Okorocha: Uzodimma has a killer squad – Newstrends
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Okorocha: Uzodimma has a killer squad

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Okorocha and Uzodimma

Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has accused Governor Hope Uzodimma of setting up a killer squad known as Hopism Strike Force (HSF).

He also alleged that the strike force is behind the mayhems in the state. The governor has denied the allegations.

Addressing reporters at his residence in Owerri, Okorocha said the strike force comprises the military, police, DSS and Ebubeagu.

He challenged Uzodimma to name sponsors of insecurity in the state.

“If the governor knows he has no such force in the state, let him tell the world who killed Gukak.

“It is not about me or Uche Nwosu; it is about the image of our state. I want to repeat this Sheba, Uzodimma’s CSO, has been in detention for the past 4 days. He is among the striking force of Uzodimma, I still ask Uzodimma, who killed Gulak? Who killed traditional rulers? Who killed about 140 bodies of Imolites found in the mortuary? Hope Uzodimma has a striking force called ‘Hope striking force’ they should ask them what they are doing with this killer squad.”

He argued that unless the mystery of “Hopeism strike force and Ebubeagu” is unravelled, members of the public would continue to grope in the dark in search of the sponsors and agents of banditry in the state.

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The former governor lamented the lives and properties lost in the state, including the killing of some traditional rulers and over 104 others since the inception of the Uzodimma-led administration. “This never happened for the 8 years that I ruled this state,” he said.

He added that while everybody was waiting patiently to hear the governor mention those behind banditry, kidnapping, killing and all forms of mayhem in the state, he avoided it.

Okorocha boasted that he has no skeleton in the cupboard, adding that the increasing rate of killings and recent ‘kidnap’ of his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, in a church spoke volumes of a clueless and insensitive government to the people.

”My legacies are all over the place and would ever remain indelible and cannot be erased because they are very clear,” he said.

He urged the President, the Inspector General of Police and other security chiefs in the country to intervene in the ugly drama taking place in Imo.

The former governor dismissed insinuations in some quarters of his plan to dump the All Progressives Congress (APC) and queried: “How can I build a house, furnish it and abandon it for a tenant? I was one of those who formed the APC and Governor Hope Uzodimma only came in through the window so I cannot leave the party for him.”

Uzodimma described Okorocha’s action as paranoid.

“If he is not paranoid, why panic, what has he to hide? If Okorocha knows that the governor has a killer squad known as Hopism Strike Force, why wait until now that public searchlight is on you and son-in-law to start exposing the killer squad?”  Uzodimma, who spoke through his Commissioner for Information and Strategy Declan Emelumba, said: “If you say that the governor has a killer squad, the best place to report is the police, not the press. I believe the Okorocha has something he is hiding and sooner than later, it will be exposed.”

The Nation

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Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack

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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

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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

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Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo

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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.

 

Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo

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