₦airaland Forum

Interpol Systems Consultant and security expert, Sir Chikwe Udensi has urged the armed forces to put up an adequate response to the escalating cases of kidnap especially in the northern region and ensure the rescue of all those held hostage.

Udensi said time has come for the service chiefs to step out of their heavily air-conditioned offices and relocate to the forest and flush out bandits causing tension in the country.

Speaking at a keynote address at a conference of Certified Security Experts of Nigeria in Abuja, Udensi said the constant meeting of President Bola Tinubu and the security chiefs in air-conditioned offices in Abuja have not been productive, insisting that they must roll up their sleeves and work for the peace and stability of the nation.

He said, "The kidnapping cases are too numerous. Look at the 13-year-old girl kidnapped from Sagwari estate in Dutse Abuja, look at the youth corps members going from Akwa Ibom to Sokoto, they have not been found, look at the family of eight kidnapped from their home in Gwarimpa, they have not been found.

"Look at the 287 students kidnapped from their school in Kaduna, they have not still be found, and they are sitting in the comfort of their air-conditioned offices doing nothing. They should relocate to the forests and flush out these criminals so that we can have peace in our country", he noted.

Udensi said about 95% of kidnap victims are kept in the forests, challenging the military to go after them and rescue all hostages, noting that the forests are not invincible.

An electrician identified as Bright Okon has been pronounced dead at the Federal Medical Centre Umuahia, Abia State after he fell off ladder.

A source told ABN TV that the incident took place on Thursday at about 12:30pm when the 24-year-old was carrying out maintenance work at Evergreen Hotel, Umuahia.

He was said to be at the top of the ladder when he was suddenly electrocuted. That was when he lost balance, and landed on the ground where he sustained injury on his head.

He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Commonwealth of Nations, Deputy Speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu is due to make a special presentation at the British House of Commons, London, United Kingdom on Monday, ABN TV reports.

The Commonwealth of Nations also called the Commonwealth is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire.

Kalu who arrived London on Sunday, March 10, 2024, is representing the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Taking Abass at the event, a statement by Levinus Nwabughiogu, Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker said.

Upon his arrival, the deputy speaker joined his contemporaries involving the speakers and presiding officers of member countries among whom was the Speaker of the British House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle who welcomed Kalu and also gave him a special attention, the statement added.

The Deputy Speaker is expected back in the country on Wednesday after making his presentation.

Mrs Matilda Anyamele, the Special Assistant on Special Duties to the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has said her principal is doing enough to advance the inclusion of women in governance.

She said this on Sunday in an interaction with ABN TV, in commemoration of Mothers Day, which came just two days after the International Women's Day.

She said apart from her, several other women were equally appointed into leadership positions by the Abia State government.

"If you look at the Permanent Secretaries that were inaugurated sometime last year, you will see that out of the 24, 17 are women.

"I have three other women working with me in the Office of the First Lady, the Commissioner for Health, Commissioner for Education, Commissioner for Women Affairs, and Commissioner for Agriculture, all these are women", age states.

According to Mrs. Anyamele, there are also SSAs to the Governor who are women, applauding the governor for the efforts he has made in bringing women to governance.

She said the celebration of Mother's Day is a wake-up call on women to understand their roles in the society, urging them not to see themselves as lesser beings.

A prominent Northern leader, Dr. Bashir Lamido has welcomed the Appeal Court ruling upholding the decision of the Federal High Court dismissing the retrial of a former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Lamido in a chat with newsmen in Yola described the continuous trial as unfair saying: “The ill treatment is unacceptable and unfair to Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.”

Lamido described the lingering trial as unfair and an act of intimidation against Kalu— who is now the lawmaker representing Abia North Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

“Senator Kalu is someone that is well-loved and known globally as a billionaire businessman. It is surprising hearing that he is been tried for a mere N7 billion. We all know what transpired between him and Obasanjo and the failed third term agenda. We know those that destroyed the third term agenda and what happened after they denied Obasanjo his agenda. He went after them with the EFCC. Some people benefited from it using it as a tool to witch-hunt Kalu especially ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

“Kalu is a lovable soul across board. He lives across the six geopolitical zones. So, I feel it was a bit unfair especially the ill-treatment meted out against him. This case has lingered for too long and it’s time for those behind the ordeal to apologise to him and move on. For a man who stood against 19 witnesses of the Federal Government and was never implicated by any of the witnesses to still get jailed is only but a calculated attempt of political destruction.”

In September 2021, a judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Inyang Ekwo, barred the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from retrying Mr Kalu, who was earlier convicted of N7.1 billion fraud.

Mr Kalu, a serving senator representing Abia North, was already serving a 12-year jail term for the offences when the Supreme Court, on 8 May 2020, set aside the proceedings leading to his and his co-defendants’ conviction.

The Supreme Court’s judgement delivered on an appeal by Mr Kalu’s co-defendant, Ude Udeogu, had ordered a retrial at the Federal High Court.

Mr Kalu went on to secure his release from prison based on the Supreme Court’s verdict but quickly applied to the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop his retrial.

In his decision on the issue, Mr Ekwo held that the Supreme Court’s judgement did not order the retrial of Mr Kalu.

The judge cited section 36 (9) of the Nigerian constitution and Section 238 (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (2015), in saying, “no person can be retried on the offense upon which he has been convicted.

However, the defiant EFCC through its lawyer, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, approached the appellate court to have Mr Ekwo’s decision nullified.

Mr Kalu was tried based on amended 39 counts in which they were accused of stealing and mismanaging funds belonging to Abia State during his days as governor between 1999 and 2007. The EFCC had 19 witnesses against Kalu of which none implicated him but the judge still went ahead to pronounce judgement against the former governor.

The member representing Ohafia South State constituency of Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Kalu Mbah Nwoke has said the recently launched Geometric Power Project by the state government is capable of benefitting his constituency.

The project officially unveiled recently by Vice President, Kashim Shettima is said to have the capacity to power nine local governments in Aba and its environs.

Speaking with ABN TV on Friday, the Abia Assembly member said lack of power supply has remained a paramount issue in major parts of his constituency.

ABN TV reports that Ohafia has been without a power supply in the past three years.

All efforts to have Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) reconnect the power has proven abortive as the company insists on payment of N2bn it claims is being owed by the community.

Hon. Nwoke told our correspondent that he is hopeful that Ohafia though not in the original nine local governments to be connected to Geometric Power source, it is hoped that the remaining megawatt of electricity will be directed to Ohafia.

An Ukwa High Court in Abia State on Thursday sentenced two middle-aged men of the defunct Bakassi Group now the Abia State Vigilante Services., Mr Ugochukwu Amaugo and Mr Udo Ogba Oka both to death by hanging for Murder, ABN TV reports.

The judgment was read out and pronounced by Hon. Justice C.H. Ahuchaogu who found them guilty of an alleged case of murder that occurred on the 30th of August, 2013.

The convicts who were members of the defunct Bakassi group had stated that on the 30th of August, 2013 they had arrested two young men named, Temple Nwakanma and Martins Azih around Osisioma, Aba and claimed to have found them in possession of firearms, cartridges and knives.

They had moved them from there and headed to their Umuahia office when they met some men of the Nigerian Army at Abia tower who, after interrogation requested that the boys be handed over to them which they did.

They claimed not to know the names of the military men nor did they get a note from them as at the time of that handover.

Ever since, the whereabouts of the young men have been unknown as the members of the Nigerian Army situated in the area of the incident had denied receiving any of such men as claimed by members of the Abia State Vigilante Services.

Meanwhile, efforts made to ascertain the whereabouts of those young men have since proved abortive in the last 11 years.

The matter has however been in court since after the incident and concluded on Thursday, as Hon. Justice Chibuzo Ahuchaogu sentenced both men of the defunct Bakassi to death by hanging for failing to prove beyond every reasonable doubt that they had handed the boys to men of the Nigeria Army and as such knew nothing about their disappearance.

A leader of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and former governorship aspirant in Abia, Sir Chikwe Udensi has accused the state government of commissioning the Aba Geometric Power Project in a hurry just to receive credit.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qInYqIXbJgg

According to him, it was not time to commission the project which was recently launched by Vice President Kashim Shettima, saying it was a bad publicity stunt.

Featuring on "Open Parliament", a current affair programme monitored by ABN TV on Wednesday, Sir Udensi said he is in touch with Aba residents, saying the feedback indicates that there is no power let alone uninterrupted.

He cited the commissioning of Ajaokuta Steel Company in the past as well as the commissioning of Dangote Refinery as some of the hurriedly launched projects even when they are not ready for use, saying the Aba Geometric Power Project toed this same line.

He said the state government should have waited a while and put the project into full use before commissioning it.

A representative of Geometric Power Project had earlier called on Aba residents to be patient as efforts are being put in place to ensure that the project comes into full use.

Udensi commended the government of former governors, including Orji Uzor Kalu, T.A Orji and Dr Okezie Ikpeazu for their massive support in ensuring that the project is actualized.

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has denied suing President Bola Tinubu at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the President's refusal to grant his request to establish a seaport as well as an international airport in the state.

This is in response to a social media report, which the chief press secretary to the Governor, Kazie Uko in a statement made available to ABN TV, said is false, urging the public to ignore it.

According to Uko, "The fake news claims that Governor Otti sued the Federal Republic of Nigeria and President Tinubu for allegedly refusing to grant the request of the Abia Governor to establish a seaport as well as an international airport in Abia.

"Another part of the badly stringed and concocted report alleges that Governor Otti had also placed a ban on businesses operated by Nigerians of northern extraction resident in Abia State, until the approval for the establishment of the said seaport and international airport is granted.

"There is absolutely no truth in this wickedly contrived fable. We are still on the drawing board on the proposed seaport while the Federal Government provided for an airstrip in Abia in the current budget, for which we are grateful.

A 400L student of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) Owerri in Imo State simply identified as Marvelous has allegedly been killed by suspected herdsmen.

The incident took place on Friday morning, leading to confusion among the students and the school management.

A source who pleaded anonymity told ABN TV that the bridge linking Ihiagwa to Obinze has been completely cut off, leading travellers to use only the passage around the school.

According to him, lately, Fulani herdsmen have been grazing their cows around the school area, heightening security concerns.

The deceased who is an operative of Man O' War along with his colleagues were on patrol along a place called 700 Capacity when news filtered in that someone stabbed him with a poisoned dagger on the neck.

All efforts to save his life proved abortive as Federal Medical Centre Owerri pronounced him dead.

Abia State Police Command has confirmed the killing of a 57-year-old man, Mmaduka Ogbonna by his 27-year-old son, Chinalu Ogbonna for alleged ritual purposes.

ABN TV had earlier reported the incident which occurred at the Amazukwu area of Umuahia on Monday night.

Confirming the incident, PPRO of the command, ASP Maureen Chinaka told our correspondent that a report was lodged at CPS Umuahia at about 8am on Tuesday.

"Yes, we got a report today at about 0800hrs at CPS Umuahia. It was a report of a murder case involving Mmaduka Ogbonna, a 57-year-old male, allegedly killed by his son.

"Detectives from CPS Umuahia visited the crime scene and found the deceased’s lifeless body with his left eye gouged out", she said.

According to the command, the suspect who was residing with his father at Umu Eze Road opposite Junior Girls Secondary School Amuzukwu Ibeku, had strangled his father to death before removing his left eye to use it for a money ritual.

He has since been apprehended while an investigation has also commenced. He would be charged to court for murder, the command says.

A 27-year-old man Chinalu Ogbonna has reportedly killed his father, Maduka Ogbonna, 57, and removed his left eye, ABN TV reports.

Sources told ABN TV that the incident happened at midnight on Monday at a compound opposite Junior Secondary School, in Amuzukwu in Umuahia North LGA, Abia State.

Though it is not clear what led to the action, a source privy to the incident told ABN TV that the suspect confessed to have wanted to use his father for ritual.

He has since been apprehended and his father's corpse deposited at the morgue.

Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti says the Geometric Power Project inaugurated by his administration on Monday in Osisioma has the potential of rejuvenating economic and social growth in the state.

The governor stated this in his speech during the project inauguration done by Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

The governor while emphasizing that the project is very special and dear to his heart added that it will position the state as a preferred destination for enterprise growth, family life, and leisure.

He applauded the former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, for giving the initial waivers to Geometric, which helped in de-risking the transaction.

He added, "I thank specifically, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, CFR, who was the Chairman of Diamond Bank at the time, and who played a significant role in the resolution of the ownership tussle of the ring fence tussle. I cannot fail to recognise Prof. Okey Oramah, who got Afreximbank, his bank, to support the project with the required funding to get to the last mile. Many thanks to Engnr Mele Kyari, the GMD of NNPC, who God used to solve the gas problem.

"This city is very pivotal to the economic trajectory of Nigeria and the West Africa region, and I knew for a fact that if we got the fundamentals right, Aba would not just be a city that makes millionaires of dreamers, it would become, a land of solutions to the many socio-economic problems that assail us – including worrisome level of youth unemployment and pervasive poverty.

"My faith in Aba as an economic powerhouse meant that when I first saw the proposal for the Geometric Integrated Power Plant, I knew I had to be involved immediately because if just 50% of what had been proposed could be achieved, the industrial output from this great city and its environs would triple and millions of new jobs would be created directly and indirectly in the short to medium term.

Former Governor of Abia State and Chairman Senate Committee on Privatization, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu has called in the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to reconsider its decision to embark on a nationwide protest over lingering hardship in the country.

The Abia North Senator in a video release obtained by ABN TV urged NLC and its affiliate unions to instead explore dialogue with the federal government to press home its demands.

Labour has repeatedly said that the current minimum wage of N30,000 is not in tandem with the current economic reality, which has seen prices of goods and services soar.

It is calling for a review, urging the government to pay N200,000 minimum wage.

Sen. Kalu while admitting that there is hunger all over Nigeria assured that the legislature is working with the executive arm of government to bring measures that will reduce the hardship faced by many Nigerian families.

According to the lawmaker, it is not time for demonstration and destruction of public assets, but to work for the unity of the country.

Member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency of Abia State, Hon. Obi Aguocha has expressed regret over the damage done at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) in a recent protest by students of the institution, saying it's huge and heartbreaking.

He said it would cost at least N2bn to fix the damages which include burnt down buildings, windows and doors shattered, fences felled, and other infrastructural damages.

He told ABN TV on Friday that he has met with the management of the university to see ways the school could be reopened for academic activities to resume so that final-year students could complete their examinations.

ABN TV recalls that the students had engaged in demonstration on Tuesday over a new policy of the school which mandates students to complete the payment of their fees before they could be allowed to take part in examinations.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe accused miscreants of being responsible for the attack.

Hon. Aguocha said he visited communities bordering the institution, including the traditional ruler of Amaoba community, His Royal Majesty, Eze Otuwa, his Elders-in-Council, and Traditional Cabinet with a view to ascertain the remote and immediate cause of the crisis.

"The level of destruction in the institution, the buildings that were burnt, the windows that were broken, the university fences that were felled, for me it should not have been so.

"It would require about N2bn to reconstruct fully, to bring the university the way it was before the crisis", he noted.

The lawmaker noted that no level of aggravation warrants the level of damage done on the infrastructure of the university.

He therefore appealed to the management of the university to consider reopening it for resumption of academic activities.

According to him, a committee has been set up by the university which will liaise with him on the amicable resolution of the issues.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration of the Abia State University, ABSU, Prof Godwin Emezue has been released after spending 11 days in the hands of his Kidnappers, ABN TV reports.

Prof Godwin Emezue who was kidnapped on Friday 26th January 2024 inside a fueling Station around Umuahia North LGA in Abia State, and whisked away by his Kidnappers was released on Tuesday Night after a ransom of 25Million was paid by his Family which was a condition for his release by his Kidnappers.

It was gathered that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of 35Million from his family, they however threatened to kill him after the family pleaded with a cash of N5million.

The Kidnappers who had shown footage of how they tortured the Professor threatened to kill him if the family fails to pay N20million before the end of Saturday, the traumatized family rallied and raised the money which they gave in Cash to the Kidnappers who issued a warning against involving Security agencies.

However his kidnappers demanded an additional 5 Million, claiming that they had instructions to K!ll him but may not want to do that for the New Year, the family with the support of his Friends and Abia State University raised the money which was sent again to the Kidnappers.

The management of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike Abia State has announced the indefinite shutting down of the academic institution.

This is owing to protest by students of the school on Tuesday which led to alleged vandalisation of valuables in the school, a protest the Vice Chancellor, Professor Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe described as activities of miscreants.

In a release on Tuesday made available to ABN TV, Prof. Iwe dismissed insinuation that the students staged the protest over refusal of the school management to allow them take part in first-semester exam in connection with non-payment of school fees, saying about 70% percent of students have made payment while thousands of others were in queue to pay before the “miscreants” struck.

He said, “Miscreants took over the University, chasing and pursuing the Vice-Chancellor, damaging his official vehicle and those of his officials claiming that they were not allowed to take their 1 Semester examination owing to their failure to pay their charges.

“The University’s record show that more than 70% of the students had paid their charges and were peacefully taking their examinations, while more than two thousand were in the que to pay and register their courses before the miscreants and hoodlums took the stage to cause trouble and disrupted the long-standing peace of the University.