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Sit-At-Home Order: IPOB, Police Set For Showdown

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Therefore, the battle line is drawn between the security agencies and the proscribed group….

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the police are on the verge of a showdown over the sit-at-home order issued by the leader of the proscribed group, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to mark the anniversary of the Biafra Republic Remembrance Day.

The celebration, which holds on May 30 every year and was supposed to be held today, was shifted to Monday, May 31, to avoid any conflict with the Christian worshippers and to prove that the directive of the embattled leader of the group is obeyed.

The South-East and South-South police had assured the people of the security of lives and property but warned that whoever breached relative peace, law and order in the wake of the audacious order should first write his or her will.

Therefore, the battle line is drawn between the security agencies and the proscribed group.

Checks by Daily Trust at the weekend indicated that there is palpable tension and anxiety among residents in some parts of the affected states, such as Anambra, Abia, Imo, Ebonyi and Enugu, as well as Delta, Rivers and Akwa Ibom.

While the echoes of the dreadful order are already around in some states and taking a toll on their socio-economic activities as some residents heeded the directive at the weekend, normal businesses went on in other states as though nothing was in the offing.

Owerri residents obey sit-at-home order

Despite assurances of safety given to them by the Imo State Government, residents of Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Saturday, obeyed the order.

Consequently, economic and social activities in the city and its environs were grounded as shops, malls, supermarkets and markets remained closed. Roads were also empty as motorists and pedestrians stayed off the streets.

Some residents who dared to step out were stranded as many of them were unable to reach their destinations nor could find vehicles to go back home.

They also bemoaned the rampant arrests and detention of citizens by security agents, saying it is deterring them from pursuing legitimate means of livelihood.

Many of those who spoke to our correspondent at the weekend said though the sit-at-home order was to take effect on Monday, they decided to stay indoors because of rampant shooting and indiscriminate arrests by the police.

“People are afraid of being arrested for no just cause. Because of the situation at hand, everyone is tagged an IPOB or Eastern Security Network (ESN) member.

“An incident happened at Ogbo Oshishi Timber Market where a boy helping his mother to sell food was arrested, along with people eating in the makeshift restaurant.

“When the woman pleaded for her son, the policeman slapped her, a resident said.’’

Another resident of Naze, Ndukwe, lamented that some soldiers and Air Force personnel blocked the Aba-Owerri road, shooting sporadically.

Residents shun order in Ebonyi

Residents in Ebonyi State shunned the order on Saturday. Daily Trust gathered that markets, hotels, the Abakaliki Rice Mill, motor parks and shops opened for business. Taxi, keke and motorbike transporters also operated.

Army blocks Onitsha bridge to protest killing of soldiers

Military personnel on Saturday blocked the Onitsha bridge, following the killing of military men in Ihiala, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State by people suspected to be members of the IPOB.

Daily Trust gathered that early Saturday morning, about five military men were shot dead in Ihiala by gunmen suspected to be members of the IPOB.

When contacted, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, the police public relations officer, Anambra State Command, said the early morning gridlock at the bridge was as a result of stringent checks by security operatives.

Measure meant to track hoodlums.

Meanwhile, the sit-at-home directive was not effective in Awka, the state capital, as people were seen going about their normal businesses.

Residents went about their normal businesses without any molestation by anybody or group immediately after the state’s monthly sanitation exercise.

A resident, Mr Mike Uche, said he heard about the sit-at-home order, but nobody observed it on Saturday.

However, newspaper vendors in Awka and Anambra decried the stoppage of vehicles conveying newspapers from Lagos to the state at the Niger bridge.

Miss Nneka Okoye, a vendor at Aroma junction, Awka, said the situation hampered their business.

“We are surprised to face this kind of problem this morning. As you can see, there is no Saturday paper on display here now.

“The distributors told us that the vehicles carrying newspapers were stopped at the Onitsha bridge because of the issues the military had with people in Ihiala,” Okoye said.

Apart from vehicles carrying newspapers, others were also blocked from moving in and out of Onitsha in the early hours of Saturday.

We’re battle-ready – Rivers police

The Rivers State police command has advised residents of the state to ignore the sit-at-home order. It warned that the command was battle-ready to deal with any person or group of persons that want to break down law and order.

The command’s public relations officer, SP Nnmadi Omoni, in a press statement issued in Port Harcourt, noted that they were aware of the sit-at-home order.

Omoni added that the command viewed the statement as unlawful and had decided to allay the palpable fears occasioned by the phantom order.

He added that the commissioner of police in the state, CP Eboka, reassured the residents that adequate security measures had been put in place to ensure that they go about their lawful businesses unhindered, unmolested and in a conducive atmosphere.

No compliance in Enugu, Umuahia, Aba

From Idaw River to Uwani in Enugu South Local Government Area, to Coal Camp, New Market, to Edinburgh Road, Ogui Road, where Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium is located in Enugu North Local Government Area, to New Haven, Independence Layout, Garki and other places, people were seen moving about their normal businesses without fear. Traders opened shops in several markets.

“Ordinarily, a newcomer in Enugu may think that people not moving about in the early hours of Saturday indicated compliance, but in fact, residents of the town are simply complying with the monthly sanitation programme of the Enugu State Government.

“Therefore, there is nothing like sit-at-home order,” said Mr Ikenna Anichukwu, a teacher and resident of Obiagu Road.

Another resident, Mr Kenechi Amah, a taxi driver at New Haven and Garki, said that as far as Enugu State was concerned, nobody was interested in observing any sit-at-home order.

“I am a trader here at Ogbette Market. You can see that the market is full of activities. If you go to Kenyata, Abakpa, Timba, Garki and New Market, you would notice that trading activities are going on.

“Nobody is closing his shop in compliance with any sit-at-home order,” a trader at Ogbette Main Market, Fred Mbachu, said.

Also, normal commercial and social activities went on smoothly on Friday in Umuahia and Aba in Abia State.

Tricycle operators, business owners, timber market, commercial bus drivers, all the inter-state motor parks, were fully operational without obstruction.

However, the military started patrolling the streets of Umuahia and Aba as early as 6 am. No sign of the IPOB was noticed in the cities as of the time of this report.

Meanwhile, there are restrictions in human and vehicle movements as a result of the curfew imposed on the state by the government from 8 pm till 6 am as part of security measures adopted by the state government.

The Abia State Command of the Nigeria Police Force has called on citizens and residents in the state to ignore the order.

Recall that the group had issued a sit-at-home order between Saturday, May 29 and Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

The command, in a statement, urged the public to go about their normal businesses without any fear of harassment.

They assured members of the public that the Force, in collaboration with sister agencies, would guarantee the safety of lives and property of residents.

The command further advised parents and guardians to warn their children and wards to stay away from acts capable of causing a breach of security in the state.

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‘Enough is enough’, Tinubu directs security chiefs to stop violent attacks

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‘Enough is enough’, Tinubu directs security chiefs to stop violent attacks

 

President Bola Tinubu has ordered security operatives to end forthwith the violent attacks in some parts of the country, especially in Plateau, Borno, and Benue states.
He gave the directive during a meeting with security chiefs at the State House on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA); Mohammed Mohammed, director-general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); Emmanuel Undianeye, chief of defence intelligence; Oluwatosin Ajayi, director-general (DG) of the Department of State Services (DSS); and Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff (CoS) to the President.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Ribadu said Tinubu declared that “enough is enough” on the resurgence of violence in some parts of the country.
The NSA said the president directed security chiefs to work with the political authorities in states and at the grassroots level to find a lasting solution to the insecurity.
He said the security chiefs had acted on Tinubu’s previous instructions by meeting with political leaders in the affected communities and states.
The NSA said the meeting offered the security chiefs the opportunity to fully brief the president about the current security situation of the country.
“This time, we were able to sit with him for hours and give a proper briefing. We also took new instructions from him,” he said.
“Insecurity is not only a government problem.
“It also involves the subnational units — the communities, local governments, and especially the governors. The president directed that we work more closely with them.
“Some of these problems are community-related. While not entirely so, that element plays a significant role.
“Mr. President is working hard to ensure that Nigeria enjoys peace and stability. We are not relenting. We will not stop until we get the results he demands.”
On the resurgence of violent attacks in Borno, Ribadu said the terrorists were planting explosives during the period of relative peace in the state.
“This enemy does not give up easily. When there’s peace for a long time, they try to shock the public with an isolated incident,” he said.
The NSA said the security situation in the country is not yet at 100 percent, while noting that there is “significant improvement”.
Since the beginning of the month, many have been killed in some communities in Plateau State.
Benue State has also recorded violent attacks as over 50 people were killed in Ukum and Logo LGAs on April 18.

 

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Minister queries Julius Berger’s exclusion from furnishing of Abuja Conference Centre

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Minister queries Julius Berger’s exclusion from furnishing of Abuja Conference Centre

 

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has questioned the exclusion of Julius Berger from furnishing the Abuja Conference Centre, despite the company being awarded the full rehabilitation contract in April 2024.

Wike made his position clear during an inspection visit to the project site on Wednesday in Abuja, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Last month, the minister announced that the N39 billion renovation was 70–80 percent complete.

He expressed confidence it would be ready for use by May, and among the projects to mark Tinubu’s second year in office.

While commending Julius Berger for the quality of work done so far, Wike said he was shocked to learn that the furnishing aspect of the project was handed over to a different company without his approval.

According to the minister, the original agreement was for Julius Berger to handle the complete rehabilitation of the Abuja International Conference Centre (AICC). He stated that he had personally approved the contract and the budget involved, and any deviation from that plan required official clearance.

“The work was going as expected, the only problem we identified this afternoon has to do with the furniture that will be in the conference hall.

“I was surprised to hear that there is a different contractor for that, which is unacceptable to us. The job was given to Julius Berger entirely. I cannot have different qualities,” Wike stated.

The FCT minister subsequently summoned the leadership of Julius Berger, Abuja Investment Company Ltd (AICL), and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to clarify who authorised the deviation from the original contract and on what basis.

He said assigning different contractors to furnish separate sections of the same facility could compromise the overall quality and consistency of the project.

The Abuja International Conference Centre, built by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc in 1990 and completed in time for the 1991 OAU Heads of Government meeting, has long served as a venue for government functions, international summits, exhibitions, and corporate events.

Over the years, the facility deteriorated. In April 2024, President Tinubu ordered urgent renovations after calling its condition an “eyesore” during the ECOWAS Parliament inauguration. The FCT Administration suspended activities on April 8, allowing Julius Berger to begin extensive rehabilitation

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Kaduna governor revokes land approved sold by El-Rufai

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Kaduna governor revokes land approved sold by El-Rufai

Kaduna State Government has revoked institutional houses and plots of land sold in the state by the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

Governor Uba Sani on Tuesday ordered the revocation of the properties within Alhuda-huda College, Zaria; Queen Amina College, Kaduna and Government Commercial College, Zaria.

Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Dr. AbdulKadir Mu’azu Meyere, who announced the revocation in a statement, said the decision was taken for overriding public interest and for the common good.

He said efforts were being made to ensure all payments made to the government coffers in respect of the sold houses are refunded.

He said, “In line with its commitment to human capital development and to ensure conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning in schools, the Kaduna State Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Senator Uba Sani, had revoked all previous sales of institutional houses and land allocations within Alhuda-huda College, Zaria, Queen Amina College, Kaduna and Government Commercial College, Zaria for overriding public interest and for the common good.

“The revocation was approved last year and the revocation order has been conveyed to all allottees, while steps are being taken to refund amounts paid in respect of the sold houses as directed by His Excellency, the Governor of Kaduna State.

“As one of the key pillars of His Excellency’s Human Capital Development, Uba Sani noted that effective learning can best take place in a conducive atmosphere without distractions and sundry interferences.

“The governor has always argued that education is not just a leveler but also a ladder for upward mobility which can transform lives and improve livelihoods.

“To secure the future of our children, the Governor has been expanding access to education in the last two years, by bridging the infrastructural deficit at both primary and secondary schools across Kaduna State.

“In fact, one of the first decisions that His Excellency took upon assuming office was the slashing of the school fees of Kaduna State-own tertiary institutions on August 21, 2023.

“Apart from tertiary institutions, the Senator Uba Sani administration has also improved access by building new primary and secondary schools as well as blocks of classrooms since he became Governor of Kaduna State.

“Indeed, the Sani-led administration has built over 2,336 new classrooms, renovated more than 707 others and provided 3,704 and 30,742 furniture, for teachers and pupils.

“Similarly, Kaduna State Government, has sunk 51 boreholes, provided 918 cubicle toilets for both pupils’ and teachers’ use in all the Local Governments to make learning more conducive.”

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