Police operatives in Enugu on Wednesday killed two suspected members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) during a raid on the group’s alleged camp in a forest in Igbo-Etiti local government area of the state.
The spokesman for the state police command, Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement on Wednesday that the operation was carried out in collaboration with the Neighborhood Watch Group at about 2:00 a.m., in the day.
Ndukwe said the raid followed an intelligence report on the group’s activities in the forest and its general area.
He added that the criminal elements opened fire on the operatives upon sighting them.
The spokesman said: “However, the police operatives returned fire at a superior level, forcing the criminals to escape with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.
“After that, two of the fleeing suspects’ lifeless bodies were discovered and recovered in the forest.
“Police also recovered one AK-47 rifle, four magazines loaded with a total of 75 live 7.62 mm calibre ammunition, and one Beretta pistol loaded with eight live 0.9 mm calibre ammunition.
“Further recovered were: one KC Sanya and Honda Today, lady’s motorcycles, one GTB ATM card, a cash sum of N2, 600 and several raw food items. The manhunt for others on the run is ongoing.”
Ndukwe said that preliminary investigations revealed that the group was responsible for numerous heinous crimes, including the recent attack and murder of police and other security personnel in the Nsukka area of the state.
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Police kills two suspected IPOB members in Enugu
Power outage hits Maiduguri as vandals blow up TCN towers again
Residents of Maiduguri and its environs will experience power outages as vandals again have destroyed the recently rebuilt T193 and T194 towers along the Damaturu-Maiduguri 330kV Single Circuit Transmission Line.
The general manager of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Ndidi Mbah, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
TCN said the incident on its towers was done around 10:15 pm on Tuesday, resulting in its 150MVA power transformer at Molai Substation and 330kV transmission line supplying bulk supply to Maiduguri tripping.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, hereby states that two of its towers, T193 and T194, along the Damaturu-Maiduguri 330kV Single Circuit Transmission Line have again been destroyed by vandals.
“The incident, TCN believes, happened at about 10:15 pm, yesterday night, when the 150MVA power transformer at Molai Substation tripped at the same time as the 330kV transmission line supplying bulk power to Maiduguri from Damaturu Transmission Substation.
“After the line tripping, efforts were made by TCN engineers to close the Molai-Damaturu line to enable bulk transmission of electricity, which failed repeatedly. Early today, however, TCN lines engineers along with security operatives patrolled the line and discovered that towers 193 and 194 along the 330kV transmission line were brought down using an explosive device, whose fragments are scattered at the site of the incident.
“The area affected by this incident is Maiduguri and its environs. Two out of the towers in question are the towers affected by yesterday’s vandalism attack, which were rebuilt after that incident.
“TCN is currently assessing the situation with a view to deciding on the best approach to ensuring the temporary restoration of the power supply while a contractor is mobilised to rebuild the two transmission towers,” the statement reads.
TVN recalls that on December 28, 2023, towers T193, T194 and T195 were destroyed with improvised explosives.
In February 2024 alone, TCN said it recorded five incidents of facility vandalisation.
Power outage hits Maiduguri as vandals blow up TCN towers again
Four dead, 10 injured in Enugu auto crash
At least four persons died in a ghastly auto accident along the Enugu-Onitsha Federal Highway on Tuesday.
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Enugu State, Mr. Adeyemi Sokunbi, confirmed the incident to journalists on Wednesday in Enugu.
Sokunbi said that the accident occurred at about 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday when a truck carrying kerosene lost control and rammed into six other vehicles.
He added that 29 persons were involved in the accident while two died instantly.
READ ALSO: Seven dead, 15 injured in Oyo auto crash
The commander said 10 injured persons were rushed by the FRSC operatives to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, for treatment.
He said: “We are thanking God that the truck that failed break was not conveying petrol, which is extremely inflammable.
“Motorists and all road users in general, have to be very careful on the road.
“We advise that all should put their vehicle in order and at an optimal condition before setting out on journeys.
“You cannot afford to put a mechanically deficient vehicle on the road to cause harm to many others using the same road.”
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Prices of food items soar in Lagos markets
As the 2024 Eid Kabir celebrations approach, the prices of perishable and non-perishable food items have soared in major markets in Lagos by over 300 per cent.
A survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria in major markets (Mile 12, Oyingbo, Surulere and Ajah) on Tuesday and Wednesday showed that prices of all food items jumped by almost 400 per cent in some cases within the space of one year.
A 50kg basket of tomatoes which was sold for N35,000 in 2023 has risen to N100,000 at Mile 12 and as high as N120,000 in high-brow areas of Lekki and Ajah.
The price of a 50kg bag of Scotch Bonnet popularly known as “rodo” or “atarodo” pepper jumped by over 600 per cent, selling for N120,000 against the previous N18,000.
Similarly, a 50kg basket of bell pepper also called “tatashe” rose to N95,000 from N21,000 while the same quantity of red chilli pepper also known as “bawa or shombo” rose to N110,000 from N22,000 in 2023.
The survey also showed that a 100kg basket of onions is now selling for N70,000, up from N25,000 in the period under review.
NAN also reports the price of a 50 kg bag of local rice which sold for N48,000 last year, currently goes for N65,000 while the same quantity of imported Rice pegged at N55,000 in 2023 is being sold between N80,000 and N90,000 depending on purchasing power.
Also, prices of animals used to celebrate the festival such as rams, cows and goats have soared astronomically.
A medium-sized ram ranged from N350,000 to as high as N700,000, a cow ranged from N800,000 to N1,000,000 and a goat from N75,000 to N120,000 depending on bargaining strength.
Eggs and chickens have also jumped as a crate of egg which was N1,800 in 2023 was now N4,500 as of Tuesday and chicken of N8,000 now goes for N12,000 of old layers and N15,000 for broilers.
The Spokesperson for Mile 12 International Market, Lagos, Femi Odusanya, attributed the increasing prices in food commodities to high levels of insecurity for farmers.
According to him, farmers are no more farming because of banditry, kidnapping and wanton killing on farmlands across the country.
Odusanya added that the high cost of transportation also contributed greatly to the inflation currently being experienced on food items.
He said that the government at all levels would need to subsidise the entire agricultural value chain and provide adequate security to encourage more people to go into farming.
“The state government’s contributions to agriculture are abysmal and there should henceforth be competition in the area of comparative advantages at the state level.
“We have arable lands in all the states but the governors must do much more in the area of agriculture and reduce reliance on the largesse from the Federation Account Allocation Committee.
“You can count on your fingers the number of large-scale mechanised farmers we have in the country as it is in the developed climes.
“Furthermore, to make agriculture attractive, we need to take the issue of value addition seriously by supporting local processing,” he said.
Meanwhile, a cross-section of Nigerians have continued to bemoan the country’s current inflationary pressures and are seeking interventions from governments at all levels to mitigate its impacts on ordinary citizens.
A nutritionist, Fatai Akomolafe, stated that pockets of malnutrition incidences were beginning to crop up in different parts of the country.
Akomolafe noted that when citizens were not able to afford a basic meal consisting of critical nutrients, different forms of sicknesses and diseases were bound to attack the body.
“Ordinary egg, which is supposed to be one of the cheapest sources of protein, is now almost N200. You cannot even imagine the price of soya beans, beans and other sources of proteins such as beef and chicken.
“When vegetables, proteins, and carbohydrates become luxury for the common man, then sickness becomes the norm and with the japa syndrome the country is currently facing, we do not have enough doctors to address sicknesses that plague people as a result of malnutrition.
“The time for local, state and Federal governments to find means of getting critical food components to the needy is now to reduce the mortality staring us in the face,” he said.
A businesswoman, Charity Ephraims, stressed that the number of begging Nigerians on and off the streets had increased in the last year.
“Whether on suit or in rags, people begging to eat, begging to be transported, begging to buy drugs, have increased. One is even afraid to pick calls these days, particularly from home, because the needs are overwhelming.
“It has also become very fearful to go to the market these days because the price you met last Saturday is definitely different from what one would see this coming Saturday.
“I wonder how those with high blood pressure are coping. May we not have incidences of people collapsing in markets once they hear the price of an item.
“We beg government to do whatever can be done to reduce the price of food as it is only a person who has eaten that is strong enough to be productive and contribute their quota to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), she said.
Alhaji Bala Tanko, a pepper trader, revealed that even as a seller, he could not afford to consume what he was selling at the price it was currently being sold at.
He urged the government to deploy more security surveillance to farm areas, particularly in the middle belt and the north, to match the forces of bandits and encourage farmers to return to feeding the nation.
Tanko also appealed for subsidised transportation systems and reduced levies to aid the transportation of food components across the country until prices become reasonably lowered.
NAN
I have stepped on toes in Benue, but no apologies – Gov Alia
The Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, said on Wednesday he had stepped on many toes in the efforts to fulfill his social contract with the people of the state.
The governor, who stated this in a speech to mark the country’s Democracy Day in Makurdi, insisted that he had no apology for protecting Benue resources from people who had over the years stunted the state’s growth.
He said: “Yes, I have stepped on many toes, but I have no regrets. I have no apology to anyone.
“I have no regret at all. Democracy is liberation and freedom for all, and not for a selected few.
“In the course of governance, I have lost many things because I decided to stand with the people and place their interests above the political elite. I have no regrets at all.”
Alia said those whose interests he stepped upon had not “showed him love.”
He added: “As a government standing on a popular mandate, a government of the masses, I’m mindful of the honour and trust bestowed on me.
“For this, I have pushed sleep and comfort to the back seat to ensure that I live up to the expectations and terms of our social contract.
“Throughout this period, I have earned nothing close to love from those whose selfish interests I have stepped upon to bring you happiness, hope, and succour. I have placed your interests above theirs. I have no regrets for what I have lost in the course of this journey.
“Democracy and what we celebrate this day is liberation and freedom for everyone. Benue was enslaved for years; today, Benue is free.
“Nigeria went through so many stages to arrive at this day. 25 solid years of uninterrupted democracy is no mean feat.
“I remain very grateful to President Bola Tinubu. I celebrate our freedom and celebrate the joys that democracy brings.”
Alia, however, stressed that the anti-open grazing law would not be repealed.
“It will, rather, be strengthened,” he declared.
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Utilise $43m for human capital development — Sen Natasha to NLNG
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has urged the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas Limited, NLNG, to prudently allocate $43 million from the $4.3 billion Train-7 project for human capital development projects.
Apoti-Uduaghan charged NLNG to ensure compliance with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development, NOGICD, Act, adding that it represents one per cent of the total project value designated for human capacity development and institutional strengthening.
She made this call during a meeting at the National Assembly with representatives from NLNG, NCDMB, Saipem Contracting Limited, and Daewoo Engineering and Construction, on Tuesday.
According to a statement signed by Arogbonlo Israel, her Chief Press Secretary, Akpoti-Uduaghan, stressed the importance of transparency and effective utilisation of these funds to benefit Nigerians and enhance the country’s human capacity development and institutional strengthening.
She said: “Learning institutions, from public primary to tertiary institutions nationwide, should benefit from the $25.8 million, which is 60 per cent of the $43 million worth of HCD projects owed Nigerians.”
The lawmaker also emphasised the infrastructure deficit in Nigeria’s primary and secondary schools in the UBEC report, which states that about 40,000 classrooms are in deplorable condition.
“It would do well if NLNG’s HCD schemes can support UBEC in their quest to provide befitting educational facilities,” she advised.
She addressed discrepancies in reported figures for the NLNG Train-7 project, highlighting that if the project is valued at $6.5 billion, the human capacity framework would allocate $39 million for institutional strengthening, $13 million for advanced-level training, and $13 million for auxiliary training, totalling $65 million.
“If the project is worth $10 billion, the allocation would be $60 million for institutional strengthening and $20 million each for training, totalling $100 million worth of projects across the country,” she said.
The Kogi lawmaker explained that for projects in the oil and gas sector worth over $500 million, one per cent of the project value is allocated to human capacity development and institutional strengthening.
The committee is expected to collaborate with NLNG and NCDMB to establish a framework and select public institutions across the country that will benefit from the strategic programme, aimed at enhancing learning institutions’ capacity.
The effective utilisation of these funds will positively impact the country’s human capacity development and institutional strengthening and will help address the issue of out-of-school children and improve learning structures in public institutions.
Utilise $43m for human capital development — Sen Natasha to NLNG
No more excuses, Bode George tells Tinubu
A chieftain of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has said there would no longer be any excuse for President Bola Tinubu to justify failure to address the woes in the country and the attendant hardship after spending one year in office.
The elder statesman said though he had earlier told Nigerians not to knock the president on the tides in the country because he was new on the job, the time of tolerance for any excuse has elapsed after spending one year on the seat as president of the Country.
George who spoke in an exclusive interview with the Punch on the democratic experience of Nigeria following her 25th year democracy day celebration on Wednesday, June 12, mentioned that the country was sliding away with “hunger and anger in the land” and there was nothing to celebrate about.
The PDP chieftain took a similar position as the 2023 presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar on the All Progressives Congress-led government, saying the last nine years of the party in government has seen Nigeria “drowning”.
While the last nine years referred to comprise the eight years of two terms of the immediate past Muhammadu Buhari-led government and one year of President Tinubu, George specifically said the time to tolerate excuses from the Tinubu-led government has elapsed.
George said the president must explain the brain behind every policy of his government and “let the people feel the actual impact of democracy.”
“I told people, I said don’t start firing Bola (President Tinubu) for now because he has just completed one year. He had never served there before. So, give him that one year, that is, May 2023 to May 2024. But it’s over; he cannot pretend now that he doesn’t know the situation on the ground.
“What are we celebrating? There is hunger in the land, and there is anger in the land. Mr. President, from today that he is celebrating democracy day let the people feel the actual impact of democracy. Let us go through the rigours and complete the procedure of normalcy of civilised behaviour.
“Look at Great Britain, the Conservative party has been in power for about 16-18 years, now the people are tired and you see the results of their election. Look at India, 686 million people voted. The total number of voters in Nigeria is not up to 20 million and we can’t manage it.
“We are drowning in the last nine years. From now on, going forward, Bola (President Tinubu) would have no excuse anymore. He must explain every policy that is done.
“We are not playing politics now. We just want to see. I told people to leave him alone (President Tinubu). Last year, he was learning. Now, where do we go? How does he manage the system in a manner to makes life more meaningful for the people?
“I grew up in Lagos Island, I went to my primary school in Lagos Island; there was quality education and discipline. We learnt and this is what has kept us to this level till today. Look at what those schools are doing today. Younger ones are more interested in yahoo yahoo (internet fraud); shortcut to making money and then what do you do with ill-gotten money?” he said.
The PDP chieftain further lamented the level of inflation in the country, saying the increase in the salaries of workers would not necessarily translate into a better economic experience, lamenting that the rise in inflation has negatively eroded the purchasing power of workers in the country.
“The salaries of judges were increased by 300 per cent, but what is the percentage for the common worker? It is not the actual physical cash you take home as salary, the question is what can you buy with that amount? That is the issue. It’s not the cash.
“The basic lesson we learn in an economic class is that where there is too much money chasing too few goods, there would be hyperinflation and where there is hyperinflation interest will be the upshot. I was at the bank and they couldn’t give me more than N20,000 in cash. Was this the Nigeria we all fought for and defended? What on earth is going on?” he queried.
George, who said he would keep speaking truth to power without fear or intimidation, called on political stakeholders in the country to reassess themselves and work together to chart the way forward to redeem the country from her woes.
“We got the amalgamation in 1914, Pa Herbert Macaulay set up the first political party in 1922. Look at us today, I don’t know. We must work together. How many more years am I going to live?
“I will just tell them, I’m not afraid of anybody, I’ve been to the topmost mountain in this country, I’ve seen the bottom of the valley in this country. If you think you are okay in your house, and your neighbour is not okay, you must be a dreamer,” George said.
Thiago Motta named new coach of Juventus
Italian giants Juventus on Wednesday named Thiago Motta as their new coach, replacing Massimiliano Allegri who was sacked last month.
“It’s official, the next Juventus coach will be Thiago Motta. The Italian-Brazilian has signed with Juventus until June 30, 2027,” the club said in a statement.
Motta, 41, was previously in charge at Serie A rivals Bologna.
“I am really very happy to start a new experience at the helm of a big club like Juventus,” said Motta who, according to the Italian press, will earn an annual salary of 3.5 million euros ($3.8 million).
Motta made his coaching name at Bologna who he joined in 2022.
Last season, he led the team to fifth place in Serie A and qualified them for the Champions League for the first time.
The former Italian international was part of the squad which finished runner-up at the 2012 European championships.
He was also a five-time French champion with PSG and played in Champions League winning teams at Barcelona and Inter Milan.
Juve will be his fourth club as coach after Genoa (2019), where he only stayed three months before being fired with a record of just one victory in ten matches, and La Spezia (2021-22) and Bologna.
Juventus finished last season in third place in Serie A but 23 points behind champions Inter Milan.
They did, however, clinch the Italian Cup for the 15th time.
Their end to the season was painful with just three wins in 17 league matches having been hot on the heels of Inter at the turn of the year.
Juve fired Allegri for his explosive behaviour during the team’s Italian Cup triumph which the club deemed “incompatible” with its values.
Allegri was sent off in the final minutes of the 1-0 win against Atalanta for ranting at match officials and was also alleged to have manhandled and threatened the chief editor of newspaper Tuttosport.
His behaviour led to an investigation by the Italian Football Federation’s disciplinary authorities.
The 56-year-old won 12 trophies, including five Serie A titles, and reached two Champions League finals with Juventus over two spells as manager.
AFP
Declare Abiola president – MKO’s kinsmen urge Tinubu
The kinsmen of Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola from Gbagura in Abeokuta, Ogun State, have urged President Bola Tinubu to declare the late politician a democratically elected president.
The kinsmen from the Tobade Progressive Club of Gbagura stated this on Wednesday, in a statement signed by its president, Chief Shamwill Keshinro.
They stressed the need to revisit the 1993 presidential election, adding that the late MKO Abiola and hundreds of Nigerians had sacrificed greatly for the return of democracy in 1999.
According to the statement: “Tobade Progressive Club of Gbagura, which is populated with kinsmen and kinswomen of Chief MKO Abiola in Gbagura, Abeokuta, Ogun State Capital, is therefore asking the Federal Government to invoke the Doctrine of Necessity to begin the political and legal process of declaring Chief MKO Abiola, a democratically-elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The Buhari administration had conferred posthumously on MKO Abiola the highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR.
Chief Keshinro, however, stressed that the move by former President Muhammadu Buhari suggested a political journey to pronounce and swear in posthumously, Chief MKO Abiola, as the democratically-elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, they commended the Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, on the renovation of MKO Abiola’s family house at Oja Agbo, Oke-Iddo, Gbagura, Abeokuta.
Declare Abiola president – MKO’s kinsmen urge Tinubu
IG’s residence secured against breaches — Force spokesperson
The Nigeria Police Force on Wednesday said the residence of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, is fortified, safe, and secure against security breaches and criminal occurrences.
The police high command was reacting to a report by an online platform that the residence of the IG was robbed.
However, the police in a statement by the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, refuted the report.
Adejobi boasted that the IG residence was structured such that no robber, burglar, or thief could come close to the building.
The statement partly read, “It is pertinent to note that the above are the facts of this matter which have been deliberately distorted by a media platform either at the instance of some of the suspects who are currently fleeing from the law, or those suspects who are lawfully detained or out of mischief, where they alleged that the said robbery occurred at the residence of the Inspector General of Police. We wish to place it on record that the robbery or any burglary or theft never took place in the IGP’s residence or any of the official facilities of the Nigeria Police Force.
“Those purporting the robbery, burglary or theft to have taken place in the residence of the IG do not know what the residence of the IG looks like, otherwise they would have known that no robber, burglar or thief can get close to the residence of the Inspector General of Police of Nigeria and current chairman of the committee of West Africa Chiefs of Police.”
He added that if the report were to be true, many policemen guarding the residence would have been detained.
Adejobi said, “Assuming, in the most unlikely event such robbery, burglary, or theft occurred at the residence of the IGP, we should be talking about the number of policemen in detention and not this ring of armed robbers. For emphasis, the entire neighbourhood of IG residence is fortified, safe, and secure against such security breaches and criminal occurrences. ”
Explaining what transpired, Adejobi said the armed robbery incident happened at a police officer’s residence, on April 28, 2024.
He added that the officer who is attached to the Force Headquarters was nearly killed while a safe containing jewellery, money, academic certificates, documents, phones, and other valuable properties belonging to various residents in the compound were carted away.
Adejobi said, “The Nigeria Police Force has successfully dismantled a cartel dealing in jewellery worth billions of Naira obtained from armed robbery operations in Abuja and its environs.
“On April 28, 2024, an armed robbery incident occurred at the residence of a police officer, attached to the Force Headquarters, Abuja, in the Lugbe area of the Federal Capital Territory. During the incident, the officer was nearly smothered, while a secured safe containing jewellery, money, academic certificates, documents, phones, and other valuable properties belonging to various residents in the compound were carted away. CCTV footage captured the suspect at the crime scene, which has been helpful in our forensic investigations in the case so far.”
Adejobi noted that investigations traced the stolen items to Wuse Market, where they were allegedly purchased by one Alhaji Auwal.
He added that over 26 suspects have been arrested in connection with the case and were being detained following a court order.
Adejobi said, “Despite police warnings to the FCT Gold Dealers Association to avoid purchasing the stolen gold via their joint WhatsApp platform, Alhaji Auwal facilitated its purchase and instructed his associates on how to handle it.
“Further investigations by the Force Intelligence Department revealed that Alhaji Auwal, his sons, and other associates are part of a cartel involved in dealing in stolen pieces of jewellery. This group has been linked to previous similar cases under police investigations at various formations within the FCT.
“The 26 suspects arrested in connection with the case and many others, who are currently in custody, are being detained legally under a court order and will be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigations, contrary to the news making rounds.”