Author: Editor

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki An early morning fire has gutted the popular Ishieke Market in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital. It was gathered that a large portion of the market was completely burnt to ashes in the early hours of Monday morning. Our correspondent gathered that the fire incident started around 2:am and destroyed goods worth millions of Naira. Many traders who lost their goods lamented the loss and called for help from both the State and the Federal Government. One of them, Emmanuel Merit, said his mother’s shop was burnt with all the goods. “We sell food stuff in the market…

Benson Ezechime, Enugu The traditional ruler of Ugwuaji Awkunanaw, Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State, HRH Igwe Christopher Ikenga, has called on relevant authorities to carry out proper investigations over cases of alleged Land grabbing in his domain. He stated this in a statement signed by the Palace Secretary of Ikeoha Traditional Rulers Council, Chief Edwin Nyia, made available to Journalists in Enugu. The Traditional ruler advised against malicious and unverified media trials which is capable of bringing the palace into disrepute. The statement read in part: “The media is awash with reports of unestablished allegations of land…

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki Gunmen have invaded Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State, shooting sporadically causing residents to run for their lives. The situation has reportedly led to a rowdy situation in the city with traders forced to close their shops and retire to their homes. Many others took refuge in hotels and anywhere they could find for fear of running into the gunmen. Unconfirmed reports say the gunmen have set ablaze a section of Ahịa Ofú market located along the Abakaliki-Enugu Highway. A source, who pleaded anonymity, said he had to run into a hotel to take refuge. “I am taking…

Nonsochukwu Uwa, Owerri The Imo State Police Command has warned that it is now out to deal mercilessly with the hoodlums terrorising the state, following the killing of three of the hoodlums who attacked the Imo State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, located along Port Harcourt Road in Owerri, early hours on Monday. The Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Michael Abattam, gave this warning while briefing newsmen in Owerri, on the outcome of the attack. He described the breakthrough made by the Command to the high-level intelligence and preparation of the security agencies to repel…

Nonsochukwu Uwa, Owerri Hoodlums on Monday morning attacked and burnt the Imo State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, located along Port Harcourt Road in Owerri. INEC’s Public Relations Officer, PRO, Chinenye Chijioke-Osuji, confirmed the ugly development. The attack was said to have happened between 2 am to 3 am on Monday. But she said only the building of the Election and Political Party Monitoring Liaison, and part of the main building were attacked. According to the PRO, “It happened. You can come and see things for yourself. Not all the offices were attacked but one side was…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu Former President Olusegun Obansanjo on Sunday said that the life of a man begins at 70. He said this during a Church service to mark the 70th birthday and Colloquium of Chief Nnia Nwodo, Former Minister of Information at the St Mulumba Catholic Cathedral, Enugu. Obasanjo said that, the age of a man does not matter much as to his achievements and contributions to humanity. “It is not the number of years you spend here on earth that matters, the most important thing is your positive contribution to humanity and God,” he said. He prayed God to…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia As reactions trail the new withdrawal limit directed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, President General of African Association for Small and Medium Enterprises, Ambassador Darlington Kalu, has accused the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, of crashing the businesses of SME operators. This is as the former National President of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, described the policy as “too draconian and punitive.” Ambassador Kalu who spoke with Ikengaonline, told Emefiele to first consult with necessary stakeholders and properly analyse situations on ground before churning out policies. “This new policy is not going to…

By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers” – William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 2, Act IV, Scene 2 Tamuno Igbikiberebima is an unlikely star in an action movie. He is a lawyer employed with Nigeria’s national hydro-carbons monopoly. On 17 December, 2020, Tamuno was home in Rumuigbo, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area (LGA)  of Rivers State, in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, contemplating Christmas in the season of COVID-19 and on his phone in front of the gate into his premises, when a Toyota Camry car pulled up beside him. From the bowels of the…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu Prof. Joy Ezeilo, Executive Director and Founder, Women Aid Collective (WACOL), has said that, Nigerians are yet to enjoy their full human rights as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution as mended. She said this in Enugu to mark the  2022 International Human Rights Day with the theme: “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All.” Recall that, 10th of December every year is marked globally as Human Rights Day in commemoration of the adoption of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Ezeilo stated that, the citizens of Nigeria were yet to enjoy their human rights, including the basic…

Lawrence Nwimo, Awka Human rights and pro-democracy organisation, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), has labeled President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as the worst in Nigeria’s democratic history. The South-East Zone of the CLO passed its damning verdict Friday in a statement released as part of activities marking the 2022 World Human Rights Day. Chairman of the CLO, South-East Zone, Comrade Aloysius Attah, who signed the statement noted that after a careful study of the state of the nation presently and a review of administrations in the past since Nigeria’s independence from colonial rule in 1960, most especially in this civilian dispensation which started…