Killing of police operatives, Otti-Ikpeazu war of words, other South-east top stories

From the killing of police operatives in Enugu State to the war of words between Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and his predecessor, Okezie Ikpeazu, the past week was action-packed in the South-east.

The N100 billion deal between the Enugu State Government and Palm Products Limited was another top story in the week.

Here are the highlights of the top stories that made headlines in the region within the past week:

Otti, Ikpeazu’s war of words

On Tuesday, we reported the ongoing war of words between Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and his predecessor, Okezie Ikpeazu, over the alleged allocation of N10 billion by Mr Ikpeazu-led administration to a non-existent airport project in the state.

Mr Ikpeazu served two terms as governor of the state on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between 29 May 2015 and 29 May 2023, when he handed over to Mr Otti.

Mr Otti was elected as governor of the state on 22 March 2023 under the Labour Party ticket.

The war of words began when Mr Otti accused Mr Ikpeazu of allocating N10 billion to a non-existent airport project in the state.

The governor made the accusation at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in the US, where he delivered a lecture on 19 April.

He claimed he obtained the information from a report of a forensic audit carried out by a firm contracted by his administration.

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In his first response in late April, Mr Ikpeazu, through a statement by his spokesperson, Onyebuchi Ememanka, denied the allegation, describing it as “senseless”.

In his second response, Mr Ikpeazu, through his former commissioner for Information, John Kalu, explained that the N10 billion originally budgeted for the airport project was rechanneled into other projects following the approval of the then State Executive Council.

But the war of words continued on Thursday when Mr Otti claimed the former governor diverted the funds to 32 bank accounts of companies from where they allegedly looted the funds.

Mr Ikpeazu has also denied the allegation, explaining that the N32 bank accounts belonged to contractors for road projects where the funds were reportedly used for.

Since inauguration as governor of Abia State, Mr Otti has been making various allegations against Mr Ikpeazu, aimed at discrediting the former governor and his administration.

The ongoing war of words is unlikely to end soon, apparently.

After deadly attack, Nigerian lawmakers pass bill to regulate herders’ operation

Efforts to end frequent clashes between herders and farming communities in Enugu State continued last Tuesday when the State Assembly passed a bill to regulate the operation of herders in the South-eastern state.

The bill empowers the Enugu State Government to set up an agency to regulate both government and privately owned ranches in the state.

The development occurred days after suspected herders invaded Nimbo, a community in the same Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, killing at least four people.

At the Assembly chambers, the lawmakers hailed the bill and expressed hope that it would end clashes between the herders and farmers in the state.

Report of 21 soldiers killed in Anambra is false – Police

Tension was high in Anambra State and South-east on Wednesday morning when a report emerged that some gunmen attacked and killed 21 soldiers in the state.

But many residents felt relieved after the police in Anambra State refuted the report.

The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, who refuted the report in a statement, described it as “misleading, unfounded, and falsehood”.

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, warned that the police in the state would not hesitate to invoke the relevant cyber laws against persons found to manufacture false information to cause tension.

Court jails 41 internet fraudsters

The effort to tackle internet fraud in Nigeria yielded fruit last week whenathe Federal High Court in Onitsha, Anambra State, sentenced 41 internet fraudsters to one-year imprisonment each.

The 41 convicts were arrested for their involvement in separate internet frauds, according to a statement by the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday.

Prosecuted by the EFCC, the convicts, upon arraignment, pleaded guilty to one-count charge separately filed against them which prompted the court to sentence them.

Some of the 41 charges for the different convicts included obtaining by false pretence, possession of fraudulent documents and impersonation.

They were sentenced to one-year imprisonment each with an option of a fine of N100,000 while the court ordered that they should be involved in community service in line with Section 462 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

Enugu govt, firm seal N100 billion deal to revive moribund palm oil company

There was excitement in Enugu on Friday when the Enugu State Government announced that it had signed a N100 billion deal with Pragmatic Palms Limited to resuscitate the moribund United Palm Products Limited in Enugu State.

United Palm Products Ltd was set up by the state government to plant palm trees and engage in production of palm products such as palm oil and kernel, among others.

The moribund firm, which had defied efforts by successive governments to revive it, is an offshoot of the now defunct Agricultural development Corporation established in 1970 by the then Eastern region government led by the then premier Michael Okpara.

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State boasted that the deal “represents a major leap” in his quest to revive dormant assets in the state.

The Enugu State Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry, Adaora Chukwu, expressed hope that the deal would provide job opportunities to thousands of unemployed people in the state, in addition to improving the state’s economy.

However, the Labour Party in Enugu State has raised the alarm that the deal might serve as a conduit to embezzle the state’s resources.

Killing of two police operatives by gunmen

It was a sad day on Friday in Enugu State when gunmen killed two police operatives in the state.

The police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, in a statement on Saturday, said some police operatives from Ogui Division were attacked along Presidential Road on Friday night.

Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, claimed that although two of the operatives sustained gunshot injuries, they were able to repel the attack.

But speaking to reporters at the Government House later on Saturday, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, confirmed that two operatives were killed during the attack.

The governor said available information suggested that suspected IPOB and ESN members carried out the attack.

He called on residents of the state to be “on the lookout for the criminals” and report the same to security agencies.

Mr Mbah also announced a N10 million reward for anyone who would assist authorities with information that could help in tracking down the killers.

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The killing of police operatives is another reminder that the insecurity in the state and the South-east region.

NLC tackles Abia governor

The disagreement between the National Labour Congress (NLC) in Abia State and the state governor, Alex Otti, took a fresh twist on Saturday.

The workers protested against a directive of the state government that workers should undergo a verification exercise after a previous exercise had been conducted.

In a statement jointly signed by its state chairperson, Ogbonnaya Okoro, and Secretary, Emma Alozie, the NLC claimed that the state government “withheld” salaries of “many workers” for over seven months on the basis that some of the workers were yet to be verified.

The workers asked the state government to put the exercise on hold, insisting that they would not obey the directive.