Operatives of State Intelligence Department (SID) in Bauchi Police Command have arrested Mustapha Tahiti, 35, a medical recorder with a maternity clinic at Kofar Ran for allegedly plotting to kill his cousin and the wife.
Police spokesman in Bauchi, Ahmed Wakil, said this in a statement yesterday. Wakil said investigation showed the suspect had grudges with his cousin for marrying his late elder brother’s wife, who he loved and wanted to marry.
Unfortunately, the widow did not want to marry him. The suspect, confessing, said he warned the victim not to marry the widow but he ignored.”
Wakil added the suspect was arrested on March 6, following intelligence at the disposal of the department.
“The suspect confessed to the alleged crime. He said he filled a syringe with insecticide chemical to be administered to the victims,” said Wakil.
Forty year-old Usman Mohammed has confessed to having impregnated a 15-year-old girl in Minna after having s3xual intercourse with her.
Mohammed said that each time the girl was returning from her Islamiya school, he spoke and cajoled her to an uncompleted building in Tayi village in Bosso where he had s3xual intercourse with her.
The suspect said that he usually gives the girl N100 or N200 each time he sleeps with her and tells her not to tell anyone about it, adding that he had lost count over the number of times he had unprotected s3x with her in the uncompleted building.
Trouble broke when the parents of the girl who is a JSS student at a secondary school in Minna took her to the hospital when she fell sick and it was discovered after several tests that she was pregnant with complications. During interrogation, the victim confessed to her parents that Usman Mohammed was the one who impregnated her while exposing all the things they had been doing together.
The Niger Station Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Wasiu Abiodun who confirmed the incident said that the suspect had confessed to the crime and has been arrested, adding that a preliminary investigation is ongoing at the Bosso Police Division.
Abiodun said that the suspect would be transferred to the state criminal investigation department in Minna for further investigation and diligent prosecution.
Sani Abdullahi a teacher at Government Secondary School Kuriga, Chikun LGA of Kaduna state has disclosed that one person was killed while about 280 pupils including teachers were abducted by bandits who invaded the secondary and primary schools in the community. The bandits were said to have invaded the schools located in the same proximity on Thursday at about 8am.
The teacher gave the figure that when the Kaduna state governor, Senator Uba Sani, along side government officials visited the area on Thursday evening. Abdullahi said a member of the Kaduna state Vigilante Service (KADVS) was killed by the bandits while 187 students and 125 pupils were missing. He added however that 25 pupils from the primary school later escaped and returned home.
“At GSS Kuriga, 187 students are presently missing. In the primary school, 125 pupils were initially missing, but, 25 of them escaped and retired home,” Abdullahi told the governor.
Narrating how the incident happened, he said he resumed work by 7:47am and entered the Acting Principal’s office to signed the staff register.
He said, “All of a sudden, the Acting Principal asked me to look at my back and when I turned, we discovered that bandits had surrounded the school premises.
“We became confused, we didn’t know where to go. Then, the bandits ordered us to enter the bush, so we obeyed them because they were many.
So, when we entered the bush, I was lucky to escape alongside many other people.
“I returned to the village and reported what happened to the community.
“Immediately our vigilante and personnel of Kaduna Vigilante Service (KADVS) followed the bandits, but the vigilante did not succeed.
“The bandits killed one of the vigilante, we just buried him a short while ago.
“It was when we came back that we briefed the Village Head and we started making efforts to find out the actual number of pupils and teachers taken by the bandits.”
Speaking during the visit, the governor said he was saddened by news of the incident. The governor said, “Since I received the sad news of this incident, I have not had rest of mind because every child in Kaduna State is my child.
“So, I don’t want to you people to be disturbed.
“Let’s us pray to God to help and on our part as a government, we will not rest until these children return home”, the governor told the community.”
Sani promised to establish a Police Station and build a permanent camp for the military in the community.
He said he had briefed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, about the incident, adding that efforts were being made to deploy security forces to rescue the children.
“We will do whatever we need to do to ensure safe return of these children, even if it means coming to Kuriga to stay with you”, the governor assured .
Residents of the community who trooped out to the palace of the Village Head commended Sani for personally coming to identify with them in their trying moment.
Nwachukwu also revealed that scores of members of the IPOB/ESN members were killed in the operation that started on February 11, 2024, while a large cache of weapons, ammunition, bombs other items was recovered.
The Nigerian Army has announced the destruction of the alleged ‘Supreme Headquarters’ of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN) at Mother Valley in Anambra State.
According to a statement signed by the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, the feat was achieved through the combined security clearance operations led by Joint Task Force South East Operation.
Nwachukwu also revealed that scores of members of the IPOB/ESN members were killed in the operation that started on February 11, 2024, while a large cache of weapons, ammunition, bombs other items was recovered.
“… the combined JTF troops of NA, NN and NAF as well as personnel of NPF, DSS and NSCDC had cleared and liberated ORSU, EKE-UTUTU, TANGO ONE ORSUMORGHU, IHITEUKWA IHITTENANSA and LILU over the last 3 weeks.
“In continuation of the sustained operations, the JTF OPUK troops has today 7 March 2024 cleared and destroyed the notorious Supreme Headquarters of the terrorists Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate Eastern Security Network (ESN).
“The headquarters that serves as the last IPOB/ESN stronghold is located in the Mother Valley and spans Orsu and Ihiala LGAs of Imo and Anambra States respectively is about 5,000 feet below sea level. The well concealed and forested location affords the terrorists good cover from air surveillance.
“It also serves as their command and control centre and military council headquarters,” the statement said.
It, however, noted that during the operation, the gallant troops encountered, detonated and recovered many command Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and various types of obstacles which were cleared by the determined troops.
“The troops also came in contact with the terrorists but were subdued with superior fire power with many neutralized while others with varying degrees of gunshot wounds fled into the bush. Thus, all Ndi-Imo and Ndi-Anambra are requested to report any strange face in their communities to OPUK by dialing Emergency Line 193 and Press 2 from their phones.
“In addition to many weapons, equipment, IEDs and stolen vehicles recovered over the last 3 weeks, items recovered in the Mother Valley today include; 3 x G3 rifles, 9 x Automatic Pump Action Rifles, 7 x Double Barrel Guns, 2 x Locally Made Pistols, 2 x Rocket Propelled Grenade Bombs, 2 x AK 47 Magazine and 1 x G3 Magazine. Others are 26 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition, 16 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 72 Pump Action Cartridges, 1 x Chainsaw, 1 x Laptop, 1 x CCTV DVR, 26 x CCTV Cameras.
“17x Baofeng Radios with Batteries and 10 without batteries including their chargers. Also recovered are, 6 x Handheld IEDs, 26 x android phones, 25 x normal phones, 1 x inverter, 1 x SIM Card Registration Machine, 4 x POS machines, 3 x Motorcycle batteries for igniting IEDs, 2 x Trumpets, 2 x Biafra flags, 20 x ESN certificates, 2 x Dairies containing details of ammunition and food supplies and 2 pairs of Biafra Liberation Army uniforms.
“The joint troops also destroyed about 50 tents in the Valley housing the Supreme Headquarters, IPOB/ESN command and control center, Buteuzor’s hideout and residence, offices, their logistics base, temples and shrines used for occultic practices among many other items.
“The Force Commander Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA, Major General Hassan Taiwo Dada wishes to appreciate the incredible cooperation of sister Services and other security agencies for the success achieved so far.”
The statement, however, noted that the Force Commander had advised the leaders of all liberated communities to return to their ancestral homes and emplace community efforts to ensure that all criminal elements not from their communities were allowed to return to desecrate their homelands.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has threatened non-performing distribution companies (discos) with licence revocation as Nigerians suffer power outage in the country.
According to the minister,“ It is disheartening to witness the decline in power supply despite the concerted efforts to improve the situation,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
“The Ministry has been exerting pressure on the Generating Companies (GENCOs) to enhance their performance, resulting in a recent increase in generation to over 4000MW. Despite this progress, certain distribution companies are failing to adequately distribute the power supplied by TCN, while vandalism of power infrastructure exacerbates the problem in regions such as Abuja, Benin, Port Harcourt, and Ibadan.”
As the Minister of Power, I am deeply concerned about the deteriorating electricity supply across the country. In response to this pressing issue, I have summoned the Chief Executives of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.
“Moving forward, I am committed to holding all distribution companies accountable for their performance. Willful non-performance will not be tolerated, and severe consequences, including license revocation, may be imposed,”.
The minister has also directed Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to immediately commence repair works on the damaged transmission towers and power lines in order to improve supply in the affected regions.
Adelabu also summoned the Chief Executives of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) over the worsening power supply in their areas of coverage. He also summoned TCH Managing Director, Sule Abdulazeez, over the deteriorating power situation.
Engr. Clement Chukwukadibia Onyemelukwe initiated the planning and development of the electricity grid still used in Nigeria today when he became Chief Electrical Engineer in 1962.
Onyemelukwe is reputed as the “Father of Nigerian Electricity” and the first Nigerian to marry a peace corps volunteer ever.
Born April 1, 1933 in Nanka. He attended DMGS, a premier colonial-era boys secondary school in Onitsha, University College Ibadan for two years before he was sent by the British colonial government to Leeds University. Onyemelukwe hailed from Nanka in Anambra state.
He received his B.Sc. Engineering degree in 1956 and worked in the power sector in the United Kingdom. He acquired a second degree in Economics from London University.
He had nearly abandoned any intention of returning to Nigeria when the Electricity Corporation on Nigeria, ECN, recruited him as part of the drive to fill civil service and parastatal positions after Nigeria’s independence from Britain in 1960.
In 1961, he became deputy chief and the following year was made chief engineer, taking over from the British man who had run the operations for many years. It was on his desk that the first outline of what is now the PHCN, formerly ECN and NEPA grid was formulated. All the chief executives of NEPA, the renamed national electricity corporation, since its inception up to 2001 were his former staff.
Onyemelukwe initiated the planning and development of the electricity grid 330 KV electricity grid still used in Nigeria today when he became Chief Electrical Engineer in 1962.
Clement Onyemelukwe, Nigerian Chief Electrical Engineer of the country’s Electricity Corporation, generated international attention when he married Catherine Zastrow, a white Peace Corps volunteer, who had just completed her service in 1964. Interracial marriage was illegal in Kentucky which was still Catherine’s U.S. residence while she was in the Peace Corps.
When her parents returned to Kentucky after the wedding they had to change their phone number because of hate calls. The couple received telegrams from people all over the world, mostly supportive but a few critical. A photo of the wedding appeared in the popular Life Magazine in January 1965 and was also noted in Ebony Magazine.
“Peace Corps Worker to Wed Nigerian Engineer,” was the bold headline for a brief article in The New York Times from Lagos, Nigeria on Dec. 23, 1964. The couple “went through last-minute preparations today for their wedding Saturday at St. Saviour’s Church,” the piece said.
With the Nigerian civil war looming in 1967 Clement left ECN to take up leadership of Biafra’s Coal Corporation and electricity utility. He was also made executive chairman of the Biafra Airports Board. Late in the war he became chairman of the Panel on Post-War Reconstruction. He returned to Lagos and the Electricity Corporation after the Biafran war in January 1970. He was also the one who made sure that Planes landed and took off safely in Biafra during the war.
He left the electricity industry to found Freeman Engineering in Lagos in 1973. In 1976 he founded Colechurch International Ltd, a project management and promotion company, in United Kingdom. He and his wife Catherine moved to Westport in 1993.
He initially held a residence card, known as a “green card,” as he was spending a good part of his time in his home country Nigeria on business.
In 2007 he finally became an American citizen. He was a speaker at the Y’s Men and an active library user while working on his latest book or researching business ideas.
Engineer onyemelukwe is the owner of Colechurch of International Ltd, His son, China Danfort Onyemelukwe, one of the most prominent and important investment banker in the world.
Today, Colechurch is active in 32 countries worldwide and has head office in London and a sub-head office in the US. The group has an asset base of about $750m and annual turnover was $400m, the staff strength worldwide is 2,500 as at 2009.
Clem Onyemelukwe has an impressive and perhaps, intimidating profile. He bagged an Engineering degree in 1956, from the University of Leeds and an Economics degree of London University in 1960. He has written many books and lectured widely on the power industry, economic development and growth in the global top Universities and conferences.
He died on January 18, 2020 of Metastatic non-small cell, non-smoker’s lung cancer in his westport home in US, aged 86.
Onyemelukwe was the author of five books, namely:
“Industrial Planning and Management in Nigeria (Longmans UK) 1964;”
“Men and Management in Contemporary Africa (Longmans UK) 1973;”
“Economic Underdevelopment: An Inside View (Longmans UK) 1974;”
“Science of Economic Development and Growth: The theory of Factor Proportions (M. E. Sharpe Publishing US) 2004.”
His last book, “The Decline of the American Economy”, is due out in spring 2020.
Clem was well loved by the community at the Unitarian Church in Westport and others. His warm smile, easy laugh, and joy in recounting stories of Nigeria made him an engaging conversationalist. He loved to discuss politics and economics with any and all.
He is survived by his wife Catherine, their three children, Chinakueze, Elizabeth, and Samuel, and five grandchildren, Kenechi, Nkiru, Teya, Bruche and Ikem. His brother Prof. Geoffrey Chukwubuike Onyemelukwe, Consultant Physician and Professor of Medicine and Immunology at the Ahmed Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, and three sisters also survive him. He was predeceased by his cousin (Most. Revd. Dr. Jonathan Arinzechukwu Onyemelukwe, former Anglican Bishop On The Niger), who died in July 2011, and one sister.
Engr. Clement Chukwukadibia Onyemelukwe was buried in the family compound in his ancestral village, Nanka in Anambra state, beside his parents in April 2020, reinforcing the saying “na isi nwa eze adịghị atọ na mba”. The son of a king’s corpse must be buried at home not in a foreign land. The End.
The first picture below is his wedding picture with Catherine Zastrow, his wife, a white woman and a former peace corps volunteer, 1964. Second picture is his family picture.
A pro-Biafran group, Biafra Defacto Customary Government, BDFCG, has expressed joy over the news that Aba residents and business units will start enjoying electricity on a 24-hour basis.
This follows the power generated by the three gas turbines already installed, and which is said to be enough for the ring-fenced area comprising 9 local government areas in Abia State.
In a statement signed by BDFCG Spokesperson Prosper Odinga, the group noted that electricity supply is an important and sensitive asset that should not be left in the hands of a businessman who has no training or experience in the power sector, regretting that from day one, it has been a mistake to allow Chief Emeka Offor-led investors access to the EEDC license.
It explained that for more than ten years, EEDC has not improved on electricity distribution, even though the power from transmission has been inadequate, but efficient service delivery was expected.
BDFCG noted that services provided by the former NEPA are better than EEDC, noting that there are several instances where people buy transformers but EEDC staffers would refuse to do the installation and refer the person to an expert that charges above N4M just to install a transformer.
It congratulated Professor Barth Nnaji for being committed throughout the turbulent lifespan of the project, and the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Chioma Alex Otti, for all his support for the actualisation of the power project.
The group’s statement reads in full:
Biafra De Facto Customary Government congratulates Geometric Power Company and calls for the immediate termination of the EEDC license.
BDFCG has noted with great joy the news coming out from the Aba ring-fenced area that Aba residents and business units will start enjoying electricity on a 24-hour basis.
From the report given by Chinedu Asuzu of BVI Channel 1 and Charlyboy, it is now obvious that what seemed like rocket science will soon be demystified by Prof Nnaji Geometric power. The report has it that the power generated by the three gas turbines already installed is enough for the ring-fenced area, which comprises 9 local government areas in Abia State. Also, the report confirmed that Geometric distribution company has started sharing free prepaid meters in batches. At least 10,000 meters will be mounted for households and business units every month. The company targets to abolish the estimated billing system as done all over the world. Most importantly, the company has put in place a 24-hour call service center with dedicated staff, meaning that customer complaints will be promptly attended to in the most efficient manner. BDFCG believes that services will not be perfect for now as human factors must be accommodated; however, we shall be vigilant to ensure that the company succeeds. We call all Biafrans to forward any complaint to the underlisted number for follow-up with the Management of Aba Power.
BDFCG, however, congratulates Prof Barth Nnaji for being committed throughout the turbulent lifespan of the project and to the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Chioma Alex Otti, for all his support.
BDFCG has noted that electricity supply is an important and sensitive asset that should not be left in the hands of a businessman who has no training or experience in the power sector. From day one, it has been a mistake to allow Chief Emeka Offor-led investors access to the EEDC license. BDFCG has noted that for more than 10 years, EEDC has not improved on electricity distribution even though the power from transmission has been inadequate, but efficient service delivery was expected. Services provided by the former NEPA are better than EEDC. There are several instances where people buy transformers but EEDC staffers would refuse to do the installation and refer the person to an expert that charges above N4M just to install a transformer. Our people have lost hope with EEDC, and people have resorted to alternatives such as Gen sets, solar, etc., to keep their businesses afloat at a very high cost. The entire southeast is too big for Chief Emeka Offor EEDC to manage. Now that electricity is in the concurrent list, BDFCG submits that the EEDC license should be revoked immediately for breach of contract. If this license is not revoked, Biafrans will be forced to approach the court.
We understand that Chief Emeka Offor has bankrolled so many of our Governors, police, judges, and in fact, Nigerian institutions; however, the power of the people is greatest and truth will destroy all evil conspiracies. Only the truth and justice will stand the test of time. Any Governor that supports this evil conspiracy against the people will become most unpopular. Light is life, and without affordable electricity, there would not be industrialization and quality jobs in Biafraland.
MTN Nigeria has said device affordability remained a significant barrier to digital inclusion in the country. It said while the cost of smartphones has decreased globally, the upfront cost remains a hurdle for many Nigerians.
Its Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, however, restated the telco’s commitment to make smartphone affordable to Nigerians so as to deepen digital inclusion in the country. He highlighted the challenges and opportunities in the local market and outlined MTN’s strategies to promote digital inclusion. Toriola also highlighted the potential of local assembly and financing schemes to further reduce the cost of smartphones.
“Local assembly does a number of things. First of all, it can bring down the cost of production, it eliminates custom duties and then you talk about financing handsets and for that financing ecosystem to work you need to have aggregate credit scoring history to know who to loan to, recovery capabilities etcetera etcetera,” he said in a Tv interview monitored in Lagos.
He said MTN is partnering several companies in Africa to develop the device financing ecosystem, stressing that this approach, combined with mobile money and credit scoring, can make smartphones more affordable for Nigerians.
MTN’s partnership with Intelligra, an open platform for smartphone financing, is a key part of MTN’s strategy to make smartphones more affordable to the average Nigerian.
Members of Edo Assembly have served Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, an impeachment notice.
Shaibu, a former member of the House of Representatives, ex-Majority Leader of Edo Assembly and former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), was given seven days to respond to allegations levelled against him.
Edo Governor Godwin Obaseki and Shaibu, both chieftains of the governing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo, are at loggerheads over the authentic governorship candidate of PDP in Edo.
Obaseki is fully backing a Lagos-based lawyer, Asue Ighodalo, who emerged as the party’s standard bearer of the governorship indirect primary election at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin.
Shaibu emerged factional candidate at a parallel primary at his official residence on Commercial Avenue in Benin.
In continuation of measures to address the food inflation and cost of living crisis, the Federal Government Tuesday said it had so far intercepted 141 trucks attempting to smuggle grains and other staples to Niger Republic, Chad, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, said that the service had within two weeks arrested about 120 trucks smuggling food items from Nigeria while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission stopped 21 food trucks from leaving the country on Tuesday.
As the CG was disclosing the measures being enforced to ensure food security at the House of Representatives in Abuja on Tuesday, truck drivers, who have been targets of attacks by hoodlums, had threatened to declare a strike if the situation persisted.
Several trucks and warehouses, mostly owned by manufacturers and other members of the organized private sector have come under attack from hoodlums as the food inflation and the cost of living crisis in the country spiraled. Last week, some youths stole food items from trucks stuck in traffic along the Kaduna Road in the Suleja area of Niger State.
On Sunday, hoodlums attacked a warehouse belonging to the Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration located in the Dei-Dei area of the capital city where they looted rice, grains, and other relief items. The miscreants in their numbers also stormed another warehouse in the Idu Industrial Estate, Jabi, Abuja, but were repelled by the troops guarding the facility.
Similarly, another set of youths attacked trucks conveying building materials and spaghetti in Ogun and Kaduna states on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Worried by the unsavory development, the organized private sector warned the attacks could lead to a shutdown of industries across the country. Briefing the federal lawmakers on the enforcement of the Presidential directive to curtail food smuggling during the sectoral debate series, the Customs CG, Adeniyi, said President Bola Tinubu had given a directive that the arrested trucks be diverted to the local markets in the area where they were arrested to force down the prices of grains and other food items.
120 food trucks
“We arrested in two weeks about 120 trucks of food items going out of the country. These are the food items Mr President has asked us to give back to the local markets where the arrests were made. We believe this will drive down the price of food items in these places,” he added.
He stated that the decision to halt the smuggling of food items was to fight hunger and not encourage those who wanted to enrich themselves at the expense of the people. He warned against adopting quick-fix solutions to address the food scarcity in the country, adding that the country must put in place long-term measures to address the situation.
Adeniyi explained that the Customs were playing their part in ensuring that the problem of food security was addressed, adding that currently, most agriculture inputs attract zero duty and the value-added tax.
The CG noted that the need to learn from lessons learnt while auctioning seized food items in Lagos was the reason the service was ha to commence the program outside Lagos State.
About seven persons died in a stampede at the NCS Old Zonal Headquarters in the Yaba area of Lagos State during the auction of bags of rice confiscated from smugglers by the NCS last month. The incident forced the authorities to suspend the exercise.
Bringing the lawmakers up to speed on the public auction, Adeniyi said President Tinubu directed the NCS to auction to vulnerable Nigerians the food items intercepted at the Nigerian borders, noting that the implementation of the programme kicked off in Lagos, but was stopped. Adeniyi further said the seized foodstuffs were to be sold to the local markets nationwide on the President’s orders.
He said, “Mr President has directed that we sell directly to needy Nigerians food items produced locally but which were seized. This is one of the ways to address hunger and food scarcity we are facing. We have started this in Lagos.
