TRAGEDY IN ABA, ABIA STATE AS TANKER LADEN WITH FUEL HITS OTHER VEHICLES

THREE vehicles were gutted by fire in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, when the driver a tanker laden with fuel lost control and crashed into them before finally ramming into another trailer along the ever busy Aba-Ikot Epkene road.

It was gathered that over 20 persons escaped death when the tanker with Registration Number NEN 571XA and the other vehicles as well as a Mack trailer with Registration Number XA 499 SKN were descending the Aba river bridge.

The accident, which happened on Saturday evening, was said to be as a result of brake failure
It was learnt that the tanker driver struggled to regain control, before the truck hit the cars, a white 190 Mercedes Benz V-Boot and a Honda Prelude saloon car, which somersaulted twice.

An eyewitness told Southern City News that the driver of the trailer used his truck to prevent the fuel tanker from running across the Aba river bridge where passengers were boarding vehicles to different parts of the city centre.

He said, “If the fuel tanker had crossed the bridge, there would have been casualties as many passengers were boarding vehicles to the city centre around the bridge.”

Some residents who spoke with our correspondent called on the state and the Federal Government to come to the aid of residents of the area by building a flyover at the bridge head to prevent accidents around the area.

RITUALS KILLING: EDO STATE RECORDS VICTIM

Headless corpse rattles Edo residents

THERE was panic among residents of Auchi community in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, following the shocking discovering of the headless corpse of a middle-aged man on the Benin-Okenne-Lokoja expressway.
It was gathered that the body of the victim identified as Clement was found in front of Campus Two of the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi.

It was learnt that the late Clement was likely a commercial motorcyclist as his severed head was sighted by the roadside, a little distance from a motorcycle.
The circumstances surrounding the victim’s death was not clear as at press time, even as some sources gave conflicting accounts on the cause of his death.

While some residents claimed that the deceased was allegedly murdered by suspected ritualists, others said that he might have been crushed to death by a heavy-duty truck on Sunday.

The Unit Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Moses Bature, who confirmed the incident, said that it was a suspected case of a fatal accident involving a hit-and-run driver.

Bature also said that the corpse had been deposited at a mortuary.
He said, “It is hit-and-run. We did not see the driver. We only carried the body to a mortuary.”

Stephen Keshi is dead : Read how he died.... Family account

                  Late Stephen Keshi

Family sources have explained how Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, former Nigerian football captain and coach died.

Keshi, 54, died early today in Benin, capital of Edo State, just about six months after his wife, Kate died in the United States.

According to close family sources, Keshi complained of being unwell just before midnight on Tuesday and he was found to be gasping for breath.

He was rushed to Faith Hospital in the Benin Government Reservation Area. He died around 00.30 this morning.
His body has been deposited at the Central Hospital in the city.

Keshi was born in Azare Bauchi state on 23 January, 1962.

He spent most of his growing up years in Lagos. He started playing football for the defunct African Continental Bank in 1979.
He joined the New Nigerian Bank in 1980 and played for four years. He joined Stade d’Abidjan in 1985.

Two years after, Keshi moved over to Lokeren in Belgium, a country where he also played for Anderlecht.

Keshi played for Nigeria between 1981 and 1995, making 64 appearances.

He was appointed manager of the Nigeria national team in 2011, during which he qualified Nigeria for the World Cup in Brazil and also won the African Nations Cup in 2013.

Only Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary, had won the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and a coach, before Keshi.

Keshi also coached Togo and Mali before being appointed to lead Nigeria.

Read more on late Super Eagle's Coach

Buhari to implement Yar’Adua’s agreement with N’Delta militants

Buhari to implement Yar’Adua’s agreement with N’Delta militants

Late President Umaru Yar’Adua

President Muhammadu Buhari is currently studying the gazette signed by late President Umaru Yar’Adua on the Niger Delta crisis as one of the possible ways of tackling the renewed violence being orchestrated by the Niger Delta Avengers in the region, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.

The purpose of revisiting the gazette, it was further learnt, was to ensure that all the agreements contained in the document were implemented by the Federal Government.

The development is coming at a time the destruction of oil facilities in the Niger Delta by the militants has crippled crude oil production and power supply.
By Friday, power generation was said to have dropped to 2,832.5MW because of the attacks.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, confirmed to our correspondent on Saturday that the Federal Government was doing all within its ability to restore peace to the Niger Delta.

Adesina listed some of the steps being taken to include consultations and the revisiting of the document signed by the late President.

“Every effort is being made to restore calmness to the Niger Delta, including consultation, and taking a fresh look at the gazette signed by the Umaru Yar’Adua government, so that the agreements contained therein will be implemented,” the presidential spokesman said.

The Senior Special Assistant to President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, had at a press conference on Friday confirmed that some of officials of the Federal Government were already holding discussions on how to end the violence.

Enang had said some ministers along with top government officials from the Niger Delta had opened talks with the governors and aggrieved people from the region on how to resolve the conflict.

He said the government was prepared to peacefully resolve the conflict.
He listed Federal Government’s representatives currently engaging in dialogue with the stakeholders in Niger Delta to include the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.); Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru; Co-ordinator, Amnesty Office, Gen. Paul Boroh (retd.) and other ministers from the region.

He said, “The Minister of Niger Delta, the Minister of Interior, the Coordinator of the Amnesty Office have been taking actions consistent with their powers and with what I know, almost all the ministers and officers from the Niger Delta region have returned to their respective states, zones and blocks to talk to their leaders and their aggrieved persons on the need for us to maintain peace.
“That is going on and they are the representatives of Mr. President. I will not tell you what Mr. President wants to do in person but these are officers and offices which are dealing with this matter.”

NAVAL OFFICER, 18 OTHERS KILLED IN RIVERS STATE.

Gunmen kill naval officer, 18 others in Rivers

Some militants

Gunmen suspected to be cult members on Saturday killed 19 persons in Aluu community in Ikwerre Local Government Area and Obite community in Etche council area of Rivers State.

A naval officer was among those killed when members of two cult groups stormed the communities and engaged each other in a free-for-all.
The gunmen, believed to be of Greenlanders cult, invaded Aluu in reprisal against a rival group, Icelanders and killed 15 persons, including a nursing mother.

A naval personnel, who was among the Joint Task Force team that went to the area to bring the situation under control, was hit by a bullet from the cultists.
Many others were injured during the attack in the Aluu community.
It was gathered that the cult members also killed some innocent persons and left several others with bullet wounds.

Some of the cult members also stormed Etche community and killed four persons, a community source, who witnessed the shootings, told SUNDAY PUNCH.

It was learnt that the gunmen invaded a superstore in Omuoda village, opened fire and killed several people.

The bandits later advanced to Omuahunwo village and killed four of their victims who were suspected to be cultists.

Our correspondents gathered that the assailants carried out the coordinated attacked based on information that some members of the Icelanders were taking refuge in Aluu. The incident left the residents of the area in anxiety as some people in the affected communities fled their homes.

A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “Some cult members believed to be members of Greenlanders entered the community and killed some people. The boys operated in a very terrible manner. They went to a supermarket where people usually go to buy something and opened fire on over six people.

“Some people narrowly escaped with gun wounds. We do not know the cause of the killings, although we suspected that it is a cult war.’’
In Obite, four persons suspected to be members of the Greenlanders were allegedly killed by the Icelanders.

A source in the area told SUNDAY PUNCH that the cult group invaded Obite at 8am on Saturday, destroyed and looted many property in the community.
“At the moment, people are running away and nobody knows who is who. The cult boys entered the community by 8am and started shooting the people they described as their enemies.

“The Icelanders boys were the ones that shot the Degbam boys, but the fear now is that the Degbam cult group has written a letter to the community, asking the residents to flee because they are going to revenge,’’ a source said.

When contacted, the Caretaker Chairman of Ikwerre LGA, Mr. Samuel Nwanosike, stated that the reports about the incident were overblown.
Nwanosike stressed that the government had swiftly responded to the situation and restored normalcy in the area.

The council chairman, who visited the area with some security personnel, stated that the bandits had been chased out of the community.
Nwanosike added that soldiers raided some hideouts in the area and rescued a victim, Kenneth Wobunwo, who was abducted two weeks ago. Wobunwo is the paramount ruler of Aluu community.

Nwanosike, however, confirmed that some of the hoodlums, who caused that unrest in the area, had been arrested during the security intervention.
When contacted, the state Assistant Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Grace Iringe-Koko, said she had not been briefed about the incident.

But a security source, spoke on condition of anonymity, told SUNDAY PUNCH that a naval officer was killed during the incident.

Osinbajo in charge. ..as PMB embarks on 10 days vacation abroad

Osinbajo to act as President for 10 days

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said he has transmitted a letter to the National Assembly intimating the federal lawmakers of his 10-day vacation starting today.

Buhari disclosed this while speaking to journalists at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, shortly before leaving for London where he is expected to attend to his ill-health.


With the letter to the National Assembly, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is expected to act as President for the period Buhari would be away.

Imo Assembly recalls suspended members

Three suspended members of the Imo State House of Assembly, Ifeanyi Lawrence Duruji, Ngozi Sylvia Obiefule and Obinna Arubrose Egu representing Ehime Mbano, Isu and Ngor Okpala State constituencies respectively have been recalled to join their colleagues in the law making body.

Hon. Acho Ihim, the Speaker of the House, who pronounced their reinstatement during a fully attended session of the House, said that the suspended lawmakers were being recalled based on their manifest demonstration of remorse and penitence which they exhibited while on suspension.

Hon. Ihim who represents Okigwe State constituency, the report of the committee set up to look into their parliamentary conducts which led to their suspension indicated that they regretted their action that earned them the suspension.
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Ihim said while one of them went totally on her knees before the committee pleading for forgiveness, another as contained in the report dropped his arrogance, wrote a confessional and humble letter denouncing his actions and that of his constituency, just as the third dissociated himself from the acts that gave rise to the suspension, pleading for pardon.

Ihim who is also the Vice President of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) African Region affirmed that following their plea for leniency and forgiveness, the House in line with the committee’s recommendations lifted their suspension beginning from Tuesday, June 7, 2016 when the House would reconvene.

It would be recalled that the recalled legislators were suspended two months ago by the House over acts capable of crippling the operations of the Assembly.