Information recently made available to 247ureports.com reveals that a journalist and a publisher of a local magazine [National Issues] narrowly escaped death in the hands of thugs hired by officials of the Ebonyi State government.
The Journalist/Publisher, Igwe Emmanuel who resides at Abakaliki in Ebonyi State was struck by ‘unknown’ gunmen on the late evening [8pm] of Saturday June 2, 2012 while he drove home along Federal Teaching Hospital road in his Mazda 626 salon car with registration number AE19ZLL. The gunmen did not retrieve money from Igwe Emmanuel but they collected his laptop, camera, voice recorder and documents. The gunmen proceeded to beat Igwe Emmanuel with the butts of their pistols till he lost consciousness. The gunmen left Igwe Emmanuel by the roadside to die.
Good Samaritans who saw the body of Igwe Emmanuel lying lifeless at the roadside rescued him. They acted to rush him to the nearby Federal Teaching Hospital where he later regained consciousness. He was discharged from the hospital on Sunday June 3, 2012 – and was told to return the next day [Monday June 4, 2012].
As Igwe Emmanuel checked out of the hospital, he placed a ‘save our soul’ call to the commissioner of police, Adeole Adeniyi informing of the threat to his life – and of the rusty relationship he enjoys with two officials of the Ebonyi State government. Particularly, he mentioned their names to the Police Commissioner as Celestine Nwali [Commissioner for Local Government Affairs and Chieftaincy Matters] and Celestine Igberi [Chairman Igwo LGA and Chairman ALGON]. The Police Commissioner replied in a text message to Igwe Emmanuel stating “come and see me in my house today between now through 4pm“. Igwe Emmanuel Igwe, as told, went to the Police Commissioner’s home – a mobile police officer [MOPOL] by the name Chidi Uguru was assigned to the case.
On Monday June 4, 2012, following his scheduled appointment with the hospital, as Igwe Emmanuel made his way home, he was forcefully picked up by the police and detained at the State CID Police Headquarters in Abakaliki for questioning – on a petition filed by Celestine Nwali and Celestine Igberi – alleging ‘false publications’ by Igwe Emmanuel on their person.
Igwe Emmanuel was taken to a magistrate court after 24hours detention in police cell. He was charged with making ‘false publications’ and given bail by the magistrate – who requested for a shortee to be a ‘level 16’ civil servant – equivalent to a permanent secretary. Hearing was set for June 27, 2012.
The trouble with the two officials of the Ebonyi State government stems from revealing publication on the looting of Ebonyi State’s LGA funds. Igwe Emmanuel was responsible for blowing the whistle on the ongoing between Celestine Nwali and Celestine Igberi.
247ureports.com made efforts to reach Hon Celestine Nwali through his MTN line 0803xxxx783 but did not pick his calls nor did he respond to our text messages. The police commissioner, Adeole Adeniyi was reached on the mobile phone. He said he was in Abuja when the incidence occurred – so he could not comment.
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See below for one the published exchanges between Igwe Emmanuel and the two officials:-
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RE: LEAVE HON. CELE NWALI AND FAMILY ALONE
Reading through the centre page of the VOICE Newspaper of May 27 ,
2012 ,Vol 3 No 21 page 13 entitled LEAVE HON. CElE NWALI AND FAMILY
ALONE, one cannot but hear the voice of Hon. Celestine Nwali and see
the hand of his hirelings , hiring the page of the VOICE NEWSPAPER
linked directly to the faceless CONCERNED PEOPLE OF IKWO NOYO AND
FRIENDS OF HON. CELESTINE NWALI with public fund to intimidate malign
blackmail and thrash the person of Emma Igwe and national issue
newspaper for questioning societal ills. The amusing advertorial
bought by the honourable in the name of his friends and concerned Ikwo
Noyo clan which phonologically seems as if HON CELE and his family is
under any confinement only sought to demonize the publisher the
publisher of National Issue newspaper so as to mask his dirty under
dealings in the local government system instead of addressing the hue
and cry of the public in that level which the article in the National
Issue newspaper brought to the public notice how ever,I share in the
predicament of the pseudo friends of Hon. Cele Nwali and his concerned
Ikwo Noyo people, especially with their fruit less effort in that
piece of exercise the unhappy venom of that sting from the mind of
their paymaster which made them to twist the words out of meaning and
dragged the premise into confrontation. Any way, they can,t give what
they don,t have but I wish to state here that no amount of threat,
intimidation and harrastment will make the National Issue Newspaper to
submit and abandon its avowed defense of truth and social justice.
Perusing that rambling piece, I laboured hard to find the
marriage between the authors rigmarole and the stated premise. The
writer rather than attacking the fact raised in the publication delved
into the biography of the Commissioner and waded into the forages of
absurd illogicalities and self contradiction . Besides the authors
reckless ridicule of the art of journalism and the flagrant
demonstration OF CONSCIENCE and morality in the bid to purify the
malfeasance and indiscretion in the Commissionership of Hon. Cele
Nwali in the local government ministry, I would have over looked the
paid advertorial.
For the mare audacity of the writer to state that, while we urge
members of the public to view the vexatious article written in the
most ascorbic and unmitigated diatribe as the figment of the writers
imagination, I dare Hon. Clec Nwali and his coteries of concerned
food is ready apologists with facts to substantiate the issues raised
in that article. I make bold to put the records straight as a member
of this illustrious family that places high premium on facts not
fiction, reality not imagination .FACTS NO1: The author of the said
piece said, ‘‘we clearly wish to restate that during his reign in
earlier capacities, he had meritoriously served, on no occasion has he
been found wanting.’’ In this regard it is important to refresh Hon.
Cele and his acclaimed friends’ memory and inform the general public
how he defrauded the state in various questionable transactions in the
ministry of public utilities. One, do you know that CEWOPI is a
company Hon. Cele registered while he was serving as a commissioner
for works in the old Enugu State, fronting Mr. Igwe Emmanuel his
relation as the CEO of the company. Two, Do you know that CEWOPI
company which Hon. Cele is a director executed almost all the rural
electrification projects while he is the commissioner for public
utilities. Do you know that he awarded himself (CEWOPI) the contract
without due process as the contract finance agreement between the
CEWOPI and government was signed without the presence of critical
government officials? You need to know that the contracts which were
over-inflated and paid upfront in whole had no originating approval as
verbal approval was the order of the day. In essence while in that
ministry in an unconventional manner that rubbished the basic
foundation of the 2007 public procurement Act that seeks transparency
in the procurement and award of contracts. It is unthinkable that
those projects were never supervised neither did the company had any
good record of performance but Hon. Celestine regularly paid the
company the huge contractual sum including the increased variations.
This is the picture of a man that has not been found wanting!
FACTS NO2: Hon. Celestine Nwali approved and paid substantial amount
of money for the installation of traffic light at the busy junction in
Abakaliki metropolis without and fair deal in respect of government
and road users getting the contract value for the payment. Sad enough
the revered commissioner certified the work completed and satisfactory
but it is regrettable to note that the traffic light was not just
faulty but it didn’t function up to three weeks it was installed. It
is important to note that his successor in that ministry did not only
condemn the shoddy performance of the contractor of the contractor
but revoked it .The certification of those projects never completed or
badly executed poses serious questions on the integrity of the
Commissioner and represents such a sordid scenario in the ministry of
public utilities under Hon. Nwali .
FACTS NO 3 ; The financial status of Cewopi Nigeria Limited is
just questionable but frightening . It is obvious that CEWOPI was
hitherto a moribund company lacking manpower , materials and
machines, how come within few years of its rejuvenation , it has grown
solid capital base worth billions of naira ? Do you know the company
recently procured from abroad sophisticated machines and equipment
valued at over $7.8m . How did the company generatew that money?. He
has right to refutes these facts or keep quite and enjoy his impunity
stealing that is causing the state economic adversity.
FACTS NO 4. It is a matter of common knowledge that Barr. Igberi
Nweme had to remain the Chairman of Ikwo Local Government Area
despite the fact that he was not the choice of his people . It was
Hon. Cele Nwali’s arbitrations that sustained his succession programme
. The reality is that the council chairman is the commissioner’s
protégé in the council Area. Incredibly , he was condemned by the wife
of the Governor for obvious non-performance out of the thirteen
council chairmen. It is however absurd that rather than Hon. Cele’s
friends being emboldened to disclaim the National Issue assertion
“his brother who goes around giving various awards to council chairmen
and coordinators for a mere fact that they a monthly return of two
million naira to the powerful Ikwo Commissioner” . They succeeded in
expressing sentiment as according to the writers poser, “ How come
Cele Nwali who never withheld funds——-is being blamed for the
non-payment of such funds by some council chairmen even when he has
played his crucial part by releasing the fund? In a more desperate
move to exonerate the commissioner , the writer stated that “we
unequivocally wish to posit that the role of the ministry of local
government and chieftaincy matters is basically the supervision of
local governments and Development Centres and not to teleguide them
on the utilization of their funds” Can the Commissioner deny the fact
there is no nucleated link between him and various council chairmen ,
hasn’t he the commissioner been inspecting Igberi’s project and giving
him pass mark and numerous award. The council chairmen know the truth,
if any of them refutes this write-up I will personally use the
instrumentality of the freedom of information bill to compel Stanbic
Ibtc Bank to publish the various accounts of the council chairmen or
their relatives domiciled in the said bank for the purpose of stealing
our collective wealth. In another dimension , I will publish the
numerous property of Mr. Nwali so that Ebonyi will know where their
money is going. I stand to be challenged , Cele N wali is richer than
Governor Elechi. By 2007 Mr. Nwali insisted that GOVERNOR Elechi must
pay him before he will release his building for the use of the
GOVERNOR’S campaign . To be honest , NwalI never wore only cloth
throughout the duration of Elechi’s campaign by 2007, if anybody is in
doubt I can publish his pictures then.
The above rhetoric’s and emphasis as posited by friends of Hon.
Celestine Nwal.i is very pathetic . But let us assumethat the
commissioner is unable to discharge the powers conferred on him by
Ebonyi State local government councils and Development centres
amendment law 2008 which saddled the ministry of Local government and
chieftaincy matters with the provision of supervisory roles to the
local Government and Development centres . The same laws also empowers
the commissioner as it is thus stated therein , “The ministry of local
Government and Chieftaincy matters aims at consolidating on programmes
and activities that champions the causes of Ebonyi rural masses
through an efficient and effective local government system capable of
providing improved infrastructure ,human and social services to the
grassroot “ the amended law as stated here is anything to go by , it
is either the commissioner is incompetent or we make bold to restate
that Hon. Cele’s inability to checkmate the brisk inactivity of the
council chairmen and monitor the utilization of fund he released
reveals a marriage of mind between the assertion of National Issue
publication and the non-performance of the council chairmen. More
over, the failure of the commissioner to discharge the mandate of the
ministry especially as it pertains to the 1st, 4th, 6th schedule of
the haunting truth many Ebonyi leaders including the commissioner
already know but stubbornly refused to edmit. It is the fact that Hon.
Cele Nwali did not only lack the brain but he lacks the character to
free enough fund money for infrastructural development of the rural
area without unduly punishing the poor Ebonyians whose general
population is in a tight of poverty. It is the fact that the Hon.
Commissioner is the silkworm in the root of the local government
resources whose intuitive collaboration and influence and bad
influence on the council chairman leaves little or nothing to the
council to deliver on critical issues like healthcare , infrastructure
and skill acquisition programme which affect the the greater majority.
Facts no 5; That less for the error in the surname of the bank
account holders name in which the National Issue publication misnamed
Emeka Onele every other claim pertaining to the stanbic Ibtc
transaction as recorded in that publication are very correct with
proven evidences . However for obvious personal reasons we have
resolved not to publish the account numbers and transactions details
which is already cooling in our safe box . I dare any chairman to
publicly deny this fact and also advise the commissioner and his
so-called friends to stop bleeding the local government to death or
the citizenry will demand your prosecution . Moreso , since you have
resolved to take legal action against National Issue in a court of
competent jurisdiction over the said publication , we are happy to
inform you that National Issue Newspaper believe so much in justice
and rule of law , WE SHALL BE WAITING FOR YOU IN GOURT . It is
imperative to advise Hon. Cele to stop chasing an abstract ground in
pursuance of image laundering and reputation . No person is loosing
sleep over your insatiable percuniary gains neither is the
publication sponsored to bring your reputation to bring your
reputation to the mud ,rather the publication is only advising you to
stop giving pittance to the council chairmen in the name of
allocation . The fiagrant display of disregard for due process and
perpetration of illegality in the deduction of local government fund
accounts largely for the poverty , non-performance underdevelopment
and debilitating insecurity in the various concils of this state.
That article which incriminated the commissioner in the act of
governance at the local government governments also blamed the
reckless and excessive spending of the council chairmen due to the
possible hijack of her activities by the ministry . Please Mr.
Commissioner have merry on common wealth, God is watching!
Lastly, Hon. Celestine Nwali is hereby challenged to refute those
claims stated herein and take further step to declare his assets and
liabilities before 2007 and now . He should tell Ebonyians how a man
like him who was staying in an uncompleted building for a decade in a
passing of four years became stupendously rich. He should be bold
enough to tell Ebonyi peole how he made hiscash that he is not just a
property owner but seriouely into the business of estates and choice
property properties even in Dubai. In Abakalik! i alone Cele has
edifices over nine hundred million naira. He should tell Ebonyians how
and when hemade themoney to build those estates within the vicinity of
phoenix hotels , Ogbaga road mgbukube Abakaliki and . What of the
multi billion naira factory at Emene near Enugu. And why he should not
becompelled to return those funds to the peoples of the various
Iocal Government Areas. Good bless Ebonyi State and help Ebonyians
