IHEJIRIKA: Anglican bishop warns Northern elders

The Anglican Bishop of Enugu, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, Wednesday, expressed dismay over the threat by the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, to drag the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika before the International Criminal Court, ICC, in Hague for alleged extra-judicial killings of some northerners. He warned that the move could lead to a major crisis that would threaten the nation’s corporate existence. Bishop Chukwuma, who addressed a press conference in Enugu, said any attempt at persecuting the former COAS on account of the actions that were taken while he was in office would be resisted by the Igbos, urging the northern leaders to be well guided and advised. He said…

CCTV cameras: Lagos activates 1,200 plans 1000 more

As part of measures to beef up crime monitoring across the state, the Lagos State government has concluded plans to activate 1,000 Close Circuit Television (CCTV), security cameras, in addition to the existing ones. Lagos State in partnership with the Federal Government had already activated 1,200 security cameras positioned in considered areas across the state. Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State disclosed this, yesterday, during the public security system demonstration of the use of the 1,200 security cameras already deployed in the state by the Federal Government at the Command and Control Centre, in Alausa, Ikeja.  

TERRORISM AND ITS IMPACT ON POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN NIGERIA

A government has to make response on how to deal with the problems posed by Terrorism. There are varied responses a government can take to deal with the problem posed but the responses taken by Nigeria seems to have encompassed the entire response options because of the destructive and psychic fear the organizations   of terrorist groups has caused in Nigeria especially the Group known as Boko Haram. The Niger Delta Militant groups pales into insignificance in comparison to the Islamist fundamentalist group. The federal government of Nigeria has exercised all the options particularized here under including the use of military preemptive and reactive actions in varied locations in Nigeria. Specific types of responses include: Targeted…

ENDING FG ASUU FACE OFF

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s Education System, particularly at the tertiary level have continued to express disgust at the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which has now entered its fifth month. Opinion analysts think that rather than help matters, the threat by the Federal Government to sack every university lecturer who fails to return to the classroom by Wednesday, December 4, 2013 (later extended to Monday, Dec. 9) and the counter directive by ASUU to its members to ignore the threat, has worsened rather than helped matters.  While the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, who announced plans for the mass sack, says that new lecturers will be hired, the…

SECURITY CHALLENGES, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT IN ORLU

Society is always in a mercurial state of flux. Hopefully change should be for the better and not for the worse. Every community has to rise to the challenges of modernism and concretize its legitimate aspirations or betray them. For Orlu, the greatest challenges remain the problems created by insecurity, poor law enforcement and a high level of unemployment.   THE SECURITY CHALLENGES The broad spectrums of security challenges are very remarkable in Orlu which has driven away potential investors from the historical town which perhaps is an emerging commercial centre. Daily reports of Kidnapping and armed robberies are of rampant occurrences and the uses of narcotics very high. The Banks in the historical town…

‘Not my Cattle’ – Commissioner of Police

Unlike Governor Okorocha who has an infectious smile and readily shows off his white teeth; the Commissioner of Police Muhammad Musa Katsina doesn’t smile easily, especially when in uniform. In fact, he looks stern when his office is crowded with people making one petition after another, when he’s pondering over the crime rate or considering the number of teenagers in custody for serious offences, including kidnapping. Meeting Katsina for the first time, you’d wonder if he ever smiles. But wait until the dark uniform is replaced with a bright caftan and the 54-year-old strikes a more relaxed pose. Then, he’s smiling, laughing, quoting his favourite Chinua Achebe and singing a hymn or two in remembrance…

Female Robber Killed in Aba

The popular saying ‘what a man can do, a woman can do better’ must have been foremost in the mind of an alleged female armed robber recently shot and killed by police during an encounter. Police from Eziama division in Aba shot the female robber in the company of her male counterparts when they were exchanging gun fire. The police gunned down the lone female while her colleagues escaped with gunshot wounds. The gang was said to be a robbery syndicate specializing in car snatching within the south –east zone. It was reported that the gang of three had snatched a Toyota Camry Saloon car at gun point in Warri, Delta State and was racing…

Boko Haram war not religious – Ihejirika

National Security and not religion is the driving force behind the Federal Government’s resolve to flush out the Boko Haram terrorists. This issue was made clear by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt General Azubike Ihejirika, recently in Kaduna. Ihejirika was speaking during the closing ceremony of a workshop held for the Nigerian Army Commanding Officers from the North West and North East in Kaduna. He was represented by Maj. Gen. Garba Wahab, GOC Division One. “Like I keep on saying, what we are facing right now is not an issue of religion because there is no religion that allows any individual to slaughter a fellow human being . So it is not a…

Royal Father Survives Assassination in Imo – Abducted wife rescued, Women Protest

His Royal Highness, Eze Engr. B.N. Nwokeke, Nkwume II,of Nkwumeato Autonomous, Community, lhitte-Uboma L.G.A of Imo State narrowly escaped death on Friday, August 2, 2O13 as a rampaging gang of three shot him severally and took his wife away to an unknown destination.  The incident took place in his palace at about 4pm on the ill feted day. An eye witness, a native, who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity, said that he saw HRH Eze Nwokeke drive past the route to his residence from Oriembara at top speed.  “I have never seen the Royal Father drive at such velocity.  I was still at a loss wondering what was amiss when a red…

Terror Alert as US Shuts Embassies

Amid warnings over a fresh planned attack on Western targets, United States officials in Washington and diplomats in US postings around the world were on high alert at the weekend, leading to the closure of 22 embassies and travel alert to American citizens in the Arabian Peninsula. The British Broadcasting Corporation reported Saturday that the United States is not the only one worried by the latest threat to peace. The United Kingdom, French, and German embassies in Yemen will also be shut Sunday and Monday. The uneasiness was coming on the heels of warnings that fresh intelligence points to Yemen-based al-Qaida being on the final stages of planning an attack on Western targets. The warning…

Gallant store-keeper disarms armed robber in Mbano

A store-keeper at Umualumaku-Ehime Mbano took a risk of a lifetime recently as he disarmed an armed robber. The bizarre incident took place at a pharmacy store situated at Umuiregbu at 7pm. Narrating the incident, the attendant simply identified as Chimezie, told THE LEADER that on the eventful day, two young men parked a motorcycle near the pharmacy.  One stood on while the passenger alighted and walked into the store. According to him, he enquired if he had vitamin C tablet and requested for N60 worth of the medicine to him, which he did.  He paid the sum and as he turned back, the armed man pulled a pump-action gun at him. He ordered Chimezie…

Rochas Okorocha must hear this

One Dr. James Madubuonu, not real name has made very frantic efforts these years to see Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Governor Imo State, to help solve the most important problem facing the state but his aides have made it impossible for them to meet. The said citizen is a lawyer by profession specialized in security matters for 43 years in the U.S. but those who think that they matter so much feel that insecurity is not a problem in Imo State. This man, being a citizen of Nigeria feels that charity begins at home that is why he chose Imo State as the home of the program and he named it Imo Security System. It is…

OGUTA STATE CONSTITUENCY RE-ELECTION: Why I am not excited

On the 29th of June 2013, there will be a re-run election for the representative of Oguta State Constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly. This is as a result of the nullification of the election of Hon. Eugene Dibiagwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the court. The front runners in the election, the PDP and All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA)/yet-to-be registered All Progressive Congress (APC) have been campaigning and mobilizing in a very big way. The battle line seems to be drawn between both parties. On the side of the PDP are Senator Hope Uzodinma, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha, Senator Author Nzeribe etc. while Governor Rochas is leading the other side…

Why Obama shuns Nigeria – US

The United States of America Government has explained why President Barack Obama’s visit to three nations in Africa that started on Tuesday with Senegal does not include Nigeria. A statement issued by the Public Affairs section of the US Consular Office in Lagos noted that Obama’s visit was intentionally targeted to cover West, East and South Africa.  But beyond the geographic spread, the major plank in choice of the nations to visit was their democratic inclination and standing. The statement derived from a conference interview the Lagos office had with three key Obama aides – Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Adviser, Grant Harris, Senior Director on African Affairs and Gayle Smith, Senior Director for Development…

Newly elected Eze Irete recommends Option A4 -To Ezeship-torn communities

Communities which for years have known no socio-economic progress, as a result of being enmeshed in intractable internal strife over their royal stool, can now heave a sigh of relief as an incontrovertible way out, has been found.  The solution lies in Option A4 system of voting, which has been described as most transparent, as it simply involves counting those queuing behind each candidate in an open field. This recommendation came from His Royal Highness, Eze Ethelbert Ekwelibe, the Agubiam I of Irete, who personally emerged through the Option A4 method on Wednesday, June 20, 2013, when he pulled 1110 votes to defeat his two other opponents, Anayo Okenwa and Uzoma Ibe who got 127…

Talks between U.S., Taliban on Afghan war expected soon

Peace talks between the United States and the Taliban over the war in Afghanistan will probably be held “in the next few days,” a senior U.S. administration official told CNN on Wednesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer up a time line for the discussions. But a prisoner exchange is one of the issues the United States intends to discuss with the Taliban. Senior U.S. officials say they want the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a soldier captured by militants in 2009. “We have every reason to believe” Bowe Bergdahl is alive, a Pentagon official told CNN. News that the meeting was moving forward followed a tumultuous day that saw…

Should Nigerian Public Employees (Government Workers) also accept TIPS?

Whether you are cashing a cheque over the counter, going through immigration at the airports, making a complaint to a police officer, renewing your driver’s license, receiving a title from a royal father, ordering a drink in a bar, obtaining your transcripts from your college, arranging for a funeral with a clergy or even being rushed into the emergency room in Nigeria, be prepared to TIP. Technically, tip means “a sum of money given to someone as a reward for their services”.  It is not to be confused with wage or salary, which is a sum of money due to someone for their services.  Generally, tip is often optional and the amount determined by the…

Angry Youths Disrupt Okorocha’s Convoy

The convoy of Governor Rochas Okorocha’s was yesterday attacked in Oguta LGA of Imo State by angry youths purportedly hired by a candidate for the postponed Imo House of Assembly elections scheduled for next week. Report has it that the Imo State Governor Okorocha, who was in Awa community in Oguta LGA to drum up support for the candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) – Chief Walter Uzonwanne for the upcoming election scheduled for next week met with opposition candidate driving into Awara on his way out of the community. An eyewitness reports that one of the motorcyclists on the campaign train of the PDP candidate was knocked down by one of the…

Terrorism: US paid N19.7b reward to 80 informants in 29 years

Hope appears to haves risen for those who can locate Boko Haram leaders as the United States (US) confirmed the payment of N19.7billion ($125million) reward to 80 informants in 29 years. The payment was made through The Rewards for Justice programme, which is being managed by the U.S. Department f State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Some of the beneficiary informants included those who provided clues for the arrest of Uday Hussein, the eldest son of the former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein. Besides the payment, some of the informants were also relocated to undisclosed safe haven to prevent being hurt by terrorist groups. The US statement followed recent $25 million bounty placed on key leaders…

Egbu remembers Parishioner beheaded in her farm … Appeals to IG to arrest killers

It is now one year since Mrs. Evelyn Uzodinma was murdered in her farm at Egbu on June1, 2012 and later buried without her head in her husband’s compound. Despite the fact that both the motor cyclist (okada man) that carried the murderers and the person that made the call, informing the murderers about the woman’s presence in the farm are all in the police net, the police still claim that they have not gotten any clue on the murderers and that the two in their custody have not provided any clue to the whereabouts of the murderers nor are there enough evidence to prosecute them. This was made known by the parish priest of…