23082019 - Anger, as B-Haram retakes 2 LGAs in Borno

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42—Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019
We have tourism
blueprint—Imo
By Chinonso Alozie
O
W E R R I —
GOVERNOR
Emeka Ihedioha of Imo
State yesterday, said he
was ready to reveal his
blueprint for the
development of the
tourism sector in the
state.
G o v e r n o r
Ihedioha stated this in
Owerri through
his Commissioner for
Tourism, Creative Art and
Culture, Chijoke
Nzekwe, at the creative
art seminer organised by
the British Council.
This is just as the
Director of Programmes,
British Council, Ojoma
Ochai, said the aim of the
British Council was to
help the youths of the state
develop their skills as well
as empower them in
business skills.
According to the state
commissioner, “the state
THE new inducted
fourth President,
Rotary Club of Lagos
Island, District 9110, Vipul
Agrawal, has stated that
he will continue with the
club's commitment and
legacies.
Agrawal, accompanied
by his wife, Poonam, said:
“I am humbled by the trust
and responsibility reposed
in me by our members. I
am also humbled and
excited by the vast canvas
of opportunities to do
service for our
communities that await us.
“We will strive to do our
best to make a difference
in the lives of the lessprivileged
in the
government has a blue
print on tourism which
will be revealed to Imo
people and the country
soon.
“There is a new
ministry called Creative
Art, Tourism and
Culture; there was no
such minaret before
now that shows the
commitment of the state
government in line with
the governor's Rebuild
Imo agenda.
“The endowment in
this state, in this sector
is unbelievable. We are
richly blessed with
creativity. When you
look at Nollywood, it is
populated by our
people.
“Hospitality is a
natural attribute of our
people. Looking at the
revenue that will be
generated in this sector
will be comparable to
the oil-rich
countries.”
EU donates ICT
equipment to Anambra
By Vincent Ujumadu
A WKA—ANAMBRA
State government has
received Information and
Communication
Technology, ICT,
equipment and furniture
worth millions of naira
from the European Union,
EU, for use at the Central
Pharmaceutical Centre,
Awka.
Commissioner for
Health, Dr Vincent
Okpala, who received the
items on behalf of the state
government, commended
EU for establishing data
operation centre in the
state and also for
implementing the existing
partnership with the state
government and World
Health Organisation,
WHO, adding that the
equipment would help
to solidify the state
healthcare system.
He said: “The Health
System Strengthening,
HSS, initiative is a
wonderful one; it is a
strong initiative that will
help to solidify our
healthcare system.
“It provides for
strengthening the basic
building blocks of
functional healthcare
service system across the
state.
“Medical tourism is a
big goal set by Governor
Willie Obiano's government
and to achieve this,
we must have a functional
health system.”
Rotary restates
commitment to humanity
communities we live in.”
The new President, a
leading building
industry professional
and a senior member of
the Lafarge Nigeria
management team, who
took over the mantle of
leadership from
Rajkumar Gulati,
explained that the club's
projects focused on
Vision 2020—free
cataract eye surgeries in
association with Geeta
Ashram Lekki; blood
donation camps,
provision of food,
beverages, clothing and
footwear to the needy,
particularly at leprosy
hospices, among others.
OIL & GAS CONFAB: From left—Country Communication Manager, Total Nigeria, Charles
Ebereonwu; GM, External Relations, Nigerian LNG Ltd., Eyono Fatayi-Williams; MD, ExxonMobil Nigeria
and Chairman of the occasion, Paul McGrath; Chief Financial Officer, NNPC, Mallam Umar Ajiya; Group
Managing Director, Aiteo Eastern E&P Company Ltd., Victor Okoronkwo; representative of MD, Shell Nigeria
Exploration and Production Co., Ibiyemi Asaolu, and Chairman, Association of Energy Correspondents of
Nigeria, NAEC, Mr. Olatunde Dodondawa, at the 2019 NAEC conference and award, on the theme Harnessing
Oil and Gas Potential for National Development, in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.
Herdsmen rape, kill
67-yr-old woman in Enugu
•Herdsmen innocent—MACBAN
By Dennis Agbo &
Harris Emmanuel
ENUGU-A 67-year-old
woman, Mrs. Regina
Mba, has been raped and
killed by herdsmen at an
Enugu suburb, Nchatacha-
Nike, in Enugu East Local
Government Area of Enugu
State.
This led to a protest, with
members of the community
blocking Enugu-Abakaliki
Highway with her corpse,
burning tyres and causing
traffic jam.
The protest attracted a
large number of security
personnel, including the
Army, Police and Air Force,
who embarked on air
surveillance until the crowd
was dispersed and
movement resumed.
President-General of
Nchatancha-Nike
community, Mr. Kingsley
Anike said: “She (the
deceased) was in her farm
yesterday (Wednesday)
within the hours of 2p.m.
and 6p.m. when she was
attacked.
“When we expected her
home, she didn’t come
back. We searched for her
throughout the night and
this morning (yesterday),
there was an expanded
search team.
“It wasn’t really a distant
farm because people are
not living far from the
location. We saw her body,
with her torn undies by the
corpse. There were injuries
on her hands and the back
of her neck. We called the
Police and they came, took
pictures and took the body
to a mortuary.”
Asked why they suspect
herdsmen, Anike said:
“Isn’t that obvious? We
knew these herders with
their cattle within that area.
When this thing happened,
they moved out. It couldn’t
have been any other
person; indigenes couldn’t
just have attacked fellow
indigenes and an old
woman for that matter.
“If the Police want, let
them investigate and state
the facts. We know what the
country is and we pray that
justice will take its course.”
Anike denied an
allegation that the
community had previous
misunderstanding with the
herdsmen.
...Enugu govt
Reacting, Enugu State
Government said it
condemned the incident in
its entirety.
Governor Ifeanyi
Ugwuanyi then directed
chairmen of the 17 local
government areas, who are
yet to mount vigilante
security checkpoints in their
respective areas to do so
within two weeks, to ensure
adequate security
operations in their localities.
A statement by Secretary
to the State Government,
Professor Simon Ortuanya,
said: “We condole with the
family of the deceased and
hereby charge the security
agencies to commence a
full scale investigation into
the unfortunate incident
with a view to
apprehending and
prosecuting the culprits.”
He added the state
government “deeply
appreciates the good
people of the state for their
cooperation and support”
and reassured them that
“we are winning the war
against criminality.”
Also Deputy Governor of
the state, Mrs Cecilia
•We're investigating—Police
Ezeilo, and the House of
Representatives member
for Enugu East/Isi-Uzo
federal constituency, Prince
Cornelius Nnaji, visited the
community to commiserate
with the family of the
deceased.
Police
Meanwhile, Enugu State
Police Command, through
its spokesman, Ebere
Amaraizu, said the Police
received a report of the
incident and the
Commissioner of Police,
Suleiman Balarabe, has
directed for a full scale
investigations with a view
to establishing what
happened, persons
involved and motives.
He said the command
advises the public to be
law abiding and avoid any
thing that will truncate the
existing peace and security
in the state.
Hausa/Fulani
community panic
Sources told Vanguard
that the Hausa/Fulani
community in the state is
afraid of reprisal since cases
of killing by herdsmen has,
in the recent time, become
common place in the state.
However, chairman of
Miyetti-Allah Cattle
Breeders Association,
MACBAN, Enugu State,
Alhaji Haruna Salleh,
denied that the killing was
perpetuated by herdsmen.
Salleh said: “We have
been searching since we
got the news and there are
no herdsmen around there.
It was not herdsmen that
killed the woman.”
MACBAN calls for probe
of Akwa Ibom incidents
In a related
development, MACBAN
also dissociated itself from
the killing in Mkpat Enin
council of Akwa Ibom State
by herdsmen.
State chairman of the
Association, Alhaji Farouk
Umar, described it as “a
heinous and criminal act
that must not go
unpunished.”
Umar, who spoke through
the Association’s scribe,
Alhaji Yerima Ahmed, said
the association does not
condone any form of
violence as exhibited by the
assailants in Mkpat Enin,
in which one farmer was
killed, while others
sustained injuries.
He advised security
agencies not to leave any
stone unturned in ensuring
that the masterminds of the
crime were fished out and
punished to serve as a
deterrent to others.
According to him, it was
very difficult to unmask the
true identity of the brain
behind the attacks in a
particular location because
of the nomadic nature of
cattle breeding, as the
herdsmen do not have a
fixed settlement in the state.
Umar spoke about
having proper
documentation of the
itineraries and activities of
the herders to checkmate
cross-border violence.
He said: “Herdsmen do
not have a permanent
settlement in Akwa Ibom
State. Some bring cattle
from the neighbouring
states.
“We call on security
agencies to be more
proactive, and identities of
herders coming into a
particular state or locality
must be properly
documented.”