By Damian Duruiheoma
Owerri
Fresh controversy erupted on Monday when about sev­en thugs invaded a Catholic Convent, the Congregation of the Holy Sisters of the Needy locat­ed at Area A, World Bank Hous­ing Estate in Owerri, beating up some reverend sisters.
The assailants, who had claimed to be government offi­cials, were led by a man identi­fied as Mr. Paschal Nwakanma. Nwakanma is known to parade himself as the special adviser to Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state on Land Matters. The machete-wielding thugs num­bering about seven, Orient Daily learnt, were equally accompanied by three armed mobile policemen.

According to eye witnesses, the Nwakanma-led thugs and their police escort arrived the facility in a Kingsley Uju, [Imo state deputy chief of staff, Sienna branded car and a Hilux Jeep. He recalled the dramatic incident: “The group ar­rived the convent of the reverend sisters at about 1:00 pm and tried to enter the convent gate where a construction work was on-going under the supervision of a con­tractor – Special Hold Develop­ment Company.

“Their initial attempt at gain­ing entrance into the convent was resisted by the security man at the gate who, out of apprehen­sion, did not open the gate to the armed but unidentified persons. But the men resorted to bringing down the fence of the compound with sledge hammers.

When alerted to the invasion of their community, the Catholic Nun in charge of the convent, Rev. Sis. Clare Marie Ukaegbu, who quickly rushed out to find out what was happening, was physi­cally assaulted by Mr. Nwakan­ma for daring to challenge him.
Orient Daily equally gathered that a young man identified as Justice Ogadinma was beaten to stupor, a cut on the left eye in toe, for daring to record what was happening.

Also, One Mr. Fati Popoola, a welder at the construction site was reported to be given several lashes of machetes for daring to stop the thugs from destroying the building in progress with the sledge hammers they came with.

In a similar token, a lady who gave her name as Juliet Isaiah did not escape the fury of Pascal Nwakanma and his thugs as she was given a beating of her life.
Speaking to journalists, the helpless nuns revealed that the land which Mr. Paschal Nwakan­ma was trying to grab from them was given to them by the Imo state government on December 23, 1994 and covered by the stat­utory Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) NO: 4/4/308/ with Plan number: OWR (M) 589, situated at Area A of World Bank Housing Estate of Imo State.

Another victim who also spoke to journalists, Rev. Sis. Trinitas Ngu said that they had, on nu­merous occasions, reported the same attempts to grab their land through several letters from their solicitor to the Imo state gover­nor, Rochas Okorocha, who di­rected that their property should not be tampered with.
When asked why he was bent on grabbing the property of the Catholic Nuns, Mr. Paschal Nwakanma was reported to have said the piece of land was too much for a single institution like the congregation to own hence the need for some portion of the land to be taken away from them.

The CEO of Special Hold Devel­opment Company in charge of the building construction, who gave account of the event said that the thugs had invaded the place after they had beaten up the Catholic Nuns, a young lady Juliet Isaiah, Mr. Justice Ogadinma and his workers in the site. He said they took away all his construction in­struments as they could not fight back given how armed and bat­tle-hungry Mr. Paschal Nwakan­ma and his thugs were.

The federal government has been urged to revise its proscription of the Nnamdi Kanu-led pro-Biafra group, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
Foremost constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, who made the call, also urged the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and other prominent leaders to liaise with the governors of the south eastern states to pressurise the federal government to rescind the proscription order on the organisation.

Nwabueze made the disclosure during a closed-door meeting he had with the president general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo and IPOB in Ogbaru, Anambra state.

The pro-Biafran group had, in the meeting, asked the federal government to rescind the proscription order on it.
Addressing newsmen after the meeting, which he described as fruitful, Nwabueze said, “IPOB’s major worry is to get the federal government to lift its proscription order on them. We have promised to liaise with the state governors to do so in a later meeting that will hold on August 8.”
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo and other leaders of the zone had resolved to hold a meeting with South East governors to put pressure on the federal government to lift the proscription on IPOB.”

Nwabueze, who revealed that the meeting also deliberated on the 2019 general elections and the Igbo interest in the presi­dency, said the South-East was not interested in the presidency of the country.

“The primary need of Ndigbo now is restructuring, not Igbo presidency. We want a restruc­tured Nigeria; that is the only way we can get what we want and every zone would be satis­fied. If Nigeria is restructured, that will go a long way to satisfy our demands.

“We don’t want Igbo presiden­cy. As the country is today, we cannot get anything until Nige­ria is restructured. We can begin to talk about Igbo presidency only when Nigeria is restruc­tured,” he posited.
Expressing worry over the in­creasing rate of disunity in the country, the constitutional law­yer explained that the essence of the gathering was to make ev­eryone understand the need for peace to reign.

His words, “Leaders can only succeed if their followers are with them. We will not be unit­ed if followers are disenchant­ed with the leadership. There is trouble in Nigeria; we do not know what will happen in future but we can predict and we know there is a problem.

“We love Nigeria but the lead­ers of the nation are not doing the right thing. We are not in control of anything in Nigeria; it is for this reason that we need to come together and be united.
“We have no control of any­thing in Nigeria and if we lose control of ourselves, we are fin­ished and we will not let it hap­pen while we are alive.”

An insider in the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonym­ity, told our correspondent that all the parties in the meeting agreed that the Igbo would not field any presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections.
“Prof. Nwabueze just consol­idated on the previous peace meeting between Ohanaeze and IPOB, which held in Enugu some months back. It is necessary to consolidate on the existing peace between both groups as a way of forging a common front among the Igbo,” the source said.

Also in the meeting were a former Dean, Church of Nigeria, Most Rev Maxwell Anikwenwa, and a counsel for IPOB, Mr Aloy Ejimakor.

By Sunday Agbo
Abakaliki
Daniel, his mother Ngozi Nweze, Wilson and Elo­chukwu were victims of circumstance. After the death of their father in 1999, life became unbearable for them since their mother could not afford to provide the necessities of life for herself and the children.
Faced with this excruciating situation, Daniel the eldest son of the family, as a way of alleviat­ing their suffering, agreed to go to Owerri in Imo state, with his mother and his two other siblings – Elochukwu and Wilson.
The trip was bankrolled by one Amaechi Ukwa, ostensibly to assist the family but with ulterior mo­tives. It was gathered that, on their way, Amaechi Ukwa, unknown to them, had actually arranged the sale of Daniel to one Mr Solo from Mbaise who resold Daniel to one Madam Pepe at N340,000.
Trouble started when the sec­ond-hand owners of Daniel organ­ised a party and renamed Daniel ‘Jahbuike’. But Daniel refused to answer the name and told them that he would not answer any name other than Daniel.
Daniel, however, escaped from the house the night after the pur­ported renaming ceremony. After the incident, the buyer called Mr Amaechi to brief him about the boy’s escape and demand the return of the money paid on him. During the ensuing argument be­tween the two, Daniel overheard the conversation and escaped from the house. It was in the course of the escape that a police patrol team arrested him.
Daniel, however, took the police to his “master’s” place and the suspects were arrested only to be released after one week. Amaechi was said to have escaped from Imo state to Cotonou in Benin Republic. It was gathered that Amaechi had called his people in Umuezeokah in Ezza North local government area of Ebonyi state to send his wife back to her family and that he would not come back home anymore.

Daniel returned home through the effort of the Ebonyi state min­istry of women affairs on Friday July 27, 2018 since after his sale in June 2015.

Speaking to Orient Weekend, Daniel said: “My mother took me from Ebonyi to Imo state. She gave my siblings and me to one woman and, since that day, we have not seen her again. The woman took us to another man and said I had become the man’s child. One day, he called me ‘Jah Bu Ike’ and I told him that was not my name; that I remained Daniel Nweze.

“I was not schooling before I left for Imo. It was in Imo state that I started schooling. The man was taking good care of me. He had girl children and I was the only male child. I didn’t know that I was sold to him.
“I am in school and I am in primary four. The name of my school is Great Time Nursery and Primary school located in Oji, Okigwe”.

Daniel’s uncle who reported the matter to Family Law Centre before taking it to the ministry of women affairs, Ven. Silas Nweze said the boy, his two siblings and mother were taken away from the village on 15th June, 2015 and that, since then, he had been restless as he had not heard from them except once when Amaechi Ukwa who took them to Imo with­out his consent. Ukwa, he said, once called to tell him he would not return to the village through­out his lifetime.

“It was on July 2018 that I got a message that policemen from Imo state came to our family with Daniel. I rushed to Imo state to find out what happened. When I went to Imo, I saw Daniel in police custody. On inquiry, I was told that somebody sold him. The police told me that a man from a compound close to our house took Daniel, two brothers and their mother on one Eke day to Imo state and then disposed them.

“He sold Daniel to one Solo from Mbaise, Imo state who took Daniel and resold to one Madam Pepe at the rate of N340, 000. I reported the matter to a family law centre in 2016. Rev. Fr. Abraham Nwali, who is in charge of Welfare and I ran to the state commissioner for women affairs, Mrs. Rebecca Og­buewu. Since then, we have never heard about the mother of Daniel.

“It is only once that we heard from the man who took them to Cotonou and it was in 2015. One Amaechi Ukwa was the one who took them to Imo state. It was only once that we heard from Amaechi and when we called, Amaechi told us that he would never step into the community again that he was residing at Cotonou.
“He told us that he will never come to our place again that we should forget about him.

He told the family that they should send his wife and the only child he has back to the woman’s family. I re­ported the matter to our tradition­al ruler and Family Law Centre in Abakaliki. Our traditional ruler and the entire community are aware of this matter.

“Daniel, the two siblings and mother were taken away from the village on 15th June, 2015. Then on July 27, the information came to me and I took up the matter and reported to the traditional ruler and the entire community”, he said.

Receiving Daniel, the state com­missioner for women affairs and social development, Mrs. Rebecca Ogbuewu said the journey to the recovery of the boy was hectic and thanked God for the successful recovery. Ven. Nweze reported the matter to her office and she has been battling to ensure that he was released.

On her part, the desk offi­cer NAPTIP and head of child development ministry of women affairs, Mr. Godwin Igwe, thanked stakeholders of Ezza North for their financial support during the process of recovering Daniel.

By Phil Okose ,Onitsha

An Ogbaru Chief Magis­trate Court in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra state has adjourned sine dine in a murder case pre­ferred against one Ifeanyi Ali, aged 28 years.
The Presiding Chief Magis­trate, Mrs. Imelda Chukwudozie, Monday adjourned the matter sine dine to allow the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to prepare a formal murder charge against one Nwali at the High Court.
Nwali was arraigned following the alleged murder of Chidozie Alo, aged 26 years at Nwoke­di Street Okpoko, a suburb of Onitsha on May 13 this year for failing to give him N100 he demanded from him.
Nwali was said to have de­manded N100 from Alo, a Keke operator who told him that he did not have the money.
Consequently, he hit him with a broken bottle on the neck, cutting vital veins which led to uncontrolled bleeding that took his life.
Alo, who was planning to marry his fiancée this year before the incident hails from Amu in Ezza Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

By Patrick Egwu , Enugu

Four female pupils between the ages of 5 and 6 in the Early Child Care session of Migrant Framers Children School (MFCS), Aguibeje, Enugu Ezike, Igboeze North local government area of Enu­gu state have been allegedly defiled by their headmaster.

The incident which hap­pened on July 17, three days to the end of academic session for the pupils, has angered members of the community who described it as “an abomi­nation and desecration” of the customs and traditions of the community, adding that noth­ing like that had happened before.

Orient Weekend sources alleged that the headmaster lured the students to a bush close to the school with the promise of giving each of them first class positions after the term’s examinations and buying gifts for them before defiling them.

The alleged defilement was discovered by the mother of one of the victims when she spotted blood stains on the child’s vagina and decided to know what happened. Upon interrogation, the girl told her mother what happened: how her headmaster had lured them into the bush and started inserting his fingers in their private organs, prom­ising to buy them gifts and award them top positions in their classes ahead of their mates.

She continued, saying that the suspect, now at large, had approached her offered her a ride on his motorcycle, an offer she said she rejected. She said the headmaster then approached her three other classmates and told them that he would give them first posi­tions and buy them gifts and that they accepted to follow him.

After her friends had accept­ed the offer, the headmaster, yet again, approached her and told her that if she refused to follow them, that he would not give her first position in class. That was when she succumbed to his antics and followed him.

According to the victim, as narrated by her mother, shortly after they were lured into the bush, the headmaster started having carnal knowl­edge of them by inserting his fingers in their sexual organs which made her to develop pains around the region. “After the act, the headmaster brought all of them back to the school with his motorcycle before, yet again, taking my daughter back to the same location where he had defiled them and continued the acts all over again. When he had satisfied his sexual desires, he brought her back to the school where he had dropped her classmates and left”, the mother disclosed.

Orient Weekend further gathered that, after commit­ting the act and sensing trou­ble, the headmaster connived with the leader of the Neigh­borhood Watch in the com­munity to perfect his escape from the angry mob who had started a search for him.

Medical tests conducted on the pupils by their parents showed evidence of pene­tration. To further conceal the truth, the Neighborhood Watch came to the hospital where the tests were conduct­ed and took away the result.

“I was not around because I went to the farm. I was informed of the incident when I came back,” the father of one of the victim pupils. “I was told that my child came back from school and was complaining to her mother that her private part was hurting her because of what their headmaster had done to them,” he said, looking emo­tionally disturbed.

He continued: “so when her mother drew her closer to examine, she saw blood stains in her underwear. My child said they were four who were taken to the bush by their headmaster and defiled them separately but that hers was hurting her so much that she was crying,” he told Orient Weekend.

Attah said that after being told what the headmaster had done to his child, he rode his motorcycle to the home of one of the two teachers who assist the headmaster in the school to make inquiries.

“She told me she was not in school when the headmaster committed the act. I immedi­ately left there and went to the home of a second teacher and told her everything. She was shocked and followed me to the school but when we got there, nobody was around and she called the headmaster on phone but he was not picking up. We started looking for the man but he had escaped. We now went to the Neighborhood Watch to report the matter,” he narrated.

A community leader, who preferred not to be named, spoke to Orient Weekend on the incident. He said: “I was in my house when I got a phone call from my wife’s cousin who was crying and telling me that her child, one of the victims, was bleeding and almost dying. She said that the headmaster of their school lured her child inside the bush alongside three oth­ers and defiled them. She said he used his finger to penetrate and defile them and that they were bleeding,” he said look­ing downcast.

He further said that when he heard the story, he went straight to the particular village where it happened to find out the extent to which the matter had gone. “They told me that the matter was taken to the chairman of the Neighbourhood Watch. On enquiry, they said the man in question was brought there by the Neighbourhood Watch chairman of a neighbouring village who served as his sure­ty and took him back without questioning or interrogation. So, I became surprised and asked the chairman how he was then proceeding with the case, at which he got angry, questioning my interest in the matter,” he said.

The community leader said that, after the Neighborhood Watch chairman had spoken in that vein, he sensed foul play and rushed to the police to make an official report but their efforts at arresting the man was not successful.
“The police swung into action immediately but their efforts to get the man proved abortive. Several invitation letters were sent to produce the Neighborhood chairman at Aguibeje proved abortive. Now, the police division in charge of the case at Igboeze North local government area called me and told me that they had made efforts but the matter was again reported by the suspect to Udenu Area Command office and that the Area Commander had directed the Igboeze police to transfer the case file to them, even when he had not finished investigation or made any arrest in the matter as expected.

The DPO himself went to the community when he discovered the connivance between the headmaster and the Neighborhood chairman. Instead of taking the matter to the police, the chairman wants to suppress the case,” he said.

He said the headmaster, despite the invitation letter by the police, are still walking freely and no arrest warrant has been issued to bring him over for interrogation, prompting him to assume that the matter is being swept under the carpet.

To further seek justice for the pupils, the community leader, undeterred, travelled to Enugu to explore other options with NGOs and child rights groups to ensure that the perpetrator was arrested and prosecuted.
After he visited the Women Aid Collective (WACOL) and launched a complaint, the group petitioned the chairman, Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB), Ikeji Asogwa and the Enugu state police commissioner, CP Mohammed Danmallam.

A petition obtained by Orient Weekend titled: “Letter of Intervention” addressed to the duo, the group said “we write you with respect to a sad report that we received from a community called Aguibeje in Enugu Ezike, Igboeze North LGA of Enugu State.

According to the report, one Nathaniel Idoko, male, and the headmaster (Migrant) MFCS school at Aguibeje Enugu Ezike in Igboeze North LGA of Enugu state, was reported to have forcefully obtained carnal knowledge of four (4) underage female pupils, below the age of (6) six years.

The incident allegedly took place on the 17th of July 2017, in the office of the said Mr Nathaniel Idoko. The said headmaster allegedly used his fingers to perform sexual activities to the vagina of these innocent pupils, thereby de­flowering them in the process,” it read.

Part of the petition corrobo­rated the assumption that the Neighborhood chairman might have connived with the head­master to perfect his escape.

“Meanwhile, the Neigh­bourhood Watch chairman Aguibeje, one Mr Jude Urama (alias 2PAC) is reported to have disappeared since the incident after allegedly collecting money from Nathaniel Idoko, to aid his escape.

The petition further said “Again, our informant, a community leader in Aguibeje shared with us how himself and one of the victims’ father, Ezeugwu John and Ossai Jude reported the incident to the divisional police in Igboeze North LGA Enugu state. The police could not do much, as at the time of this report, because the suspect and the Neighbour­hood chairman are nowhere to be found.

The latest report is that the suspect has approached the Area Commander in Udenu, who is now calling for the case file in the matter, which is with the DPO in Igboeze North, and which files, investigation has not commenced at all.

We sense foul play and therefore humbly and kindly urge you to use your good office to investigate the matter,” the petition read.

The community leader also told this reporter that “since I started this journey of seeking justice for the pupils, I have re­ceived threats from the Neigh­borhood chairman and his boys. I made the threat known to the police.”

On the allegations that the head teacher might have defiled the pupils for ritual pur­poses, he said “we don’t know if he is a ritualist. We have heard stories that all these ritualists use blood for their sacrifice so we don’t know what this man had in mind in defiling the pupils.”

When Orient Weekend reached out to the headmaster of the school for comments, his phone line rang several times but he was not picking up. When subsequent calls were put through by this reporter, the suspect picked the call and when he heard the word “journalist” during formal in­troduction, he dropped the call and his line became switched off immediately. This reporter followed up with phone texts but none was replied.

The police public relations officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Ebere Amarizu, confirmed this incident when contacted and said a thorough investigation into it had commenced, prom­ising that the suspect would be charged accordingly when necessary.

By Patrick Egwu
Enugu
Four female pupils between the ages of 5 and 6 in the Early Child Care session of Migrant Framers Children School (MFCS), Aguibeje, Enugu Ezike, Igboeze North local government area of Enu­gu state have been allegedly defiled by their headmaster.

The incident which hap­pened on July 17, three days to the end of academic session for the pupils, has angered members of the community who described it as “an abomi­nation and desecration” of the customs and traditions of the community, adding that noth­ing like that had happened before.

Orient Weekend sources alleged that the headmaster lured the students to a bush close to the school with the promise of giving each of them first class positions after the term’s examinations and buying gifts for them before defiling them.

The alleged defilement was discovered by the mother of one of the victims when she spotted blood stains on the child’s vagina and decided to know what happened. Upon interrogation, the girl told her mother what happened: how her headmaster had lured them into the bush and started inserting his fingers in their private organs, prom­ising to buy them gifts and award them top positions in their classes ahead of their mates.

She continued, saying that the suspect, now at large, had approached her offered her a ride on his motorcycle, an offer she said she rejected. She said the headmaster then approached her three other classmates and told them that he would give them first posi­tions and buy them gifts and that they accepted to follow him.

After her friends had accept­ed the offer, the headmaster, yet again, approached her and told her that if she refused to follow them, that he would not give her first position in class. That was when she succumbed to his antics and followed him.

According to the victim, as narrated by her mother, shortly after they were lured into the bush, the headmaster started having carnal knowl­edge of them by inserting his fingers in their sexual organs which made her to develop pains around the region. “After the act, the headmaster brought all of them back to the school with his motorcycle before, yet again, taking my daughter back to the same location where he had defiled them and continued the acts all over again. When he had satisfied his sexual desires, he brought her back to the school where he had dropped her classmates and left”, the mother disclosed.

Orient Weekend further gathered that, after commit­ting the act and sensing trou­ble, the headmaster connived with the leader of the Neigh­borhood Watch in the com­munity to perfect his escape from the angry mob who had started a search for him.

Medical tests conducted on the pupils by their parents showed evidence of pene­tration. To further conceal the truth, the Neighborhood Watch came to the hospital where the tests were conduct­ed and took away the result.

“I was not around because I went to the farm. I was informed of the incident when I came back,” the father of one of the victim pupils. “I was told that my child came back from school and was complaining to her mother that her private part was hurting her because of what their headmaster had done to them,” he said, looking emo­tionally disturbed.

He continued: “so when her mother drew her closer to examine, she saw blood stains in her underwear. My child said they were four who were taken to the bush by their headmaster and defiled them separately but that hers was hurting her so much that she was crying,” he told Orient Weekend.

Attah said that after being told what the headmaster had done to his child, he rode his motorcycle to the home of one of the two teachers who assist the headmaster in the school to make inquiries.

“She told me she was not in school when the headmaster committed the act. I immedi­ately left there and went to the home of a second teacher and told her everything. She was shocked and followed me to the school but when we got there, nobody was around and she called the headmaster on phone but he was not picking up. We started looking for the man but he had escaped. We now went to the Neighborhood Watch to report the matter,” he narrated.

A community leader, who preferred not to be named, spoke to Orient Weekend on the incident. He said: “I was in my house when I got a phone call from my wife’s cousin who was crying and telling me that her child, one of the victims, was bleeding and almost dying. She said that the headmaster of their school lured her child inside the bush alongside three oth­ers and defiled them. She said he used his finger to penetrate and defile them and that they were bleeding,” he said look­ing downcast.

He further said that when he heard the story, he went straight to the particular village where it happened to find out the extent to which the matter had gone. “They told me that the matter was taken to the chairman of the Neighbourhood Watch. On enquiry, they said the man in question was brought there by the Neighbourhood Watch chairman of a neighbouring village who served as his sure­ty and took him back without questioning or interrogation. So, I became surprised and asked the chairman how he was then proceeding with the case, at which he got angry, questioning my interest in the matter,” he said.

The community leader said that, after the Neighborhood Watch chairman had spoken in that vein, he sensed foul play and rushed to the police to make an official report but their efforts at arresting the man was not successful.
“The police swung into action immediately but their efforts to get the man proved abortive. Several invitation letters were sent to produce the Neighborhood chairman at Aguibeje proved abortive. Now, the police division in charge of the case at Igboeze North local government area called me and told me that they had made efforts but the matter was again reported by the suspect to Udenu Area Command office and that the Area Commander had directed the Igboeze police to transfer the case file to them, even when he had not finished investigation or made any arrest in the matter as expected.

The DPO himself went to the community when he discovered the connivance between the headmaster and the Neighborhood chairman. Instead of taking the matter to the police, the chairman wants to suppress the case,” he said.

He said the headmaster, despite the invitation letter by the police, are still walking freely and no arrest warrant has been issued to bring him over for interrogation, prompting him to assume that the matter is being swept under the carpet.

To further seek justice for the pupils, the community leader, undeterred, travelled to Enugu to explore other options with NGOs and child rights groups to ensure that the perpetrator was arrested and prosecuted.
After he visited the Women Aid Collective (WACOL) and launched a complaint, the group petitioned the chairman, Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB), Ikeji Asogwa and the Enugu state police commissioner, CP Mohammed Danmallam.

A petition obtained by Orient Weekend titled: “Letter of Intervention” addressed to the duo, the group said “we write you with respect to a sad report that we received from a community called Aguibeje in Enugu Ezike, Igboeze North LGA of Enugu State.

According to the report, one Nathaniel Idoko, male, and the headmaster (Migrant) MFCS school at Aguibeje Enugu Ezike in Igboeze North LGA of Enugu state, was reported to have forcefully obtained carnal knowledge of four (4) underage female pupils, below the age of (6) six years.

The incident allegedly took place on the 17th of July 2017, in the office of the said Mr Nathaniel Idoko. The said headmaster allegedly used his fingers to perform sexual activities to the vagina of these innocent pupils, thereby de­flowering them in the process,” it read.

Part of the petition corrobo­rated the assumption that the Neighborhood chairman might have connived with the head­master to perfect his escape.

“Meanwhile, the Neigh­bourhood Watch chairman Aguibeje, one Mr Jude Urama (alias 2PAC) is reported to have disappeared since the incident after allegedly collecting money from Nathaniel Idoko, to aid his escape.

The petition further said “Again, our informant, a community leader in Aguibeje shared with us how himself and one of the victims’ father, Ezeugwu John and Ossai Jude reported the incident to the divisional police in Igboeze North LGA Enugu state. The police could not do much, as at the time of this report, because the suspect and the Neighbour­hood chairman are nowhere to be found.

The latest report is that the suspect has approached the Area Commander in Udenu, who is now calling for the case file in the matter, which is with the DPO in Igboeze North, and which files, investigation has not commenced at all.

We sense foul play and therefore humbly and kindly urge you to use your good office to investigate the matter,” the petition read.

The community leader also told this reporter that “since I started this journey of seeking justice for the pupils, I have re­ceived threats from the Neigh­borhood chairman and his boys. I made the threat known to the police.”

On the allegations that the head teacher might have defiled the pupils for ritual pur­poses, he said “we don’t know if he is a ritualist. We have heard stories that all these ritualists use blood for their sacrifice so we don’t know what this man had in mind in defiling the pupils.”

When Orient Weekend reached out to the headmaster of the school for comments, his phone line rang several times but he was not picking up. When subsequent calls were put through by this reporter, the suspect picked the call and when he heard the word “journalist” during formal in­troduction, he dropped the call and his line became switched off immediately. This reporter followed up with phone texts but none was replied.

The police public relations officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Ebere Amarizu, confirmed this incident when contacted and said a thorough investigation into it had commenced, prom­ising that the suspect would be charged accordingly when necessary.

By Uzoh Ugwueze Enugu

The romance between the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Spiritual Direc­tor, Adoration Ministry, Enugu Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka seems to be over.
Orient Weekend recalls that Mbaka had on the eve of the 2015 presidential election proph­esied that Buhari was going to defeat incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan. Using pigeons to illustrate his proph­ecy, he said Jonathan’s pigeon refused to fly, an indication that he would lose the election.

He went further to say that Jonathan’s government took Nigeria from goodluck to badluck and that Buhari would rescue the country.

Mbaka had also visited Buhari after he was sworn-in as presi­dent, re-echoing that God would use him to turn around the affairs of the country.

However, three years down the line, he came under criticisms by many Nigerians, over his silence, especially with the killings being perpetrated by suspected Fulani herdsmen across the country.
The priest has now come out from his ‘holiday’, bashing Pres­ident Buhari, who he said would no longer be able to sleep.

In less than one week, Mba­ka has released two messages targeted at Buhari’s government, which he described as ‘Demonoc­racy’.
In the first message, he advised Buhari to travel to Rome where he would ask God’s forgiveness for the blood of men of God and innocent men, women and children killed under his watch.

According to him, “From the councillor to the Igwe and ev­eryone in the rank of leadership. To the people who called them­selves senators, who are busy messing up the country in the name of lawmaking and those who are hovering in the House of Representatives, who are they representing actually? They are representing the disaster that is coming.

“All of them should go the bishops of this country and kneel down; lie down. President Buhari, if you don’t do this, you’ll know that a man of God has spoken. Apologise to the mother church. (Buhari should) take them (other leaders in the country) to the miniature, the Pope’s representatives are there, if you (Buhari) can’t take them to Rome, and apologise for the blood of the holy men and women that were shed under your (Buhari) government.

“God can prophesy someone into a position. If you know how Nebuchadnezzar became the president. He went there under prophetic order. When God wants to punish His people, He can use a leader. The Nebuchadnezzar God later pushed into the bush.”

As if that was not enough, three days after, during this popular programme, ‘E No Dey Again’, Mbaka stated that Bu­hari would not sleep very soon as more disasters would follow news of defecting lawmakers.
According to him, “the defected senators are coming to destroy Nigeria more.

“Heaven is watching Buhari with a whistle. The whistle has been blown. The administration is tyrannical. As for the defect­ed senators, they are coming to destroy Nigeria more.
“This is just the beginning of disaster following senators decamping, this is just the kin­dergarten until Buhari delivers the Change he promised. Heaven is not happy with Buhari, his administration is ‘demonocracy’, not democracy. Buhari will not sleep again.

“Those putting Nigerians in hardship will be ready to face more disasters and fire. I prophe­sied before Yar’Adua travelled to Saudi Arabia and died, I proph­esied before Jonathan became president and also said that Buhari will win. So, if Buhari messes up I will be directed by God to tell him. Buhari where is the change you promised.

By O’Star Eze & Praise Necherem

Forty-two-year-old, Chiedu Ikegwuonu, has fled his family home in Uruagu Nnewi, Nnewi North Lo­cal Government Area of Anambra state after murdering his mother, Benedeth Ikegwuonu, over allega­tion of witchcraft.

The deceased was attacked with a machete, sustaining severe inju­ries on the neck and throat which apparently led to her death.

Orient Weekend gathered from a reliable family source that the suspect murdered his 67-year-old mother in cold blood, following a prophecy by his pastor that the deceased was a witch and respon­sible for his struggle in life.

According to the source, Chiedu was encouraged to eliminate her in accordance with the biblical in­junction: “suffer no witch to live.”

The deceased, it was gathered, returned home from the market to prepare okra and ogbono soup and was said to be grinding the ogbono when the suspect approached from behind and slit her throat with a machete and fled the scene, leaving her in the pool of her own blood.

The deceased was said to be blessed with four boys and three girls but lost one of the ladies in a fatal motor accident.

A family member disclosed that the suspect who returned to Nnewi due to business failure in Aba, had been having a running battle with his late mother over his attempt to take over a piece of land belonging to his younger brother.

The source who spoke under anonymity due to family reasons revealed that: “The woman tried her best to improve the condition of the son to the point of giving him money to raise the foundation of his building from the money she got after her husband’s burial.

“This was due to Chinedu’s inability to do anything about the foundation of his building after one and half years, coupled with the fact that the second daughter was taking care of her mother before her untimely death after a fatal accident,” he said.

According to him, the deceased went to the extent of withdrawing money from her late daughter’s bank account for the suspect to complete his building after which he turned round to take over a portion of land belonging to his younger brother.

“He even abandoned the An­glican Communion and started attending a whit garment church as part of his efforts to mount pressure on his dead mother,” the source added.

The Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed who confirmed the incident, told Orient Weekend that the suspect’s younger brother, Onyedika Ikegwuonu reported the case to Nnewi Central Police Sta­tion on July 24, 2018 as at 2:40pm.

Mohammed disclosed that police detectives from the station led by the DPO visited the scene of the crime and rushed the victim to Akwudo hospital where she was confirmed dead by a medical doctor.

He further disclosed that the corpse was photographed and deposited at Akwudo morgue for autopsy while efforts are in top gear to arrest the suspect.

Orient Weekend further learnt that the suspect’s wife and son had been arrested by officers of Nnewi Central Police Station in anticipation that the suspect would come for his family.

Reacting to the incident, the Chairman, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Anambra State Chapter, Reverend Moses Ezede­bego, said that it was unfortunate that people fall prey to falsehood.

He enjoined Christians to be led by the word of God not prophe­cies, adding that most pastors are radicals who go about destroying families.

“Jesus never divided families neither did any of his apostles. Rather, Jesus preached that we should love our enemies.

“At one point the apostles wanted to call down fire and he re­buked them telling them that they do not know the spirit that they received. But today, you see people throw caution to the wind. Most of their practices are not based on the revelation of Christ. Many who call themselves prophets are native doctors that put on suit and call themselves pastors,” he said.

He, however, said that even if the suspect’s mother was a witch, the pastor should have handled it based on the new testament reve­lation using prayers and ministra­tion to the deceased.

On the scripture, “suffer no witch to live”, Ezedebego ex­plained that the scripture is not meant for the present day but for Israelites during the time they practiced theocracy and lived solely on the Torah.

He pointed out that Jesus Christ never killed anybody during his ministry even though there were witches during his time. “We have our constitution that guides our actions while the Israelites were guided by the To­rah because they were practicing theocracy. So, that scripture is for their community not for us.

“The approach if the lady was actually a witch would have been praying and ministering to her. If you are a child of God, witches cannot do anything to you. If you act on that scripture, the consti­tution of Nigeria will hold you accountable for your actions,” the PFN chairman said.

…APC not properly informed – Obiano’s media aide
By O’star Eze

The All Progressives Congress, APC, Anambra Central Zone has condemned the recent trip of Governor Willie Obiano to Austria describing it “as a waste of time and a pleasure trip.”
Speaking through its Zonal Publicity Secretary, Mr. Igboeli Arinze, the party said that it was contrary to reason that the governor would visit Austria with the intention of getting foreign coupling companies to produce tricycles for use in Anambra State when the state had a vehicle manufacturing firm like Innoson.
The statement read in part, “With the impromptu ban on the use of Okada by the present government of Anambra State, without giving any consideration to the plight of Anambra people who have indeed suffered increased hardship following the ban, the APC condemned such an action and did not buy into the bourgeoisie reasons offered by this administration in its deliberate attempts to impose hardship on the people.

“Be that as it may, we as a people oriented party did expect that this administration would put in place palliatives to ease the burdens of such a rash action but to our dismay this was not the case. Rather, we have it on all authority that the governor in what we describe as a jamboree went on to Austria to seek investors for the coupling of transport vehicles for use in Anambra State.
“This is ridiculous and a sheer case of policy summersaults, for indeed Anambra is not lacking in these industries. What stops the Governor Obiano from visiting Innoson for the procurement of these vehicles?
“Is the governor not aware of the huge costs such a trip as well as business would have on the state’s finances compared to what the state will benefit should such jobs go to our manufacturers? What has happened to the Nke a bụ Nke anyị? Or is it just a political slogan? ”

However in a quick rebuff, the media aide to Governor Obiano, Mr James Eze, refute APC’s claim saying that they were not properly informed while explaining the mission of the governor in Austria.
Eze said that it was not logical that the governor would go to Austria just to get investors for car coupling when he could do that via the internet or other more efficient means.
He explained that the governor’s visit was informed primarily by his quest to get prospective investors in the business of converting wastes to energy and fuel.
In Eze’s words “the governor saw the huge potential in the large mass of waste generated daily in the three metropolises of the state and sought for companies in Austria that would come and invest in converting these wastes to energy.
“He succeeded in getting two companies in the industrial city of Graz that have agreed to come and invest in this sector and this would translate to employment opportunities for our teeming youths as well as a new revenue window for the state.
The governor’s media aide added that the governor also held fruitful deliberations with some automobile assembly companies in a bid to consolidate on the state’s advantage as a car assembly state.
“The governor also held a meeting with the Mayor of Graz to discuss a bilateral relationship with Anambra State and the possibility of bright students of the state gaining scholarship to study in Austria,” Eze said. It was also disclosed that the governor gave a keynote address to Nigerians living in Austria during his visit.

By Uzoh Ugwueze
Enugu
The Biafra Zionists Feder­ation (BZF) has declared that election would not hold in 26 out of 36 states in Ni­geria during the 2019 general election due to the ongoing Bi­afra agitation.
The self-styled leader of the group, Barrister Benjamin On­wuka, who made the declaration shortly after he was released from prison, described the affected states as part of the Biafra republic.

Onwuka also announced a ban on all political activities in Biafraland, stressing that elec­tions would not hold on Biafra territories in 2019. He listed the areas where there would not be election in 2019 to include Southeast, South-South, West­ern region, Bakassi Peninsula, Middle Belt, saying they were all part of the Biafra territory.

He also boasted that he would take over Enugu government house on August 20 to announce Biafra Independence as Presi­dent of Biafra.
Onwuka was arrested on May 30 alongside 32 members of his group in front of Enugu govern­ment house where they had gone to declare Biafra Independence.

They were discharged and ac­quitted by a magistrate court in Enugu. He said nothing would stop him from “ceasing Enugu government house on that day as President of Biafra as Enugu re­mains the capital of Biafra land.”

He stated that the struggle for the realisation of Biafra had re­ceived a fresh momentum from the support of the United States of America (USA) and Israeli governments, stressing that, on August 20, they would “enter gov­ernment house, Enugu with car­rots and sticks with Israeli forces.

Onwuka said: “We will return to Enugu government house on August 20. The Nigerian govern­ment has 31 days to run and wind up. Enugu is the capital of Biafra.

“The Enugu government house is the property of Biafra. It does not belong to Ifeanyi Ug­wuanyi; it does not belong to Mu­hammadu Buhari and also does not belong to Nigeria. I will seize the place on that day and the Is­raeli forces will be backing us on that day and we are inviting all Biafrans, students, Middle Belt, South-South and South West to come out and receive their free­dom on that day.”

Onwuka, who confirmed that they were charged with treason­able felony after their arrests, stated that the United States of America (USA) ordered their release from prison last month, adding, however, that the order was not carried out until Thurs­day night. “The magistrate who had earlier declined jurisdiction on the matter and sent us to prison, suddenly pronounced us discharged and acquitted.

We simply walked out of prison and we thank the president of the United States of America, Don­ald Trump, who issued the order.
“Nobody believed we would return from prison. We went in and we have come out. They can’t do anything and we are going to show that we have the power of Israel behind us. The implication of that order is that we have defeated Nigeria.
They can no longer shoot us. That or­der has reinforced the struggle and Biafra has gained momen­tum as Southeast, South-South and Middle Belt are now asking for it,” he disclosed.

By Roberts Akpan
Lagos
A 16-year-old girl, Deborah David, who was brought to Lagos in search of a job but ended up a prostitute has narrat­ed how she slept with 20 men in a week as prostitute.
The teenager, who hails from Ikot Ekpene local government area of Akwa Ibom State, con­fessed to have been brought to La­gos by her madam one Vera John who lied to her parents that she was taking her to Lagos to work in a company work but ended up in hotel for prostitution.
According to her, men knock on her doors for round of sex at a fee or N2,000 and N5,000 for a night depending on her power of negotiation.
She explained that her mad­am, who is 26 years old, collects the proceeds which she claims to be saving for her.
She said that she makes about N100,000 in a month depending on availability of customers.

She explained further that her madam on arrival kept her and three others in a hotel at Ajah, Lekki and compelled her to swear to an oath that she will not run away nor tell anyone the kind of job she is doing.
According to her, the madam threatened to kill her if she exposed the business to her parents.

However, luck ran out on her madam Vera John when she was arrested by FSARS secu­rity operatives attached to the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja following a complaint by an unidentified Nigerian who informed the command of activities of Vera John whose means of livelihood is bringing teenagers from other parts of the states for prostitution.
As at the time of filing this report, the gender section of the command said the suspect would be charged to court for prosecu­tion after police investigation.

By Praise Necherem.
A newborn baby has been found dead inside a drainage system along Enugu-Onitsha express­way, by Romchi Park, Upper Iweka, Onitsha, Anambra State.
The baby, reportedly wrapped in a black polythene bag and dumped inside the gutter, was said to have attracted the at­tention of passers-by, including hawkers and drivers who gath­ered around the area to catch a glimpse of the baby.

Orient Daily gathered that a wheel barrow pusher, who was the first person to discover the baby in the early hours of the day, alerted some traders in the area, after rescuing the baby from the drainage.

One of the workers in the park within the area, who identified himself as Ejike Omeke, said he was busy with his job when he was alerted by the barrow pusher, displaying the content in the nylon.
“He went inside the drainage and brought out the nylon for us to examine the baby who was already dead after being stabbed at the side of his stom­ach,” he said.
Omeke described the act as callous, cautioning people to be mindful of the kind of life they live.

Another resident, Mrs Uchan­na Obiora, condemned the act, wondering why the perpetrators would prefer killing such babies to taking them to children’s homes.
She advised mothers to provide their children with basic training to guard against unwanted pregnancies.

By Praise Necherem & Chioma Chikaogu
A middle-aged man narrowly es­caped being lynched by angry mob in Njikoka local govern­ment area of Anambra State for al­legedly abducting two children from same parents from their school.

The victims were reportedly kidnapped by the suspect during a graduation party at the premises of Community Primary School, Umuo­kpu, Awka.
Orient Weekend gathered that the suspect was nabbed at the Afor Nnofia market, along old Enu­gu-Onitsha road, following an alarm raised by a tricycle operator.
The suspect was said to have boarded the tricycle with the kids and were heading to an unknown destination when he was appre­hended.
A woman, who witnessed the incident, told our correspondent in confidence that she was coming back from work in a commercial bus when they were attracted by a crowd at the market and were compelled to stop.

She said the keke operator narrated how he innocently carried the suspect, together with the little kids, but became suspicious when the suspect asked the kids to change their school uniform with the clothes he had with him.
She said the kids also confessed of how they were lured by the suspect with biscuits before telling them to accompany him to an undisclosed destination.
“The keke driver said as soon as he got to the Afo Nnofia market, he stopped and raised alarm which attracted traders and other pass­ersby and they descended on him mercilessly.” she added.

She said the police arrived the scene and whisked the suspect away.
Orient Daily learnt that the suspect later confessed to the police that he was hired at the cost of N50,000 and sent on the mission by someone who was waiting for him at the temporary site of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
“It was the suspect’s disclosure of his master’s location that assisted us to round him up eventually,” a police source said.
The source said that the suspect and his accomplice are presently in police custody.

…Says ‘Ekiti guber vindicates our stance’

By O’star Eze
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has restated its controversial call for its members to boycott the 2019 general election unless the feder­al government grants its request for a referendum to determine the future of the Nigerian nation.
The group also said the out­come of last weekend’s guber­natorial election in Ekiti state had vindicated its “no-election” stance, while calling on all tribes of Nigeria to see self-determina­tion through referendum as the only way out of Nigeria’s consti­tutional quagmire.

The pro-Biafra group, in a statement issued through its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, said that the events that played out during the governorship poll, won by the candidate of the ruling All Pro­gressives Congress (APC), Kayo­de Fayemi, have proven that IPOB’s postulation is correct.
“IPOB holds that voting in Ni­geria, within the present political arrangement, is utterly useless and counter-productive. PVC has transmuted from a supposedly potent object of freedom to one of bondage,” the group said.

“IPOB will boycott all elections in Nigeria come 2019”, Powerful declared, adding that historically, tyranny had never been removed from power through elections but “through disciplined popular resistance.”
According to him, those who are still hoping to achieve any positive change through the forthcoming elections were living in denial. He, therefore, advo­cated that other ethnic groups should subscribe to self-determi­nation through referendum as the only solution to the present problem in the country.

The group alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, apart from being Fulani, was on EFCC radar when Buhari anointed him as INEC chairman. He added that history and prec­edent prove that he had never worked against Buhari and wider Fulani interest.
The group also claimed that Amina Zakari, the INEC Direc­tor of Operations, was not only Fulani, but actually President Buhari‘s niece. It also alleged that the institutions which should act electoral watch-dogs and umpires (including all the security forces) were under the control of the Fulani.
According to Emma Powerful, the number of underage voters in Kano state alone was more than all those who collected their PVC in the South East and South South.

By Phil Okose, Onitsha
Ikechukwu Ndigwe, a Moroc­co-based Nigerian business­man desperately seeking for help to recover what is left of his once-thriving family and rebuild his shattered life, is now seriously considering legal show­down with the Italian authorities over the custody of his surviving two children.

Orient Weekend reports that Mr. Ndigwe, a native of Nnuk­wu village in Adazinnukwu in Anaocha local government area of Anambra state, lost his wife, Joy, and first son, Gozie Samu­el, during a dangerous voyage across the Mediterranean Sea on September 5, 2016 from Morocco to Italy. Nearly two years after the tragic incident, he is still battling hard to recover his two surviving children – Tochukwu Mathew and Ebubechukwu David – who were lucky to survive the tragic voyage and had remained in the custody of an Italian – Ms. Malandrino Maria Paula, in Siracusa, a town 30km from Catania in Italy.

According to the embattled father of three, who was incarcer­ated in Moroccan prison when the tragedy befell his family, efforts to secure Italian visa for a trip to Italy to reunite with the remain­der of his family, in the form of the two survivor children, has been fraught with frustrating legal quagmires.
Ikechukwu told newsmen in Onitsha that the rejection of his visa application and request to repatriate his kids was flimsy, baseless and without substance, in­sisting that he should be allowed to “enter Italy and see my children.”

He said that he met his late wife, a Nigerian from Benin City in Edo state, in Morocco, married her and that the marriage yielded three children. According to him, all was going well for the family until he was jailed by Moroccan authorities late July 2014. He told newsmen that his late wife and children used to visit him in pris­on until they joined other desper­ate migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe.

“I remember there was a time she told me that she would be relocating to Italy. I objected to the idea, telling her to either stay back in Morocco with my children or go back to Nigeria pending when I would finish my prison term. By then, it was just six months for me to come out.

“However, for some time, I did not hear from her again and I suspected that something may have happened until the news came that she, with the kids, was heading to Italy through the Med­iterranean Sea when their boat developed problem and capsized off the Libyan coast. The corpse of my wife was found but that of my first son was not. Her corpse, till this day, remains in the custody of the Italian government.

According to him, all his efforts to recover his lost kids had been frustrated by legal encumbrances. Hear him: “When this incident happened, I told my elder sister, Mrs Obiageli Ebilite to get my lawyer, Barrister A. M. Egbesons based in Onitsha, to write the Nigerian embassy in Italy, Italian government and Italian embassy in Lagos. He was to remind them that the surviving kids still had their biological father alive and that they should hand the kids over to them as closest relations.

“The Italian tribunal that entertains minor cases which was presided over by Dottoressa Pricoco Francisco, in Catania, kept my two kids in the Home Department, in the care of a guardian, Mrs Malandrino Maria Paula. The tribunal order was that the kids be handed over to their relations on the ground that they will show proof that they are financially buoyant to take care of them which the couple did but the Italian embassy in Lagos failed to grant my request for entry permit into Italy.
“When I came out of prison I continued from where my sister stopped, demanding to be issued with an Italian visa to go and reunite with my children and arrange to bring them back to Nigeria. That condition of being financially buoyant will not be extended to me as the biological father even if I am assumed to be (financially) unfit. Consequently, we wrote the Italian government, appealing for reversal of the refusal by its embassy in Lagos to issue me visa to travel to Italy to see my kids and start the healing of the psychological and emotional trauma under which the children have been since 2016.

Ndigwe decried the controver­sial decision of the Italian author­ities to deny his visa application and request to recover his chil­dren. “It is quite baffling. What other better reasons could one proffer for the grant of application of this sort?” he queried.
“I want to place it on record that those children have econom­ically buoyant relations who are pressurising me, as the children’s father, to go and make arrange­ments for their return to Nige­ria, their country, their root and their home,” he stressed, adding that “any flimsy reason to deny those children the opportunity to reunite with their father is inhu­man, condemnable and must be vehemently opposed”.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) says it will commence the 2018 Batch ‘B’ Orientation course for prospective corps members nationwide on July 24.
Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, the NYSC Director, Press and Public Relations, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
Adeyemi said that the course would hold in all orientation camps from July 24 to Aug. 13.
She urged all State Coordinators to pay adequate attention to security issues and general welfare of corps members.
She also advised the coordinators to ensure strict compliance with management’s directives on healthcare, feeding, accommodation and camp sanitation during the course.


Adeyemi said that the Director-General of the scheme, Brig.-Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, had urged the state coordinators to step up efforts at sensitising state governments and other stakeholders on their statutory responsibilities to NYSC.
“State governments are responsible for providing and upgrading camp facilities. Details regarding the conduct of the Stream II edition of the orientation course will be released in due course.


“I was impressed with what I saw in some states during the last orientation.
“Some states ensured on the implementation of the skills acquisition programme, feeding of corps members, camp sanitation as well as the quality of accommodation.
“Notwithstanding, the successes recorded, the states faced some challenges which I expect we will chart a way forward,” Kazaure said.
The director-general said that state coordinators who make giant strides towards the successful execution of the orientation course would be rewarded.
He added that those found operating at variance with the scheme’s core values would be sanctioned. (NAN)

By Damian Duruiheoma ,Owerri

Fresh crisis has erupted in the Anglican Diocese on the Lake, Oguta in Oguta local government area of Imo state, following what many view as house arrest of Bish­op Chijioke Benjamin Otti, his wife and children by worship­pers of the Cathedral Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Oguta.
The bishop is currently facing the wrath of the worshippers who are hell bent on seeing him removed from the church with allegations of greed and malad­ministration.
Recall that Rt. Rev. Otti had, late last year, dragged three senior priests of the church namely; Ven. Canon Eugene Onwubie; Rev. Eugene Iheana­cho and Ven. Caleb Udom to court for failing to vacate the church premises where they resided with their families and for refusing to submit their or­dination certificates to him.

But, in the latest crisis, the worshippers numbering over 500, comprising members of Christian Fathers Fellowship, women and youth groups and other pious societies in the church last weekend, around 6am, besieged the cathedral in protest and locked up all the entrances to forbid the bishop and members of his family from going out.

The worshippers carried placards with various inscrip­tions such as, “Bishop Otti, we are tired of your administra­tion”; “Diocese on the Lake on fire, please Primate come to our rescue”; “We demand the ordination of Rev Jasper Chik­we”; Our Cathedral Church on heavy financial burden”, “Henceforth, no diocesan activ­ities in the cathedral church”, amongst others to express their grievances.
The crimes of Bishop Otti ac­cording to them, included his inability to adhere to the advice of the leaders of the church, misappropriation of the church fund and his hard-heartedness and high-handedness.

They also accused him of being biased, inconsiderate and au­tocratic over an issue involving one of the priests of the church, Rev. Jasper Chikwe, who, ac­cording to them, was wrongly accused of immoral behavior.
They disclosed that after sev­eral attempts and appeals by the church over the matter, the bishop went ahead to suspend and withhold the expected ordi­nation of the priests without co­gent reason, and vowed to lock the bishop and his family in the cathedral until he showed acts of contrition.
Lady Joy Nnani, Evangelist Sally Ogbonna, Barr. Israel Onyeoyibo and other members of the church who spoke sepa­rately to newsmen during the protest affirmed that the bish­op has derailed from his re­sponsibilities to the church.

They further disclosed that they were protesting primarily for the Primate to know about their plight and do the need­ful by removing him from the church immediately.
“We are protesting because our bishop has failed in his work to attend to our spiritual needs and he has been so hard­hearted. He has also frustrated many of our efforts to move the church forward. Even when we go to plead with him, he refuses our pleas.

“The most of it is that, he is using somebody to frustrate the pastors working here in the church,” Nnani said, adding “how can the bishop remove our priest here, Rev. Jasper Chikwe and stop his ordination? So we are agitating for his recall and ordination.
“By this protest, we want the Primate to hear our voice and we are tired of the bish­op’s administration. He doesn’t forgive. He believes he is Al­pha and Omega as well. If you advise him, he will not take it rather he will choose to do what he wants.

“We are praying to God to change his mind. We love him. He is still our shepherd. If he changes, we continue with him but if he doesn’t want to change, our protest will go on until he is removed.” Evang. Ogbonna added.
“On the moral aspect of it, the church, under Bishop Oti, is not moving the way it ought to be moving.
“His administration is so hard, so inconsiderate and so harsh that the people are overburdened by series of money. Under Bish­op Otti, the emphasis is moving away from Christ to money and this is causing a lot of problems. By this also, the spiritual aspect of the church is dying.” Barr. On­yeoyibo also disclosed.
Efforts made to reach the bishop for his own side of the crisis through his phone proved abortive as the number re­mained unreachable.

By Phil Okose Onitsha

A mild drama played out weekend at the Godwin Achebe mini stadium, Fegge Onitsha, Anambra state, venue of the election of Onitsha International Electronics Dealers to elect their executives as one of the contestants, Hon. Emmanuel Ibeh, reportedly slumped.

It was gathered that he slumped after making several frantic efforts to leave the venue of the election on observing that he would not win the election but was refused leaving the venue by security operatives for fear that he would cause trouble.

He was said to be on the ground for about two hours after which the Commissioner for Trade, Commerce, Markets and Wealth Creation, Hon Christian Madubuko, invited a medical doctor who after examining him, was driven away in a security patrol pick-up vehicle probably to hospital while the election commenced in earnest.

At the end of the election the incumbent President of the market, Mr. Izuchukwu Okoye, emerged winner with 520 votes against Ibeh who had five votes while the incumbent Secretary General, Comrade Damian Ogudike, was reelected having polled 221 votes against his arch rival, Uzunagbu Pascal who got 24 votes.

Others were, Vice Chairman-Chukwubuike Kama Calistus 381 votes against Okoye Charles Chudubem who scored 94 votes, First Vice President -Ifeacho Igwebuike Patrick won with 289 votes against Okoye Nwabufor Frank and Okonkwo Samuel who scored 20 and 11 votes, respectively.

Also, Okeke Chinedum Michael got 256 votes to emerge as treasurer against Ogbonna Henry Onyema who scored 224 votes. Others were, Eze Ambros Ifeanyi who got 187 votes to emerge the Financial secretary against Onuigbo Obiora that had 59 votes.

Oda S. Ikenna emerged as assistant secretary with 144 votes against Njoku Chinedu who scored 44 votes and Okay Anthony Uzim who got nine votes; Mr. Innocent Emenari emerged unopposed as assistant financial secretary while Okeke Chukwudi was elected as the director of social.

Speaking, the Returning Officer, Mr. Ikenna Ida, commended the traders for conducting themselves peacefully during the election.

In his post-election speech, the President of the Market, Okoye, pledged to carry everybody along, stating that there is no victor no vanquished and commended the commissioner and the President General of Anambra Markets Amalgamated Traders Association (AMATAS), Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, for the success of the election.

He paid glowing tribute to the traders for finding him worthy to serve them again, stating that he would not let them down as he would work with the state government for the betterment of the traders.

Swearing in the elected executives, the commissioner reiterated that corrupt leaders who embezzle government fund must be fished out to cough out the money.

He urged the market executive not to embezzle government money as they pilot the affairs of the market

Describing the candidate who allegedly slumped before the conduct of the election as deceitful, he said, you cannot deceive the people all the time.

“We must stamp out corruption, I decided to be here today (Saturday) to witness this election. Anywhere, there will be election in markets in the state I must be there.

“No more anybody imposing candidates on the traders, no more imposition of candidates unless need be”.

On the court injunction allegedly served on him to stop the conduct of the election by Ibeh, the commissioner said that he was hearing it for the first time from newsmen, adding that there was nothing like that.

“You can’t manufacture court injunction in the field, we are not aware. This confirmed that some people who do not want progress in the market are those who are doing this thing.

“You cannot deceive the people all the time. We would have conducted this election in the past, there was trouble and it was cancelled. This is the third time and the same thing kept repeating itself. Today, I stood my ground that it will no longer happen,” he said.

Contributing, the AMATAS President General, Chief Ezenwankwo, described Ibeh’s collapse as drama and deceit to stop the election, urging him to allow peace reign by allowing the people to choose their leader.

“I believed that what happened here today was a complete drama, one person cannot hold the traders at the electronics market to ransom, democracy has come to stay in this market. The election was free, fair and credible,” he stated.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has slammed the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MAC­BAN), South-East chapter over its comment on the refus­al of the South-East Gover­nors’ Forum to donate land in their zone for cattle ranching.

The group said MACBAN surprise over the decision of the governors smacked of overcon­fidence and allegedly contained a subtle threat of attack.

In a press statement issued yesterday by the group’s media and publicity secretary, Mr Emma Powerful, IPOB described MACBAN comment as utter contempt and a way of ‘speaking the minds of the northern caliphate which the group has come to represent since the coming of the pres­ent administration’.

IPOB maintained that the decision of the governors was a commendable one, insisting that any attack against the Ig­bos and businesses in the north would be met with commensu­rate response in the south.

The statement party read, “The arrogant tone of their (MACBAN’s) statement and implied threat contained therein, against Igbo lives and businesses in the north, points clearly to an impending hostile response from them, which IPOB is both duty and honour bound not to ignore.

“We must make it abundant­ly clear that any attack against Igbo lives and businesses in the north, will be met with commensurate response in the south. Threats and large scale invasions of territories in the Middle-Belt may have had the effect of subduing indigenous Tiv resistance to the Fulani hegemonic juggernaut in the Middle Belt.”

IPOB further threatened that any attack on Igbo people and easterners living in the north will mark the beginning of what it called ‘the apocalyp­tic end of Nigeria’.

It said, “The sensible decision of hitherto docile South-East Governors to avoid wholesale breakdown of law and order in their region, through the banning of herdsmen activities, should be applauded by Arewa Consultative Forum, Sokoto Caliphate and all advocates of peaceful coexistence in Nigeria, not derided through the mouthpiece of Fulani terror­ists the MACBAN.”

IPOB argued that given that 70 per cent of Nigeria’s land mass is in the north, it would be better for ranching and colonies for cattle to be allocated land in the north, in­stead of coming to the already tiny and landlocked South- East for land.

The group called on all South-East and South-South governors not to lose guard as the purported subtle threat by MACBAN should not be taken for granted

ACCUSED, WIFE DENY ALLEGATION

By O’star Eze
A 63-three-year-old man, Chukwuemeka Diora, from Ukpo, Dunukofia Local Government of Anambra State, has dragged his kinsman, Kingsley Anigbata, 42, to court for allegedly engaging in extra-marital affairs with his wife and claiming paternity of his last child.

Diora, a commercial bus driver, alleged that the accused started having an affair with his wife after he helped him (Diora) secure a buyer for his landed property in 2017 when he became a regular visitor to his home. Diora claimed he saw his wife exiting various hotels in Abba and other neigh­bouring towns in company of Anigbata on several occasions.

Diora, who has been married to his wife for 17 years with six children, said that he confronted Anigbata when he discovered the extra marital affair, warning him to desist from coming to his house because he was no longer consid­ered a friend.

Speaking with Orient Weekend he said: “When I threatened to report my wife to her parents, she agreed to call off the relationship. It seemed she made good her words because a month went by without the man coming to my home or any strange occurrence, but it turned out that the problem persisted.

“A few months ago, when I slotted my wife’s SIM card in my phone, a call came in and it was Anigbata. I picked the call and did not speak. Thinking it was my wife that picked the call, Anigbata said she should meet him at one of their usual rendezvous.

“When I came back, I asked my wife about it and she admit­ted she was still meeting with him. I then told her to board the bus that we were heading to her parents to report her. She refused, so I took two of my grown kids to her father’s house and reported to the father who calmed me down and told me he would come to my place the next Sunday with his son to query his daughter over my accusation.”

He explained that he reported the matter to Prince Tochukwu Eze, the man who bought the land and Anigbata’s relation, who spoke to his wife and promised to talk to the accused.

“That night at around 9:00pm, I was startled by loud persistent knocks on my door. When I opened the door, it was Kingsley Anigbata. I confronted him, ask­ing him why he was disturbing my peace. He warned me to stop being a nuisance; that he fa­thered my last child who is about two years old now. That if I say anything again, he would break my legs.

“My wife came out supporting him, saying that I have met my match in Anigbata. It was then I brought out an iron; he ran away, shouting that he was the one that sired my last child and that I cannot do anything about it.”

He alleged that Anigbata threatened to kill him if he con­tinued being a nuisance, claiming that he was untouchable and that even if the matter was reported to the police, that he would go scot-free.

He said that he reported the matter to the police, who asked him to bring his wife for question­ing.
“When I brought my wife, she was giving her statement when I left for home only to be called by the police and informed that the DPO had instructed that she be released.

“I went back to the station; I was told by the IPO, Tina, that my wife had mentioned the name of the man and that they would arrest him.
“I concurred saying that all I wanted is for him to sign an undertaking for me that he would stay away from my life and wife.

“I later went to see the DPO and related my woes to him. He called for the IPO and instructed that they should arrest the boy the next day and serve him a court notice. He then asked me to go home.”
He said that Prince Tochukwu Eze brought the young man to the police station after two days where he continued bragging that he (Diora) cannot do anything.

He disclosed that the Prince advised him to send his wife away as she was at fault and not his brother, but he refused.
Thereafter, he said the DPO asked the parties to discuss among themselves and come to a resolution, but he refused, saying that he wants the facts to be laid bare first.

“The DPO suggested we take the matter to court which I ac­cepted. However, the IPO told the wife to make another statement which got me angry because I suspect that my wife would have connived with the accused to say a different thing. The police gave me a court notice asking me to report at the magistrate court in Ukpo on Monday, July 9.

Diora told Orient Daily that he had stopped sleeping with his wife or eating her food but prepares his own food since he discovered her extramarital affairs.

However, the accused, Kingsley Anigbata, a civil servant with Dunukofia revenue collection de­partment, denied the allegations, insisting that Diora was accusing him falsely because he kept tell­ing him to set up a business for his wife with some of the money he made from selling parcels of land.

Anigbata said he not only helped Diora sell two parcels of land, but also saved him from losing the land to some people (Nwafor-Ochu family) who want­ed to wrestle the land from him.

“Diora told me that he owned land in four different locations which were being wrestled from him and that he was dying of penury and needed to sell some to recover financially. So, I got my brother involved,” he said.
He said that he took pity on Diora because of his wife who was idle and going about washing plates at events to get food for the children, alleging the man neither paid his children’s school fees nor ready to give his wife money to start her own business.

“He promised his wife that if he sells the land, he would give her N200,000 to start a business. I involved my brother and he bought the land for N2.7 million. It turned out that he mistakenly put his SIM card in his Hausa mistress’s phone and the lady cleaned his account out of most of the money.”

He said that he was not having an affair with Diora’s wife nor had he threatened his life. According to him, “I have my own family and have never slept with nor did I sire Diora’s last child.

Anigbata said that Diora came back to him in tears pleading with him to bring a buyer for the second piece of land, which he refused, reminding him that he reneged on their agreement to empower the wife after the first sale.

“He promised he would give his wife money from the proceeds of the second sale and sold the three plots of land to us at N3 million. We gave him N1.5 million. After he was given the money, I waited for a while for him to make good his promise but he did not. Instead of giving the wife some money, he went to buy a Mitsubi­shi commuter bus.

It was when I went to his house on one occasion to confront him on why he was yet to make good his promise that he lashed out at me, accusing me of having an affair with his wife.
The accused also alleged that he had bailed Diora from police cell over issues surrounding the land on severally occasions, using the influence of his brother, the prince.

When Orient Weekend visited Diora’s home, it was an uncom­pleted building with most of the doors and windows hollow. The last child was with her mother, 31-year-old Nonye who said that she dropped out of school in SS1 to marry.

She denied having an affair with Anigbata, confirming claims that her husband was not taking good care of her and her children.
She disclosed that her husband was having affairs with other women and used to bring them home to spend the night.
“The boy he is accusing is not the father of my son. I am living with a man already. Do you know that my husband does not care about our welfare? He has sold several lands and yet he is not able to open a shop for me. He has brought his lady friends to this house twice and I used to feed them,” she said.

She said that her husband once gave her N50,000 which she start­ed business with selling firewood, but the business folded after a while because she kept catering for her six children with proceeds from the business.
“My husband does not pay my children’s school fees and does not care about our wellbeing, so I carry the burden of fending for our kids alone. My first child is in SS1 now and I pay her school fees myself,” she stated.

Meanwhile, Orient Weekend learnt that the court case which was supposed to commence on Monday did not hold because the parties had agreed to settle out of court by swearing an oath at a shrine in Awkuzu.
This resolution, according to Anigbata, was spearheaded by the IPO in charge of the case at the Ukpo Police Station.

Anigbata said that the oath swearing did not hold because Diora said he would not be able to meet up with the conditions for taking an oath, stressing that he was ready to swear the oath if Diora agrees that he would wipe his name out of any agreement paper he signed for him.

On his part, Diora said that he went to the court and shrine but did not meet Anigabata, insisting that he was still sending people after his life.
Prince Tochukwu Ufondu Eze confirmed that he had bought land on two occasions from Diora.

He complained that he was on edge at Diora’s insistence to foment trouble, saying that he has washed his hands off the case.
According to him, Diora refused to sign undertaking with Anigba­ta at the police station, insisting on going to court.

“When I got to court with Anig­bata on Monday, I was summoned by the police and told that Diora has changed his mind about going to court and has chosen to go to a shrine to swear an oath with Anigbata. All I know is that his brother, Anigbata has been help­ing Diora and has even bailed him from the police on several occa­sions,” he said.

By Gabriel Alonta & Okechukwu Onuegbu
The Okoye family in Umuchibu village in Awba-Ofemili, Awka North local government area of Anambra state, has been thrown into grief following a domestic squabble that resulted in the death of their son, Osita Okoye in contro­versial circumstances.

Orient Weekend gathered that Osita, a farmer and first son of the family was allegedly murdered by his younger brother, John, during a bloody brawl in their family compound. The deceased, 34, it was learnt, was confronted by his 28 year old brother for allegedly beating and stripping their mother naked over minor domestic issues.

The embattled mother told our reporters that trouble ensued for the Okoye family after the de­ceased had a disagreement with an undisclosed cousin over farmland boundary.

Mrs. Joy Okoye, 58, recalled the dramatic events that ended in the tragic loss of her son: “After cook­ing on that fateful night, I was in­side the house resting when Osita returned home. After his bath, I offered him food but he asked me to forget about the food because he had a more pressing issue to discuss with me. He said he had a misunderstanding with one of his cousins from my family over a land mark and that he reported the case to security agents.

“I tried to let him see reasons why the issue would have been resolved within the larger family, instead involving security men for his cousin brother. That was how he erupted and branded me unprintable names. He even asked me to leave his presence.

“He raised his voice but I tried to calm him down because it was late already, around 10 pm. I went to lock the door just not to let out our discussion to neighbours but he went after me and flung the door wide open. I also explained why he should not fight with his cousin over the land. The explanation did not go down well with him.

“Before I could sit down, he slapped me and tore my dress. I ran to the back yard to get a cover for myself. It was in the process that my second child (John) came to my rescue. John tried to pacify him to no avail and questioned the rationale behind beating me. He (John) told him it was late already and that he should stop disturbing other neighbours. But instead of listening to him, he (the deceased) ran into the house and collected knife to fight his brother.

“I tried to hold him back not to fight his brother with the knife, he collected the torch which I was holding and struck it against the wall and pounced on his brother, hitting him with the object twice in quick succession. John defended himself by forcefully snatching the knife from him, which led to a fatal injury that eventually claimed his life after he had bled profusely with no vehicle available to rush him to hospital.”

The distressed mother, who con­demned the deceased’s hot temper and stubbornness, said that if he had not resorted to retaliatory actions the unfortunate incident would not have happened, noting that it was difficult to separate him whenever he fought.

However, the widow appealed to the Anambra state government to intervene in the matter by asking the police to release his son, John, and allow them to settle the case amicably within the family.

“I plead with the police to release John and allow us to settle it ami­cably because I cannot stand losing my two sons. John and Osita are my only children. So, John is now my only possession. Now that he is in police custody, no one is giving him food and there is no transport fare to go see him. What will I be living for again and none of them is married; their father died some years back”, she bewailed.

A villager, who pleaded anonym­ity, said that the circumstances of Osita’s death called for inter­rogation, pleading that proper investigation be done to forestall occurrence.

Contacted, the police public relations officer, Anambra state, SP Haruna Muhammed, said that the police could not compound the case of murder, pointing out that the suspect would be arraigned before the court after investigation is concluded.

Several attempts to reach the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Ernest Ezekwesili Maduag­wuna, to determine what the cus­tom of the land says about murder proved abortive. Even when he picked his call, he promised to call but never got to do so. Our report­ers even visited the monarch’s home in Awka, the state capital, but were unable to see him.
Meanwhile, Orient Weekend further gathered that, as at the time of going to press, the de­ceased’s brother, John was still in police custody in its Achalla divi­sion, awaiting investigation while the deceased had been buried pending other burial rites.

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nige­ria has expressed displeasure over the rejection of ranches by South-East governors, describing it as shocking and lack of discretion.
The group said the governors’ decision did not show exemplary leadership.
The South East Governors Forum had in its meeting in Enugu last Sunday, unanimously agreed that no land would be made avail­able for the establishment of cattle ranches in the zone.

The group, in a statement issued by its South-East leader, Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, said they least expected such decision from the Igbo who he referred to as “the major bonding elements among the people of Nigeria.”

It explained that the governors’ latest stand would not only frus­trate its people from carrying out their legitimate livestock rearing business in the zone but suggestive of the kind of suspicion that might undermine the mutuality of the claim of brotherhood.

“It was surprising to us consid­ering the cordial relationship that had existed in the zone between us and the state governments. Miyetti Allah had never failed to appre­ciate the commitment of the host governors in ensuring the safety of his members,” Siddiki said.

“It is our candid view that the South-East whose citizens are the major bonding elements among the people of Nigeria would provide ex­emplary leadership in accommodat­ing other Nigerians in their midst.

“It is evident that our organ­isation’s advocacy for peaceful coexistence among indigenous farmers and herdsmen is increas­ingly making successes in the South-East. We are mindful of the various negotiations and consulta­tions still going on in respect of the contentious issues of ranching, col­onies and grazing areas across the country. We are hopeful that these issues are considered dispassion­ately in the interest of Nigeria and the generality of its citizens.

“We of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders of Nigeria, consequent upon the existing understanding we enjoy with our hosts, and in response to the latest stand by the South-East Governors Forum, wish to reaffirm our confidence in the capacity of our host governors to encourage the growth of our legitimate trade in their geo-polit­ical zone.

“It is a very trying period in the history of Nigeria and it is our candid view that the South-east whose citizens are the major bond­ing elements among the people of Nigeria, would provide exemplary leadership in accommodating other Nigerians in their midst, in so far such persons are legitimately en­gaged in their economic pursuits,” it said.

Meanwhile, the Indigenous Peo­ple of Biafra (IPOB) has flayed the leadership of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) over its statement on the recent decision by South East governors to ban illegal movement of cattle between states in the region.

IPOB in a statement issued through its spokesman, Comrade Emma Powerful, described the statements credited to the group as clear indication that the herdsmen activities pose grave danger to the people of the region.

The statement read: “The arro­gant tone of their statement and implied threat contained therein, against Igbo lives and businesses in the north, points clearly to an impending hostile response from them, which IPOB is both duty and honour bound not to ignore.

“We must make it abundantly clear that any attack against Igbo lives and businesses in the north, will be met with commensurate response in the south. Threats and large-scale invasions of territories in the Middle-Belt may have had the effect of subduing indigenous Tiv resistance to the Fulani hege­monic juggernaut in the Middle Belt and total collapse of morale in the West, given what happened at Ado-Ekiti PDP rally on Wednesday July 11, 2018. One inevitable out­come of any premeditated attack on Igbo people and easterners living in the north, will mark the beginning of the apocalyptic end of Nigeria as we know it.”

According to the pro-Biafra group, the decision of the South- East Governors to avoid wholesale breakdown of law and order in their region, through the banning of herdsmen activities, should be applauded and not derided.

“Given that 70 per cent of Nige­ria’s land mass is in the north, as we have been boastfully reminded by many government officials and core northerners over the years, it stands to reason and common sense that ranching activities is better suited to the north not ‘tiny’ ‘landlocked’ South-East.

“Those northern voices that continually pressured Igbo leaders and governors to mistakenly ban IPOB are today silent against the murderous antecedents of their own kith and kin the Fulani terror herdsmen. Had IPOB not been ill-advisedly banned by South-East governors and Igbo socio-cultural leaders, MACBAN would not have had the guts to issue such an in­sulting statement against Igbo lives and business interests in the north.

“All South-East and South-South governors must be guided by a pop­ular proverb in Igboland that says, only an irrational man kills his na­tive doctor when those that wish to poison and harm him are still very much around and multiplying. Are­wa Consultative Forum and their foot soldiers the MACBAN must know that IPOB will never tolerate their excesses”, it added.

By Praise Necherem

The Senator representing Anam­bra Central Senatorial Zone, Victor Umeh, has denied accu­sation that he indulged in elec­toral malpractice to win his election into the Senate last January.

He denied that irregularities marred the election that made him a senator, adding that the election was a walk­over after defeating his opponents over­whelmingly.

Umeh stated this over the weekend at the election tribunal for cross-exam­ination in a petition filed against him by Mr. Nkem Ekweozor, a candidate of the Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP) in the January 13 rerun election.

The lawmaker said the election was peaceful, stressing that no secu­rity threats or invasions were regis­tered anywhere in all the seven local government areas where the election took place.

Meanwhile, a mild drama occurred at the tribunal when his opponent, Ekweozor, a lawyer, broke down in tears while challenging Umeh’s elec­tion.

Ekweozor, who represented himself at the tribunal, could not continue half way during his cross-examination of Umeh as he lowered his face and began to cry, cleaning his face with a white handkerchief.

The chairman of the tribunal, Jus­tice H. A. Olusiyi, who could not believe what he was seeing asked, “What is happening here? You are crying. What for? Oh, my God, a lawyer crying in court? This is unusual. How will all these people in court see you? Do you think they will hire you tomorrow to de­fend them? I have not seen a thing like this before; a lawyer crying in court?

“Counsel this not the right thing to do. We (lawyers) are trained not to be emotional. This is not the final court; if you don’t get what you want here, you can go upstairs. Lawyers don’t cry.”

Responding, Ekweozor apologised for his outburst, saying, “My Lord I’m sorry for this. I was crying for justice. My op­ponents here want to intimidate me. My lord, I am weeping for justice. I am sorry.”

Ekweozor had, while cross-examin­ing Umeh, accused him of screening himself to emerge the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in 2014 when he was still the national chairman of the party.

But in his response, Umeh said he was not a member of the APGA screen­ing committee during the exercise, nei­ther was he a member of the screening committee which was properly consti­tuted according to APGA guidelines and constitution.

He listed Mr. Tayo Sowunmi and Mr. Ifeanyi Mbaeri as chairman and secretary of the screening committee, respectively, but told the court that he could not remember the name of the third member.

Justice Olusiyi, while adjourning the matter to 12th July for adoption of ad­dresses, asked the parties to file their written addresses.

Briefing journalists after the court session, Umeh said the petitioner con­stituted little threat to his seat at the National Assembly but decided to come in obedience to the law in his usual hab­it of not wanting to circumvent rules.

It would be recalled that the elec­tion in contention was originally con­ducted in 2015 and won by Mrs. Uche Ekwunife but was nullified following the petition of Umeh.

The rerun, which was on the basis of the original nomination, barred the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from contesting and was won by Umeh with a wide margin.

Findings by an NGO, Women Aid Collective (WACOL), through an initiative known as, Voice to the People (V2P), has shown that just about 23 per cent of all capital projects mapped out for Enugu state in 2017 budget have been com­pleted out of which a paltry 7per cent has been put to use.

The finding which was pre­sented to journalists during a stakeholders’ meeting organ­ised by the group, focused on capital projects as contained in the Federal Government of Nigeria 2017 Approved Budget implemented in Enugu State and covers agriculture, health, water, education, infrastruc­ture and rural electrification in the three senatorial zones of the state.

A breakdown of the finding showed that about 7.69 per cent has been completed and in use, 15.38 per cent was completed but not in use while 46.15 per cent is ongoing with varying degrees of completion.

The assessment which was done using V2P volunteers from communities hosting the projects also showed that work has not started in about 30.77 per cent of the projects.

Reacting to the finding, the Executive Director, Women In­formation Network (WINET), Mrs. Miriam Menkiti, said it was an eye opener as it has ex­posed the less than impressive implementation of the 2017 budget in Enugu State.

She said, “concerted efforts should be made towards sen­sitising the people for them to know more about government projects in their areas so they can hold those responsible for implementation accountable if it fails”.

Also speaking, the Zon­al Secretary of the Nigerian Union of journalists, (NUJ), South East, Comrade Kenneth Ofoma, faulted the Nigerian budgeting system, stating that there was no way the nation could develop with the current system.

“The current incremental budgeting system being prac­ticed is a scam. It is fraudulent. It will not lead us anywhere if not changed.

“The current administra­tion came on board with the promise of reverting to what is known as zero budgeting but ever since, they’ve stuck with the old ways which encourages fraud,” he said.

Participants at the event ad­vocated an increased sensiti­sation of the people on budget­ing issues through traditional rulers, town unions, churches, market places and through the social media as it will help them in monitoring projects sited in their areas.

churches, market places and through the social media as it will help them in monitoring projects sited in their areas.

A South African woman is recovering in hospital after being discovered alive in a mortuary fridge. The woman was taken to Carletonville morgue, in Gauteng province, having been de­clared dead by paramedics following a road accident.

Ambulance company Distress Alert said she had shown “no form of life”, South Africa’s TimesLive website reports. But when a morgue work­er returned to check on the body in the fridge, he found the woman was breathing.
An official confirmed to the BBC the woman is now being treated in a hospital east of Johannesburg after being referred by forensics officers. She has not been named.

An investigation into the incident is being carried out, with the family demanding answers. “As a family, we won’t talk about this unless the police, paramedics and the mortu­ary officials who were involved are present. We need answers,” a family member told the BBC, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The man said the family was in shock. “The issue is that we need answers, that’s all we want, and we don’t have any clarity now,” he added.

Distress Alert Operations Manager Gerrit Bradnick said there was “no proof of any negligence” on his com­pany’s behalf. “This did not happen because our paramedics are not prop­erly trained,” he told TimesLive.
Bradnick told TimesSelect she was one of several people involved in a car accident which left two others dead on Sunday, 24 June.

This is not the first time this year someone has woken up in a mortuary after being declared dead.
In January an inmate at a jail in Spain’s Asturias region regained consciousness hours before an autop­sy was due to be performed. Three doctors had certified him dead.

It is also not the first time this has happened in South Africa. Seven years ago, a 50-year-old man woke up screaming in an Eastern Cape morgue. In 2016 another road acci­dent victim, from KwaZulu Natal, was declared dead, only to be found breathing the next day.
He died five hours after the discov­ery.

“When I insisted that I knew nothing about the death of my parents, they took me to a bush, where I met Odiong. Both of us have been living on the streets since then,” he said.

Few months ago, 13 years old Patience Ita Bassey was almost slaughtered by her master, one Mr Asuquo Bassey alias Asuka­ra, who resided at 21c Inyang Edem Street, off Mt. Zion Road, Calabar South for allegedly be­ing the cause of the purported dwindling fortunes of the man.

Our reporter who visited Mr Bassey’s house was reliably informed by neighbours that the accused inflicted several matchet cuts on the girl, and was at the verge of killing her when her cry attracted neigh­bours who promptly rushed in to deliver the victim from immi­nent death.

The neighbours said they called in the police, after which the girl was rushed to General Hospital, Calabar where she re­ceived treatment. A neighbour, one Chief Orok Orok Duke, President of a Calabar-based NGO, Less Privileged Right Protection Organization, told this writer that his prompt intervention saved the life of the girl, and described such violence as unfortunate.

Investigations indicated that even the police are at a lost on how to handle the menace. A police source in Akwa Ibom State, who preferred not to be named, said the command was inundated with cases of violence against alleged ‘child-witches.’

“On several occasions, our men are called upon to res­cue vulnerable persons, such as women, children and the elderly who are falsely accused of being witches, and who are being subjected to untold acts of torture and brutality by some criminal elements.

“A case in point is the res­cue of two male children aged nine (9) and six (6) years. Mmenyene and Samuel who were branded as wizards in a village called Ikot Obio Asanga. They were rescued in a toilet having been locked up for 14 days without food and water.

“This followed a so-called prophesy that the children were wizards and responsible for the misfortune that had befallen the family. Those in­volved, the father and a proph­etess had been picked up and charged to court,” he stated.

Recall that one Bishop Sun­day William had alleged, some time ago, that Akwa Ibom state has about 2.3 million witches and wizards, majority of them, children.

The then Governor, Akpabio, was said to have expressed an­noyance that a ‘Bishop’ would declare that 2.3 million witches existed in a state of less than 4 million people; leaving just 1.7 million of the population witch-free.

It was also said the ‘Bishop’ claimed to have helped parents kill about 110 “child-witches” at N400,000 per ‘child witch’. He was arrested at the instance of the state government and paraded at the State Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, Uyo.

He told reporters, during interview, that he was not involved in the said killing of child witches in person but that he uses superior spiritual powers to destroy the spir­it of witchcraft in possessed children, adding that since he started his work in 2007, he has so far destroyed the spirit in about 110 people.

But, former Governor Ak­pabio had dismissed the 2.3 million witches claim as hallucination of the highest order, positing that some of the alleged child witches may have confessed to being witches and wizards when they were tortured by their parents and church leaders.

“If you put a nail on my head and ask me to agree that I am a wizard, I would do that to save myself from torture. That is how these children are tortured to accept that they are witches and their parents would gladly throw them out of the house,” he had said.

Many more incidents of use of brute force on alleged child witches are rampant. Most of these troubles are traceable to spiritual leaders, who, instead of being solution, are them­selves causes of broken homes and families.

These ‘men of God’ and ‘prophets’ seem to have em­ployed the vulnerability and ignorance of their poor mem­bers to exploit them, using chil­dren as scapegoats. In nearly

all cases, it is children of poor members of Churches that are tagged ‘witches.’Orient Daily investigations indicated that in both Akwa Ibom and Cross River states for instance, the Child Right Act was signed into law as far back as December 5, 2008 and May 26, 2009 respectively. But, latest torture and killings of children in these two States show that the Child Rights Law may have lost steam and purpose.

As at today, alleged child-witches are still murdered with impunity right in the pres­ence of law enforcement officers and government accredited clan/ village heads. Regretta­bly, State governments have remained helplessly passive and are yet to formally prose­cute anybody who, by whatever means, inflict severe bodily harm on alleged ‘child witch.’

This writer could not lay hand on any document on the number of those prosecuted or punished as a result of vio­lation of the Child Right law despite the fact that almost all the States of the federation had signed the Act into law.

Besides, checks showed that the problem of increased num­ber of street children in our society is traced to the ‘child witch’ syndrome. Many of the street children are those who were sent away by parents and

care givers. They are today the bulk of notorious criminal gang called the ‘Skolombo boys’ in Calabar.

Investigations also indicat­ed that most members of cult groups wrecking havoc in Cal­abar and causing residents to sleep with one eyes closed are grown up ‘child witches’ who were forced to become street children. Some of them are involved in brutal kidnapping and armed robbery incidents. These ‘child witches’ who now become street children, courte­sy of the carelessness of par­ents, society and government, grow up to hate the society for being unkind to them.

Most of the challenges facing our society could be curtailed if government could rise to its responsibility by holistically im­plementing the Child Right Law to stem the tide of street kids and by extension, criminalities. And, until government begin to punish offenders, accused child-witches would continue to pass through the valley of shadow of death in the hands of parents, prophets and care giv­ers. The number of street kids could continue to multiply with venom of hatred unleashed on innocent residents in our streets if Nigerian authorities continue to remain passive.

Children accused of being witches are still being tortured and killed in cold blood despite the Child Right law which has been in force for many years now. In this report, our Correspondent, Joseph Kingston, takes a cur­sory look at the part played by care givers and parents, effect of abandoned ‘witch’ children on society vis-a viz cult activities, kidnapping and other forms of criminalities.

A five months old baby girl, Baby Fedora, and her sister, Blessing, who was just two years, were butchered by their biolog­ical mother some months ago at Ikot Eneobong, 8 miles in Calabar municipality for pur­portedly being ‘possessed’ with demonic spirit.

Investigations indicated that on that fateful day, the chil­dren’s mother, whose name was given simply as Mrs Temple Peters, had told her Rivers State-born husband, Mr Temple Peters that she was ‘praying’ with the kids.

In the course of the said ‘prayer’, she has shaven Baby Fedora’s head with a broken bottle and thereafter smashed her tender head on the floor even with an open Bible by her side. She then took hold of the other child, Blessing, and in the course of conducting exorcism on her, strangulated her to death.

The family Pastor of the Pe­ters (name withheld) had told our reporter that the father of the children rushed to his house, panting, to inform him that the children’s mother had killed his two innocent kids.

“I rushed to their apartment and what I saw was as if I was dreaming. The baby’s head was scrapped probably with a broken bottle. The sitting room was messy with blood stains everywhere. I met her on top of the two years old Blessing with her full weight on the child shaking her terribly with an open Bible close to the girl’s head. By the time I shove her aside, I discovered the girl was stone dead.

“Branding chil­dren witches is a criminal offense and against the laws of our coun­try, he does not deserve to be a free man because if all things are equal, he should be in jail for at least two years”.

“I confronted her but she told me she was trying to cast away demons from the children because any time she looks at them, she would see an old man in their eyes. She accused the husband of not being sensitive to the things of the spirit,” the Pastor had told this reporter.

Few months ago, six year old Effiong Lawson was beheaded, allegedly by his stepfather, Felix Lawson, 43, in Onna local government area of Akwa Ibom State. Effiong was accused of being a wizard whose assign­ment in the witchcraft world was said to include impoverish­ing the parents.

Effiong, who was sent out of his father’s home, had not eaten for three days. That fateful night, he sneaked into the backyard to beckon to his sister to help him with some crumbs of the food in the house but unknown to him, his father was at home.

Felix, on realizing it was his ‘witch son’ in the yard, left the food he was eating, pursued the hungry and weak lad with a cutlass and in one fell swoop, cut off his head.

Effiong’s headless body was later found in the pool of stagnant water behind one of the school blocks, adjacent Lawson’s home. The head was found in the nearby farm. It was indeed like a horror mov­ies, yet it happened in Akwa Ibom State with the Child Rights Law in force.

Another victim of parental brutality to a ‘child-witch’ was that of a 12-year-old Mercy Frank, who was bath with acid by her biological mother for being a ‘witch.’ Fortunately, she survived the acid bath.

Before the incident, Mercy was a pupil in Atabong Primary School in Okobo local govern­ment area of Akwa Ibom state. The acid bath had completely damaged her mouth, breast and other parts of her body.

At the children ward of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Mercy, who was brought to the hospital by security agents who picked her from the bush where she was dumped by her mother, was begging for food to keep body and soul together.

Her words: “I am from Ata­bong village. I am the second child in the family of four children. My mother poured acid solution on my body, which is why my mouth and my body are like this.

“One of our neighbours told my mother that I was a witch but I told her that I was not a witch. She took me to Apostolic Church in Atabong, Okobo and the pastor told her that I was a witch. When the pastor asked me if I was a witch, I told him I was not a witch.

“The pastor prayed and told my mother that I was a witch, then we went back home after the prayer. When we got home that night, my mother canned me seriously. Other neighbours begged her to let me be but she refused.

“Later at midnight, my mother took me to a bush and poured acid solution on me and dropped me by the roadside and left.”

Just last week, a child right group, Basic Child Rights Initiative (BCRI), said rescued three children aged 13, 11 and

witch­ 7, who were allegedly incar­cerated at Asabanka, Idundun in Akpabuyo local government area of Cross River state.

Principal Council /Rights Activists, James Ibor, told our reporter that the father of the children, one Mr. Patrick Effi­om, locked the children indoors for weeks over allegation of witchcraft. “He locked them up without food or water inside the place he used as poultry. He claimed that they were the

ones behind his misfortunes and they wrecked him financially .We have listened to his testi­mony which is highly inconsis­tent and incoherent. “Branding children witches is a criminal offense and against the laws of our country, he does not deserve to be a free man because if all things are equal, he should be in jail for at least two years. We know the laws of Nigeria made provision for the protection of children from this kind of treatment,” he said.

Another bad tale of torture of alleged child witches is that of two 8-year-old children from Okobo local government area, Akwa Ibom State, identified as Mary Odiong and Ekong Asua, who lived on the streets for one full month, after their relatives tortured them and sent them out of their homes for allegedly being witches and being responsible for the death of relatives and parents.

Odiong told Journalists that she was blamed for the death of her uncle who died in Okopedi village, of an ailment many suspected was AIDS, and that her people accused her of send­ing the AIDS virus to the man. This is ridiculous indeed.

“The people in my family called me and started asking me whether I was a witch and why I killed my uncle. I told them that I did not know anything about what they were talking about. They started beating me. They hit me with cutlasses. They cut my buttocks with knives.

After the beating became too much, I lost consciousness. Lat­er, I woke up to find myself in a bush. I have been living on the streets since last month with­out food and shelter,” she said.In Esua’s case, his parents died from what has been de­scribed as a “strange ailment,” and afterwards, his uncles accused him of being a wizard, and blamed him for his parents’ death.

“My uncles told me that they went somewhere to find out why my parents died. They said they were told that I killed both of them through witchcraft. They tied my hands and started beating me up with native sugarcane and asked me to confess.­

opera1:
That is Native Nurse NOT a native Doctor.

Quack.

By Damian Duruiheoma, Owerri

A 26-year-old native doctor, Chinaka Adoezuwe of Umuozu Ugiri in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State has been shot dead while testing a bullet-proof charm locally referred to as ‘odeshi’ he prepared for a client.

According to village source, the customer, Chukwudi Ijezie, had gone to the traditional doctor to acquire charm that would shield him from gun attacks and after preparing the spiritual bullet-proof, the manufacturer- Adoezuwe instructed Ijezie to shoot him point-blank to test the efficacy of the charm fastened round his neck.

The customer reportedly shot the native doctor on the chest, kill­ing him instantly, a development many villagers found surprising.

“Chinaka (Adoezuwe) was known here for preparing charms for all manner of persons. We were surprised to hear that he told his customer to shoot him and the bullet penetrated his body, result­ing in his death,” a villager said.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem, who confirmed the incident, said the suspected customer had been arrested and would be charged for murder.

Enwerem said: “The suspect is in our custody; it is a case of murder. The Isiala Mbano division of the command moved in and arrested the suspect and returned normalcy to the area. The case will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelli­gence Department.”