TheNewsGuru

Tag: Imo

  • I hate to see people suffer – Kanu

    I hate to see people suffer – Kanu

    Former Super Eagles captain Nwankwo Kanu has donated relief materials to residents of his home town in Owerri as part of his philanthropy desire to help others during this lockdown period due to coronavirus pandemic shaking the global economy.

    Food items, sanitisers, soaps and protective equipment were donated in Imo state’s largest city, as nearby cities will also benefit in the coming days.

    The two-time African Player of the Year has opened up on why he is a vanguard of a philanthropic drive amid the lockdown in the eastern part of Nigeria.

    “I value life and more importantly I hate to see others suffer, so that was my major motivation for choosing to embark on this project,” Kanu told Goal.

    “This is my own little way of reaching out to the struggling families during this trying period and also to show them that my heart is always with them.”

  • Customs seizes over N400m worth of contraband in Imo

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operating Unit (FOU), Zone C, Owerri, says it has confiscated contraband items worth N442.5 million in the state.

    Mr Kayode Olusemire, NSC Controller in Imo, made the disclosure while displaying the seized items on Thursday in Owerri.

    He listed the items to include 2,682 bags of foreign 50kg rice, 10,002 cartons of palmolein oil, 3,122 live ammunition for pump action rifles and 300 used and expired tyres.

    Others were a Marcopolo bus, a Toyota Sienna car, a Toyota Sequoia car, a Nissan Pathfinder car and a brewery truck, among others, used in conveying the smuggled items.

    Olusemire said that the items were intercepted in Abia, Imo and Rivers, adding that operational activities were carried out simultaneously in other states of the federation.

    The state controller who described the activities of smugglers as “unfortunate,” added that it was inimical to the economy and safety of Nigeria.

    He advised the people to take advantage of the current farming season and Nigeria’s arable land to grow crops, and emphasised the need for patriotism and selflessness.

    ”Nigeria is blessed with arable land and in this farming season, we should be planting rather than smuggling. Let us eat what we produce and produce what we eat.

    “It is quite pathetic that at a time when the whole world is putting heads together to conquer a ravaging pandemic, some persons are busy smuggling goods.

    “This is inimical both to our economy and our safety.

    “These are trying times. So, we have to be patriotic and eschew selfishness, greed and dishonest gains,” Olusemire said.

    He said that the NCS was working in close synergy with other security agencies in the fight against smuggling.

    Olusemire called on members of the public to provide the service with useful information that would lead to the confiscation of contraband goods

  • 45-year-old woman raped, murdered in Imo

    45-year-old woman raped, murdered in Imo

    The Imo State Government has vowed to fish out suspected ritualists who allegedly killed a 45-year-old woman, Mrs. Susanna Iwuoha, after raping her.

    Iwuoha, a mother of four from Alaocha, Umuchiaku, in the Lowa-Okata Autonomous community, Ihitte Uboma LGA, was found dead with her face dug into a local stream days after she left home to get cassava from her farmland.

    The woman, whose undergarments were allegedly carted away by her attackers, was discovered by a community search party after her children raised the alarm over her disappearance since June 3.

    A man identified as Bernard Ekeka, who is believed to have seen the yet unidentified attackers, was also killed.

    The woman’s alleged rape and murder, it was gathered, created panic in the community especially because two other women identified as
    Mrs Chidinma Nwokorie and Mrs Evelyn Duru have allegedly fallen victims to rapists in recent times.

    Locals told our correspondent they believed the perpetrators were familiar with the terrain and most likely enemies within.

    Iwuoha’s 15-year-old daughter, Ugochi, said they had earlier gone to the farm together for weeding and returned home before her mother decided to go back later that day to harvest some crops.

    During a visit to the community on Sunday, Commissioner for Special Projects, Simon Ebegbulem appealed to residents to avail the police any useful information to aid the arrest of the perpetrators.

    Ebegbulem, who hails from the area, was accompanied on a condolence visit to the deceased’s aged mother, Madam Angela Iwuoha, her children and community leaders by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Etiti Division, Charles Njoku, a Superintendent of Police (SP).

    He assured the people that the administration of Governor Hope Uzodinma will do everything within its power to ensure justice prevailed.

    “No stone will be left unturned to ensure that the perpetrators of these henious crimes are brought to justice. The administration of Governor Hope Uzodinma, as you all know, is a listening and compassionate one.

    “The governor has within the short time in office made a lot of inroad in the areas of security and infrastructural development. The administration has zero tolerance for any form of criminality, and in no time, the perpetrators will be fished out and made answerable to the law,” he said.

    The DPO urged the residents to identify the culprits, noting that those who committed the crimes were no strangers to the locals.

    “The issue is that it is a community affair. The community knows those people, because, they are living with them. They should come to the police to give us useful information. They will be protected.

    “Traditional rulers, opinion leaders, vigilante groups, should assist us here. Security is not a one-man affair. This is the third case within this area,” said the DPO.

  • We recovered N7.9bn stolen by Rochas Okorocha – EFCC

    We recovered N7.9bn stolen by Rochas Okorocha – EFCC

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, said N7.9bn belonging to Imo was seized from the former governor of Imo State and Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Rochas Okorocha.

    The Zonal Head of the commission, Usman Imam, made this known at the zonal office in Port Harcourt, Rivers.

    Imam, who said Okorocha should be ready for his days in court, added that the commission returned over N5.7bn to various administrations in Imo to pay salaries and pensions of workers.

    He said: “I started the Imo state case in Enugu and upon my deployment to this zone, the investigations of corruption allegations against the former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, was transferred from the Enugu zone to Port Harcourt for further investigations.

    “Within the period, the commission succeeded in freezing about in different accounts. All the monies that were released to Imo State government were from the N7.9bn recovered from Okorocha. The monies were released in batches.

    “N2.7bn was released in March for salaries. In the PDP government of Emeka Ihedioha, excess of N2.5bn upon series of writings and our insistence of monitoring it was released to pay salaries and pensions because they were monies recovered from the state so it has to go back to the state.

    “Then the government of Emeka left and this government came, we had a remnant of the money in excess of N2bn. We were able to release N514milion just last month because excess of about N1.8bn is encumbered with a court process. Contractors went to court and targeted the funds. The process is lingering. They still have excess of N1.8bn that is not released”.

    Apart from the money recovered, Imam said the senator’s assets identified in Imo and Abuja were seized by the commission.

    He said the commission filed a court process for interim forfeiture of the assets confiscated from Okorocha.

    He said: “The investigation has got to an advanced stage and we are expecting that in conclusion, we are going to arraign the former governor.

    “It is in the course of investigations that we targeted his assets. Some are in Imo, Owerri and some are in Abuja. We marked these properties in Abuja and we have filed court processes for interim forfeiture of these assets. The target is to conclude the investigations and he will have his day in court”.

    Imam explained that since he assumed the leadership of the zone in January, the commission has recovered N291.8million, 847,983 US Dollars, 390 pounds, 10,900 Euros, and 500 CFA.

    He said the commission also froze over N1.1bn in the accounts of Bluekey Technologies allegedly operating a ponzi scheme and defrauding over 8,926 victims of over N4.4bn.

    He said the EFFCC further secured interim forfeiture of 96 trucks, vessels, and barges while 226 drums of automotive gas oil and 1million litres of suspected crude oil were finally forfeited to the Federal Government.

    Imam explained that the zone received 441 petitions, successfully investigated 262 with 159 awaiting legal advice and 20 others charged to court.

    On the challenges of the commission, he said: “Fighting corruption comes with its peculiar challenges. The corrupt are not going to fold their hands while you retrieve what they had stolen. They would fight back.

    “This has come in the form of sponsored media attacks. A blogger, one Dikeocha Chukwuebuka, who caused the zone serious blushes by posting fake pictures of purported overcrowded EFCC cell was arrested and currently under prosecution.

    “Other challenges are non-cooperation,m and delayed response to this commission’s enquiries by some agencies; logistic challenge in investigating oil bunkering cases and inadequate office accommodation for staff”.

    “In spite of the challenges, the zone remains committed to actualizing the mandate of the commission, which is to eradicate corruption in Nigeria”.

  • Via Facebook, three brothers kidnap, murder 55-Yr-old widow in Abuja

    Via Facebook, three brothers kidnap, murder 55-Yr-old widow in Abuja

    Operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Unit have arrested three brothers who killed a mother of five in Abuja and fled to their hometown in Isiekenesi, Ideato Local Government Area of Imo State.

    This was disclosed by the Force Public Relations Office, Deputy Commissioner of Police Frank Mba.

    According to Mba, the mother of five, Janet Nnenna Ogbonnaya, had gone to visit one of the brothers with whom she was friend on Facebook, Johnson Emmanuel, in Abuja when she was murdered and her body dumped in a septic tank.

    Johnson, 38, conspired with his brother, Gideon Emmanuel, 31; and Success Emmanuel, 27, in the kidnap and gruesome murder of Ogbonnaya on May 14, 2020.

    The suspects, born by same parents, were arrested by the Police in their hometown where they had taken refuge after committing the crime in Abuja in order to evade police arrest.

    Mba said the unravelling of the murder started with a complaint by Ogbonnaya’s son, Chinedu, who alleged that his 55-year-old mother, from Ozuitem in Bende LGA of Abia State, had been kidnapped and a N5 million ransom demanded before she could be released.

    He said a comprehensive and painstaking investigation by the police operatives resulted in the arrest of the Emmanuel brother, who, in the course of interrogation, revealed that the victim had long been murdered and buried.

    Further findings revealed that the victim, a widow, who had been a Facebook friend of the principal suspect, Johnson, was lured from her home in Gwagwalada to visit the suspect.

    The suspect thereafter took advantage of the visit, served her yoghurt laced with drugs and subsequently had her murdered.

    The suspect having killed the victim and buried her remains in a septic tank, went ahead to reach out to the family of the victim using her phone and demanded N5 million ransom as pre-condition for her release.

    The suspects on Thursday led a team of investigators alongside pathologists to a residence at Wumba District, Lokogoma, Abuja, where the victim’s decomposing body was exhumed from a septic tank.

    The exhumed body has been taken to the University Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja for forensic examination.

    A Toyota Highlander Jeep belonging to the deceased has also been recovered by Police operatives at a mechanic workshop in Apo, where it had been repainted into a different colour, vehicle documents fraudulently changed and ownership of the stolen vehicle criminally transferred to one of the masterminds of the crime, Johnson.

    Investigations also revealed that the house where the deceased was killed and buried originally belonged to one of the suspects, but was hurriedly sold-off to a third party apparently to obliterate evidence.

    Mba said the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, while commending the operatives for a job well done, reassured that perpetrators of any form of crime in the country will not go undetected and unpunished.

    Adamu enjoined Nigerians to be more security conscious and report suspicious activities within their neighbourhood to the nearest police station.

  • COVID-19: 3 year-old tests positive in Imo

    COVID-19: 3 year-old tests positive in Imo

    A three-year-old child has tested positive to COVID-19 in Imo, the Chairman of the State Task Force Team on COVID-19, Prof. Maurice Iwu, said on Wednesday in Owerri.

    Briefing newsmen, Iwu said that seven active cases were isolated at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri.

    He said that a family of six that comprised the father and three of his children that included the three year-old tested positive for coronavirus pandemics while one of the children tested negative.

    He said that the child, regarded by the team as a ‘VIP kid’ would be preferentially isolated.

    Iwu said that the team had last month tested 96 travellers intercepted by the security agents with 42 of them testing positive.

    He said that 25 of the 42 cases were not residents of the state and had since gone their ways.

    He said the taskforce, in synergy with other stakeholders, had continued on its mandate of communicating, educating and protecting people of the state on the coronavirus pandemic.

    The COVID-19 taskforce chairman expressed gratitude to the members of the public whom he said had been providing the team with information about suspected cases who are being tested accordingly.

    “It is important to stress that the coronavirus is real but not a death sentence.

    “The team has started getting calls from people, informing us of those who are sick, which information is usually scrutinised.

    “The task force is here to serve. We are trying to curtail the spread of coronavirus.

    “We urge people to continue to observe all the COVID-19 protocols, such as constant washing of hands under running water, use of alcohol-based sanitiser, social distancing and wearing of face masks,” he said.

    He said that churches were also expected to observe the Federal Government’s directive of maintaining coronavirus protocols and strictly adhering to the one- hour-church-service time.

    On strangers sneaking into the state, Iwu said that the development was a security breach which calls for local intelligence.

    He said that the team had started engaging the services of traditional rulers and community vigilance groups to check such movements and report same to the team.

    Iwu added that the state now had four protected isolation centres in Orlu, Okigwe, Mbaise and Owerri .

    He added that the recently inaugurated WODDI Isolation Centre would commence full operation on Thursday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Iwu had earlier commended the media for their prompt dissemination of information on what members of the public were expected to do in order not to contract the pandemic.

  • INEC fixes Imo, Bayelsa Plateau bye-elections ahead of Edo, Ondo guber polls

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has assured that the nation’s democracy and electoral process cannot be truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The Commission therefore insisted that all elections will go on as scheduled despite the Coronavirus scare, adding that “while the Commission takes the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, our democracy and electoral process cannot be truncated for this reason, particularly because health authorities have advised on measures to protect the public from the virus, including all those involved in elections.”

    The Commission also disclosed that it will conduct the Bayelsa Central, Bayelsa East, Imo North and Plateau South, as well as other bye-elections ahead of the two major Governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.

    Outstanding bye-elections include Nasarawa Central State Constituency, Cross River North Senatorial District, Nganzai and Bayo State constituencies of Borno State and Bakori State constituency of Katsina State.

    INEC National Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, who gave the hint in his remarks during the maiden virtual meeting with States Resident Electoral Commissioners, stated that “the Commission has directed the RECs for the nine States where the bye-elections will hold to begin preparations in earnest”.

    He added that, “the same time, we are also studying reports of recent elections conducted under the COVID-19 pandemic”,

    According to Yakubu, “it is my pleasure to welcome you to this historic meeting. This is the first time the Commission is holding a formal meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners without anyone of you leaving your States of deployment. I am glad that all the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) are connected to this meeting.

    “I must quickly add that with today’s virtual meeting with you, the deployment of communication technology will increasingly become the dominant means of information dissemination within the Commission in particular and the management of the electoral processes in general, including future engagement with stakeholders”.

    He continued that, Today’s meeting is holding against the background of the global health challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in which no country around the world is unaffected. Our country’s national effort to combat the pandemic is coordinated by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on whose request the Commission has made available a number of vehicles from our fleet to support the emergency response.

    “The majority of these assets were deployed to Lagos, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which have so far recorded the highest number of reported cases in the country.

    “Like every national institution in Nigeria, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our activities. For instance, further engagement with the National Assembly and stakeholders on electoral reform as well as the conduct of some off-season elections had to be suspended because of the global health emergency. Happily, the PTF has issued Guidelines on protective measures for the gradual restoration of normalcy nationwide. On that basis, the Commission recently released its own policy on conducting elections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission is convinced that electoral activities can resume but in full compliance with the advisory issued by health authorities.

    “Consequently, the end of tenure Governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States scheduled for 19th September 2020 and 10th October 2020 respectively will proceed as planned. Already, some of the registered political parties have notified the Commission of the dates for their party primaries leading to the nomination of their candidates for the two elections.

    “While the Commission takes the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, our democracy and electoral process cannot be truncated for this reason, particularly because health authorities have advised on measures to protect the public from the virus, including all those involved in elections.

    “In addition to the two Governorship elections, the Commission is also making preparations to conduct nine legislative bye-elections. Already, vacancies have been declared by the Senate President in respect of four Senatorial Districts (Bayelsa Central, Bayelsa East, Imo North and Plateau South). Similarly, the Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly has declared the seat for Nasarawa Central State Constituency vacant. Information reaching the Commission also indicates the existence of vacancies for the Cross River North Senatorial District, Nganzai and Bayo State constituencies of Borno State and Bakori State constituency of Katsina State.

    “The Edo and Ondo Governorship elections as well as the five Senatorial and four State Assembly bye-elections are spread across nine States of the Federation involving a cumulative number of 62 Local Government Areas (LGAs); 687 Registration Areas (RAs); 9,149 Polling Units (PUs) and 6,454,950 registered voters. Put in the context of our sub-region, the number of registered voters for these off-season elections is equivalent to holding General Elections in Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone and Cape Verde put together. Full delimitation details for the elections have been uploaded on our website and social media platforms.

    “The Commission is determined to hold some of the bye-elections ahead of the two major Governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States to enable us test run and fine-tune our modified processes in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Already, the Commission has directed the RECs for the nine States where the bye-elections will hold to begin preparations in earnest. At the same time, we are also studying reports of recent elections conducted under the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in places such as Mali and South Korea, for any lessons that will strengthen our processes and protect all those involved.

    “At this meeting, we will receive the input of our RECs to the new policy with particular reference to its implementation in the areas of recruitment and training of ad hoc staff, logistics for the deployment of personnel and materials, the conduct of party primaries and nomination of candidates, the submission of the names of polling agents by political parties, the accreditation of observers and the media, the security of the electoral process, polling unit management and the collation and declaration of results.”

  • 24 Imo Commissioners test negative for COVID-19

    24 Imo Commissioners test negative for COVID-19

    All 24 Commissioners in the Imo State cabinet have tested negative for COVID-19.

    The commissioners last week undertook the COVID-19 test following a directive by Governor Hope Uzodinma that they submit themselves for the test before commencement of the weekly state Executive Council Meeting.

    It was gathered that the meeting earlier scheduled for 11am was shifted to 1:40pm to allow the Commissioners time to get tested by the Imo State COVID-19 response team.

    It was gathered that the results of the tests came out on Sunday and all 24 commissioners returned negative.

    Confirming the development, Commissioner for Special Projects, Simon Ebegbulem said the governor was committed to checkmate spread of COVID-19 in the state.

    He said: “When the governor gave the order we thought he was joking but he was serious.

    ‘’He directed the state Commissioner for Health, to ensure that all the commissioners subjected themselves to the Covid-19 test.

    “As you can see, the governor’s proactive measure is a thing to be commended, and copied by others. Where it not for such measures, we might as well have been seeing something else, as is being witnessed in some other states.¹

    “This is a governor that is determined to protect the health and wellbeing of every citizen, no matter whose ox is gored. I am happy that I tested negative and none of my colleagues tested positive.

    “We had a successful executive council meeting afterwards, and we look forward to more of this lesson in leadership by example from our governor.”

  • Okorocha, Ihedioha, others edged out as Uzodinma abolishes payment of pensions to ex-governors, speakers in Imo

    Okorocha, Ihedioha, others edged out as Uzodinma abolishes payment of pensions to ex-governors, speakers in Imo

    Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo has assented to a bill repealing the law that created pension allowances and gratuities for former governors, deputy governors, assembly speakers, and deputy speakers.

    Signing the bill into law in Owerri on Friday, the governor noted that the erstwhile law runs contrary to the 1999 constitution as amended, which stipulates that a pensioner must have worked for at least 10 years and must be up to 45 years of age.

    He regretted a situation where some of the beneficiaries of such payments also get a huge amount of money as salaries and allowances in other positions they occupied such as serving as senators or members of the House of Representatives.

    “Apart from the inconsistency of such a law to the provisions of the grund norm, which is the Constitution of 1999 (as amended), this has led for very long time precedence that does not encourage diligence and prudence in service delivery,” the governor said.

    He, however thanked the State House of Assembly for rising to the occasion and embracing totally the desire of the government to strengthen the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base of the state.

    He assured the people of the state of his commitment and desire to grow an economy that will stand the test of time.

    On his part, Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly, Chiji Collins, said that the house of assembly presented two bills for the governor’s assent: the Bill on the Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and Bill on the Repeal of Pensions and Gratuity.

    He said that the Bill on Pensions and Gratuity has long been repealed in many states of the federation when it was discovered to run contrary to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

    Present at the signing of the bill into law was the Dep. Gov. Prof. Placid Njoku; the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Amara Iwuanyanwu; the Majority Leader, Uche Ogbuagu, and other members of the House, as well as some members of the State’s Expanded Executive Council.

  • Man, 47 rapes, impregnates 17 year-old daughter in Imo

    Man, 47 rapes, impregnates 17 year-old daughter in Imo

    A forty seven year-old man, Uchenna Egbuchulem has been arrested by the Imo State police command for allegedly raping and impregnating his 17 years biological daughter, Adaku.

    Egbuchulem is a native of Nduhu Alaenyi, Ogwa, in Mbaitoli local government area of the State.

    He was said to have threatened to kill his daughter with a cutlass if she refused to allow him sleep with her.

    According to village sources, after succeeding in violating the girl, Egbuchulem continued abusing her until she became pregnant.

    Trouble was said to have started when Egbuchulem, upon discovery that her daughter was pregnant for him, decided to take her to a medical doctor in the village.

    He was said to have pleaded with the doctor to buy the pregnancy and the yet-to-be-delivered baby at the cost of N200,000.

    But the doctor, instead, took the girl to the traditional ruler of the community, Eze Agu of Alaenyi Ogwa Autonomous community.

    Upon enquiries by the traditional ruler, the 17 years old girl was said to have admitted to the act.

    Confirming the incident, the spokesman of the Imo State police command, Orlando Ikeokwu said Egbuchulem, divorced, had his way, after he threatened his daughter with a cutlass.

    He said the suspect is currently in police custody, while investigation is ongoing.