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Tag: Anambra

  • BREAKING: Fire outbreak razes Onitsha main market

    BREAKING: Fire outbreak razes Onitsha main market

    A mysterious fire broke out in the early hours of Tuesday, at Onitsha main market, in Anambra State.

    Main Market, Onitsha, is reputed to be the biggest market in West Africa, and hosts a large population of traders, who are mainly importers of goods, and deal in varied products.

    A source, Mr Barth Ifediora, who raised alarm, said the fire broke out early morning of Tuesday, in a section of the market known as White House.

    White House is the office of the leaders of the market, an expansive two-storey building and hosts several offices, halls for meetings in the first and second floor, while the ground floor hosts shops.

    Another source said: “The area mostly affected by the fire is the block of shops under the white house, where expensive lace materials are sold.”

    Martin Agbili, the fire service boss in Anambra State, could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.

    Traders have, however, mobilized to the market to fight the fire.

    BREAKING: Fire outbreak razes Onitsha main market

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Onitsha main market is one of the largest markets in West Africa based on geographical size and volume of goods.

    It is based in the city of Onitsha, in Onitsha North Local Government Area, the commercial capital of Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria. The town is located on the east bank of the Niger River that joined the Anambra River.

    The building that made up the main market Onitsha was regarded as the largest in Nigeria. That building was destroyed during the Nigeria civil war in 1968 but was rebuilt after the war.

    The market is governed by one of the most revered traders associations on the continent, the Onitsha Market Traders Association (OMATA).

    Most of the major import merchants from Eastern Nigeria have their head offices within the market. The average traders in the area are known to bring in at least six consignments of 40 tonnes (40-feet containers) of goods annually.

    Some of the major importers do more than 200 consignments of 40 tonnes of goods per year. These include jewelry, clothing, household, industrial, and office equipment.

    It is bounded by the River Niger to the West and Fegge through Osumaru Road from the East. The market is secured by the Onitsha Main Market Vigilante Services working under the auspices of the Nigeria Police Force.

    The market can rightfully be described as the commercial powerhouse of West Africa. It is massively patronized by merchants in the ECOWAS sub-region including Accra, Abidjan, Douala, Niamey , Cotonou , and elsewhere on the continent, to mention a few.

  • Soludo did not spend N3.5bn on vote buying – Aide

    Soludo did not spend N3.5bn on vote buying – Aide

    Mr. Christian Aburime, Press Secretary to Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra, has debunked rumours making round that his principal spent a whooping N3.5 billion to execute the March 18 House of Assembly election in the State.

    Aburime, in a statement issued in Awka on Monday, described the piece of information as satanic, despicable and illogical as N3.5 billion could not be disbursed at a time when the society was passing through a crunchy cashless phase.

    He said Soludo did not need to buy votes to win an election. He is a democrat who enjoys the overwhelming support of the good people of Anambra State.

    Aburime said the bogus claims by the authors are a figment of their imagination and should be disregarded by the general public.

    According to him, the attention of the Government of Anambra has been drawn to a false publication being peddled in some sections of the media bordering on vote buying.

    “The allegation is further baseless against the background that it is coming at a time of acute shortage of cash due to the Federal Government’s Naira Redesign Policy which sadly exposes the devilish intentions of the writer(s).

    Anambra people are advised to disregard the group which made the allegations as it had been known to be serial blackmailers over the years and do not serve any useful purpose to society.

    “Governor Soludo does not need to buy votes to win an election, he is a democrat who enjoys the overwhelming support of the good people of Anambra State,” he said.

  • Cabinet approves N15 billion for road linking second Niger Bridge

    Cabinet approves N15 billion for road linking second Niger Bridge

    The Nigerian cabinet has approved the sum of N15 billion for the construction of an access road linking the Benin-Asaba expressway to the 2nd Niger Bridge.

    Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, revealed this while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday.

    He said completion of the road will help achieve the dream of inaugurating the bridge before the current administration leaves office in May.

    “The Minister of Works presented a memo seeking approval for the award of contract for the construction of an access road from the existing Benin-Asaba expressway to approach the link road to 2nd Niger Bridge in Delta State.

    Cabinet approves N15 billion for road linking second Niger Bridge
    Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed

    “As you are aware, the government is determined to commission the 2nd Niger Bridge before the expiration of this administration. We can tell you that the bridge itself is substantially concluded but the contract that was awarded today, although the work has started before now, is actually to connect the Asaba-Benin end to the new bridge.

    “The contract was awarded to Julius Berge at a sum of N15 billion. They have started the work but they said it is only proper that they have a contract. We can assure you that the road will be finished in good time for us to commission the 2nd Niger-Bridge,” he said.

    Mohammed also disclosed that the Council approved the sum of N16 Billion as augmentation for the dualization of Suleja-Minna road in Niger State.

  • INEC to hold supplementary election at Anambra East/Anambra West Federal Constituency

    INEC to hold supplementary election at Anambra East/Anambra West Federal Constituency

    There shall be a supplementary election in Anambra West and Anambra East Federal Constituency as INEC has detected over-voting in two polling units.

    The Returning Officer, Dr Ugochukwu Okafor made the declaration on Monday at Otuocha, Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra.

    He said that while the total number of accredited voters in the two affected polling units was 1,113, total votes cast were 28,579.

    He explained that at Polling Unit 004 at Umualum Square in Aguleri Ward 2, 555 voters were accredited, while at Polling Unit 007 at Umugalagu, also in Aguleri Ward 2, 558 voters were accredited.

    He added that at the end of vote-counting, Mr. Peter Anaekwe of the Labour Party (LP) led with 14,847 votes while Chief Chinedu Obidigwe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) got 13.782 votes.

    Obidigwe is the incumbent member of the House of Representatives for the constituency.

    Dr Okafor said in line with INEC regulations and the Electoral Act 2022, a new date shall be fixed to conduct fresh election in the two polling units.

  • 2023: Volunteers replace INEC adhoc staff who failed to report for duty

    2023: Volunteers replace INEC adhoc staff who failed to report for duty

    Some voters at Ozubulu in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra volunteered as adhoc officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) failed to report for election duty.

    The volunteers took the place of the adhoc staff to ensure that voting took place at polling units 006, 007, and 008 at Uruokwe Central School in Ozubulu, Ekwusigo LGA on Saturday.

    Reports had it that some corp members earlier trained and deployed for election duties at the polling units did not show up on Saturday.

    Only the presiding officers who were not corps members reported to duty making some voters to volunteer to serve as adhoc officials.

    The difficulty posed a challenge as the volunteers were untrained and had difficulties handling the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and following laid down procedure for the exercise.

    It was the same situation at Polling Units 018 and 019, in Umuanyiegbu Hall, Ward 004, Ozubulu, Ekwusigo LGA.

    The presiding officers refused to talk with journalists and efforts to get the Resident Electoral Commissioner, INEC, Dr. Elizabeth Agwu,  to react to the development proved abortive.

    Also in Enugu, some volunteers especially youth were seen assisting some adhoc staff in setting up the polling booths and maintaining orderliness in some areas in the state.

    At the Federal Government College, Enugu, one of the volunteers simply known as Nonso, said that he decided to assist to ensure smooth conduct of the election.

    ”I decided to assist to control the overwhelming crowd. I have never seen this kind of turnout since general elections were held in this country.

    ”So, my friends and I volunteered to help since there are very few security personnel in the polling unit,” he said.

  • LP presidential candidate, Obi votes, says I’ve articulated what will happen from day one [Photos]

    LP presidential candidate, Obi votes, says I’ve articulated what will happen from day one [Photos]

    The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi has voted in his 019 Polling Unit in Umudimakasi Square, Amatutu, Agulu in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra.

    Obi who was accompanied by his wife, Margaret was accredited at 11.39 a.m. and voted at exactly 11.44 a.m.

    Speaking shortly, Obi said he was hopeful of victory, saying that he had solutions to Nigeria’s challenges as he was prepared for the task.

    “If you look at this election, if there is anybody people should step down for, it is me.

    “I have the solution, I have the physical and mental energy. I am ready for it, l am prepared for it.

    “I have articulated what will happen from day one. It will be clear, measurable and people will feel it,” he said.

    Obi said that the voting process was smooth and wished it was the same across the country.

    On the serenity and peaceful security environment in the locality, Obi said “anybody close to me knows that I am friendly with everybody. In my village, we live like a family.

    “Nigerians should come out and vote, it is about our country, we need to come together as a people to start building this country,” he said.

  • We are yet to verify allegations of dumped PVCs in Nnewi forest – Police

    We are yet to verify allegations of dumped PVCs in Nnewi forest – Police

    The Anambra State Police Command said that it is yet to verify the authenticity or otherwise of the video clip on social media which alleged that some Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were dumped in a forest in Nnewi community.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the spokesperson of the command DSP, Tochukwu Ikanga, and made available to newsmen in Awka on Wednesday.

    He said the command has not received any such complaint from the concerned authority and would do proper study of the video clip to ascertain its authenticity.

    He said the purported claim that a hunter found some PVCs in a forest at Nnewi would be professionally handled.

    He said that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng, has ordered investigations into the video to unravel the circumstances surrounding the rumour and possibly arrest the suspects behind the Act.

    Therefore, he said, the command is constrained to make further comments on the matter pending full investigation.

    He assured that any development concerning the matter would be made public.

    The command appealed to residents to remain law abiding and report any suspicious character to the nearest police Station.

  • Gunmen attack police station in Anambra, kill six persons

    Gunmen attack police station in Anambra, kill six persons

    Gunmen attacked 3-3 Police Divisional Headquarters, Nkwelle-Ezunaka, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State and killed about six persons in the process.

    The attack on Oyi LGA came one day after a similar scenario at Ukpo and Ogidi where three policemen were killed.

    It was gathered that five of the suspects and a police officer were those that died in the attack that occurred on Sunday around 5:58 am.

    A source in the area said the rampaging gunmen started shooting indiscriminately as they approached the entrance of the station but were engaged and resisted by officers attached to the station.

    The source said an office in the police facility was partially burnt by the petrol bomb thrown into the station by the gunmen.

    Details of the casualty figures were still sketchy at press time as some sources said six people died while another said about eight died in the attack.

    The source said, “In the early hours of Sunday, residents at the 3-3 Layout of Onitsha were awakened from sleep by exchange of gunshots as armed men stormed the Divisional Police Station, Nkwelle Ezunaka located at the 3-3 junction.

    “The police station shares a fence wall with the Federal Government Girls College and it is opposite a commercial bank and near the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Onitsha. It is a boundary location.

    “Even the parishioners at the Ebenezer Anglican Church located near the area and parishioners at the St. Theresa’s Catholic opposite the police station ran away from their respective morning mass service.”

    He said a tricycle operator, who instead of running away chose to peep, was hit by a bullet on his neck and died, adding that a popular barber called “small” who was also taking a peep was gunned down.

    Confirming the incident, the state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the area was cordoned off by the police as of 8:52 am.

    Ikenga said the combined security team, made up of the police and the military, neutralised a gang of five armed men, recovered two Ak47 rifles, one Toyota Sienna vehicle with Reg No Abuja ABC 848 EQ, charms and other incriminating items, in response to a distress call on an attack at 3-3 Police Divisional Headquarters, Nkwelle-Ezunaka, Oyi LGA.

    “The notorious gang of five, armed with guns, IEDs, and petrol bombs, started shooting indiscriminately to gain entrance to the station and were engaged and resisted by gallant officers attached to the station,” the police said.

    He noted that during the gun duel, unfortunately, a policeman attached to the station was fatally wounded and an office in the facility was partially affected by the petrol bomb thrown inside the station, adding that one patrol vehicle parked in front of the station was set ablaze by the gunmen.

    “The situation is under control and the incident is still being assessed. Meanwhile, joint operations are still ongoing and further development shall be communicated, please,” Ikenga added.
  • Gunmen attack INEC staffers undergoing training in Anambra

    Gunmen attack INEC staffers undergoing training in Anambra

    Gunmen on Friday attacked the staffers of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and other adhoc staffers in Anambra state.

    Anambra State Police Command confirmed the attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) and other adhoc staff.

    Tochukwu Ikenga, the spokesperson for Anambra State Police Command in a press statement said the INEC staff were undergoing training when the gunmen struck.

    The statement reads in part: “The INEC staff, with some corps members, university undergraduates and some MDA officials on the training programme for Adhoc staff for the forthcoming 2023 General Elections were disrupted by the armed men.

    “No life was lost, as [the] joint security team successfully rescued and prevented the armed men from hurting the electoral officials on an assignment at Ukpor High School, Nnewi South LGA.

    “Joint security patrols have been intensified in the area and efforts are still ongoing to track down the criminal elements.”

    Ikenga assured the public the policing strategy adopted by the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Echeng Echeng, is potent and dynamic and can respond to any emergency and security concerns, and will ensure a hitch-free 2023 election in the state.

    Baring last minute change the presidential/National Assembly election will hold on the 25th of February 2023, while Gubernatorial and State Assembly election will hold on March 11th , 2023.

  • Police foil attempted attack on INEC officials

    Police foil attempted attack on INEC officials

    The police command in Anambra on Thursday said it has foiled an attempt by unpatriotic citizens to attack some staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state.

    DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, the command’s Spokesperson (PPRO), disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Awka.

    Ikenga said the feat was achieved through the efforts of a Joint security team in the state.

    According to him, on Thursday at about 5:35 p.m. the team successfully rescued and prevented armed men from hurting Electoral Officials on an assignment at Ukpor high school, Nnewi South Local Goverment Area of the state.

    Ikenga said that the training of INEC staff, alongside some corps members, university undergraduates and MDA officials for the forthcoming 2023 General Elections, was disrupted by the armed men.

    He, however, declared that no life was lost during the exercise.

    Ikegna said the Command was very proactive due to the policing strategy put in place by Anambra Commissioner of Police, Mr Echeng Echeng.

    He noted that the strategy is potent and dynamic to respond to any emergency and security concerns, especially ensuring a hitch-free 2023 elections in the state.

    The PPRO said joint security patrols had been intensified in the said area, adding that efforts are still ongoing to track down the criminal elements.

    Ikenga gave the assurance that the police will update the residents on the development and urged the public to be very security conscious and alert the Command of any suspicious movements.

    He enjoined the public to go about their legitimate duties without fear of attack.

    Ikenga assured that the Command is fully ready to provide needed security before, during and after the general elections.