and arresting the owners of the cell phones numbers, released them.

Obiorah said, “It is the position of the family that they do not know if their mother has been killed or still alive but they know that petitions and other similar letters being circulated by the detractors have killed the search for Lady Roselyn Ughanze.

“The authors of said petition and letters are putting up smiling cheeks to Lady Roselyn Ughanze’s discomfort and her family’s predicament over same. It is, to say the least, unconscionable or unfortunate or both.

“I announce the family’s plea to those who have access to Lady Roselyn Ughanze, their beloved mother, to let her know if she has not been killed that the detractors killed all the family’s efforts to locate her. She should be told also that the family, though down now, but have not given up in their search for their mother.”

He however expressed confidence in the police and their ability to find Ughanze and also track down her abductors, calling on them to continue and conclude investigation in the matter.

“The family is also appealing to the general public who may have any useful information on the circumstance of Lady Roselyn Ughanze’s abduction or her whereabouts or whereabouts of her remains to contact the police or the family’s Solicitors.”

It would be recalled that Lady Ughanze was kidnapped in the early hours of 23^rd June 2012 as she prepared to leave for morning mass by unknown persons, and efforts to rescue her had led her abductors to dump any further contact with the family for ransom.

Before her eventual kidnap, our correspondent gathered that a previous attempt had been made on her, in which she was lucky to escape abduction.

AISHA BUHARI DELETES FAYOSE’S MAD DOG TWEET

Aisha Buhari, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, set Twitter on fire with her comment that the Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose is a ‘mad dog that isn’t chained’.
The tweet in her verified account @ABuhari had gotten hundreds of retweets but it was later deleted, following adverse comments that she should not have descended to Fayose’s level with her choice of words.
“Enough is Enough Fayose. A mad dog that isn’t chained. I refuse to keep quiet,” the President’s wife posted on her verified Twitter handle.
“If Buhari is 73 years old, I Aisha am 45 years old. I have more than enough energy to face you”.
The two tweets have now disappeared from her account.
Aisha had rebuked Fayose for linking her with Halliburton scandal and a former US House of Reps member, William Jefferson.
It all started after the EFCC blocked Fayose’s private account at Zenith Bank.
In an off-target reaction, Fayose alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari and his family members are not saints after all.
” Even the President cannot claim to be an angel. The estate he built in Abuja is known to us. His wife was indicted over the Halliburton Scandal. When that American, Jefferson, was being sentenced, the President’s wife was mentioned as having wired $170,000 to Jefferson. Her name was on page 25 of the sentencing of Jefferson. We can serialize the judgment for people to see and read,” Fayose’s press secretary, Idowu Adelusi said.
In an earlier reaction, Nigeria’s Presidency dismissed as “laughable’’ the attempt by Gov. Ayo Fayose of Ekiti to link President Buhari’s wife, Aisha, to US Congressman William Jefferson’s bribery scandal for which the American lawmaker was convicted in 2009.
Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Media and Publicity, said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said that ordinarily the presidency would have ignored Fayose because “he is a man childishly obsessed with the desire to grab the headlines and insulting people at will because of his incurably boorish instincts.’’
He said that the presidency chose to respond on this occasion for the sake of innocent Nigerians who might be misled by Fayose’s “shameless and blatant distortion of facts.’’
Shehu said, “Ignoring Fayose carries the risk of giving traction and credibility to outright and brazen falsehoods inconsistent with the status of anybody that calls himself a governor or leader.’’
The SSA explained that Aisha had no direct, indirect or the remotest connection with William Jefferson’s corruption scandal in the United States.
He challenged Fayose to tell Nigerians “if the so-called Aisha whose pictures he proudly, but ignorantly shared, was the same Aisha married to President Muhammadu Buhari.’’
He also challenged Fayose to tell Nigerians “if the Aisha of his idle imagination had any relationship by blood or any relationship in whatever form with the President Buhari’s wife.’’
Shehu further challenged Fayose to produce evidence from the records of investigation and subsequent trial of Jefferson to prove that Buhari’s wife was in anyway linked to the scandal.
He said, “common names alone are not enough to automatically link innocent people to crimes or scandals, especially in an era of identity thieves.’’
The SSA called on Fayose to show proof when and where Aisha Buhari was invited for interrogation in connection with William Jefferson’s bribery scandal, let alone indicted for a crime locally or abroad.
He said that free speech does not entitle Fayose to falsely accuse innocent people of crimes they knew nothing about.
He warned that Aisha Buhari was entitled to protect her reputation from being recklessly maligned, adding that “political opposition is not a licence to attack people’s reputation brazenly without legal consequences.’’

IPOB set to order Igbo youths to join Niger Delta Avengers to destroy leftover oil installations

The leadership of the Indigenous Peoeple of Biafra, IPOB has warned the federal government to desist from its plan to invade any part of the South East and others that make up Biafra, else it will order youths of the area to join the Niger Delter Avenger, NDA to wreck havoc.

In a press release made available to our correspondent in Awka and signed by the duo of Barrister Emma Nmezu and Dr. Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya, both spokespersons for IPOB, the group commended the NDA for the work it is doing, while describing it as its kith and kin.

In the release, IPOB stated that the NDA was doing a good job by coming to the defence of its brothers as they were both one and the same. It also condemned others who were distancing themselves from the activities of the NDA as cowards.

It added that those distancing themselves from NDA were people who have long been settled with oil wells after they compromised the struggle for freedom.

Part of the release reads, “We plead with the NDA not to be discouraged by the comments and antics of these so-called leaders of these compromized groups and some other charlatans who parade themselves as freedom fighters. The NDA should know that the only ally they have now is IPOB under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu.

“IPOB is warning the Nigerian Government of Buhari that should they invade any part of Biafraland, as intelligence indicate they are planning to, then IPOB will order every youth in Biafraland to join NDA to defend Biafraland.

“Muhammadu Buhari and his gangs massacred Biafrans in their millions at Owerri in 1968 but Biafrans will never allow such atrocity to be repeated on Biafraland ever again. We shall fight to the last man standing because Biafra is our life and the restoration of the nation of Biafra is a task that must be achieved.“

The group also added that the NDA since its struggle has harped on the release of Nnamdi Kanu as the only precondition for negotiation with the nigerian government, but attributing it to amnesty will only magnify it.

Prof. Rajunor Ettarh – A Case for Viable Educational Institutions

“Education is the most powerful weapon with which you can change the world”, said the late South African leader and global statesman, Madiba Nelson Mandela. A look at the world map shows that the nations that are described as leaders in development, technology; nations with the highest GDPs, social stability and peace, are also nations that boast the highest numbers of educated persons and continue to improve the growth of their educational sectors. In the last six years, the Emirate of Dubai has been investing in a project tagged, ‘Educate the child, build a nation’ that hopes to complete her transitions from a product (oil) driven economy to one driven by information.

With dwindling oil prices, resurgence of armed militancy in the Niger Delta, and a teeming army of uneducated youths that easily become thugs for desperate politicians and self-seeking ideologies, Nigeria cannot remain indifferent to current educational global trends if she must position herself as a viable member of the Global Village. This is perhaps why private citizens of the country spend billions of naira educating their children in top-class schools and ivy-league institutions around the world; recognizing that the quality of students (products of the educational process) is always a reflection of the quality of teachers.

Quality teachers, all around the world, come in different shades, but few can out-shine Professor Rajunor Renner Ettarh (M.B., B.Ch., Ph.D.), the Nigerian Director of Graduate Program in Anatomy and Vice-Chair for Education in the Department of Structural and Cellular Biology at Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.  

This is because on Saturday May 14th, 2016 Prof. Ettarh was honoured with the 2016 President’s Award for Graduate and Professional Teaching that recognized him as best lecturers in the Tulane University School of Medicine. This event was the Tulane Unified Commencement Ceremony described as, “the pinnacle event of the academic year”, where not only outstanding graduates are recognized; but is “an opportunity to honor the university’s best teachers… faculty members with a compelling record of excellence in teaching, learning and research, and a commitment to educational excellence.” The award came with a special medal and a token.

In a country where it has been drummed into our ears from infancy that ‘teachers’ rewards are in heaven’, where teachers only get paid for the services they render (sometimes after months of being owed), one considered it a thing of wonder reading of such recognition and honour conferred on the distinguished professor. 

Just who is Rajunor Ettarh and how did he get to such enviable heights at Tulane, whose School of Medicine is not only the second-oldest medical school in America’s Deep South, but also the 15th oldest medical school in the United States?

Born in Lagos on February 13, 1964, Rajunor Renner Ettarh is from Ediba, Abi L.G.A in Cross River State. He graduated as a Medical Doctor in 1985 from the University of Calabar. Even then, he had his eyes set on a career in teaching and from 1987 – 1989, taught Anatomy at the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. A recipient of Scholarship Association of Commonwealth Universities, London, 1989 – 1992, he proceeded to the Queen's University, Belfast, Ireland from where he earned his PhD in 1995. Besides, ABU, Zaria, he also taught at Queens’s University, Belfast, and University College, Dublin.

In Ireland, Prof. Ettarh carved a niche for himself in radiobiology, focusing on “epithelial cell biology of the digestive tract, the regulatory mechanisms that mediate uninhibited proliferation in gastrointestinal cancers, and potential therapeutic targets.”

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, London; Member, Irish Radiation Society; Member, Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland. He has published extensively, edited two books on colorectal cancer, and continues to write reviews for a number of cancer journals. Besides strict academic writing, he is also a playwright credited with the 1980 radio play, How Good Are They? 

With such a resume it is no surprise that an institution like Tulane University would seek his services. He is Tulane’s Founding Director of Innovative Master’s Programs – biomedical researchers, surgical anatomy and clinical anatomy. Tulane’s website also credits him with having “introduced new teaching approaches in Gross Anatomy and redefined how Medical Histology is taught.” Little wonder he is said to have had “exceptionally high ratings from the medical students and has received the Professor of the Year award from the medical school’s Owl Club in 2012, 2013 and 2014.”

From Prof. Ettarh’s example, we see that teacher training and the whole business of education has gone beyond the point where teachers simply read textbooks and come to regurgitate the same thing (year in year out) to students. Teachers, especially those who train teachers, should be in the forefront of research on not just how best to teach, but also the development of subjects and courses that are relevant to the times.  

Government and society must also make it a duty to encourage outstanding teachers where they are found. While not repudiating our talent shows (especially since they have been able to take lots of our youths out of the labour market), it is high time our corporate citizens and bodies thought of sponsoring teacher-talent shows or teacher-award-of-excellence nights. These will go a long way to encouraging more persons to pursue teaching careers and not see it as last resort. 

As we laud the present policy thrust of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to employ about half a million teachers to boost the growth of the educational subsector of the economy; one only hopes that proper attention will be given to teacher-training. That way, the country can grow a crop of teachers who will help position our educational sector at par with other countries’ and churn out teachers and students that will – like Prof. Rajunor Ettarh – position the nation for swift development in this age of rapidly growing information and technology.

-    D. Marcus Chucxz is a Port Harcourt-based writer and media entrepreneur. He can be reached at chucxz@hotmail.com or via twitter @chucxz2020
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Obiano cries to FG over N48bn owed state as Fashola visits Anambra to inspect 2nd Niger Bridge

Anambra state governor, Chief Willie Obiano, yesterday said the federal government owed the state N48 billion spent on federal road projects in the state, saying it was the highest being owed to any state in Nigeria.

He also added that the minister of works, power and housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), will visit Anambra state next week to inspect the 2^nd Niger Bridge for work to commence.

Speaking in Awka, during the first year anniversary ceremony of the Anambra state’s 6^th House of Assembly led by Rt. Hon. Rita Maduagwu as the speaker Obiano said such fund can help the state finish up projects in the state if paid.

The governor, who commended the lawmakers for a good working relationship with the executive and judiciary, said it would be criminal for the state to put money again this period in any federal project in the state.

He said apart from Anambra, three other states in the country were being owed some amounts of money being federal projects they did in their areas.

However, the governor declared that the Anambra lawmakers since they came on board, had not disappointed him, adding that they had worked together in the state without any impediment.

Anambra state speaker Hon. Rita Maduagwu in her address after the church service conducted at the Assembly complex in Awka by the catholic Bishop of Ahiara in Mbaise, Most Rev. Peter Okpalaeke, praised the lawmakers for their loyalty, support and dedication to duty.  

“Our resolve to work harmoniously with the executive arm of the government is predicated upon the good governance of his Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano who is doing well in all sectors of the state economy”

“Governor Obiano has succeeded where many other governors had failed, he has so much uplifted the living conditions of Ndi Anambra and has also thrived in infrastructural development”

Maduagwu said Obiano attached more importance to the welfare of the citizenry, describing him as the “alert” governor.

In his homily during the service, Bishop Okpalaeke, said that God had given the three arms of government in Anambra the mandate to work for the state, the reason he said things were working well.

However, he said that despite the good works of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, that  enemies were still hovering around trying to destabilize the good working relationship existing among the arms, while calling for serious prayers to scatter such.

The cleric said in some of the states in the country, there had been problems between the three arms of government, adding that Anambra was not among such states, because of the wisdom of those involved.

Police has no right to arrest suspect before investigation, court rules

A Federal High Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State on Tuesday told the police that it had no right to arrest any suspect until after its investigation.

This was coming pursuant to a fundamental human right matter brought before the court by a lawyer, Mr Ndubuisi Onyeakpa.

The lawyer had in the matter alleged that no fewer than 20 police men had scaled the wall and invaded his house at about 2am.

He said his offence was that he was the lawyer of a section of his community on a land matter which the police had warned him to hands off.

He maintained that as a lawyer he had the legal right to defend any person that sought his services.

Onyeakpa had therefore approached the court to stop the police from harassing and intimidating him, which it granted.

But the police had in a resumed hearing on Tuesday before Justice I N Uwaigbo asked the court to vacate its order, arguing that there were suppression of materials when the order was granted

Onwuka contended that no court had the right to restrain the police from investigating any citizen on any crime.

He said, “any person invited by the police is obliged by law to come for investigation and that was what the police did in the case of Onyeakpa.

He therefore asked the court to vacate its interim order on the arrest of Onyeakpa in the interest of justice.

The counsel to Onyeakpa, Mr Zokas Aniazoka in a preliminary objection to the police motion submitted that the environment that warranted the interim order was still there, stressing that to vacate the order would amount to giving the police an undeserved freedom to harass and intimidate his client.

Aniazoka said the murder case in which Onyeakpa was purportedly being investigated was of no moment any longer as police postmortem had declared that the victim died of a natural cause.

He maintained that there was no suppression of facts of any kind when the interim order was sought and granted by the court.

According to Aniazoka, it was settled law that the police had no powers to arrest anybody before investigating the person.

He therefore urged the court to discountenance the police motion adding that granting them the motion could amount to glorifying impunity.

After listening to the counsel, Justice Uwaigbo in his ruling agreed with the applicant’s lawyer (Aniazoka) that the police had no right to arrest anybody before investigation.

It therefore refused to vacate its earlier motion on the matter.

ENDS.

TB Joshua to storm Awka for birthday, as politicians jostle to book appointment for anointing

Pastor TB Joshua, senior pastor of Synague Church of All Nation(SCOAN) will on Sunday 12 June storm Awka for the celebration of his birthday.

The event which is already taking a political colouration will have all the big names in the PDP in attendance.

Chief Willie Obiano, the Anambra state governor will also be in attendance as the Chief guest of honour.

The occasion will be chaired by a legal luminary, Ositadinma Nnadi, SAN, with factional chairman of the PDP in the state, Prince Ken Emeakayi as convener of the programme.

Others that are billed to be at the event are; Senator Andy Uba, Senator Stella Oduah, Hon Chu Onyema of the federal House of Representatives among others.

Though it is not clear why the man of God whose church is flourishing but has not branch anywhere else in the world except his Ikotun headquarters in Lagos choose Awka as the venue for the birthday celebration.

But elekenews.com gathered that Prince Emeakayi may have facilitated it, being a well known member of SCOAN.

A source told this blog that politicians from all political parties have already started making contacts to ensure they meet with the prophet one-on-one to receive blessings for the 2017 governorship election in the state.

The event will hold from 10am on Sunday at Barnhill Hotel and resort, Agu Awka.

Tony Nwoye to loss reps seat for defecting to APC

A chieftain of the Peoples  Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Okey Muo-Aroh  has said that the party’s lawmakers who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will forfeit their seats.

Muo-Aroh who said this while addressing newsmen in Awka on Tuesday on the defection of some of its members recently said the party will not sit back and see mandates won on its platform taken to other parties on a platter of gold.

It would be recalled that Mr Tony Nwoye (PDP;Anambra East and West) and Mr Emmanuel Udende(PDP; Sankera, Benue) on June 1 announced their defection to APC on the floor of the House.

The chieftain said there were no factions in the PDP but a mere transition of a substantive leadership headed by Sen.Modu Sheriff to an acting executive lead by Sen. Ahmed Makarfi.

The lawyer cum politician maintained that the party remained strong, expressing hope that the national convention would be successful and further strengthen the party .

“The two lawmakers who left our party to the APC have gratuitously declared their seats vacant; the constitution is clear on what can lead to such cross-carpeting.

“The constitution is clear on what faction is. PDP is intact and no factions whatsoever, Sheriff came on board to serve out the duration of the past leadership which was zoned to his region and Makarfi has taken over in acting capacity, so there is no crack,” he said.

On the chances of the PDP in the governorship election in Anambra in 2017, Muo-Aroh said the party could win the poll if it was able to put its house in order.

The former ALGON chairman in Anambra said the state chapter of PDP should emulate the peace and coordination at the national level to brighten their chances in all elections in the state.

“The PDP can win the Anambra governorship election in 2017, we just have to do some things right, determine and follow the direction of our national body.

“We need true peace and reconciliation, it is sad that we are in opposition in a PDP state like Anambra,” he said.

Biafra day killing: Rights group puts figure of victims at 120 - 90 bodies allegedly buried in military cemetery

A rights group, International society for civil liberties and rule of law, Intersociety has put the number of people killed by security forces during the Biafra day killing at 90.

The group in a press release made available to journalists yesterday and signed by its chairman Board of Trustee, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi also alleged that the bodies of those killed in the fracas were confiscated by military personnel, and have also been given a mass burial at the cemetery of the military cantonment in Onitsha.

The  group said the secret mass burial was performed moments after the arrival of a representative of the Government and Governor of Anambra State, who is a top government official came to supervise the graves before the commencement of the secret mass burial.

Part of the release reads, "That a total of fifteen graves were dug with some shallow and others deep and that some graves contained as much as ten corpses and others as low as five depending on the depth of each grave."

The group quoted one of the victims, name withheld, who was among those arrested and detained in the barracks, but was lucky to be released and said, "He had hours after his release, spoken to us and confirmed the mass burial inside the Onitsha Barracks of over 90 murdered Biafran Heroes Day celebrants on Wednesday, 1^st of June 2016.

"He further told us that some soldiers guarding their cells, had in the night of same Wednesday, 1^st of June 2016, around 8.30pm, violently or harshly  communicated to them in their cells: “we don give your brothers mass burial today and if you people mess up, you will join them and nothing will happen”.

The group condemned what it called basket of lies, which were fed to the public by both the police and Anambra state government, saying that their statements did not represent the truth of what happened at Onitsha during the Biafra day celebration.

"Recall that we had earlier condemned the basket-load of lies cooked up by the trio of the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force and the Government of Anambra State over their vicarious and individual ignoble and abominable roles in the massacre under reference.

"We also promised to rubbish their lies and falsehoods with undiluted facts and figures so as to de-contaminate and de-pollute the minds of all Nigerians and the international watchers, and that is what we have done with this release."

Reacting to this however, the commissioner of police in Anambra, Mr Hassan Karma in a telephone interview with journalists said he and his men have combed morgues in Anambra, trying to find corpses of those murdered during the attack, but has found non.

The commissioner also called on anyone whose relatives are missing to make complaints to the command.

I'll not contest against Obiano, he's doing well Ifeanyi Ubah

Dr Ifeanyi Ubah has denied report that he has indicated interest to contest the Anambra governorship election which will hold latter next year, saying that was not what he intended to say.

Ubah, a former governorship candidate in the 2013 election on the platform of Labour party had contested against the incumbent governor, Chief Willie Obiano.

The oil magnate has been quoted as saying he was still interested in becoming the governor of Anambra state, but in a press statement signed on his behalf by his media assistant, Mr Okechukwu Onyia stated that the news that he was going to contest against the incumbent governor was misleading.

He said, "I never declared any interest whatsoever to contest the next governorship election in my state. In a media chat I  organized in my Nnewi home on Monday, May 31, 2016, with media practitioners, I  stated very clearly the need for the polity not to be over heated as that could cause distraction to the incumbent Governor  Obiano and urged ndi Anambra to keep supporting the Governor.

"While addressing the media, i stated that we all should continue to encourage governor Obiano especially  as he continues to pay workers salaries which many states are struggling with.

The release quoted Ubah as saying that losing his last gubernatorial contest was a lost opportunity for the state, but insisted that he has moved on and that what is paramount to him now is to help create wealth and jobs for the teaming Anambra youths.

"While answering questions during the media interactive session I made it clear that I am still a young man who may in near future wish to lead my state but re-iterated that i am presently overseeing my conglomerates and would not wish to engage in a process that will likely over heat the polity .

"I therefore call on the media practitioners to stop distorting my quotations in their news reports with bogus and misleading headlines in order not to stir unnecessary controversy, sever relationships and mischievously mislead the unsuspecting public" Ubah stated.

"I however, call on the media to always verify their news through investigative journalism before going to press in order to retain public trust," Ubah Stated

Ifeanyi Ubah indicates interest to contest for Anambra governorship

Chief Ifeanyi Ubah, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic (PDP)has indicated that he was still interested to becoming the governor of Anambra

Ubah said this while interacting with newsmen in Nnewi on Thursday.

The oil magnate, who contested governorship of the state on the platform of Labour Party the last election in 2013, described his failure in the poll as a huge loss to the people of Anambra.

He described himself as a man with a great passion for his people, adding that if given the opportunity, he would transform the entire state the way he had done to his community, Otolo, Nnewi.

He said he was in politics because of the passion to empower the youth through employments and entrepreneurial initiative mentorship.

“Losing the Anambra governorship contest was not easy but I think my people are the greater losers because I have great things in mind for them and I am still interested in that seat.

“I am highly passionate about Anambra and I want to see it transformed, I want the opportunity to develop Anambra just the way I have done in my village and evidence are that I have  done more for my community than any government have done for Anambra,” he said.

The politician said his investment in the, media and sports were already yielding employment and development benefit for the citizens of the state and beyond.

He said he was targeting over 3,000 jobs in his Authority Newspaper Outfit while the Ifeanyi Ubah Games village project would yield over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Ubah however appealed for peace and positive politicking in the state to enable Gov. Willie Obiano to continue to work under stable political environment.

35 dead, 176 injured in road accidents in Anambra

The Anambra State command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC has revealed that about 35 persons have lost their lives in the state through fatal road crashes between the months of January and May.

The Sector Commander, Corps Commander Sunday Ajayi stated this to journalists yesterday during a courtesy call by the executives of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ to him in his office.

Ajayi said, “Within January and May 2016, we have recorded 85 road crashes in Anambra State, out of which 26 are fatal. 35 people were killed in the crash, and 176 persons were injured. This report may not be comprehensive, because there maybe others that have happened without our knowledge.”

The sector commander added that most of the road crashes that happen on Nigerian roads are caused by over-speeding. He said the use of speed limiters as proposed earlier by the corps will help to check the level of crashes.

“Over-speeding accounts for 60 percent of road crashes in Nigeria, but through the speed limiters, the corps will be able to check incidences of over-speeding which has remained the main cause of road crashes.”

He said that the corps has the mandate to reduce crashes on the highway, but it will not be able to do it alone, and needs the support of the media to sensitise the people on the need to abide by highway codes and other safety measures.

Ajayi stated that the command is working towards reducing the number of crash in the state as it steps into the second half of the year, just as its efforts through the first half accounts for the low number of crashes compared to what was recorded in the past year.

Earlier, the chairman of the correspondent Chapel, Mr Emmanuel Ndukuba stated the readiness of the chapel to partner the command to ensure that the message of safety on the roads reaches the target audience.

Onitsha Killings: We did not fire at security agents – IPOB

-          Says, no one can stop actualization of Biafra

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has denied allegations that they shot at security agents detailed to monitor their Biafra Day rally, which led to the killing and arrest of several of its members of Monday in the commercial city of Onitsha.

A press release sent to our correspondent by the organization and signed by its spokespersons, Barrister Emma Nmezu and Dr. Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya stated that the allegations were unfounded and targeted at labeling them as an arms bearing group, so as to find a reason to nail its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is still in detention.

The group also dared the IGP and the Nigerian government, saying that no amount of cajoling and hounding can stop it from pressing for the actualization of Biafra republic, just as it has instituted a case against the IGP at the International Criminal Court for mass killing.

Part of the release reads, “How can the Police disarm people who are not armed in the first place? We challenge the  IGP provide any proof that Biafrans attacked police personnel and at what point in time did this happen?

“We think he is probably trying to make the job easier for the Department of State Services (DSS) who have been looking for the “smokine gun“ with which they will convince the trial Judge, Hon John Tsoho, that IPOB is a violent organization so that the Judge will uphold charge #2 in the case against the leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,“ it stated.

The release went further to dare the IGP, saying, “You can tell all the lies in the world and try to manufacture evidence for your colleagues in the DSS so that they can use it against the leader of IPOB, but the incontrovertible fact is that nobody can stop the restoration of the nation of Biafra.“

Meanwhile, the group in an attachment sent to reporters also stated that it duly sought the consent the Anambra State police Commissioner, Mr Hassan Karma for the Biafra Day rally, and also requested security coverage through a letter signed by its head of directorate of state, Uchenna Asiegbu, and as such could not have shot at them.

The letter dated 23^rd May 2016 reads, “As a follow up to our telephone conversation, the Indigenous People of Biafra hereby officially inform the Commissioner of Police Anambra State that a remembrance rally for the victims of the Biafran genocide will hold on the 30^th of May 2016 in Anambra state. The rally seeks to remember, recognize the sacrifices made and honor those past and present that laid down their lives for the collective good of Biafrans.

“The Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra is desirous of holding a hitch free May 30^th Biafran Heroes Remembrance day as was the case in Enugu State in 2014 and Abia state in 2015, is confident that Anambra state police command will provide the enabling environment for a peaceful May 30^th 2016 Remembrance Rally.”

ENDS.