By Izunna Okafor, Awka

It was a moment of ear-rending gunshots on Tuesday as some heavily armed men stormed Ebenator Community in Nnewi South Local Government Area and opened up fire in a bid to execute their mission.

The incident, according to sources, happened at a sand mining site (Ọfara Ime River) in the community, where some youths of the community were said to be selling out the heaps of sand they had dumped long ago, before the arrival of the armed men, who were reportedly loaded in about five vehicles, comprising a Hilux, a Bus, and three Sienna. It was gathered that majority of the armed men were dressed in black and covered their faces with masks.

Given the alarming incidents of gunmen attacks previously being experienced in the Nnewi South environs; it was gathered that, upon sighting these armed men driving down into the area in their vehicles (including Sienna which is a commonest type of vehicle used for operation by unknown gunmen in the area); the youths mistook them to be gunmen, and therefore took to their heels to flee the scene, out of fear and panic; while the armed men reportedly opened fire immediately and started shooting sporadically, probably to halt everyone.

In an interview with this reporter, an eyewitness, simply identified as Angus, said, in the process of the shooting, one of the community youths was dangerously hit by bullet. He said, after the armed men had succeeded in halting most of the people there, they eventually opened up that they were state government’s agents enforcing the government’s ban on sand mining.

Angus added that the armed also mercilessly brutalized the youths, hitting them with gun butt, after which they bundled some of the youths into their vehicles till there was no more space to accommodate more persons. He said the people also seized some tippers and motorcycles they saw at the site, and zoomed off with them, including the phones of the people they bundled into vehicles.

According to him, it was after the incident that he and some other persons came out from where they hid and rushed the person who was hit by bullet to hospital to save his life. He revealed that the victim, identified as Uzochukwu Okafor, who is also a son of the Women Leader of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in Nnewi South Local Government, is still in the hospital battling for his life, while the whereabouts of others remain unknown as at the time of the interview.

When asked if they had got any prior permission before resuming sand mining at the beach, Mr. Angus, who is an active member of the community, said it was the Local Government that gave them initial order to stop mining sand at the beach. He recalled that the Local Government warned that no mining should be done there again pending when a team (from the local government) would inspect the site, certify it conditionally fit for such operation, and authorize them to resume. These orders and processes, he said, were duly followed, till they got approval and go-ahead order from the Local Government few days ago to resume operation, and which they were doing before the armed men stormed. He also clarified that sand excavation at the site had ended long ago, and that the people were no longer excavating new sand from the water, but selling from the heaps of sand they dumped.

When contacted, the President-General of Ebenator Development Union, Mr. Chigozie Anadi, said he got the information in the late hours of Tuesday. He, however, revealed that he’s still making contacts to concerned authorities and relevant stakeholders, making more inquiries and investigation to get further clarifications about the incident.

Amidst the trend, however, some residents of Nnewi South have attributed the incident to what they described as a lingering discord and power tussle between two top government officials from the local government — the newly-elected local government Chairman, Hon. Van George Ezeogidi; and the State Commissioner for Environment, Engr. Felix Odimegwu who allegedly sent the armed men who went for the operation after hearing that the Local Government Chairman had certified and authorized the people to carry on with their mining activities at the site.

Many, however, wonder why the two political bigwigs who hail from Utuh and Ezinifite respectively would use another independent and peace-loving community as a battlefield to advance their alleged hostility; even as some others wonder why the two brothers who belong to the same political party and serve under the same state would even indulge in such thing that did not only put the lives of many Ebenator youths in danger, but has also added to the existing panic of insecurity in Nnewi South at large, where they both hail from.

“It’s quite unfortunate that two brothers from same political party, Hon. Van George Ezeogidi and Hon. Felix Odimegwu would have such an unwarranted fight that led to the shooting of a son of the Local Government… Please we need to stop these cabal stuffs especially in our LGA…

“Let’s do the fight outside our terrain and be declared a hero rather than coming back home to want to claim a hero!!! I am quite ashamed…… No one can be declared a hero for killing his or her sibling!!!!” a concerned fellow commented in reaction to the incident, tagging the said warring political figures.

“I dare the both of you Hon. Van George Ezeogidi and Hon. Felix Odimegwu to use same muscle, energy and power tussle/connect to attract projects to our LGA and not this bull shit that happened at Ebenator!!!

“We can’t continue to celebrate mediocrity!!! What would you advise your boys!!??? What are we fighting for? Government is Soldier come, soldier go, barrack remains… Government na una property!??? I am asking especially the person that sent the troops from Awka!!!

“Why not channel this same energy in securing our LGA??? Why would you decide to create unnecessary tension in our constituency!!…?? he added.

Efforts by this reporter, Izunna Okafor, to get the reactions of the Commissioner, Engr. Odimegwu, and the Local Government Chairman, Hon. Ezeogidi on the incident and the allegations proved abortive, as they both did not pick their calls or respond to messages of inquiries sent to them by the reporter, as at the time of this publication.

By Izunna Okafor, Awka

The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo has approved the immediate construction of the Aroma-to-State Secretariat Road in Awka, the capital city of the state.

This reporter, Izunna Okafor, gathered that the approval, which aligns with the ongoing massive transformation and infrastructural facelift within the capital territory and other parts of the state, was given at the instance of the Head of Service, Barr. Theodora Okwy Igwegbe mni, during Tuesday’s meeting of the Anambra State Executive Council (ANSEC).

Confirming the approval in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, the State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, said the construction project, was awarded to the GELD Construction, and is timed to be completed within an unprecedented ten days, ahead of the 2024 Public Service Day Celebration in the state, slated for next week.

Stretching from the popular Aroma Junction to the Jerome Udorji Secretariat Complex, the ever-busy road, which connects with other major bypasses in the Awka metropolis stands out as a vital access route for thousands of public service workers and other road users in the state, but has long been riddled with portholes and starved of necessary attention.

However, with the construction approval now given by Prof. Soludo — fondly called the Solution Governor — with a set completion time of not more than ten days, expectations are high that the challenges encountered in accessing the road all these years will soon be over, while a smoother access and a more conducive working and living environment is assured to the people.

This development comes on the heels of the recent reconstruction of other critical roads within the capital city, including the newly transformed State House of Assembly Road, which also connects to the newly awarded Secretariat Road.

Reacting to the approval, the Head of Service, Barr. Igwegbe lauded the governor’s commitment to advancing the welfare of public servants in the state. She described the project as another evidence of the administration’s transformative approach to governance and its recognition of the pivotal role civil servants play in the development of the state.

“The approval is a commendable intervention that will not only significantly enhance access to the hub of government activities, the Secretariat, but also be remembered as part of the governor’s bold steps to create an environment that supports productivity, efficiency, and ease of movement for civil servants and the host of other road users,” she said in an interview with this reporter.

Barr. Igwegbe also noted that the project’s completion ahead of the Public Service Day Celebration would serve as a morale booster for the state’s workforce, while reassuring the commitment of Ndị Ọrụ Oyibo Anambra to giving their best in the discharge of their services.

This reporter observed that the road construction approval has drawn widespread commendation from civil servants and road users alike, who see it as another milestone in the state government’s ongoing infrastructural transformation. While many praised Governor Soludo’s administration for its focused and results-driven approach that has continued to yield tangible benefits for the people of Anambra, many others also urged him to extend similar attention to other parts of the state where is highly needed, especially as the state gears up for the Yuletide.

It would be recalled that the state government, under Governor Soludo, has also recently restored pipe-borne water in Anambra State after over 20 years, and which he also extended to the State Secretariat Complex, among other urban, semi-urban, and rural parts of the state, as was championed through the State Ministry of Power and Water Resources.

By Izunna Okafor, Awka

The Founder and Spiritual Director of the Mountain of Holy Ghost Intervention and Deliverance Ministry, Prophet Chukwuemeka Ohanemere (popularly known as Odumeje) has dropped a new song for President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

Prophet Odumeje, who is also a popular gospel artiste, improvised the song during a church program in his Ministry’s Headquarters, located at Onitsha, Anambra State.

In the song, captioned “Obodo Ederewo Jimjim” the popular prophet laments the extent of the current hardship in Nigeria, and its widely-felt impacts on the citizens and different sectors of the country.

Composed in Igbo language with back up of modern instruments and the Ministry’s music group; the lyrics of the song also mocks President Tinubu’s government over the aggravating suffering in the land, further lamenting that woes upon woes befall the country and her citizens when they think they have seen it all under Tinubu’s regime, adding that the government shows no concerns to these plights.

Odumeje, in the track, further reminded Nigerians that all these are happening just within Tinubu’s first tenure, imagining what the country and her situation would be like if the President should rule for additional four years after his first tenure.

Watch the video below: