COLLAPSE OF CEASEFIRE: MEND issues two-week ultimatum

PAGE 2 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 10, 2016
From left: Coordinator, Association for the Prevention of Infertility and
the Promotion of Reproductive Health and Right[ASPIRE], Ebele Onwuagbaizu,
Chief Executive Officer, Occupational Wealth and Safety
Managers[OHSM], Mr. Ehi Iden, founder of Beibei Haven Foundation,
Omotade Alalade and Coordinator, Corporate Marketing and Corporate
Communication, Bridge Clinic, Dr. Ekundayo Omogbehin, during the 2016
ASPIRE Fertility Walk, tagged: Demystifying Infertility, organised by the
Bridge Clinic, in Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez
Herdsmen on the rampage in
Benue communities
*Five feared dead
By Peter Duru,
Makurdi
NO fewer than five per
sons were feared dead
on Saturday morning in a
fresh attack on parts of
Chambe and Anawah settlements,
at Gaambe-Tiev,
in Logo Local Government
Area of Benue State, by suspected
herdsmen.
Sunday Vanguard
gartherd that the affected
communities were invaded
at about 9am when most of
the locals were already in
their farms.
According to a source
who claimed to have witnessed
the attacks, the
armed herdsmen stormed
the villages, singing war
songs, shooting sporadically
and torching houses, huts
and food barns in the affected
communities.
He said, “like the cases
before now, this latest attack
was unprovoked, the
armed herdsmen stormed
the settlements shooting
sporadically and singing at
the same time.
“People started running
for their lives but unfortunately
about five persons
were gunned down and several
persons sustained machete
cuts and bullet
wounds.
“As if that was not
enough, after chasing the
people away, they took over
and occupied the affected
settlements while some
houses and huts were also
set ablaze as I speak with
you.
“That is the situation we
have found ourselves in this
part of the country; we are
completely helpless, our
women and children are
being tormented almost on
a weekly basis. Maybe the
herdsmen want us to vacate
Benue State for them.
“At the moment most of
our people are also moving
in their numbers from villages
nearest to the attacked
communities. Majority
of them are fleeing to
Anyii, the local government
headquaters where most of
the wounded are also receiving
medical attention.”
When contacted the Police
Public Relations Officer,
PPRO, Assistant Superintendent,
ASP, Moses
ABIA GOV. CONTROVERSY
Ex-Ohanaeze boss seeks
security beef up
Yamu, said he was yet to get
the details of the latest attack.
By Nwabueze
Okonkwo
A
former President-Gener
al of Ohaneze Ndigbo
and Chairman of Anambra
Elders Council, Dr Dozie Ikedife,
has asked the Federal
Government to deploy more
security personnel to Abia
State to avert possible break
down of law and order arising
from the on-going governorship
crisis in the state.
Ikedife, who made the call
in Nnewi, Anambra State,
yesterday, while speaking on
the way forward concerning
the political crisis in the state,
asked state elders supporting
Governor Okezie Ikpazu and
his challenger, Dr Uche
Ogah, who a court has been
asked to be issued a certificate
of return by the Independent
National Electoral Commission,
INEC, to be careful
not to allow the situation to
disturb the peace.
He said his fear was that
miscreants might hijack any
chaotic situation to unleash
mayhem, adding that it was
quite unfortunate that many
elections in the country ended
up in the tribunal or court
where three, four, five or more
judges would take a decision
and pronounce judgement on
who won an election instead
of the mandate of the people
who chose their leader.
Ikedife, who stated that such
a system was untidy and
should be changed, however,
insisted that court orders,
when pronounced, should always
be obeyed to avoid contempt.
He said he would not blame
the INEC for issuing the certificate
of return to Ogah, going
by the court judgement,
adding that INEC had no
right to withdraw it from
Ogah. He lent his opinion to
those who said that the judgement
of a higher court of
competent jurisdiction
should prevail.
Also, yesterday, a legal
practitioner, Mr Kayode Ajulo,
argued that the matter
will be resolved at the Supreme
Court.
He told Sunday Vanguard:
“I don’t think there is any
controversy on that. The constitution
is so clear about our
adjudicatory system. If there
is a presumption of error on
the lower court, that is why
we have the court of appeal.
If there is still that possibility
of irregularities and error
at the court of appeal, that is
why we have the Supreme
Court.”
Plot to attack Lagos averted
*Police arrest two suspects
LAGOS State Police
Command said it had
arrested two suspected militants,
who attempted to attack
Igando community, a
suburb in the state.
Spokesperson for the
command, Mr Dolapo
Badmos, a Superintendent
of Police, disclosed this in
Lagos, yesterday.
Badmos said that the suspects
were nabbed on
Thursday and three guns
and ammunition were recovered
from them.
She said that some residents
of Igando alerted the
police of the attempted attack
by the suspected militants,
who came in a boat
through the waterways.
“Immediately, the Commissioner
of Police, Fatai
Owoseni, deployed his men
to the area. Two suspects
were arrested with some
weapons”, the spokesperson
said.
“The security of the area
has been beefed up; the
command has begun investigation
into the attempted
attack.
“The police will find out
who they are, where they
came from and their mission.
“We advise members of
the public in the area and
other parts of the state not
to panic as the police are
on top of the situation.”
Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, with chiefs and
members of the family of the late literary icon, Capt. Elechi Amadi, when he
paid a condolence visit to the family
A cross section of indigenes and non-indigines of the State of Osun boarding the
free train provided by the Osun government, from Osogbo to Lagos, after the Eideil-Fitr
celebrations at the Railway station in Osogbo.
Drama as Arik Air cancels PH/Abuja flight
*Airlines blames ILS, technical hitch
By Peter Egwuatu &
Lawani Mikairu
ARIK Air, yesterday,
blamed the Instrument
Landing System, ILS, at
Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport,
Abuja and technical problems
on its plane already
boarded by passengers at Port-
Harcourt International Airport
for delay and eventual
cancellation of its Abuja
bound flight.
The airline, on Friday, at
the Port Harcourt airport,
kept its passengers on board
stranded before announcing
the cancellation of the flight.
The Arik plane had been
scheduled to depart Port Harcourt
as the last flight of the
day on Friday.
Mr. Achienevu Okafor, a
passenger on board, who
spoke to Sunday Vanguard,
said: “I am stranded here at
the Port Harcourt airport. It
is like we are going to sleep
inside the Arik plane as they
have just announced the cancellation
of the flight at about
11.30 pm. This is a flight we
have boarded since . They announced
the cancellation
without giving any reason to
the passengers on board.
Look at some passengers they
are already sleeping here”.
Continuing, he said: “ How
can this airline allow us to
pass the night inside aircraft.
At least an effort should have
been made to give us hotel accommodation
since it is not
the passengers fault.” Later,
Sunday Vanguard gathered
that the passengers were
forced out of the plane and
taken to the waiting lobby to
pass the night.
Reacting to the incident, the
Communication Manager,
Arik Air, Mr Ola Adebanji,
said, “The flight was initially
delayed out of Abuja because
of the faulty ILS at Nnamdi
Azikiwe Airport which led to
total blackout on the runway
Amaechi visits Elechi Amadi’s family,
promises to fund funeral with friends
MINISTER of Transpor
tation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike
Rotimi Amaechi, has
promised to sponsor the funeral
ceremony of the late
literary icon, Captain Elechi
Amadi.
Amaechi made the promise
when he paid a condolence
visit to the family of
for several hours on Friday
evening. This led to the
grounding of outbound
flights while inbound flights
could not land.
“Thus, the flight arrived Port
Harcourt at about 10.30pm,
later than scheduled. Then
after boarding the Abuja
bound passengers, the aircraft
had technical issues and all
efforts by the Captain to reset
the engine was futile. The aircraft
was declared AOG and
the flight rescheduled for Saturday
morning .”
Amadi in Mbodo, Aluu
community in Obio /Akpor
Local Government Area of
the Rivers State.
Amaechi said his decision
to sponsor the burial of the
late literary giant was to reciprocate
his sterling contribution
to the development
of Ikwerre ethnic nationality
in particular and Rivers
State in general. Amaechi,
like Amadi, is from the Ikwerre
ethnic group in Rivers
State. To achieve this, the
minister said he would set
up a burial organizing committee
with his wife to liaise
with the Amadi family in
order to give the late literary
icon a befitting burial.