A late evening fire has destroyed some shops at the Ogbo Osisi Timber Market Bridgehead, Onitsha in Anambra State.
The cause of the fire can’t be ascertained as at press time but it was learnt that it started late in the evening on Saturday.
Confirming the incident in a statement, the Anambra State fire chief, Martin Agbili, said the men of the state fire service have been deployed in the fire scene.
“I have deployed our firefighters to the fire scene. They are there fighting the fire,” Agbili said.
The ministry of lands, physical planning and rural development in conjunction with Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), today, 9th of Dec. 2022, inaugurated the Awka Capital Territory Land Recovery Committee, under the chairmanship of Prof. Frank-Collins Okafor.
The committee amongst other things is charged with the responsibility of identifying all state-owned lands and properties that are currently in the possession/custody of private individuals, determining and recommending to the state government the best procedure to be adopted in recovering the said lands and properties.
The committee is also to develop and recommend a framework that would prevent further occurrences of such incidents.
The Commissioner of Lands, Prof. Offornze Amucheazi (SAN) and Mr. Ossy Onuko, MD/CEO ACTDA, conducted the inauguration.
Other members of the committee include; Barr. Nnaemeka Ugha, Chief Ben Okafor, Mr Emeka Oyeoka, Barr. Mrs Joy Gbanigo, Lucy Okeke, TPL. Ajuluchukwu Nwankwo and TPL. Charles Ekwunife (Secretary).
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - OCTOBER 20: FIFA World Cup Trophy is presented after the FIFA Executive Committee Meeting on October 20, 2011 in Zurich, Switzerland. During this third meeting of the year, held on two days, the FIFA Executive Committee will approve the match schedules for the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 and the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)
A first half goal was all the Atlas Lions of Morocco needed to dispatch the Portuguese national team in the ongoing world cup in Qatar.
The quarter-final encounter which took place at the Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday makes Morocco the first African team to progress to the semi finals of World Cup.
The North Africans scored the only goal of the encounter through Youssef En-Nesyri’s header, with the striker scoring his second goal of Qatar 2022 and third World Cup goal overall.
Portugal had the better chances in the early exchanges with Joao Felix seeing a flying header saved before seeing a shot deflected agonizingly wide of the top corner.
Morocco settled in thereafter and kept grafting towards attack before taking the lead minutes before half-time through En-Neyseri.
Morocco advanced into the semi-final for the first time in their World Cup history.
The Atlas Lions will square off with the winner of the tie between England and France on Wednesday night.
They also have the best defence record in the world cup as they haven’t conceded any goal since the tournament started and haven’t been scored in their last 17 matches.
Parts of Owerri, Mbaitoli and environs in Imo State came under attacks on Friday afternoon by gunmen who were enforcing sit-at-home order.
The gunmen struck at different locations and killed a policeman, Prince Iheme, elder brother to Nollywood superstar, Osita Iheme popularly known as Pawpaw.
The gunmen also macheted the state Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Martin Eke.
The gunmen who rode in Trundra operational vehicles shot indiscriminately forcing people to scamper for safety.
While businesses abruptly closed, the roads were deserted as motorists abandoned their vehicles and ran away.
At Orji, a community sharing boundary with the state capital, the gunmen wearing black clothes in three vehicles attacked residents and passersby, including policemen.
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that the gunmen met policemen at the 7Up junction at Orji and shot one cop dead.
He said, “They just killed a policeman now. They opened fire on them and were shouting, ‘There is sit-at-home. We have asked you to go home. Stay indoors.’”
Another eyewitness said, “I just escaped death now. They stopped before us and shot in the air and asked us to go home. They didn’t shoot at us maybe because I was in the midst of some elderly women.”
Our correspondent also gathered that the fleeing gunmen shot repeatedly at Nkwo Orji market before taking off towards Okigwe Road.
At Ubommiri in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, the gunmen attacked the convoy of the All Progressives Congress candidate for Mbaitoli/ Ikeduru Federal Constituency, Akarachi Amadi.
While Prince Iheme was killed on the spot, the state commissioner for Solid Minerals, Martin Eke, was cut with a machete.
An eyewitness who didn’t want to be mentioned said, “This attack is politically motivated. We just finished at one campaign rally ground and were heading to Ubommiri. Our convoy was attacked at Amawuihe before Ubommiri.
“Prince Iheme was riding in the same vehicle with the commissioner for solid minerals. Prince Iheme who is Pawpaw’s elder brother was killed on the spot. The commissioner who was sworn in two weeks ago was cut badly. He has just been rushed to a hospital. They were driving in a Ford SUV. I pray he makes it.”
The police spokesman for the command, Micheal Abattam, had yet to respond to an inquiry concerning the incidents.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has faulted the 48-hour ultimatum by the Department of State Services (DSS) to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and oil marketers to end the lingering fuel scarcity in the country over security threats.
DSS Spokesman, Peter Afunanya, on Thursday, stated that failure to make Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) available to Nigerians would prompt the services to activate its operations across the country.
However, Falana who made a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday described the ultimatum as an empty threat.
He stressed that the NNPC had the responsibility of supplying petroleum products to all parts of Nigeria, adding that if the organisation failed to carry out its duty, the Federal Government was obliged to call the officials to order and possibly relieve them of their responsibilities.
“(As) you know, every year, at the end of the year – once it is Christmas – there must be artificial supply of fuel,” he said. “The ultimatum will not work because there is no sanction for impunity in Nigeria.
“The State Security Service (SSS) does not operate under the law in Nigeria. It does its own thing. There is nobody to call the agency to order. They will know that it’s just an empty threat because nobody is going to be arrested and prosecuted to teach a lesson.
“The other day, toxic fuel was brought to Nigeria. The government promised, ‘We’re going to deal with them, it will never happen again.’ Was anybody arrested? Was anybody prosecuted? It’s the same thing because they know the people behind it. It’s like oil theft. They know them.”
Falana acknowledged the security concerns of the secret service, attributing the threat to economic sabotage. According to him, the continued presence of long queues at filling stations could lead to “serious security problems.
Citing the constitution, the senior lawyer noted that the police was saddled with the responsibility of maintaining internal security in the country.
In the event that the police cannot maintain adequate internal security, Falana said the president is empowered to call in the military.
“So, this agency is a secret agency required to submit reports: ‘We fear that there will be a threat to the security in Nigeria.’ And the president will then take appropriate action. We must run this country in line with the provisions of the law.
“That (enactment establishing the DSS) is a decree made by the military. But now, we have the constitution. Section 215 has imposed a duty on the police to maintain the internal security of the country.
“But what the SSS – not DSS; it is not a department of state security. It is not a department of the Presidency. It’s the State Security Service for all of us. That body is required to submit reports to the government: ‘This problem may lead to insecurity. What can we do very quickly?’ The internal security of our country is the role of the police,” he said.
Announcing the 48-hour ultimatum on Thursday, the DSS stated that the challenge of fuel scarcity had assumed a dimension that was detrimental to the security of the country.
Afunanya, who spoke at the headquarters of the secret police in Abuja after over three hours closed-door meeting with stakeholders in the petroleum sector, confirmed the availability of PMS during and after the Yuletide season.
For weeks, vehicle owners especially in Lagos and Abuja have had a tough time getting petrol from filling stations. Whilst many outlets are closed, the few ones that are open sell the indispensable commodity for as high as N250 per litre from the uniform price of N169/litre.
The shortage of supply has led to long, grueling snake-like queues at the few open filling stations as motorists and business owners jostle to buy fuel while others resort to black market. The situation has also worsened traffic on major roads as vehicle owners block at least one lane to join queues to filling stations.
The Labour Party has sacked its acting National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, barely two months before the 2023 general elections.
Our Reporter reports that the party’s National Working Committee which took the decision on Friday, also dissolved the executives of the Ogun State chapter of the party.
It was gathered that the LP’s Ogun executives were involved in alleged anti-party activities.
Anambra State government has demolished the newly constructed house of a human rights activist, Mr Osita Obi.
The building, a duplex, which was constructed at the Executive Business District area of Awka, near the abandoned government house was demolished on Wednesday.
Obi who raised the alarm over the destruction stated that he was pained because he was not even told of the intended destruction, so that he would take away some needed items in the house.
He told journalists that: “My pain is not that the house was demolished, after all, government once told us that the area had been acquired by it, and that the houses built there will be demolished.
“My pain is that when they wanted to demolish it, they didn’t as little as notify us, so that we can remove some useful items in the house. My wife has been in tears since after the demolition. She has been crying ceaselessly.
“I have heard that government has said it will pay us compensation as it was captured in the 2023 appropriation bill, but if they notified us, it would have helped us bear the shock of the demolition.
“That house was built by my wife, even one Kobo of mine did not go into it. My wife is a retiree from a federal government agency, and she used her life saving and retirement fund to buy the land and also construct the building. The land was very legally acquired, and even my building plan was approved by government.
“Now they are telling me they will pay compensation, do they want to kill my wife, so that I will use the money they will pay me to bury her?” The right activist asked rhetorically.
It was however learnt that Awka Capital Territory Development Agency has reached out to the activist, assuring that he will get compensation for the demolished building.
Comrade Osita Obi, the coordinator of Anambra Keke and Shuttle Drivers Union has been in the forefront of championing the cause of tricycle riders in the state, including engaging government, for reduction of taxes paid by the operators.
He was formerly the coordinator of Movement for the Conduct of Local Government Election in Anambra State, and held the Peter Obi and Willie Obiano administration by the jogulars over the non conduct of local government elections in the state.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has urged all tiers of government to spend public funds judiciously to build trust and encourage citizens to pay taxes.
Its Director, Emerging and Special Taxes, Mrs Amina Ado, gave the advice in Abuja at a “Government-to-Citizens/FIRS interface forum with stakeholders.
Ado noted that government would get more Nigerians to pay taxes if budgetary allocations were tailored to provide visible infrastructure.
“It is not just the infrastructure, but also the need to run the economy in a way that there will be confidence for people to invest because it is only when they invest that we can get the taxes.
“We also need to make sure that funds are used judiciously and in a way that will reduce the cost of governance.
“The federal budget is not too much after the expenditure of the Executive and other arms of government had been deducted.
“We need to create more trust and an environment where Nigerians are willing and able to invest and are excited to be Nigerians,” Ado said.
She challenged Nigerians to hold public office holders to account as they were the ones spending taxes collected and not the FIRS which only collected taxes.
“Citizens have to hold political office holders accountable and they hold us accountable for delivering on our target.
“They have given us a target of N10.4 trillion.
“If Nigerians need to know what their taxes are being used for, the Budget Office’s website is there; they release a quarterly budget implementation report; Nigerians can engage with it.
“During the budget process, the Budget Office also releases what it calls a citizens’ guide to the budget,” she noted.
Earlier, convener of the programme, the Senior Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President, Mr Bode Gbore, said that it was organised to open the channel of direct conversation between government and the citizenry.
“It has been proven that Nigerians are interested in making contributions to the development and well-being of the nation,” he said.
The interface had “Government to Citizen Interface: Tax in present day Nigeria” as its theme.
Protesting truck drivers on Friday blocked the River Niger Bridgehead in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The drivers said they were protesting against the state government tax imposition on trailers, lorries, truck,s and other vehicles bringing goods into Anambra.
The protest which started in the early hours of Friday led to a total lockdown of the bridge as well as the Enugu-Onitsha, Onitsha- Owerri expressway and all the roads that lead into and exit Anambra through Onitsha.
The situation rendered commuters stranded and forced some people to come down from their vehicles and started trekking.
While stating the reason for their action, the drivers lamented that the state government had imposed a levy of N30,000 for trailers loading and offloading goods in the state, while other vehicles have their own amount ranging from N20,000 to N25,000.
A driver, identified as Odion Omoroge, who spoke on behalf of the aggrieved members, expressed surprise about the levy, describing the action by the government “as the worst the people of the state will see.”
He said, “Violence about the collection of money by the government revenue collectors is being witnessed daily in Anambra state, particularly in Onitsha. Violence is more pronounced now than ever before, yet the same government said it does not want touts, yet touts are having a field day on the roads on a daily basis.”
Although, the police were on the ground preventing a breakdown of law and order, but the aggrieved drivers were undaunted even as commuters battled to pass through the roads.
The Anambra Police Command’s spokesman, Tochukwu Ikenga, could not be reached as calls and messages to his telephone line were not responded to.
The Nigerian military on Thursday said although it is facing constant pressure to compromise the 2023 elections, Nigerians can be rest assured that it would remain neutral.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, disclosed this to journalists at the 61st session of the State House Ministerial Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
According the him, military personnel face pressure through inducements, but the armed forces would remain apolitical as it is taking the necessary measures to ensure compliance with the directive of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to maintain neutrality.
Irabor said personnel are being trained to be more professional even as the rules of engagement have been codified for distribution before, during and after the elections.
The CDS also revealed that several military rescue operations and negotiations have led to the freeing of at least 300,000 people from the hands of their abductors since 2014 while refugees who fled the North-East due to insurgency, have started to return.
He said that former insurgents, now being trained, would graduate in February next year before their reintegration into the society. He added that the military is recruiting more personnel into all branches of the security services.
