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Anambra: Outrage As Governor Soludo’s Assembly Member, Hon. Okoye, Is Beheaded

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The Source
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Hon Okechukwu Okoye is found and beheaded

By Charles Igbo

“I regret that one of you, the member representing the good people of Aguata 11 Constituency in the House of Assembly (my own representative), Hon. Okechukwu Okoye is still in the custody of the kidnappers. The Security Agencies are working very hard and around the clock to secure his release. God is on the throne, and Anambra will win. Let me leave it at that”

The above quote was by Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Soludo. It came from him on Wednesday, May 18, 2022,  when he went to the Anambra State House of Assembly to present the revised 2022 Budget.

A couple of days earlier, gunmen had poked their hands into Soludo’s eyes by kidnapping the House of Assembly Member representing the Governor’s own Constituency, Aguata 11.

Honourable Okechukwu Okoye and one other were kidnapped May 15, 2022, in Aguata while he was driving his Sienna car. The Police recovered the abandoned car, but  Okoye was nowhere.

Everybody was optimistic that his abductors would make contacts and ask for ransom, and release him thereafter. Afterall, he had been kidnapped before, and was released.

When Soludo spoke about Okoye on Wednesday, he, too, was optimistic. He raised hopes.  But it was an optimism that has gone awry. Hope that has become hopeless.

Honourable Okoye has not only been killed, he was beheaded. His  body-less head was found on Saturday at Nnobi in the Idemili South Local Government Area of the State. His abductors took away his body, and left his head where it would be found.

An eye-witness said his head, freshly cut-off, was mounted at Chisco Motors Motor Park.

Outrage has greeted his killing and beheading. His Isuofia Community and the entire State are reeling in palpable shock.

“A sacrilege”, sreamed an elderly man who pleaded anonymity. “Igboland has gone to the dogs”, he added,  his hands on his head.

Another, with tears carousing his cheeks said:  “This is worse than the murder of Deborah in Sokoto. In Sokoto, they said Deborah committed blasphemy. In this cases, what did Okoye do?”

“This is not who we are and, thus, must be rooted out of our communities. It is hightime all Igbo Communities take drastic action to get to the root of this violence, killings and arson attacks across Igboland”, said another.

The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the beheading of Honourable Okechukwu Okoye. But no arrest has been made.

Governor Soludo was yet to react at the time of filing this story.

In past few weeks, the insecurity in Anambra State has escalated.

Anglican Communion, Egbu Kingdom Mourn as G.J Amadi Dies

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The Source
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GJ Amadi of Egbu Anglican Dies

By Charles Igbo

Egbu Kingdom, an autonomous Community in Owerri North Local Government Area, Imo State, has been thrown into deep mourning.

The kingdom has lost one of its very prominent and responsible sons in whom it was well pleased.

Godfrey Justin Amadi, more popular as G.J.,  has passed on.

Mourning with Egbu Kingdom is the Anglican Communion, in Nigeria, especially, Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, TBS, Lagos, where he worshipped  and was a staunch member, and, more especially, All Saints Cathedral, Egbu, Diocese of Egbu, where he was a pillar, a driving force, and Diocesan Board member.

Reliable sources said he passed-on in a Lagos Hospital on Saturday, May 14, 2022, of old-age related illness. He was aged 89 years.

Making public his passing, Mr Kelechi Amadi, who signed on behalf of the family, informed Egbu people of the passing of “Our ICONIC son.”

He wrote: “Umunnem nde Egbu Kingdom, with grief in our hearts but total submission to the will of God, we, the Amadi Family of Akujobi family in Akpadike kindred of Umuayalu, wish to inform you about the passing of our  ICONIC son, brother, uncle, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, G J. Amadi.

“May his loving, kind and generous soul Rest In Peace.

“The family will announce the program of events in due course.”

Amadi was an accomplished Boardroom guru. He had worked in the oil industry with both the defunct ESO and UNIPETROL. He was, also, on the Board of a number of companies.

G.J. was, in his lifetime, an accomplished philanthropist who not only sponsored a number of Egbu youths in their education but was responsible for their job placements “here and there”.

He was, also very deft in raising funds for both Community and Church projects.

Married to his devoted Dorothy, (née Odunze), their union was blessed with six children – four females and two males. One of the girls passed on in London, a couple of years ago, leaving her husband and children. G.J. and his wife were  blessed with a number of  grandchildren.

He will be sorely missed by his family, Egbu Kingdom and the Anglican Communion.

Arthur Nzeribe Was A Great Man, Says Uzodimma

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The Source
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Arthur Nzeribe

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, on Saturday, described late Senator Francis Arthur Nzeribe as a great man who will be missed by all.

The Governor spoke at the funeral service for late Senator Nzeribe at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Oguta.

Addressing the congregation at the end of the burial Mass, Governor Uzodimma, accompanied by his wife, Chioma, said everyone is in agreement that Sen Nzeribe was a great man and that his death is touchy.

The Governor said:  “He came a great man, lived a great man and is going a great man. Events surrounding the late Sen. Arthur Nzeribe show that he was a great man both in life and in death.”

He described late Nzeribe as one of Igbo’s and Nigeria’s best and brightest and further affirmed that the late Senator of was a “common denominator in the political lexicon of Nigeria.”

Governor Uzodimma assured those who came to Imo State for Sen. Nzeribe’s burial both from within and outside the State, that their security is guaranteed.

Later at the palatial home of the deceased, Governor Uzodimma and his wife signed the condolence register after which they witnessed Sen. Nzeribe’s internment.

In the condolence register Governor Uzodimma wrote:

“There’s no other way of defining a great man outside what you represented here on earth before your passage. May the good Lord grant you eternal mercy and place in heaven.”

In a vote of thanks to the congregation who graced the Church Service, the former Deputy Governor of Imo State,  Gerald Ironna also described late Nzeribe as “a great man even in death.”

Earlier in his homily, Rev Fr Obilor admonished the living to always ask for God’s mercy in line with bilbical injunction: “Blessed are the mercyful for they shall obtain mercy.”

He  pointed out that the worst sin in the world is the denial of justice hence he urged the congragation to seek God and do good while they are still living.

Fr Obilor said late Nzeribe started on time to prepare for his eternal journey, noting that he was a practising Catholic even unto death.

Also, he said Sen. Nzeribe lived for the poor, spoke his mind as a politician and never compromised his personal relationship with his God.

The burial attracted important personalities from Imo State and beyond including the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prof Placid Njoku, former Governor Ikedi Ohakim and his wife, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and his wife, Chairman of Imo State Elders Council, HRM Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and former INEC Chairman, Prof Maurice Iwu.

Others were the Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kennedy Ibe,  his deputy, Rt. Hon Amara Iwuanyanwu, Secretary to Government of Imo State, Chief Cosmas Iwu, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Barr Nnamdi Anyaehie and other top government officials.

One Dies As Building Collapses In Lagos; Heavy Rain Wreaks Havoc In Ogun State

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Building Collapase in Lagos

By Akinwale Kasali and Uche Mbah

Residents of Freeman Street, Lagos Island, and other parts of Lagos are counting their losses over the heavy  downpour that lasted for over three hours wreaked havoc.

A four-storey building under construction in the said area collapsed, leaving one dead. Many are still under the rubble.

Emergency Responders swung into action as soon as they were alerted of the collapse and rushed to the scene on a rescue mission.

Luckily, two persons were immediately rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and was rushed to the Hospital by the National Emergency Management Agency, NAMA and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, both of which were on ground.

The cause of the collapse of the building was immediately attributed to the heavy rain and windy storm. But this magazine gathered that the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, had already noted that the collapsed building was in violation of safety protocols.

Said a source: “It was discussed that the building had been captured by the LASBCA District Office and served with all Statuyory Notices, Sealed at District and Central Level.

“Further investigation determined determined that the developer had continued clandestine operations mostly at night and at the weekends.”

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Agency confirmed the collapse in a preliminary report titled, ‘ Situation report on collapsed four-floor building at 4 Alayaki Lane, Lagos Island on Saturday, 21st May, 2022’.

The report read, “The Agency responded to the above incident which was already in violation of building safety protocols.

It was discovered that the building had been captured by the LASBCA District Office and served with all Statutory Notices, Sealed at District and Central Enforcement Level.

“Further investigation determined that the developer had continued clandestine operations mostly at night and at the weekends.

“An unconfirmed number of people are still trapped inside the building. Two people have been rescued alive while another was recovered dead

“Search and Rescue operations ongoing. Further updates to follow.”

In other parts of the State, the heavy downpour led to the flooding  of the roads and poor visibility for Motorists plying the roads.

Vehicular movement was halted in the Lagos Island of the State as the road was waterlogged with Vehicles stranded in the flood, with Motorists waiting patiently for the flood to subside before they can continue their journey.

It was a sad tale for residents of Sango, Oju Ore, Iyana Iyesi, Aparadija, Ayetoro area of Ado Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The heavy rain saw roofs of some houses blown off by wind, while some were bailing water from their houses due to the heavy flood.

Passersby in the area were walking at snail speed due to the heavy flood that has taken over the road and fear of not falling into the drainages and gutters.

There was no vehicular movement on the Lagos Abeokuta Expressway as the road that was already in a pathetic state worsened with the heavy downpour.

It would be recalled that Commissioner for the Lagos State Ministry for Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello, had during a briefing on the 2022 seasonal climate predictions and socio-economic implications for the state, noted that Lagos Island is expected to have a rainfall onset date as from April 6, cessation date as  November 30 and a total rainfall amount of 1627mm.

He stressed that the peculiarity of Lagos, as a coastal state and its strategic position as the economic hub of the nation, has necessitated the need to disseminate crucial information on the 2022 climate prediction to prepare people ahead of the likely consequences of the rains and other relevant weather parameters.

As predicted, the rainfall in Lagos and its environs was intense, resulting in multiple crashes in some areas of the state and its neighbouring State, Ogun.

How IPOB Killed Missing Woman Inspector, Felicia Nwagbara, In A Shrine; Her Husband, Casmire, Is IPOB Member – Police

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The Source
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Suspected Killder of Inspector Felicia

By Charles Igbo

“Declared missing since 2017, Inspector Felicia’s Camouflage Police Uniform which she wore on the day she went missing, was recovered in a deadly shrine, along with a live python. Her husband and six others were arrested at the Shrine”

A Woman Inspector of Police, Felicia Nwagbara, was,  in the year, 2017, declared missing by the Imo State Police Command.

Nobody could explain her whereabouts, or the circumstances surrounding it. She simply disappeared into thin air.

After fruitless efforts to trace her, she was declared missing by Police authorities. Her husband Casmire Mgbugba, 53,  it is gathered, was inconsolable.  He joined in the search. The Inspector was his second wife, who, everybody thought, was his favorite.

But on Thursday, May 19, 2022, the Police had a breakthrough. It made a startling discovery.

Inspector Nwagbara was killed in a deadly shirne, a shrine where  live python was kept. And where alleged seven members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, were arrested.

The shock: Inspector Nwagbara’s husband was one of the seven suspects arrested at the shrine.

When the dreaded shrine was invaded and raided by the Police, based on information credible  informantion and intelligence reports, the Inspector’s Police uniform, which she was wearing before her disappearance, was one of the items recovered. The  meaning is  that for years, her husband knew his wife had been killed by him and his colleagues, or had been fed to the python in their shrine.

The Spokesman of the Imo State Police Command, Michael Abattam, revealed the Inspector’s tragic end in Owerri on Thursday when he addressed Reporters. He said: “The Command has uncovered a deadly shrine and arrested suspected  seven members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra and its affiliate, Eastern Security Network and a live python.”

The live python, Abattam revealed is for the use of the members to fortify themselves.

On how they were arrested, Abattam told a gripping story. He said: ” The Command’s Tactical Teams on 18/5/2022, at about 0600 hours hastily hastily mobilized when it received credible information that the native doctor who prepares charms for fortifications against bullets and knives for the group before their operations, has returned after fleeing the community.

“With the positive revelations made in the course of interrogating the suspects earlier arrested, in connection with killings, the Team was able to locate the criminal hideout in Ubah Agwa in Oguta LGA of Imo State, and immediately, cordoned off the area and tactically went into the den.

“The hoodlums, on sighting the Police operatives attempted to escape, only to discover that the whole escape routes, has been saturated with Police Operatives. They were arrested.

“The arrested suspects are: Casmire Mgbugba, ‘m’, aged 53 years, Hycent Chimezie, ‘m’, aged 30 years, Hycent Azunna, ‘m’, aged 28 years, Hycent Ifesinachi, ‘m’, aged 26 years, Hycent Chimobi, ‘m’  aged 23 years, Chukwuemeka Wisdom, ‘m’, aged 22 years, and Nnadiike Clifford, m, aged 72 years.

“Recovered from the shrine are: Toyota Camry Car with registration number, AKD 73 BF LAGOS, one live python, eight locally made pistols, 18 rounds of live cartridges, one Biafran flag, a look pair of Police camouflage uniform belonging to late Inspector Felicia Nwagbara ‘f’, who has been declared missing since 2017 by Police authorities.”

It is not known if Inspector Nwagbara’s now arrested husband has held funeral rites for her since she had been missing since 2017. It is, also, nor known if Police authorities have paid all her entitlements, and if so, who the beneficiary was – her now arrested husband?

Imo State, like other States in the South-east, has been bedeviled by unprecedented insecurity which, even though both the State and Federal Governments have been trying very hard to contain, is being gradually reduced to a no-go-area, especially, Orlu zone.

Ondo: First Class King, Deji Of Akure, Developer Tango Over Land Ownership

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

Allegations of land grabbing and illegal installation of Chiefs continue to trail the reign of the Deji of Akure in Ondo state, Oba Aladelusi Aladetoyinbo, who is also Chairman, State Council of Traditional Rulers.

The latest accusation is from the Chief Executive Officer of a construction company, Ademola Akin-Benson, who alleged that Oba Aladetoyinbo is disrupting the ongoing building work at Federal Housing Estate, Alagbaka, Akure.

Of recent, the Igbatoro road axis of Akure has witnessed upsurge in the number of housing estates built by either the Federal Government or private developers.

The ongoing construction work at Medaville Estate has pitched the company against the Deji of Akure, over the ownership of a portion of the land which resulted to litigation.

According to a paper presented by the Counsel to Medaville Building Construction, the Court granted the company’s prayer to continue with the project while the case continues.

And now, the company through its Chief executive director, Ademola Akin-Benson, has raised an alarm that the Deji has violated a subsisting Court order by allegedly sponsoring thugs to disrupt activities on the site on daily basis.

He said the Monarch is demanding for some portion of the land which, according to him, does not fall within his jurisdiction

The official claimed that two motorbikes, laptop, working tools, among other items were carted away during the week when suspected hoodlums invaded the site which has become a daily occurence.

Counsel to the Company, Femi Emodamori explained that Security Agencies as well as  the State Government are involved in the project.

However, a spokesman of the Deji, Michael Adeyeye, denied the allegation saying, the construction company is going beyond the allotted space and the Palace would not fold its arms and allow abnormality to take place in the community.

Adeyeye, who is Press Secretary to Deji, claimed that there are three hectres meant for a shrine within the construction area which the Federal Government is aware of. That is the crux of the matter.

Efforts made by our correspondent to get the reaction of both the Police Command and the State Government were not yet successful at the time of filing this story which may likely cause a breach of peace in Akure.

Innoson Crashes High Prices of Tricycles (Keke), Goes Into Production

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The Source
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Innoson Keke

By Charles Igbo

Chief Innocent Chukwuma, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company, is set to create more jobs in Nigeria by venturing into a new area

He has started the  manufacturing of Tricycles, popularly known as Keke. In  doing this, he has a main aim – crash the price of Tricycles which was first introduced into the Transportation system of Nigeria by the former Lagos State Military Adminustrator, Brigadier-General Mohammed Marwa rtd, who is, now, the Chairman/CEO of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.

Marwa, a Colonel then, introduced it to alleviate the pains the common man went through in Lagos, especially, routes where public buses did not ply.

But it has since become very popular across the nation as a means of tranportation. However, its price has continued to rise. From about N300,000 a piece, it’s gone up to N800,000 a piece.

In early 2022, while taking a group of Catholic Bishops on a tour of his Vehicle Manufacturing Company at Nnewi, Anambra State,  Chukwuma, whose Innoson Motor Vehicles, are gradually, taking over the automobile industry in Nigeria, had promised to   crash the price of tricycles once he started its manufacturing.

He has just fulfilled that promise with a new production line of Tricycles.

Tricycles currently sells for, about, N700,000. But those who buy it on “hire purchase”, pay as much as NN1.2 million for an agreed period.

It is expected that IVM Tricycles could sell  for  about N300,000, a piece only.

Anambra: Seven LGAs Taken Over By Criminals – Governor Soludo

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The Source
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By Charles Igbo

The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Soludo, says criminals have take over seven Local Government Areas of the State. This is the equivalent of what happens in parts of the North where Terrorists – Boko Haram, Bandits, ISIS, and more hold Local Governments by the jugular, collecting taxes.

Anambra has 21 LGAs.

It was a difficult thing for Soludo to admit, but presenting the revised 2022 Budget to the House of Assembly on Wednesday, Soludo pointed out two very daunting challenges he met on ground – a red treasury and an unprecedented insecurity.

Said the Governor:  “Among the challenges, we inherited a red treasury and pervasive insecurity,  especially with criminals taking the seven Local Governments of the South Senatorial Zone hostage, were the most acute.”

But Soludo assures that the people will triumph. He said he had since started the confrontation of insecurity headlong, but admitted that criminals were ferociously fighting back.

“We have chosen to confront the foundational issue of security head-on and expected that those profiting from the lucrative criminal enterprise would viciously fight back, and they have.

“Suffice it to say that so far, so good. They are testing our will and resolve. Let me assure you this: Anambra will win.”

The Governor is correct. Insecurity in the State has reached an unprecedented level, especially in the past few days following the Governor’s much celebrated  visit to the detained leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi  Kanu.

Those who thought that the visit would cut down the violence in the State were mistaken. It instead, escalated.

A couple of days ago, unknown gunmen  sent letters to nine Local Government Areas in the State, asking the people to expect them. To drive their point home. the Governor’s LGA is among those listed for attack. The people are panicky

The sit-at-home order declared by Simon Ekpa, an estranged IPOB member held, inspite of assurances to the contrary.

24 hours after Soludo’s visit to Kanu, gunmen burnt down the Idemili North LGA Secretariat, Ogidi, a Magistrate Court within the Headquarters, and the EEDC  Operational office all located within the premises.

A number of cars were burnt.

Within another 24 hours, they descended on the Governor’s LGA, Aguata. They welcomed him back to the State with violence.

Not a few people think that the evil is being perpetuated  by a rogue IPOB. Emma Powerful, IPOB Spokesman, has put most of the blame on Simon Ekpa, who Powerful said is leading “a rogue group” he identified as “Auto Pilot.”

How Soludo would handle the situation, he only knows.

But he is positive. He told Anambrarians: “We shall win.”

Danger: “Don’t Take Us For Granted; Don’t Foist Northern Presidential Candidates on Nigeria” – Southern & Middle Belt Leaders Warn APC, PDP

By
Adesina Soyooye
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South And Middle Belt Leaders

By Adesina Soyooye

“The reported permutations by the main political parties to foist Northern Presidential Candidates on the Nation, would be a grave misadventure, with grim consequences on national concord and harmony”

It was unarguably, the most well attended meeting held by the Leaders of the Southern and Middle Belt Nigeria. The calibre of attendees confirmed its high profile status. And its seriousness. It was a congregation of who-is-who. The  communique issued at the end of the meeting confirmed its seriousness and urgency.

It was dripping with anger. Anger at the state of the Nation. Anger at what Nigeria has been reduced to. The contents were, therefore, like a last ditch effort to save a drowning man. And it came with a loud warning: “Allow yourself to be saved, or drown.”

The attendees were worried at the game of death being played by the two main political parties in Nigeria – the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The meeting is alarmed that they are toying with the destiny and future of Nigeria  by suddenly discarding the rotation of the office of the President, by jettisoning zoning. And, it warns of dire consequences.

The belief, for months past, was that both APC and PDP would zone the office of the President to the South, and especially the South-east.

This belief was given a soul when both parties zoned the office of their National  Chairmen to the North.

The PDP had elected Dr Iyorchia Ayu from Benue State  and the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, from Nasarawa State.

In the history of democracy since 1999, no one part of the Country, North or South, had ever produced both the National Chairman of a Party and the President.

This was taken for granted, until serious Presidential Northern Candidates began to emerge from the North.

In the PDP, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, Sokoto State Governor,  Aminu Tambuwal, his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed, appeared, fighting seriously for the ticket.

The APC was slower than the PDP. First to come out was Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, who not many people think is a serious contender. Then, a couple of weeks ago, like a hurricane, the President of the Senate, Dr Ahmed Lawan, among others,  entered.

Lawan is said to be the North’s trump card. They think he and Atiku would square up. Or, he and Bala or Tambuwal.  Either way, it is the North.

The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders are incensed that the North wants the President’s office again after President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years. They say it is froth with dangers. And they see dire consequences. And they are warning.

At the meeting, they reiterated its position on the principles of zoning and power rotation between the North and South. They stated that the zoning and rotation of the office of the President are fundamental to the future existence of Nigeria. They condemned what they described as the “obvious schemes by the two main political parties, the PDP and APC, ahead of their Presidential  Primaries, to jettison the time-honoured principle of rotation which has traditionally served as the glue holding the Federal Republic of Nigeria together.” And, they warn that:

“The reported permutations by the main political parties to foist Northern Presidential Candidates on the Nation would be a great misadventure with grim consequences on national concord and harmony.”

Following, is the full text of the Communique.

COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE END OF THE MEETING OFTHE SOUTHERN AND MIDDLE BELT LEADERS’ FORUM, HELD IN ABUJA, ON THURSDAY, 19TH MAY, 2022

A Meeting of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF) was held on Thursday, 19th May 2022, in Abuja under the Chairmanship of the Leader and Elder Statesman, Chief Dr. E. K. Clark, OFR, CON.

  1. Delegations of the constituent Organisations of SMBLF were respectively led by Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Leader of Afenifere (South West); Professor George Obiozor, President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide (South East); His Excellency, Air Commodore Dan Suleiman (Rtd.), Leader and Dr. Pogu Bitrus, President, Middle Belt Forum (Middle Belt); as well as Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, FNSE, National Chairman, Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF (South-South).
  2. The Meeting was also attended by former Governors, Ministers, Federal and State legislators, top politicians and professionals from the Southern and Middle Belt regions, including His Excellency, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, His Excellency, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Oba Oladipo Olaitan – Deputy Leader Afenifere, Potter L. Dabup, D.I.G (Rtd.), Chief John Nnia Nwodo, former Minister of Information & former PG Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor Ihechukwu Madubuike, former Minister of Education and Health, Professor Anya O. Anya, Chief Gary Igwariwey, former PG Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, MFR, Secretary-General Ohanaeze Ndigbo, HRH Eze Cletus Iluomanya, Chief Dr. Simon Okeke, former Chairman of Police Service Commission, Professor G. G. Darah, Senator Inatimi Rufus-Spiff, Solomon Asemota, SAN, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, OFR, Ambassador Eddy Onuoha, Ambassador Humphrey Ojiako, Ambassador Ozo Nwobu, Chief Supo Shonibare, Chief Edozie Ezeugwa, Eze Dr. Ibe Nwosu, Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu, Professor Charles Nwekeaku, Chief Hon. Olivia Agbajoh, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia, Comrade Jare Ajayi, Hon. Keftin Amuga, CP Iorbes Ihagh (Rtd)- PG MUT, Dr. Mrs. Esther Mangzha, Mrs. Beatrice Eze, National Treasurer Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mrs. Elizabeth A. Jibrin, Chief Mrs. Chika Ibeneme, Elder Mac Emakpore, Chief Douyi Douglas-Naingba, Chief Ominimini Obiuwevbi, Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo, Engr. Ben Akaakar, Dele Farotimi, Dr. Katch Ononuju, Debrah Ogazuwa, Olutola Mobolurin, Christopher Aba, Audu Samuel Riko, Hon. Jonathan Tsaku, Joshua Bawa, Akwa Jeremiah and Ken Robinson, among others.
  3. The Meeting deliberated extensively on the State of Nation, particularly the worsening insecurity; the 2023 General Elections; and recent troubling developments in the polity.
  4. Arising therefrom, the Forum:
  5. Firmly reiterates its stance on the Principle of Zoning and Power Rotation between the North and the South, as the basis on which the Nigerian Federation has, since Independence, been premised.
  6. States, unequivocally, that the Zoning and Rotation of the Presidency of Nigeria are fundamental to the future existence of the Country.

iii.        Accordingly, condemns, in strongest terms, obvious schemes by the two main political parties, the PDP and APC, ahead of their Presidential Primaries, to jettison the time-honoured principle of Rotation, which has traditionally served as the glue holding the Federal Republic of Nigeria together.

  1. Warns that the reported permutations by the main political parties to foist Northern Presidential Candidates on the nation would be a grave misadventure, with grim consequences on national concord and harmony.
  2. Therefore, calls on all delegates of all political parties, and true lovers of democracy, as a sacred obligation, to reject Presidential Aspirants, or Candidates, from the North, and only vote for those from the South in the Party Primaries.
  3. Calls on all politicians and professionals from the South not to accept, on any account, the position of Vice President, as that would amount to a shameful committal of present and future generations of Southern Nigeria to senseless political vassalage.

vii.       Further insists that, in observance of the principles of justice, equity, fairness and political inclusiveness, the South, and particularly, the South East Zone, being the third leg on which Nigeria’s political trajectory had revolved, should produce the next President of the Country in 2023. Insists that this would bring the Igbo quest for full reintegration and reconciliation, since the end of the Civil War in 1970, to full realisation.

viii.  SMBLF commends a number of northern governors who have demonstrated great patriotism by their public support for the rotation of the presidency to the South; to name a few, Malam Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State, Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State, and Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR of Kano State. While equally urging other well-meaning northern leaders, who believe in the oneness of Nigeria, to support this cause, because therein lies the unity and progress of Nigeria.

  1. On the worsening state of insecurity and rampaging violence across the country, Forum warns that Nigeria is plummeting into a state of total disorder and lawlessness, with attacks on innocent people resulting in kidnapping, loss of lives and destruction of properties happening in different parts of the country almost daily.

Sadly, the Federal Government and its Security Agencies are not doing enough to arrest the situation, whereby people can no longer travel safely either by road, rail or even by air to Kaduna State in particular.

It is not only frightening but unimaginable that despite the heavy presence of military commands and installations in the State there could be such security challenges.

Cites the bombing of the Kaduna-Abuja bound train over 60 days ago as well as the brazen attack on motorists on the Abuja-Kaduna Road about two days ago. On both occasions, innocent lives were lost while several people were wounded with many abducted. Undesirably, most of those who were kidnapped are still in the terrorists’ captivity after 60 days.

  1. Forum condemns, in unmistakable terms, the killing of Miss Deborah Samuel Yakubu, a student of the College of Education, Sokoto, by her Muslim schoolmates and the wild spread of violence that engulfed the state, following the arrest of two of her killers. Denounces the worrisome disregard for the inviolability of human life by terrorists, criminals and religious extremists in the country.

 

  1. Likewise, strongly condemns the recent burning to death of a young man, a Sound Engineer, by commercial motorcyclists in Lagos, as well as the spree of killings and wanton destruction of properties and businesses owned by Southerners, particularly the occurrence, few days, at Dei Dei Market in Abuja.

xii.       Decries the unabating killings and destruction of livelihoods in the Middle Belt Region, especially in Southern Kaduna, Southern Borno, Southern Gombe, Benue, Taraba, etc, and the inaction of the Federal Government to live up to its Constitutional responsibility of safeguarding the lives and properties of its citizens.

xiii.      Classifies these killings and pervasive acts of aggression on the indigenous people, being perpetrated by elements of Islamic Extremism and Terrorists, as cultural genocide and ethnic cleansing. The Meeting cautions that these bellicosities and deliberate programs to exterminate the indigenous populations of the Middle Belt are, by implication, acts of aggression against the rest of Nigeria, and would not be tolerated any further.

xiv.        Deplores the inhuman plight of the 1,700 indigenous people of Southern Kaduna driven out of their homes and have now become Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) for over five years as well as several other Internally Displaced Persons in different parts of the country, left to live in conditions that impinge on their human rights as citizens of this Country. Hence, calls on the Federal Government to, without delay, facilitate the return and reintegration of these Nigerians into their Communities.

  1. The Meeting resolved to resist, through all legitimate means, the barefaced attempts by religious fundamentalists to impose on the rest of us, a Nigeria of “one country, different laws”.

 

  1. The Meeting reaffirmed the commitment of the people of Southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt to the RESTRUCTURING of the Country, in tandem with the Principles of True Federalism, as was established by the Founding Fathers of Nigeria.

 

  1. Done in Abuja, this 19th day of May, 022.

Signed:

  1. Chief (Dr.) Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, OFR, CON – Leader
  2. Chief Ayo Adebanjo- Leader, Afenifere
  1. Dr Pogu Bitrus- President-General, Middle Belt Forum
  1. Professor George Obiozor- President-General, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide
  1. Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, FNSE- National Chairman, PANDEF

Nigerians Applaud Death By Hanging Of Danish Citizen, Peter Nielsen, For Killing Wife, Daughter

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0

By Akinwale Kasali

Nigerians have hailed the Judiciary for allowing justice prevail and bringing an end to the about three-year legal battle over the murder of Zainab Nielsen and her daughter, Petra Nielsen by her Danish husband, Peter Nielsen.

A Lagos High Court on Thursday sentenced him to death hanging. He had gruesomely murdered both at their Banana Island, Lagos apartment.

Chima Onyegbulam, a social commentator expressed happiness that finally justice has been  served after years of fear and anxiety.

Also, a Feminine Group, Advocacy Against Domestic Violence and Abuse of Women, said that the ruling shows that the Judiciary is the last hope of the common man. Showering nncomiums on the ruling, the Group said that this will serve as a deterrent to men, especially foreigners who believe they can just treat Nigerian women  like trash.

In a statement by Chinwe Ameh, spokesperson for the Group, it said that they had waited patiently for this day and it is a victory for all women and it further shows that the Nigeria Judiciary is working hard to restore its lost glory in its judgment.

“We celebrate today because the court ruling is a victory for all women. It shows that our voice is being heard and there is hope for women, and the Judiciary has shown that it is the last hope for women and the common man.”

After over three years of legal battle, the Lagos High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS,  finally sentenced Danish Citizen, Peter Nielsen, to death by hanging for killing his Nigerian wife Zainab and their three-old daughter, Petra.

Justice Bolanle Okikiolu-Ighile, passed the judgment on Friday after over four hours ruling.

The Judge convicted Nielsen on a two-count charge of murder.

Nielsen had murdered his Kogi State born wife, Zainab, alias Alizee, who was  signed to an Asian record label, Petra Entertainment and was on the course of promoting her January 2018 single, ‘Alhaji Musa’, before her murder.

The 57-Year old Nielsen had been accused by the Lagos State Government of smothering her and their daughter to death around 3:45am on April 5, 2018, at No. 4, Flat 17, Bella Vista Tower, Banana Island, Ikoyi.

Nielsen was arraigned on June 13, 2018, on a two-count charge of murder under Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

He pleaded not guilty, following which trial commenced.

During the trial, the court heard that Zainab and Petra died of head injuries and asphyxia (or suffocation) that were not self-inflicted.

A Consultant Pathologist, Prof. John Obafunwa, told Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile that his post-mortem examination of Zainab’s corpse suggested that she was killed when her nose and mouth were forcibly closed which deprived her of oxygen.

She had also suffered bruises around her head which were consistent with “blunt force trauma that were not enough to cause any fracture.”

Obafunwa said evidence showed the deceased struggled to free herself from her killer’s grip using her hands and nails.

The result of a DNA analysis of Zainab’s nail clipping, the witness added, revealed the presence of her DNA material and that of “an individual described as Peter”.

On September 20, 2019, the Prosecution team led by Ms. Titilayo Shitta Bey (now Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice) concluded their case.

Rather than open his case, Nielsen argued that the prosecution had failed to link him with the alleged deaths, noting in particular that a particularly important prosecution exhibit was missing.

He filed a “no case” submission, praying the court to end the proceedings and set him free.

But on July 19, 2021, Nielsen lost his bid to regain freedom.

Justice Okikiolu-Ighile dismissed the Dane’s application seeking to be discharged of the double murder charge.

The Judge noted that the application, filed by Nielsen’s counsel, Mr Olasupo Shasore (SAN), though brilliant, was premature.

She held that both prosecution and defence had called witnesses and tendered exhibits which were not premised on the said exhibit.

The Dane had premised his application on a missing piece of critical evidence said to have been destroyed during the burning down of the Igbosere High Court last October.

Shasore had prayed the court to discharge the defendant on the basis that the exhibit – Nielsen’s late wife’s nightgown containing DNA evidence – was missing.

According to Shasore, the nightgown the woman wore the night she was killed could no longer be found in the court’s record due to the burning of the court by hoodlums who hijacked the October 2020 #EndSARS protest.

He submitted that substantial justice could not be done in the absence of the exhibit.

“The submission of the learned silk is premature, the application sought and the consequential relief are hereby dismissed,” the judge held.

The Judge ordered Nielsen to open his defence.

In his defence, Nielsen affirmed his testimony that he did not kill both Zainab and Petra.

He told the court on January 11 that he found the duo dead when he awoke from sleep that morning and tried to revive them.

“I remember that Thursday, 5th of April, 2018 was an Easter vacation day. When I woke up, I was looking for Zainab and Petra from the balcony overlooking the field in the Estate,” Peter added.

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