09082020 - "They killed people, removed the eyes, other body parts"

2023: Nwodo under attack over IPoB comment
By Olayinka Ajayi
A
former National
Chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, Dr Okwesilieze
Nwodo, has come under
fire over his comments
that Ndigbo would take
extreme action if they
failed to produce the President
in 2023.
The Third Republic governor
of Enugu State had
said on Wednesday that
Ndigbo would join Mazi
Nnamdi Kanu, the leader
of the Indegenous People
of Biafra (IpoB), to seek
the actualisation of Biafra
Republic if the South-East
is unsuccessful in producing
President Muhammadu
Buhari’s successor in
2023.
Those who flayed
Nwodo, yesterday, are the
National President of the
Arewa Youth Consultative
Forum, AYCF, Yerima Shettima,
and a former
Chairman of the United
Progressive Party, UPP,
Chief Chekwas Okorie.
Our collective
From left: Managing Director of South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETROL), Mr Toyin
Adenuga; Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari; and Managing
Director of China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC), Mr Xie Vincent
Wensheng, displaying signed Head of Terms to signal the end of the over 10-year
dispute over Oil Mining Lease, (OML) 130, in Abuja. Photo byNAN
LOW NUMBERS OF INFECTIONS:
Covid-19 curve not flattening yet, NCDC warns
By Chioma Obinna
Amid consistent re
duction in the number
of COVID-19 cases recorded
in the country in
the last two weeks, the Nigeria
Centre for Disease
Control, NCDC, warns it is
too early to say Nigeria
was at the end of the pandemic.
According to the body,
the reduction in new cases
of the virus has been occasioned
by low collection of
samples across the states.
The Director General of
the NCDC, Dr Chikwe
Ihekweazu, said it was too
early for Nigerians to interpret
the decline as flattening
the curve and a decline
in new cases does not
translate to being at the
end of the pandemic.
“We had a decline in the
number of samples collected
across states between
the 31st of July and
2nd of August. This may be
associated with the public
holidays which led to a reduction
in activities across
the country”, Ihekweazu
told Sunday Vanguard.
The Federal Government
had declared July 30
and 31 as public holidays
in celebration of Eid-el-
Kabir. Nigeria witnessed
all time high COVID-19
daily infection rates of 664
until July 31 when the cases
dropped to 481 cases as
against over half a million
consistent daily cases recorded
all through the
month.
But on August 1, the
country recorded a drop in
cases with 386 infections
as the Federal Capital Territory,
FCT, Abuja led with
130 cases while Lagos, the
epicenter of the pandemic,
recorded all time low
cases of 65.
On August 2, the drop
continued with 304 cases
and Lagos recorded 81.
The country recorded
the lowest number on August
3 with 288 cases. Although
on August 5, there
was a rise in cases with
457, it was still below the
over half a million daily
infection rates.
On August 6, the country
recorded 354 while
Lagos recorded 76, but on
Friday, August 7, Nigeria
recorded 443 fresh cases
with Plateau leading with
103 cases and Lagos 70.
“It is still too early to
interpret a decline in new
cases as flattening the
curve. We are learning
from countries in Europe
and other parts of the
world that a decline in new
cases does not translate to
being at the end of the
pandemic”, the NCDC
boss said.
“In most of these countries,
they are experiencing
an increase in cases
again. We are proud of the
leadership of the Lagos
State government in responding
to this outbreak,
but will not relent in our
response activities. Although
Lagos State is the
epicentre of the outbreak
in Nigeria, various states
are at different phases of
the outbreak. In some
states, we are recording an
increase in cases.
“We are only as strong
as our weakest link and
will continue to maintain
momentum in the response,
despite the decline
in the number of new cases
in Lagos”.
Continuing, the NCDC
DG further noted that coronavirus
has affected people’s
lives and the economies
of countries, adding
that the country now
knows that the pandemic
was a ‘marathon and not a
sprint’.According to him,
Nigeria must devise strategies
that first ensure that
people are safe and that
life continues.
agreement is for
competence, not
zoning – Shettima
Shettima said there is
need for leaders to emphasize
more on competence
rather than zoning.
“If Dr. Nwodo wants to
join Nnamdi Kanu’s IPOB
to seek secession from Nigeria,
it’s okay. But he
should know that Nigerians
cannot be intimidated
by anybody. Our collective
agreement was a crave for
competence rather than
zoning. The presidency is
open to all the geo-political
zones. The Igbo should
come up with their best to
the table. Competence is
what we crave for, we cannot
be taken back.”
Recklessness
On his part, Okorie, who
is now a chieftain of the
ruling All Progressives
Congress, APC, said: “It
smacks of recklessness
and adult delinquency for
senior citizens to demand
the 2023 presidency of Nigeria
through the use of
threat.
‘“I am not bothered when
young ones in the society,
charged by emotion engage
in such outbursts, but
I feel scandalized when
mature senior citizens
drop their guard and become
impulsive and reckless
in their public statements,
regardless of how
subversive and inciting
such statements may be.
“It is heart-warming that
many respectable opinion
leaders across political, religious
and ethnic divides
have continuously expressed
support for the
emergence of a President
of South-East extraction by
2023, for the purpose of
equity, fairness, national
unity and sense of belonging
to the Igbo people of
Nigeria.’’
Gunmen kill, cart away bodies in
Ogoni community, natives claim
By Egufe Yafugborhi
RESIDENTS in Bunu
are still pondering in
fear over gunmen who
stormed the community in
Tai Local Government
Area, Rivers State, killing
some people and carting
away their bodies.
Youth Leader in Bunu,
Justin Wabah, narrated:
“Around 2am Saturday,
there were heavy gunshots
in our community. Opposite
Bunu-Taagu Road by
the Songhai, we discovered
a thick pool of blood
on the road side where a
motorcycle was burnt.
“The volume of blood
suggested some persons
may have been killed and
the corpses taken away. We
searched the surrounding
bushes but could find no
body. Some residents ran
into the bush without light
in that thick darkness in
fear, sustaining injuries in
the process.
“We have been experiencing
killings here. We
need security patrol. Koroma
Police Division has no
patrol vehicle. We need
regular police presence on
this our road because this
is first time we have recorded
this very act.”
A
former senator and
leading figure of the
Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, in the South-West,
Senator Buruji Kashamu,
is dead.
He died, yesterday, at
First Cardiology Consultants
hospital in Lagos after
a protracted battle
with the novel coronavirus
disease.
The deceased represented
Ogun East in the 8th
Assembly
His friend and long time
political associate, Ben
Abiodun mourns as Kashamu dies
of COVID-19
Murray-Bruce, an-
By James Ogunnaike
nounced the death on his
verified Facebook page
Also, a close aide of the
lawmaker, Olufemi Abayomi
Arabambi, confirmed
the death of Kashamu.
Meanwhile, Ogun State
governor, Prince Dapo
Abiodun, expressed shock
over the death of Kashamu.
In a statement by his
Chief Press Secretary,
Kunle Somorin, Abiodun
described Kashamu’s
death as one death too
many and a devastating
blow to the nation’s political
family generally.
SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 9, 2020, PAGE 5
Southern Kaduna Killings:
Police arrest protesters
*Afenifere to pay solidarity visit
By Ibrahim HassanWuyo
The police in Kadu
na, at the weekend
,stopped a group of protesters
near the Refinery
Junction,who claimed
they were demonstrating
peacefully against killings
in Southern Kaduna.
While confirming the
arrest of a large number
of the protesters ,the Police
Public Relations Officer
in the state, ASP
Mohammed Jalige, said,
“The arrests were made
because there was no
prior notification of the
procession.
“Yes, some of them
were arrested because
they did not inform us
about the procession. We
just saw the crowd. I
cannot tell you how
many of them were
picked now, but I will
get back to you later”.
The aggrieved
natives,many of whom
wore black clothes, carried
placards with inscriptions
depicting how
angry they were about
the situation in Southern
Kaduna.
Meanwhile, sub cultural
groupings from
other parts of Nigeria,
such as Afenifere,were
expected to pay a solidarity
visit to the contentious
area at the
weekend.