BusinessDay 12 Apr 2018

Thursday 12 April 2018
BUSINESS DAY
15
CITYFile
Collapsed Reigners Church building:
‘No one will escape justice’
ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo
Families who lost their loved
ones in the collapsed Reigners’
Bible Church building, in Uyo,
Akwa Ibom State capital, have
been assured that those whose
negligence and unprofessional roles led
to the unfortunate incident would face
the full weight of the law.
The church building collapsed in
December 2016 killing 30 people and
leaving several others, mostly worshipers,
injured.
Uwemedimo Nwoko, attorney general
and commissioner for justice, Akwa Ibom
State, gave the assurance following the
release of the white paper on the incident
by the state government.
Speaking in Uyo on Tuesday, Nwoko
said those found culpable from the investigation
will not go scot free. He promised
to liaise with the police in the state to
ensure a thorough investigation of those
indicted by the report of the commission
of enquiry to ensure that justice is done
in the case.
Nwoko appealed to the people to
remain calm and patient as the state government
would do all within its powers to
ensure that everyone indicted is properly
investigated and charged to court.
“All those who have been indicted by
the report will be subjected to a thorough
investigation by the police and
any found culpable will be charged to
court and made to face the full weight
of the law”.
“No one has been exonerated, but we
have to carry out proper investigation, you
cannot just jail anyone, we must follow
due process, but trust that justice must
be done at the end of the day”.
Meanwhile, Dominic Ukpong, the
commissioner for health says the government
has taken steps to forestall a repeat
of such magnitude of disaster in the state
with the establishment of emergency
health centres with trained personnel.
Ukpong said as further indication of
commitment to the welfare of victims of
the collapsed Church Building, the Akwa
Police arrest herder with charms in Edo
IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, Benin
The police in Edo say they have arrested
a herder suspected to be
involved in kidnapping, and recovered
some charms from him.
Johnson Babarunde Kokumo, Commissioner
of Police in Edo, who paraded
the suspect alongside 27 others, said
that the herder was arrested by officers
of the Auchi divisional headquarters
on April 9. Kokumo said the suspect,
simply identified as Abubakar Ilyasu,
aged 30, was arrested following the kidnapped
of a farmer identified as Idirisu
Mohammed at Ivbiaro/Afuze junction
in Owan East local government area.
He said the kidnapped victim was
however rescue unhurt while other
suspects escaped.
“On April 9, 2018 at about 1700 hours
the police at Auchi embarked on bush
Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo pointing to the victims of kidnappers rescued
unhurt by the Police during the parade of suspected armed robbers, kidnappers and Fulani
herdsmen at the Command headquarters, Benin City.
Ibom State government recently spent a
total of N300 million as medical bills for
victims of the building collapse.
combing exercise following a report of
the kidnap of a farmer at Ivbiaro/Afuze
junction by kidnappers.
“In the process, the victim, named
Idirisu Mohammad (m) was rescued unhurt,
one of the kidnappers later identified
as Abubakar Ilyasu (m) and aged 30,
Fulani herder was arrested while others
escaped. Some charms were recovered
from him”, he said.
He said that efforts were ongoing to
arrest the other fleeing suspects and
recover their arms.
The commissioner said that kidnappers
who disguised as herders were also
arrested in the bush in Afuze area of
Owan East local government area and
taken to Ekpoma divisional headquarters
by the Inspector-General of Police intelligence
response team.
He said the suspects named Mirtala
Umoru (m) and Rabiu Udu (m) were
He said that a total of 168 victims were
evacuated from the scene of the incident
out of which 30 worshipers lost their lives.
arrested on April 9, 2018 while one AK-
47 rifle with breech number K0340119
and ten rounds of 7.62mm ammunition
were recovered from them. The CP said
that the suspects having confessed to the
crime have been transferred to the police
headquarters.
He also paraded three other suspects
in connection with the murder of Pius
Eromonsele, a pastor in the Church of
God Mission, Benin.
He said that one of the suspects, Tahiru
Usman (m) was arrested following
the cooperation of two others earlier
arrested.
The CP explained that 11 other suspects
were arrested in connection with
armed robbery, seven for cultism while
ten guns, 15 live ammunition, 32 assorted
phones, two cars, the sum of N19,040
and many other items recovered from
them were also displayed at the event.
Police recover
168 guns, others
in Imo
Commissioner of Police in Imo,
Chris Ezike, says the command
has recovered 168 guns and 2,323
ammunition during its mop-up of armaments
in the state.
Ezike, who made the disclosure in
Owerri while displaying the weapons,
said they were recovered from criminals
and some individuals who surrendered
their own voluntarily.
The command, according to the police
chief, also recovered 99 cartridges and 25
empty magazines.
Ezike said that the action was in compliance
to the Inspector General of Police
directive to state police commands to
deposit all mop-up and surrendered arms
and ammunition to the public armory.
He said that those arrested in connection
with the weapons that were not
voluntarily made, are facing various
charges in court.
He explained that the arms recovery
had become a proactive exercise aimed
at checking the activities of would-be
political thugs, adding that the mop-up
and voluntary submission of weapons
had led to reduction in criminality such
as kidnapping and armed robbery in the
state.
He assured that anybody who willingly
surrendered weapons in his custody
within the time frame stipulated by the
IG would have police protection. (NAN)
Kano LG to
immunise
181,129 children
Kumbotso local government
council in Kano says about
181,129 children have are targeted
for immunisation this month.
Nasir Gwarzo, head, department of
health in the council, disclosed this
at Kumbotso. He said that the council
was optimistic of meeting the target as
143,170 had already been immunised
in the ongoing exercise.
According to him, the council has
also received 200,000 vaccines for the
April round of the immunisation exercise.
Gwarzo said tremendous success has
been recorded in the exercise amidst
minor challenges.
He commended traditional rulers
in the area for timely resolution of issues
related to non-compliance and
missed children. The official however
assured that missed children would be
targeted and incorporated in the mop
up exercise.
Kano State is generally targeting 3.2
million children below the age of five
for immunisation in 2018.