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18042019 - PRESIDENTIAL TUSSLE:I always beat you in every election, Buhari tells Atiku

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34—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019<br />

:Vanguard<br />

News<br />

9 prisoners rega<strong>in</strong><br />

freedom <strong>in</strong> Imo<br />

By Chidi<br />

Nkwopara<br />

O WERRI—NINE<br />

<strong>in</strong>mates of the<br />

Federal Prison, Owerri,<br />

have rega<strong>in</strong>ed their<br />

freedom, courtesy of the jail<br />

delivery session carried out<br />

by the Imo State Chief<br />

Judge, Justice Paschal<br />

Nnadi.<br />

The lucky <strong>in</strong>mates<br />

<strong>in</strong>cluded Anayo Akuneme,<br />

Paul Okoro, Chimaobi<br />

Nwosu, Ifeanyi Ekezie,<br />

Solomon Igbosoroeze,<br />

Chukwuka Emeribe,<br />

Ony<strong>in</strong>ye Ekegha,<br />

Emmanuel Christopher<br />

and Eze Maduabuchi.<br />

Speak<strong>in</strong>g before the<br />

commencement of the<br />

exercise, Justice Nnadi<br />

expla<strong>in</strong>ed that the law<br />

empowers the State Chief<br />

Judge to periodically look<br />

<strong>in</strong>to the status of prison<br />

<strong>in</strong>mates, with a view to<br />

sett<strong>in</strong>g free, those that may<br />

have spent more time than<br />

they would have, if<br />

properly convicted.<br />

He recalled that when a<br />

similar exercise was<br />

conducted late last year, no<br />

fewer than 29 <strong>in</strong>mates were<br />

set free.<br />

“The jail delivery exercise<br />

would cont<strong>in</strong>ue after the<br />

Easter break. I have no<br />

doubt that what we are<br />

do<strong>in</strong>g today will ultimately<br />

add up to the people’s<br />

happ<strong>in</strong>ess dur<strong>in</strong>g the<br />

Easter festivities”, Justice<br />

Nnadi said.<br />

The Chief Judge ordered<br />

that the cases of three<br />

deta<strong>in</strong>ees, Fidelis Allison,<br />

Samuel Okoroafor and<br />

Christiana Eze, who were<br />

not aware of the pendency<br />

of their matters, should<br />

resume immediately <strong>in</strong><br />

court, wherever they are<br />

listed.<br />

Justice Nnadi charged all<br />

the freed deta<strong>in</strong>ees to<br />

“refra<strong>in</strong> from anyth<strong>in</strong>g that<br />

would br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>you</strong> back <strong>in</strong>to<br />

conf<strong>in</strong>ement. You must be<br />

of good behaviour and an<br />

asset to the society”, Nnadi<br />

said.<br />

Vanguard recalls that the<br />

Federal Prison Owerri,<br />

which was constructed by<br />

the colonial masters to take<br />

care of about 500 is today,<br />

hous<strong>in</strong>g 2,127 <strong>in</strong>mates.<br />

Accord<strong>in</strong>g to the statistics<br />

displayed on board, 2,069<br />

<strong>in</strong>mates are males, 58 are<br />

females, while only 214 are<br />

convicted and serv<strong>in</strong>g their<br />

terms <strong>in</strong> the prison.<br />

Legal Aid Council lauds<br />

Ugwuanyi’s commitment<br />

to justice delivery<br />

D IRECTOR-GENERAL<br />

of Legal Aid Council of<br />

Nigeria, Aliyu Bagudu<br />

Abubakar has commended<br />

the adm<strong>in</strong>istration of Gov.<br />

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of<br />

Enugu State for the<br />

speedy sign<strong>in</strong>g of the<br />

Adm<strong>in</strong>istration of Crim<strong>in</strong>al<br />

Justice Law of Enugu State<br />

2017 <strong>in</strong>to law.<br />

Abubakar, who also<br />

applauded the state<br />

government for its<br />

implementation of the law<br />

described it as “the best <strong>in</strong><br />

the country”.<br />

The Legal Aid Council<br />

DG gave the<br />

commendation when<br />

members of the body paid<br />

a courtesy visit to the<br />

Government House,<br />

Enugu.<br />

He equally lauded the<br />

state government for the<br />

prompt payment of<br />

monthly subvention to the<br />

Legal Aid Council, add<strong>in</strong>g<br />

that “this gesture shows that<br />

the government takes<br />

<strong>every</strong>one <strong>in</strong>to heart,<br />

especially <strong>in</strong> the area of<br />

justice delivery”.<br />

Abubakar who<br />

appreciated Ugwuanyi for<br />

his commitment to the<br />

progress of the Judiciary <strong>in</strong><br />

the state, said: “The Legal<br />

Aid Council is here to<br />

assure <strong>you</strong> that we are<br />

ready, capable and will<strong>in</strong>g<br />

to cont<strong>in</strong>ue to partner with<br />

other stakeholders to<br />

enhance justice delivery <strong>in</strong><br />

the state”.<br />

The DG disclosed that<br />

the council’s target “is to<br />

ensure that all the 774<br />

Local Government Areas<br />

of Nigeria are covered so<br />

that access to justice is<br />

delivered closer to the<br />

people, especially those<br />

who cannot afford to<br />

transport themselves<br />

around when they have<br />

matters”.<br />

Respond<strong>in</strong>g, Ugwuanyi,<br />

while welcom<strong>in</strong>g the<br />

delegation to the<br />

Government House,<br />

reiterated his<br />

adm<strong>in</strong>istration’s<br />

determ<strong>in</strong>ation to create a<br />

more conducive and<br />

enabl<strong>in</strong>g environment for<br />

the effective adm<strong>in</strong>istration<br />

and dispensation of justice<br />

<strong>in</strong> the state.<br />

Represented by his<br />

deputy, Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo,<br />

the governor highlighted<br />

the progress made so far by<br />

his adm<strong>in</strong>istration <strong>in</strong> the<br />

Justice Sector, say<strong>in</strong>g:<br />

“These <strong>in</strong>clude but not<br />

limited to such milestones<br />

as the enactment of the<br />

Child Rights Law of Enugu<br />

State; the enactment of the<br />

Enugu<br />

State<br />

Adm<strong>in</strong>istration of Crim<strong>in</strong>al<br />

Justice Law considered the<br />

best <strong>in</strong> Nigeria;<br />

establishment of a<br />

functional multi-door Court<br />

House Law; and<br />

sustenance and upgrade of<br />

the Enugu State Sexual<br />

Assault Referral Centre,<br />

among others.<br />

:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058<br />

VISIT: Enugu State Commissoner of Police, Sulaiman Balarabe (2nd right), <strong>in</strong> a group<br />

photograph with Igwe Dr Emmanuel Ugwu other traditional rulers and the Police Command<br />

spokesman, Ebere Amarizu, dur<strong>in</strong>g a courtesy visit to the traditional ruler of Ibagwa K<strong>in</strong>gdom<br />

<strong>in</strong> Nike, Enugu State.<br />

Unknown gunmen murder town union<br />

leader <strong>in</strong> Anambra<br />

bounty on killers<br />

•Obiano places N5m bounty<br />

on killers<br />

By V<strong>in</strong>cent<br />

Ujumadu<br />

A WKA—UNKNOWN<br />

gunmen have<br />

murdered the president<br />

general of Nimo Town<br />

Progressive Union <strong>in</strong><br />

Njikoka Local Government<br />

Area of Anambra State,<br />

Chief Anthony Igboka.<br />

Igboka, a former member<br />

of the Anambra State<br />

House of Assembly and<br />

state chairman of<br />

Progressive Peoples’<br />

Alliance, PPA, was killed <strong>in</strong><br />

his car on his way home<br />

after an out<strong>in</strong>g. He was<br />

driv<strong>in</strong>g himself at the time.<br />

The state police command<br />

said yesterday that there<br />

were sporadic gunshots<br />

around the Nimo market at<br />

about 8.30pm, which was<br />

about the time Igboka was<br />

killed.<br />

The Anambra State Police<br />

Public Relations Officer,<br />

PPRO, Mr. Haruna<br />

Mohammed said <strong>in</strong> a<br />

statement that on hear<strong>in</strong>g<br />

the gunshots, the police<br />

patrol team attached to<br />

Nimo division rushed to the<br />

scene and saw Igboka on<br />

the driver’s seat of his<br />

Chevrolet SUV vehicle,<br />

lay<strong>in</strong>g unconscious <strong>in</strong> the<br />

pool of his blood and his<br />

body riddled with bullet<br />

wounds.<br />

Accord<strong>in</strong>g to him, the<br />

victim was rushed to Beke<br />

Hospital, Nimo where he<br />

was confirmed dead by the<br />

medical doctor, add<strong>in</strong>g that<br />

the corpse had been<br />

deposited at the hospital's<br />

mortuary for autopsy.<br />

The police statement said:<br />

“Prelim<strong>in</strong>ary <strong>in</strong>vestigation<br />

revealed that the victim was<br />

shot at close range by four<br />

armed men who escaped <strong>in</strong><br />

a pickup van towards<br />

Abacha - Eziowelle road.<br />

Twenty five expended<br />

ammunition of 7.62 mm<br />

ammunition were<br />

recovered at the scene.<br />

“The commissioner of<br />

police, Mr. Mustapha<br />

Dandaura has visited the<br />

scene and ordered for a full<br />

scale <strong>in</strong>vestigation to<br />

ascerta<strong>in</strong> the circumstances<br />

surround<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>in</strong>cident<br />

and br<strong>in</strong>g the perpetrators<br />

to justice.”<br />

The statement appealed<br />

to the public to avail the<br />

command with useful<br />

<strong>in</strong>formation that could help<br />

<strong>in</strong> arrest<strong>in</strong>g the<br />

perpetrators.<br />

Anambra State<br />

government said it received<br />

the news of the kill<strong>in</strong>g with<br />

shock.<br />

Obiano places N5m<br />

Commissioner for<br />

Information and Public<br />

Enlightenment, Mr. C. Don<br />

Ad<strong>in</strong>uba said Governor<br />

Willie Obiano had been<br />

briefed on the violent death<br />

by the Commissioner of<br />

Police, add<strong>in</strong>g that the<br />

governor had announced a<br />

N5m reward to any person<br />

who could provide useful<br />

<strong>in</strong>formation on the identity<br />

of the killers.<br />

The governor described<br />

the kill<strong>in</strong>g as utterly<br />

heartless, not<strong>in</strong>g that<br />

Igboka’s elder brother,<br />

Chief Charles Igboka, a<br />

former Nigerian diplomat,<br />

died only two weeks ago<br />

and was yet to be buried.<br />

“It is a shame that the<br />

kill<strong>in</strong>g of Chief Igboka<br />

should take place <strong>in</strong> the<br />

week lead<strong>in</strong>g to Easter<br />

when men and women of<br />

goodwill throughout the<br />

world are reconcil<strong>in</strong>g<br />

themselves with God and<br />

fellow human be<strong>in</strong>gs."<br />

Railway: Igbo group accuses FG of marg<strong>in</strong>alis<strong>in</strong>g<br />

S-East, S-South<br />

By Anayo Okoli<br />

UMUAHIA—A group,<br />

Igbo Ekunie Initiative,<br />

IEI, has frowned at the<br />

exclusion of South-East<br />

and South-South geopolitical<br />

zones <strong>in</strong> National<br />

Railway Project by the<br />

Federal Government and<br />

described the action as<br />

“another example of<br />

Chibuike Amaechi and<br />

President <strong>Buhari</strong>’s<br />

unpatriotic politics of hate<br />

and exclusion”.<br />

The group said that it was<br />

very unjust for the Federal<br />

Government to borrow<br />

huge amount of money for<br />

a national project only for<br />

some sections of the country<br />

to be excluded from the<br />

project.<br />

They accused both<br />

President Muhammadu<br />

<strong>Buhari</strong> and Transportation<br />

M<strong>in</strong>ister, Chibuike<br />

Amaechi of deceiv<strong>in</strong>g the<br />

people of South East and<br />

South South with fake<br />

promises that the zones<br />

were covered by the<br />

railway contract only for the<br />

fund<strong>in</strong>g not to materialize,<br />

say<strong>in</strong>g that the APC<br />

government practices what<br />

they called “apartheid<br />

policies of exclusion”.<br />

In a statement signed by<br />

its President, Chief<br />

Tochukwu Ezeoke and the<br />

Secretary, Lawrence<br />

Nwobu, Igbo Ekunie<br />

Initiative accused the<br />

<strong>Buhari</strong> government of<br />

deliberately abandon<strong>in</strong>g<br />

the railway contract <strong>in</strong> the<br />

two zones awarded by the<br />

regime of former President<br />

Goodluck Jonathan.<br />

“The attention of Igbo<br />

Ekunie Initiative, a coalition<br />

of professionals <strong>in</strong> Nigeria<br />

and the Diaspora has been<br />

drawn to a report detail<strong>in</strong>g;<br />

the blatant neglect and<br />

exclusion of the South East<br />

and South-South <strong>in</strong> the<br />

national railway project.<br />

This is despite the federal<br />

government borrow<strong>in</strong>g<br />

billions of dollars and<br />

mortgag<strong>in</strong>g the whole<br />

nation to a debt that only<br />

some sections benefitted<br />

from.<br />

“The adm<strong>in</strong>istration of<br />

Goodluck Jonathan<br />

awarded contracts <strong>in</strong> 2011<br />

for Port Harcourt to Aba,<br />

Umuahia, Enugu, Oturkpo,<br />

Makurdi, Kafanchan,<br />

Kaduna and Kuru-Jos,<br />

Bauchi, Gombe,<br />

Maiduguri.<br />

“Tra<strong>in</strong> services were<br />

<strong>in</strong>crementally <strong>in</strong>troduced<br />

from 2014 as sections were<br />

completed. The contracts<br />

were at 85 per cent<br />

completion when President<br />

<strong>Buhari</strong> took over <strong>in</strong> May<br />

2015 and abandoned<br />

rehabilitation and<br />

construction of the railway<br />

l<strong>in</strong>e.<br />

“The South West has been<br />

enjoy<strong>in</strong>g railway services<br />

s<strong>in</strong>ce 2012 with the Lagos<br />

to Kano and Lagos to<br />

Abeokuta rail l<strong>in</strong>es; the<br />

North has had the Lagos<br />

to Kano l<strong>in</strong>es s<strong>in</strong>ce 2012,<br />

Kano to Nguru s<strong>in</strong>ce 2013,<br />

M<strong>in</strong>na to Kaduna, Ilor<strong>in</strong> to<br />

Kano s<strong>in</strong>ce 2014 and<br />

Zaria-Kaura s<strong>in</strong>ce 2015.<br />

“For over two years, the<br />

M<strong>in</strong>ister of Transportion,<br />

Chibuike Amaechi<br />

repeatedly claimed that the<br />

Federal Government was<br />

embark<strong>in</strong>g on a new $20<br />

billion Port Harcourt to<br />

Maiduguri railway l<strong>in</strong>e<br />

which turned out to be false<br />

when President<br />

Muhammadu <strong>Buhari</strong><br />

denied knowledge of the<br />

project dur<strong>in</strong>g the recent<br />

<strong>election</strong>s.<br />

“We note that <strong>in</strong> the case<br />

of the South East and<br />

South South, the m<strong>in</strong>ister<br />

of transportation Chibuike<br />

Amaechi and the <strong>Buhari</strong><br />

adm<strong>in</strong>istration have<br />

deliberately excluded the<br />

South East and South<br />

South while deceiv<strong>in</strong>g the<br />

public to believe otherwise."

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