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Tag: Imo

  • Pipeline explosion kills 5 vandals in Imo

    Pipeline explosion kills 5 vandals in Imo

    The Police Command in Imo on Wednesday, confirmed the death of five vandals in an explosion that rocked Obitti community in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

    The State’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Henry Okoye, who confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with NAN, said the explosion occurred on Tuesday.

    Okoye said the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Aboki Danjuma, had already set up a team to unravel the immediate cause of the incident and arrest fleeing culprits.

    “Yes, the incident happened yesterday (Tuesday).

    “Five vandals were burnt beyond recognition and we are currently investigating it in collaboration with our sister security agencies to unravel the identities of those behind the economic sabotage.

    “They went for their normal pipeline vandalism when the incident occurred.

    “Our goal is to make sure that similar vandalism does not occur in the future,” the police spokesman, said.

    A source, who pleaded anonymity said that the vandals had stormed the Obitti Rubber Estate in the area with an articulated vehicle and dug through to an oil pipeline that passed through the area.

    “They dug a hole on the pipeline and connected their long pipe to their tanker to steal oil.

    “I cannot say exactly what caused the explosion but I know and from what I saw, many people died, and many others, who narrowly escaped the explosion, sustained various degrees of injuries.

    “The fire that raged for hours burnt the tanker and also affected our farm produce worth millions of naira,” the source said.

    Recall that in April 2022, at least 100 people lost their lives in a similar explosion that occurred at an illegal oil refining site in Ohaji/Egbema area of the state.

    On May 4, same year, two persons also died when a bomb exploded at an oil facility – Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria Ltd., located in Izombe, Oguta Local Government Area of the state.

    However, the incident was a suspected bomb attack on the oil facility.

  • My 12 years in prison worthwhile – Ex-inmate

    My 12 years in prison worthwhile – Ex-inmate

    An ex-inmate of Medium Security Custodial Centre, Owerri in Imo, Daniel Aturu, who served out his 12-year sentence, says his stay in prison has been life-changing for him.

    He was convicted for conspiracy and possession of stolen property in 2012.

    Aturu who was released on Monday, said even though initially he was very depressed, at the end he has rediscovered himself and ready to give back to the society from the skills he learnt while in custody.

    He expressed delight over the support and encouragement he received while in the custodial centre, which enabled him to excel in laundry services for inmates, the personnel and even members of the public.

    Aturu promised to be law-abiding and engage youths in his community who would like to learn laundry services.

    Aturu was sent-off by officials of the custodial centre and offered a washing machine to continue with his laundry business at home.

    According to the command Public Relations Officer, Mr Goodluck Uboegbulam, the washing machine was donated by a philanthropist.

    Uboegbulam said that Aturu had provided dry-cleaning and laundry services to inmates, the custodial centre community and society in general for the past 12 years.

    “Considering the huge impact he had made on himself and to the prison community, the management of the Medium Security Custodial Centre Owerri, in conjunction with a well-spirited philanthropist, decided to present him with a washing machine.

    “This is to aid him resettle effectively and also to provide him a means of earning a living when he returns back home,” he said.

    Uboegbulam recalled that when Aturu was admitted into the correctional facility, he was depressed and dejected as he felt like all hopes were lost.

    He said however that after some few days in custody, Aturu braced up and adjusted to his new condition, and subsequently availed himself to the available rehabilitation and reformation programmes being offered by the custodial centre.

    “First, being a Christian, Aturu started attending religious activities and other restorative programmes towards mending walls with his creator and achieving healing as well as reparation.

    “He believed it would give him the leverage to forgive himself and achieve inner peace as he is aware that his criminal behaviour has hurt his victim as well as the society.

    “Thereafter, Aturu joined one of the vocational and skills acquisition programmes towards self-empowerment and making himself functional in the custodial centre.

    “Aturu decided to engage himself in laundry and dry-cleaning. He went through tutelage provided by vocational instructors in the correctional facility, a platform that sharpened his skills in the intricacies of fabrics handling,” he added.

    In his remarks, the Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC) in-charge of the Custodial Centre, Mr Eke Eke while discharging Aturu, implored him to remain focus and continue to be of good conduct.

    Eke said that the Aftercare unit of the custodial facility would monitor his progress and ensure he resettle back to his community seamlessly.

    He called on the general society to support the Service towards offenders’ reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration, and refrain from stigmatising them.

  • Troops destroy IED factory in Okigwe, neutralise kidnapper

    Troops destroy IED factory in Okigwe, neutralise kidnapper

    Troops have destroyed an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) factory in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo, in an operation jointly carried out by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police and civil defence corps.

    Lt.-Col. Jonah Unuakhalu, Acting Deputy Director, 82 Division Army Public Relations, said this in a statement on Friday in Enugu.

    He said that the troops destroyed the hideouts of the terrorists despite encountering several IEDs.

    The spokesman added that several camps of the Indigenous People of Biafra and Eastern Security Network members along Umulolo-Umukele-Amousu and Agbobu in Imo were destroyed.

    Unuakhalu said that the troops also cordoned-off and searched several buildings used by the terrorists, where they discovered signs of occultism and cannibalism.

    “The troops also destroyed the IED making factory of the terrorist; recovered rank badges of two policemen that were kidnapped along Enugu-Port Harcourt Road.

    “Other items discovered include Biafran currencies, fake US Dollar bills, Biafran Liberation Army T-shirts, and other Biafran insignia.

    “Military kit bags, cables used for IED detonation and axes.

    “Two suspects were arrested and also burnt policemen corpses were discovered for proper burial.”

    Meanwhile, troops on night patrol have thwarted a kidnapping attempt by some suspected IPOB/ESN terrorists in Owerri.

    The army spokesman said that the troops engaged the criminals in a gun duel forcing them to abandon the victim, one AK 47 rifle and magazine, a G-3 rifle with mounted magazines and a vehicle.

    In another development, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) the division, Maj.-Gen. Hassan Dada, has visited Isiuzo-Amufu community in Enugu State to deepen civil-military relations and create a peaceful society.

    “The GOC, who addressed the people of Isiuzo-Amufu community at their village square, advised the community on the need to cooperate and assist the military to put an end to the insecurity of the community and the region at large.

    “He assured the people of his commitment to end the herders and farmers clash and youth restiveness within the region.”

    According to the command spokesman, the GOC also met with personnel of other security agencies in the council area and urged them to collaborate in improving the security of the area.

    Unuakhalu said that the GOC appreciated the incredible cooperation of other security agencies, which led to the successes achieved so far.

    “The GOC wishes to enjoin the good people of the South-East to support and continuously provide timely, reliable and credible information through Emergency Line 193.

    “The Nigerian Army will continue to protect lives and property of the good people of the South-East as it carries out its constitutional roles within the ambit of the law,” he added.

  • NLC suspends Imo delegates’ conference indefinitely

    NLC suspends Imo delegates’ conference indefinitely

    The Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) says it has suspended indefinitely the proposed planned Imo Delegates’ Conference.

    Mr Emma Ugboaja, NLC General Secretary said this on Wednesday in Abuja in a statement addressed to all its affiliates.

    Ugboaja said the suspension of the delegates conference in the state was due to unforeseen circumstances in the state.

    Recall that the congress had earlier informed all that the conference would hold on Jan. 10, in three states.

    These state councils which are under the leadership of the Caretaker Committees include Abia, Imo, and Osun states.

    According to him, this is to inform all affiliates especially those with State Councils in Imo state of the indefinite suspension of the earlier proposed state delegates Conference in the state due to unforeseen circumstances.

    “The other two states will still go on as planned.

    “While we continue to work towards strengthening the Congress to deliver on its mandates, you will be informed accordingly of any further developments,” he said.

  • Imo LP accuses INEC of defying court order for BVAS inspection

    Imo LP accuses INEC of defying court order for BVAS inspection

    The Labour Party in Imo has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of denying it access to inspect the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machine (BVAS) used for the November 11 Governorship poll.

    The state Chairman of the party, Mr Callistus Ihejiagwa, made the accusation at a news briefing in Owerri on Friday.

    Ihejiagwa said that the denial of access to the BVAS was in defiance to the November 26 order of the Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Owerri.

    According to reports, applications for the inspection of the materials were submitted to the INEC by the LP, PDP, YPP and APGA, respectively.

    The tribunal had, on November 26, given INEC until December 1, to make election materials available to the LP for inspection and forensic analysis.

    Ihejiagwa also said that the forensic inspection of election materials, including the BVAS, was part of the order of the tribunal.

    According to him, INEC had, on Wednesday, denied the availability of the BVAS for inspection, insisting that only the commission’s headquarters reserved the right to grant access to the BVAS for inspection.

    He said that the commission, however, made available only 65 of over 5,000 BVAS machines for inspection and denied the LP’s team of forensic experts access to the machines.

    He wondered why INEC would “deliberately frustrate the process of litigation” in an election where it was only an umpire.

    “Contrary to the orders of court for forensic analysis of BVAS machines, an INEC official is reading out figures of accreditation from the machines without allowing us access to Certified True Copies of the card copies for our own due diligence.

    “We have less than 24 hours to examine the BVAS machines, assemble and present our findings to the tribunal but here we are still awaiting access to the machines

    “The tribunal ordered for forensic inspection of the BVAS so the BVAS is specifically contained in the tribunal order,” Ihejiagwa said.

    Also, Mr Okwudili Anozie, the Counsel for the LP Governorship Candidate, Sen. Athan Achonu, said that the tribunal’s order for forensic examination of the BVAS machines would help ensure that the machines were not tampered with before and after the election.

    He decried INEC’s disobedience to the order and restated the party’s confidence in the judiciary for the dispensation of justice.

    Recall that INEC’S Head of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs Emmanuella Ben-Opara, on Tuesday, confirmed that the materials requested for inspection were ready and waiting to be inspected.

    NAN

  • Imo election: LP requests results Certified True Copies from INEC

    Imo election: LP requests results Certified True Copies from INEC

    The Labour Party (LP) has demanded for the Certified True Copies (CTC) of the just concluded Imo off-circle governorship election result from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The LP members made the request at the INEC’s Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday during the party’s peaceful protest to demand for the CTC.

    They said that the documents were important for the party to approach the court over the outcome of the poll.

    Recall that INEC declared Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress the winner of the election with 540,308, votes while Samuel Anyanwu of the People’s Democratic Party came a distant second with a total of 71,503 votes.

    Athan Achonu of the Labour Party who polled 64,081 votes to come third in the election is intending to contest the result in court.

    According to Kennedy Ahanotu, LP National Youth Leader, who led the labour party members to INEC, the immediate release of the CTC will afford the party time to go to court.

    “INEC as the lone standing man in democracy should not take a side in election matters because they are like referees.

    “Legal processes involving elections are time bound and we have 21 days to apply and out of that 21 days, INEC has taken 12 days so we have limited time now.

    “This is a peaceful demonstration and we are demanding for the CTC  because we intend to challenge the election in court to fulfill all righteousness because we still believe in the judiciary,” he said.

    The LP Gubernatorial candidate in Imo, Achonu reiterated his intention that he collected the CTC for legal action.

    “I am here to collect the CTC, we have applied and they are yet to get back to us.

    “We have applied in the state and there are some we need to collect here at the headquarters; I won’t leave here till I get it today,” he said.

    Responding, INEC, represented by Malam Mohammed Haruna National Commissioner INEC, in company of Prof. Abdulahi Zuru another National Commissioner, assured LP of its cooperation.

    “The Chairman said we should come on behalf of the commission to receive your petition.

    “CTC is your right, it is the right of every petitioner and I assure you, you will get it.

    “It will be attended to because this is your right,” he said.

    NAN

  • BREAKING: Uzodimma in early lead, wins 20 of Imo’s 27 LGAs

    BREAKING: Uzodimma in early lead, wins 20 of Imo’s 27 LGAs

    Governor Hope Uzodimma is currently leading the race to return to the Imo State government house in the election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday.

    As of the time of filing this report at 06:40 am, no other candidates who participated in the Imo State governorship election have won any local government area (LGA).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Uzodimma, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate has won 20 out of 27 LGAs in Imo.

    The results collated so far show that the APC has polled a total of 430,218 votes, Labour Party, 45,020 and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), 45,698.

    Details shortly…

  • Off-circle elections: Vote buying, violence remain sore points – CDD

    Off-circle elections: Vote buying, violence remain sore points – CDD

    Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD),  said vote buying and electoral violence remained the sore points in the Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi governorship elections.

    Dr Jack Johnson, Member of the CDD Election Analysis Centre (CDD-EAC) made this known in Abuja at a news conference on the off-cycle elections.

    Jackson said that the CDD-EAC, had been observing the off-cycle elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi with a deployment of over 150 fact-checkers and observers in all three states, as well as a team of data clerks, reviewers and analysts in its situation room in Abuja.

    He said that overall there was early commencement of polls as well as the usage of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), however, there were several reports about voter inducement across all three states.

    ” Observers reported incidents in PU 1, Ward 8 and PU 11, Ward 1 in Sagbama LGA in Bayelsa West.

    “In Bayelsa Central, vote trading was reported in PU 16, Ward 6 in Yenegoa LGA, PU 22, Ward 13 in Southern Ijaw LGA with reports of voter inducements ranging from N5,000 – N22,000, including other items such as wrappers.

    “In PU 30 and 31, Ward 13, along with money, rice was also shared to buy votes.

    ” we are concerned that there were allusions that it might be linked to the delayed flood and subsidy palliatives that state governments only started distributing two days ago.”

    Jackson said that CDD observed that in Kogi, there were reports of vote buying in PUs 004, 038 and 039 in Ward A of Lokoja LGA, where party agents were allegedly sharing out money to voters upon confirmation that they voted for their party candidates.

    He further said that the two major parties’ agents were reported to have engaged in vote buying, with N2000 to N3000 shared and same at PU3 Mbutu Ward, Aboh Mbaise LGA as well as PU11, Civic Centre Ward, Mbaitoli LGA.

    He added that in PU 7, Central School UmuNakanu Ehime LGA, in Imo, there were reports that INEC ad hoc staff were given monetary inducements by party officials.

    He said that incidents of vote buying were concentrated in Mbaitoli-Ezinihitte, Owerri West and Njaba LGAs with the highest number of collected PVCs amongst the LGAs in the state with 150,012 and 134,192 cards.”

    Jackson said that regrettably, electoral violence remained a sore point in this election.

    He added that electoral violence was reported in Dekini LGA, specifically in Agala Ogane PU, Anyigba town, a thug was reportedly shot and killed by military officials while fleeing in an attempt to snatch a ballot box.

    “There was a similar attempt in Ganaja PU, Ajaokuta LGA where the LGA chair was apprehended by voters.

    “In Yenagoa LGA, observers reported that one person was shot at Famgbe community and, in PU 24 Ward, voting ended abruptly when thugs destroyed election materials at about 11:45 a.m.

    “We note that in these area polling units, there was little or no presence of security officials.

    “Similar instances were reported in Brass PU 7 Ward 7, observers reported that there were no security agents as late as 10:19 a.m. in spite of voting having started.”

    Jackson said CDD also noted some election irregularities as well as fake news.

    He said that days to the election, it was consistently claimed that the SDP candidate in Kogi, Murtala Ajaka, stepped down from the race and on the morning of the election, a false message was circulated that Ajaka was disqualified because of his running mate’s certificate controversy.

    He added that there was a similar situation in Imo, where a video was circulated that purportedly showed the PDP’s candidate, Sam Anyanwu, had stepped down and endorsed the incumbent governor of the APC.

    He, however, said that the video was similarly debunked but not before it had been widely reported on social media and on news platforms.

     

  • Governorship election: Sorting, counting of votes ongoing in Imo

    Governorship election: Sorting, counting of votes ongoing in Imo

    The sorting and counting of votes in Saturday’s Governorship election in Imo is currently ongoing in most polling units in the state.

    NAN correspondent monitoring the poll reports that voting ended in most polling units in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area at about 4.30 pm.

    At Umunumo Town School 08, Central School Umueze I (010) in Umueze, and Central School Umueze II (011) in Umuleke, sorting and counting of votes began by 4.50pm.

    According to reports, 700 registered voters in Central School Ogboama (09), Umuezeala Community in the LGA, only 200 persons were accredited to vote, an indication of voter apathy in the area.

  • Imo guber: I have never lost any election – PDP candidate, Anyanwu boasts

    Imo guber: I have never lost any election – PDP candidate, Anyanwu boasts

    Samuel Anyanwu, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) governorship candidate in Imo State, has expressed confidence of coming out tops in the guber election presently going on in the state.

    While addressing journalists shortly after casting his vote in his polling unit at Central Amaimo school, Ikeduru Local Government Area of the state,  today, saying he would win with claims that he has never lost an election  in his political career.

    The governorship candidate said he would win because the people of Imo State are tired of the bad governance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and are desirous of a change.

    According to Anyanwu: “I am confident of victory because the people of Imo State are tired of the bad governance of the APC.

    “They are tired of the insecurity, the poverty, and the unemployment. They are tired of the APC’s lies and propaganda.”

    Anyanwu said he got credible reports of ballot snatching and stuffing in some places but insists that no matter what the government does he would emerge victorious.

    “I have never lost an election, at least I have contested up to five times, I will win this again,” he said.