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Anambra pupil beaten to coma by teacher dies

Published

6 months ago

May 23, 2024

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Anambra pupil beaten to coma by teacher dies

A pupil of the Landmark International School, Mgbakwu in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Henry Okonkwo, who was reportedly beaten to a coma by a teacher has died.

It was gathered that the boy gave up the ghost in the early hours of Wednesday.

The PUNCH had reported that a 30-year-old teacher at the school, Faith Nwonye, was arrested for allegedly beating the eight-year-old pupil into a coma, on Monday.

Nwoye had earlier been invited by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, to explain what led to the brutalisation of the child on Monday, May 20, 2024.

Chuma-Udeh had expressed sadness over the development, lamenting that the chances of the victim’s survival currently in admission to a hospital are 20 per cent, according to the medical doctor.

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She said the school was running illegally describing the development as a crime running an illegal school in the state as well as beating a child, the commissioner warned that perpetrators were doing so at their peril.

The teacher was invited alongside the school’s Proprietor in which the incident happened, Mrs Promise Ilo.

The development led to the temporary shutting down of the school while an investigation was said to have begun.

The teacher who admitted flogging the child, however, stated that the flogging was not as severe as the picture was painted.

The matter was handed over to the police for investigation, while the child was in the intensive care unit of the hospital, from where he later gave up the ghost in the early hours of Wednesday.

Taking to her verified Facebook wall on Thursday, the commissioner lamented the death of the boy, saying he was a boy like any other, with hopes and aspirations.

She wrote, “He was a boy like any other, with hopes and aspirations. He went to school for a better future but met a gruesome death at the hands of the people who were supposed to help him achieve his life ambition.

“A quack teacher in an illegal school bludgeoned him to death. We mourn a life nipped in the bud! We mourn Henry Chukwuemeka Okonkwo! We mourn and we seek justice.”

Anambra pupil beaten to coma by teacher dies

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Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack

Published

11 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack

Early Wednesday morning, gunmen attacked an army checkpoint in Ekenobizi, a border community between Abia and Imo states, located in Umuopara, Umuahia South Local Government Area.

The assailants reportedly arrived around 6:18 a.m. in a white Lexus SUV (model 350/400) and launched an assault that resulted in the deaths of two soldiers.

A military source, who wished to remain anonymous, provided details of the incident but could not confirm the exact number of attackers involved.

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Confirming the incident in a press release on Wednesday, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah Unuakhalu of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA said: “In the early hours of today, 13 November 2024, troops of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA, deployed at a checkpoint along the Umuahia – Owerri Road in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, came under attack by the irredentist group Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network.

“During the attack, the gallant troops were able to repel the assault, forcing the attackers to retreat in disarray with gunshot wounds, abandoning one Sienna and one Lexus Jeep used in the attack. However, in the ensuing firefight, two soldiers paid the supreme price.”

The Joint Task Force appealed to residents of the South East, particularly those in Abia State, for credible information to help track down the fleeing attackers and combat criminal elements in the region.

The force reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property in line with global best practices and the rules of engagement.

Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack

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94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters

Published

12 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters

At least 94 illegal occupants and squatters along the railway corridor from Pen Cinema to Fagba were arrested by the Lagos State Taskforce in an early morning sting operation on Wednesday.

During the raid, substances suspected to be hard drugs—such as Indian hemp, colorado, and other harmful drugs—were seized, along with various weapons.

It was gathered that those arrested attempted to resist the task force’s actions.

In a statement, Director of Public Affairs, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, confirmed that those arrested will face prosecution.

He added that the agency dismantled shanties and makeshift structures along the railway corridor, clearing a distance of some kilometers.

The Taskforce Chairman Adetayo Akerele explained that the eviction aimed to provide relief for residents around the Fagba, Agege, and Pen Cinema railway routes, following numerous complaints from the public about criminal activities in the area.

He noted that the squatting had violated environmental and sanitary regulations.

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Akerele also highlighted the health and safety risks posed by the presence of squatters along the rail corridor.

He warned the evicted individuals not to return and assured residents and train passengers that regular patrols and surveillance would be conducted to prevent the re-establishment of shanties in the area.

“The rail tracks are not meant for habitation or the sale of narcotics. Anyone caught converting this place into a den of criminals or an area of residence will face severe consequences according to the law,” Akerele was quoted as saying.

Speaking on the raid, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed that a locally fabricated short gun was recovered.

“94 suspects were arrested during the midnight operation; a locally fabricated short gun and several wraps of illicit substance suspected to be indian hemp, charm and a jack knife were recovered.

“The suspects will be charged to court accordingly,” Wahab stated in a post on X.

94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters

metro

Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo

Published

12 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State

Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has swept out all Board, Parastatal, and Agency appointees from his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, in a decisive move to overhaul the state’s public service.

A statement released on Wednesday by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, confirmed the immediate dismissal of all political appointees and Permanent Secretaries brought in from outside the state Civil Service.

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The statement reads:

“For the information of the general public, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State, has approved the dissolution of Executives of all Boards, Agencies, and Parastatals in the Edo State Public Service with immediate effect.

“In addition, all Permanent Secretaries appointed from outside the State Public/Civil Service and all Political Appointees are hereby relieved of their appointments.”

Affected individuals have been directed to return all government property in their possession to the senior Public Officers in their respective Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.