Delta, Bayelsa Governors Slam ASUU Over Strike

Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan and his Bayelsa State counterpart, Seriake Dickson, has berated the the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for the continued strike by the union.

The governors said this at the N25 billion fundraising for the Edwin Clark University of Technology (ECUT).

Also speaking at the event, former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon and elder statesman, Edwin Clark, restated the need for dialogue in resolving the crisis facing Nigeria as a nation.

Speaking at the fundraising, Uduaghan wondered how the state universities should join in the strike by federal universities, saying, “those of us in the states are wondering how this strike in the federal universities concerns the state universities.

“We are appealing to ASUU to call off this strike and henceforth in Delta State, we shall apply the no-work-no-pay rules, as far as this ASUU strike is concerned.”

Dickson, on his part wondered how ASUU should be on strike for an upward of four months, which he said is almost a semester. This, he said, is quite unbecoming, as Nigeria cannot be considered to be a serious nation with the tertiary education almost grounded.

He therefore called on ASUU to call off the strike, saying, “enough is enough, call off the strike in the interest of the nation”.

At the event where Gowon was chairman, and had the likes of President Jonathan, Arthur Eze and Jim Ovia, and American Civil Right activist, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Uduaghan and Dickson with the Ministers of Petroleum, Women Affairs, Health and Special Duties in attendance, Over N910 million was realised.

Villagers flee as gunmen invade Delta community, destroy houses

GUNMEN, weekend, stormed
Uwheru community in Ughelli North Local
Government Area, Delta State, vandalising
about 12 houses and a car belonging to
supporters of a former aide to the governor and Presidential-General of the community, Mr.
Clement Osieta. The gunmen, suspected to be political thugs,
were said to have earlier beaten Mr. George
Imiti, an elder brother of a councillor in the
area, Festus, to death. Yesterday morning, Over 500 indigenes of the
community, the Vanguard gathered, had fled
into the bush for fear of being attacked by the
armed thugs, who reportedly invaded the town
at 1a.m. A source said: “The current mayhem in Uwheru
was because the ring-leader of the gunmen
was arrested by the police. So the top official
wants to stop his prosecution. “At Egbo quarters, two houses belonging to
one Boge Ogbe were vandalised alongside a
beer parlour in front of his house. “Margaret Ogbe’s store was vandalised and the
armed youths went away with the N800,000
given to her to keep by her club. “At Odja, four houses were destroyed. A
People’s Democratic Party, PDP, chairman in
Uwheru was not spared as his house and
Toyota Corolla car were destroyed. “Also vandalised is Mr Wilson Umukoro’s
house; Umokoro is an In-law to Clement
Osieta.”

One Killed As NURTW Factions Clash In Delta

One man identified as Isa Alika has been
killed and several others injured in a clash
between two factions of the National Union
of Road Transport Workers, NURTW,
weekend, in Agbor, Delta State. The clash prompted the deployment of
soldiers and policemen to the area to douse
the tension. The leader of one of the
factions was reportedly arrested and
detained by the security agents. Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, had last
Wednesday, cautioned the warring NURTW
members not to threaten the peace of the
state. The national executive of the union was said
to have waded into the disagreement and
dissolved the executive of the union in the
area when one of the leaders refused the
creation of another chapter in Ika axis, and
took up arms against those opposed to his continued leadership.

Residents Flee Kokori As Soldiers Comb Town For Kelvin’s Associates, Armoury

At least six schools and the only health
centre in Kokori have been abandoned by
teachers, students and medical personnel,
following the siege laid to the community
by soldiers. Teachers, health workers, parents and their
children were said to have fled for fear of
falling into the hands of soldiers combing
the community for the armory and
associates of Kelvin. A Vanguard source, yesterday, said that
Kokori Girls School, Kokori; Ozegbe Primary
School; Anigboro School; Erijere Model
School; Samono Primary and Secondary
Schools; Samono Primary and Secondary
Schools; Suprina Academy and All Saints Modern College/Primary School had all
temporarily shut down. “Kokori Health Centre, the only health
institution in our community, has also
ceased to function for now, while the
Okarhoro-in-council cannot seat also,” the
source added. President-General of the community, Mr. G.
S. Avbunu-diogba, who confirmed the
development, said: “It is not that
government officially ordered the schools
to be shut down. “In a situation where soldiers besieged the
community and are shooting, teachers,
health workers and parents, have fled with
their children. “We are appealing to the state and Federal
governments to come to our aid, so that
schools will resume and the health
institution reopened.” He said the few villagers, who remained in
the community, do not allow their kids to go
out for fear of the unknown. He alleged that soldiers were breaking into
people’s houses even when Kelvin had been
arrested and still asking of Kelvin and this
was disturbing to the people, as they were
being intimidated for what they knew
nothing about. However, a military officer, told Vanguard:
“Soldiers are on internal operation in Kokori
and they are mindful of the instruction that
they were given to be civil with the
residents. “Their mandate is to fish out criminals in
the area and they have not exceeded that.” Kokori is the home of arrested alleged
kidnap kingpin, Kelvin Oniarah, in Ethiope-
East Local Government Area, Delta State.

Police Rescue NURTW Member Held In Monarch’s Palace By His Abductors

A National Union of Road Transport
Workers, NURTW, member, Bernard
Oyeogun, kidnapped, Wednesday, by a
rival faction in Agbor, Delta State, has
been rescued by the police from the
palace of a royal father, (names withheld), where he was unlawfully held
for one night. Acting on a tip-off, the Divisional Police
Officer, DPO, in the area stormed the
palace with policemen on Thursday and
unchained the victim, according to
reports. He was battered by his captors and there
was fear, yesterday, that he might go
blind. There has been a simmering dispute
between two factions of the union in the
area and a source told Vanguard that the
national executive of the union dissolved
the chapter, yesterday afternoon, after
it was briefed on the development. The royal father was said to be away
from his palace when the incident
occurred, but he, allegedly, has
sympathy for one of the rival factions. Two persons, aged 31 and 41 years
respectively have been arrested in
connection with the incident. Confirming the incident and the arrests,
Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO,
Delta State, Lucky Uyabame said, the
Divisional Police Officer, Agbor, led his
patrol team to the palace of the
monarch, where they found the victim, who was assaulted and taken hostage
from the Agbor-Ogwashi-Uku motor
park, Agbor by three members of the
rival group.

IGP Sued For Alleged Unlawful Detention

The Inspector General of Police and
majority leader of the Delta State House of
Assembly, Chief Monday Igbuya, have been
dragged before a Sapele High Court in Delta
State, by Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Delta
Guide Newspapers, Prince Orhomunokpaye, who is asking for N100 million as
aggravated exemplary damages, for
unlawful arrest and detention for 22 days. Others joined in the legal action as
respondents are the Assistant Inspector
General of Police, Zone 5, Benin City, Edo
State, Commissioner of Police, Delta State,
Area Commander, Ughelli, and Divisional
Police Officer, DPO, Sapele Police Station, CSP Kenneth Akubue. Orhomunokpaye is praying the court to
declare that the remand order made against
him for 22 days, instigated by the 1st to 8th
respondents via the 9th to 14th
respondents, being agents of the 11th to
14th respondents on the grounds that he lied on oath, was wrongful. He also prayed the court to declare that his
arrest and detention by the 9th to 14th
respondents over a factual publication
made/or published by his publishing outfit
(Delta Guide newspaper) is wrongful,
unlawful and infringement of his fundamental human rights

MASSOB Accuses Delta Police Of Killing Seven Members

Movement for the Actualization of
Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB,
yesterday, accused Delta State Police
Command of killing seven of its members
in two separate raids allegedly carried out
by an anti-riot policemen and local vigilante operatives in Delta State. According to MASSOB, the raid, which
started at Upper Iweka area of Onitsha,
Anambra State, led to arrest and detention
of one Ndubuisi Nwosu, a MASSOB chieftain
now believed to be held in Cell 4 at the
Anambra State Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, headquarters, Awkuzu. The group said the raid spread to Delta
State where the latest onslaught allegedly
took place. The accusation was contained in statement
signed by Mazi Chris Mocha, Media
Assistant to Chief Ralph Uwazuruike. Mocha alleged that after the raid at
MASSOB regional office at Omelugboma in
Oshimili local government area of the state,
during which the seven members were shot
dead on the spot, a similar operation was
repeated on Wednesday. He said: “Seven persons were shot dead on
the spot, while over 96 others sustained
various degrees of injuries arising from
bullet wounds.” He listed those who died on the spot to
include Luke Okonta, Nathaniel Okosieme,
Ephraim Okocha, Okey Innocent, Akaliese
Aniemena, Joseph Oroni and Miss Blessing
Uwechue. Mocha also identified those arrested as Mr.
Emeka Okafor, Regional Administrator of
MASSOB for Oshimili North; Francis
Onuigbo, Chukwuemeka Izogo, Ndubuisi
Ezeocha, Andrew Nwifuru, Ikechukwu Okpe,
Ifeanyi Ugwu, Samuel Uyo, Chinedu | Ekwunife, Philip Chukwu, Odinaka Nkwuda,
Sanuel Okoha and 91 others. He said the police team also removed
property from the MASSOB office, including
a computer set, Biafran currency (pounds)
and a generating set, before vandalizing 45
plastic chairs in the office and making away
with the sum of N50,000 which would have been used to settle the MASSOB office
rent. Mocha alleged that after the police team
had left the scene, the local vigilante
operatives took their own turn in the looting
exercise as they embarked on a house-to-
house search and looting of personal
property belonging to MASSOB members in the area, claiming that they were acting on
the instruction of the police commissioner.
[Vanguard]

4 Drivers Arrested In Delta Over Attempt To Dump Toxic Waste

Four truck drivers have been arrested over alleged attempt to dump toxic waste within the Kwale axis of Delta State.

Vanguard gathered that the arrested persons were intercepted along Ogwashi-Uku/Kwale road while conveying the suspected toxic waste substance in their trucks to the destination.

It was further gathered that following the intervention of police, in collaboration with some community leaders, the suspects were arrested and taken to the Ogwashi-Uku police station.

At press time, the suspects were still detained at the station.

Confirming the incident, the state police spokesman, Mr. Lucky Uyabeme, told our reporter in Asaba, yesterday: It is true the truck drivers were arrested on Monday evening with suspected toxic waste. The arrest was made possible through the effort of our (police) patrol team on routine patrol duty. The vehicles have been impounded and investigation is on.”

It will be recalled that a toxic waste dump site was discovered in Okpai community of Ndokwa East Local Government area of the State sometime in May this year.

The waste according to a report by the Environmental Watch Group (EWG) was massively buried at the Anieze, Okpai and Oluchi locations by an oil exploration company in the area. [Vanguard]