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Gunmen kill INEC staff, kidnap wife in Ebonyi
A member of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, personnel was murdered in Ebonyi by gunmen suspected to be armed kidnappers.
The victim, Emnanuel Igwe, an assistant electoral officer, AEO, was killed along the Ishiagu axis of the Ishiagu-Mpu Road on Sunday evening while returning from Anambra state.
The wife was also reportedly abducted by the hoodlums.
SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, the Police Public Relations Officer who confirmed the incident on Monday in Abakaliki, said that a detachment of tactical team from the Command had been sent for a manhunt for the criminals.
“She said: “Yes, there was an attack where one person was shot in the head through the windscreen and nothing was taken from the vehicle and the other victim was a farmer working on his farm whom they cut off the throat.
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“So, there is a serious manhunt for the hoodlums or whoever they are,” she said.
Some indigenes of Ishiagu community in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi resident in Abakaliki, who reacted to the incident in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria called on the police and other security agencies to curb the emerging security challenges along the Ishiagu-Mpu road.
The Youth Leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Damian Okoafor, who confirmed the killing of his father to reporters in Abakaliki on Monday, said suspected herders invaded the community on Sunday and carried out the horrible act.
“Suspected herdsmen attacked Ishiagu community again, killed my father, one other person and abducted one,” he said.
Nicholas Onu, a member of staff of INEC in Abakaliki headquarters, revealed that the slain victim was a colleague, noting that the loss was too much to bear.
He called for the immediate deployment of joint police and military security team to stave off armed kidnapping, robbery and other forms of criminality along the road.
“Mr Emmanuel Igwe was shot and killed by armed kidnappers suspected to be herdsmen while they abducted his wife.
“Latest information from the family has it that the corpse has been evacuated and deposited at a morgue in Abakaliki while the suspects are demanding for a N10 million ransom,” Mr Onu said.
Dr Innocent Mbazu, a lecturer at the Ebonyi State College of Education, Ikwo, who lives in Abakaliki, called for the urgent intervention of the police and other security operatives, describing the situation as ‘unfortunate.’
“There was kidnapping and murder of a motorist and one of our kinsmen in his farm on Sunday along the Ishiagu axis of the Ishiagu-Mpu road.
“Anybody intending to use the road should trade with caution or avoid the road for now if possible. It seems the kidnappers operating along the Amaeze-Awgu expressway have relocated to the Mpu axis.
“Ngwogwo people in Ishiagu are said to be protesting at the moment. May God help us!!,” Mbazu lamented.
Daily Nigerian
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UK hikes visa fees as new rates take effect April 9
UK hikes visa fees as new rates take effect April 9
The United Kingdom Home Office has announced an upward revision of visa application fees across various categories, with the cost of study visas for main applicants and their dependents rising from £490 to £524.
According to an update published on the Home Office website on March 19, the new fees will apply from April 9. The cost of a six-month visit visa will increase from £115 to £127, while a two-year visa will now be issued at £475, up from £432. Additionally, the fee for a 10-year visa has been raised from £963 to £1,059.
Transit visas have also been affected by the changes, with the direct airside transit visa fee increasing from £35 to £39, and the direct landside visit visa rising from £64 to £70.
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The UK has long been a preferred destination for Nigerian students looking to further their education, often as a way to escape economic challenges at home. However, the number of Nigerian students applying to study in the UK has dropped significantly in 2024 following a government policy barring most international students from bringing their family members.
The rule, which does not apply to postgraduate research students, has led to a decline in study visa applications from countries such as Nigeria and India. A March 2024 report by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service highlighted the shift, noting that many prospective students are now seeking admission in alternative destinations.
UK hikes visa fees as new rates take effect April 9
metro
Ramadan ends in Nigeria, Sultan announces March 30 as Eid-el-Fitr
Ramadan ends in Nigeria, Sultan announces March 30 as Eid-el-Fitr
Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar Sa’ad, says the crescent moon marking the end of Ramadan fasting has been sighted.
The Sultan, who is president of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSIA), said in a broadcast on Saturday night, “Today marks the end of the Ramadan fasting and Sunday, March 30, is the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.”
metro
Embrace environmental sanitation during Eid-Fitr, LAGESC boss tells Lagosians
Embrace environmental sanitation during Eid-Fitr, LAGESC boss tells Lagosians
By Dada Jackson
The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) has urged Lagosians to embrace proper environmental practices and obey the state’s environmental laws ahead of the Eid-l-Fitr festivities to mark the end of the Ramadan fast by Muslim faithful around the world.
Corps Marshal of the agency, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (retd), sounded the call at the agency’s command headquarters at Bolade-Oshodi.
He said, ‘‘The Ramadan fast is a testament to the willingness of Muslim faithful to adhere to the pillars of their faith and it is enjoined that cleanliness is an important religious practice in all faiths, which is why we admonish Lagosians to imbibe proper waste disposal and keep their environment clean during the celebration.”
Cole also advised Lagosians to make proper use of pedestrian bridges for their safety instead of crossing highways to prevent ‘hit and run’ cases by speeding motorists.
He equally read a riot act to miscreants in the habit of converting pedestrian bridges to sleeping areas which deters Lagosians in transit, pedestrians vowing that anyone caught w be made to face the state Environmental laws as amended
The KAI boss also revealed that the agency had recorded giant strides and would not relent in ridding pedestrian bridges across Lagos of criminal obstructions, traders and hawkers with daily arrests made alongside secured prosecutions by the Courts.
The Corps Marshal also warned Lagosians to desist from street trading, use of Styrofoam pack, hawking in traffic, patronage of cart pushers for refuse disposal, and erection of illegal structures on laybys, setbacks, medians, road verges, kerbs or around public schools in the state.
The KAI head said offenders would be made to face the consequences via prosecution in a competent court of appropriate jurisdiction.
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