Author: James Nwakere

GOVERNOR Hope Uzodimma has dropped his deputy, Prof Placid Njoku, ahead of the November 11 governorship election in the state. In the list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the list showed that Uzodimma has dropped Placid for a female deputy governorship candidate, Mrs. Ekemaru Chinyere Ihuoma. The list also included the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Samuel Anyanwu, who chose a former House of Representatives member, Jones Onyeriri, as his deputy. The Labour Party has Senator Athan Achonu as its governorship candidate with a former Reps member, Tony Nwulu, as his deputy. Analysts said that the choice of…

THE Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has approved the appointments of Prof. Kenneth Kalu as the Secretary to the State Government and Caleb Ajagba as his Chief of Staff. The governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, in a statement on Tuesday, unveiled six other appointees, saying the appointments took immediate effect. See the full statement below: ABIA STATE GOVERNOR DR. ALEX OTTI APPOINTS SSG, CHIEF OF STAFF, OTHERS. The Governor of Abia state, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR has approved the appointment of the following persons: 1.Prof. Kenneth Kalu -Secretary to the State Government . 2. Pastor…

A POLICEMAN has been killed in a gun duel between security operatives and gunmen in Ebonyi State. The incident happened on Monday night while personnel of the State Police Command were on a stop and search duty at the Union Bank roundabout in Abakaliki. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Onome Onovwakpoyeya, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday. Onovwakpoyeya, a Superintendent of Police, said two other operatives were injured and are receiving treatment in the hospital. He added that casualties were also recorded on the side of the hoodlums, but however, did not state how many of…

TWO policemen were on Saturday killed by gunmen in Ngor Okpala junction, Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State. The gunmen, suspected to be members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the armed affiliate of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), were said to have attacked the police personnel who were conducting a stop and search operation at a checkpoint in the area. Two of the personnel said to be attached to the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) were allegedly killed on the spot, while the hoodlums ran away. This is coming a month, after five policemen were killed at…

POLICE in Anambra State say they have rescued two individuals who were kidnapped during Tuesday’s attack on the US Consulate Convoy in Ogbaru Local Government Area.  According to a brief statement by spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, the rescue took place in the early hours of Friday. The police imagemaker disclosed that a joint security force rescued, unhurt, the two victims abducted during the attack on a US convoy along Atani/Osamela road in Ogbaru. He further stated that tactical operations are still ongoing and further details shall be communicated. This development comes just a day…

THE Police Command in Anambra have released names of nine US Consulate personnel from Lagos involved in Tuesday’s brutal attack which claimed seven lives at Ogbaru area of the state. Mr Echeng Echeng, the  Commissioner of Police in Anambra made the disclosure at a news  conference at the  command’s headquarters in Amawbia on Friday. Echeng listed the persons as; Jefferson Obayuwane, Sunday Prince Ubong, Ekene Nweke, Hassan Etila, Avwuvie Kaye Monday, Bukar. A. Kabuiki, Emmanuel Lukpata, Friday Morgan, and Adamu Andrew. This newspaper gathered that out of the number, seven were killed and set ablaze in their vehicles, while two…

THE Police Command In Anambra State has said that two suspects have been arrested in connection with Tuesday’s attack on the US Consulate Convoy in Ogbaru Local Government Area.  News Point Nigeria reports that preliminary investigations conducted by the police revealed that seven persons were killed in the assault. Of the seven, three were US Consulate officials and four were Mobile Police escorts. Speaking on the development on Thursday, Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Echeng Echeng said a Joint Security Task Force comprising of police tactical teams and troops of the Nigerian Army and Navy, raided the suspects’ hideout…

FOUR staff of the United States Embassy in Nigeria have been shot dead in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State. Sources told this newspaper that the convoy of the embassy officials came under fire as they were passing through the area. A source said they were on humanitarian mission to the area while another source said the attacked officials wanted to connect their destination through Ogbaru. “At least four persons were killed in the attack while others sustained injuries. Troops have taken over the community,” a security source told this newspaper. Details of the attack were not available as…

A MEMBER of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council in Imo State, Capt. Tony Enoch, has been killed. Enoch, a retired military officer, and also a kinsman of the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, was killed in Oru East Local Government Area of the state, hometown of the governor. Enoch, who doubled as the Coordinator for the Grow Orlu Project, a political structure of the Senator-elect of the Imo West Senatorial District, Osita Izunaso, was said to have been killed on his way from the APC Stakeholders meeting held at the Oru- East council headquarters. Our correspondent gathered that…

SONIA, daughter of a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has expressed sadness and guilt over the sentencing of her parents in an organ-harvesting plot suit in the United Kingdom on Friday. News Point Nigeria reports that a United Kingdom court on Friday sentenced Ekweremadu to a total of nine years and eight months imprisonment, while his wife, Beatrice, was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment for plotting to harvest a man’s kidney. The third accomplice, a medical doctor, Dr Obinna Obeta, was jailed 10 years. Ekweremadu, 60, and his wife Beatrice, 56, wanted a new kidney for…

THREE policemen have been shot dead by yet-to-be-identified armed men in Anambra State. According to a viral video, the incident happened in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area of the state Thursday afternoon. The trending video showed that the murdered officers were mobile policemen attached to the 29 PMF and 54 PMF, Umunze. Reacting to the attack, the Police Public Relations Officer, Anambra State Police Command, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, described it as an unfortunate incident. He said that reinforcement teams had been sent to the area. “It is an unfortunate incident and is part of the highest price security officers…

AHEAD of the sentencing of Senator Ike Ekweremadu in the United Kingdom on May 5, the House of Representatives has appealed to the UK government to temper justice with mercy. A member of the House, Toby Okechukwu, who moved the motion, based his position on the long standing history and cordial ties between Nigeria and the United Kingdom. The lawmaker also drew attention to what he described as Ekweremadu’s contributions to the Commonwealth of Nations and his innocent intention to save the life of his sick daughter, Sonia. He said there should be back channels for diplomatic interventions. With a…

POWER generation to the national grid dipped below the 4,000 megawatts mark over the weekend leaving customers across the country with limited electricity supply. Checks on data provided by the National System Operator, NSO, an independent arm of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, showed that only 18 of the 25 power plants in the country supplied power to the grid. Further checks showed that generation as of 12 noon yesterday was 3,518.7MW, indicating a drop of 18.6 per cent, compared to the average generation of 4,324.1MW recorded last Friday. The biggest drop by a single power plant was Azura-Edo…

GUNMEN have allegedly killed about five police officers in Ngor Okpala local government area of Imo state, on Friday. A source who disclosed this to News Point Nigeria in Owerri, explained that the officers were attacked while eating at a junction. At the time of filing this report, the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Henry Okoye, was yet to respond to the enquiry. But sources said the gunmen number over ten in number, killing the officers and injuring others at the junction. As of the last count, he said: “Five officers were killed including passersby wounded. You can see…

SENATOR Athan Achonu has emerged as the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate for Imo State.  His victory followed the LP governorship primaries held in Owerri on Saturday. While announcing the result of the exercise, the returning officer and Abia-State governor-elect Alex Otti said Achonu polled 134 votes to beat his closest rival Major General Jack Ogunewe who scored 121. “I hereby return Athan Achonu as the LP candidate,” he said, noting that the exercise was credible. Senator Achonu was elected into the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2015 to represent Imo North on the platform of the People’s…

THE National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu has emerged the PDP governorship candidate for the November 11 Imo State Governorship Election. News Point Nigeria reports that, this followed the PDP’s primary held on Wednesday the party’s primary in its state secretariat along the Okigwe Road in Owerri, the Imo State capital. Off-cycle governorship elections are expected to hold in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states on November 11, 2023. According to the State Organising Secretary of the PDP, Lawrence Biado, the seven-man electoral panel constituted by the National Working Committee headed by Kenneth Okon is present…

THE Imo State Police Command on Wednesday said it commenced an investigation into the kidnapping and killing of an inspector of Police, Augustine Ukegbu, last Monday. It was gathered in Owerri, the incident happened in the Aboh Mbaise council area of Imo state. For the police, through the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Henry Okoye, said: “We are currently investigating the matter to make sure we arrest the assailant.” Another police source who did not want her name mentioned said: “We have launched a manhunt on the assailant. To ensure we arrest them and bring them to book. It…

A FORMER governor of Anambra State, Chinwoke Mbadinuju is dead. He passed away at the age of 78 on Tuesday morning at the National Hospital Abuja after a brief illness. The ex-governor’s death was announced in a statement by Cheta Mbadinuju, for the family. Mbadinuju was Anambra governor between May 1999 and May 2003. “With heavy hearts but utmost gratitude to God for a life well spent, we announce the passing of our father, grand father, uncle, friend and associate, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, a former governor of Anambra State and elder statesman,” the family stated. “At this trying time, we…

ALL 15 Occupants of a Toyota bus were killed and burnt beyond recognition on Saturday when the vehicle had a head-on collision with a Mercedes truck on the Port Harcourt-Enugu Highway. Spokesman of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Assistant Corps Marshal Bisi Kazeem confirmed the accident in a statement he issued on Sunday in Abuja. Kazeem stated that the accident took place at the Enugu end of the highway at about 8.20 p.m. “The victims have been given mass burial. All obstructions have been cleared. Enugu State Fire Service already extinguished the fire on the bus. “The fatal crash is…

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has written to the United Kingdom court that found former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice, guilty of organ trafficking. In the letter addressed to the Chief Clerk, the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, in London, the former President asked the Clerk to intervene and ensure the UK government tempered justice with mercy on the matter. This newspaper reports that Ekweremadu is at risk of being sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in line with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 of the United Kingdom after a London court found him and his wife guilty…