BOSSTYCOONZ

Tragedy In Benue: 47 Die In Boat Mishap, Tiv, Fulani Clash

  December 28, 2013

No fewer than 47 persons were feared dead in two separate incidents in Benue in what appeared to be a bloody yuletide in the state following a clash between Fulani herdsmen and native Tiv farmers at Agasha and a boat mishap on River Buruku, in Buruku local government area.
Seven persons lost their lives at Agasha, Guma local government area of the state in a fresh skirmish between the natives and Fulani herdsmen, according to Saturday Vanguard.
The crisis, yesterday, had started on Christmas day and has left seven persons dead while property and farmland worth millions of Naira had been destroyed.
“The crisis started just few days to Christmas when the herdsmen invaded Nzorov and Gbajimba and from there they moved to Agasha, burning and destroying anything in sight.
“About seven person may have so far been killed in the fighting, we are yet to account for some missing persons, but in the next few days, we should be able to come out with an authentic figure of the dead,” the source added.
Meanwhile, about 40 persons were feared dead in a Boxing Day boat tragedy at River Buruku when the wooden boat conveying them across the river capsized at the middle of the river.
According to an eyewitness, the victims of the mishap were young fun seekers; “They met their untimely death while returning from a picnic on the other side of the river.
“When they arrived the boarding point at about 8pm yesterday, most of them were drunk, they boarded the canoe and jam packed themselves in the wooden boat against the advise of everyone including the driver that conveyed them.
“Unfortunately, the canoe could not make it to the other side of the river, it capsized at the middle of the river; as I speak to you, bodies of most of the victims are yet to be recovered from the river,” the eyewitness said.
Confirming the incident, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Deputy Superintendent, DSP, Daniel Ezeala said seven persons died in the Guma crisis, but pointed out that he was yet to get the full details of the Buruku boat mishap.

BOSSTYCOONZ

Transformation: No More Potholes On Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, Says FERMA

  December 28, 2013

All dangerous potholes on the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressway have been repaired, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has said.

The Federal Roads Maintenance Engineer (FRME) in charge of Kaduna, Engineer Sani Abdulkadir, who made this known in Kaduna, said that the agency is closely monitoring the roads in line with the statutory responsibilities of the agency.
“We have been consistently working especially on major dual carriage ways. From Kaduna to Abuja and from Kaduna to Zaria and up to Kano, if you see any pothole now [it] is a newly developed one and it must be minor”, he said.

BOSSTYCOONZ

Christmas Celebration Marred By Power Outage In Most Parts Of Lagos, Residents Say

  December 27, 2013

Many residents of the Lagos metropolis celebrated this year’s Christmas in darkness, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Visits to Mile 12, Ketu, Ojota, Maryland, Palmgrove, Onikpanu, Bariga, Lagos Island, Oshodi/Isolo, Apapa, Munshi, Iyana Oworo neighbourhoods of Lagos revealed the areas had been experiencing a blackout since December 25.
Some of the residents expressed displeasure at the failure of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to supply stable electricity under the existing arrangements.
Ayo Adeyinka, a resident of Mushin, said that the privatisation of the power sector had not been beneficial to the citizens in spite of the government’s efforts to make things work.
“We have never seen it like this before. There was light on December24, although it was on and off till 7 a.m. on the Christmas day.
“Since that time, up till this morning, we have not seen light in any part of this area,’’ he said.
A resident of Ketu, Sunday Olarewaju, noted that the PHCN management had not given any explanation for the prevailing blackout.
“We do not know if PHCN workers are on strike or not.
“In our usual way, we have checked the transformers and moved round but there is no sign that a major fault was responsible for the blackout,” he said.
Mr. Olarewaju said that the residents’ representatives were planning to go to the nearest PHCN office to demand an explanation for the blackout.
Adeloju Shokoya, a resident of Lagos Island, expressed regret that he and his family had a “harrowing experience celebrating Christmas without electricity.
“If there is light, you will not meet most of us outside; we would have been somewhere else watching films or football matches.
“I have been on generator since Christmas Day with the hope that PHCN would soon restore electricity supply. Up till this morning, we have not seen even the normal flashing they give us at times,” he said.
Another Lagos Island resident, Adetola Williams, however, said that the people would continue to enjoy themselves, whether there was light or not.
“PHCN or no PHCN; man must enjoy himself. Yesterday, we were outside drinking and we used generators to power our musical sets in order to enjoy ourselves.
“From the look of things, we may do the same again today; because l don’t understand this PHCN palaver anymore.
“You know they do what they like but they cannot spoil our enjoyment and merriment in this Christmas period,” he said.
When a correspondent visited some PHCN district offices in Ketu, Lagos Island and Fadeyi; only security men were on duty.
However, it was gathered from the security men that the workers were not on strike but they were not certain if a major fault had been responsible for the blackout.

BOSSTYCOONZ

Police Kill Suspected Kidnappers In Delta

  December 27, 2013

A gun battle between policemen and members of a kidnapping gang operating in Lagos, Ondo, Edo and Delta State has led to the death of four suspected kidnappers.
In a statement in Asaba, Acting Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Charles Muka, said the kidnappers were recruited by two natives of Oghara community to kidnap a prominent son of the community.
He gave their names as Ebi Ngboroko, John Lahuru, Emmanuel Omorege and Rufus Tamaraini.
He said: “Sequel to the information, detectives were mobilised to the scene and arrested four inter-state kidnappers who operated in Lagos, Ondo, Edo and Delta states.
“The suspects were later transferred to special anti-kidnapping squad, Asaba for further investigation where they confessed and volunteered to lead operatives to their criminal camp at Ologbo in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State for more arrest.
“However, the operatives ran into an ambush near the camp laid by the suspects’ cohorts and in the ensuing gun battle, the suspects sustained gun wounds and were rushed to the hospital for treatment where they were confirmed dead.”
According to him, two AK-47 rifles with fully loaded magazines, one Rover with registration NE 157 KJA, eight GSM handsets and charms were recovered.
He added that efforts were on to track down the fleeing members of the gang.

BOSSTYCOONZ

Group Faults Obasanjo On Letter To Jonathan

December 27, 2013

A group, Jubilee Democratic Emancipation Group of Nigeria, JUDEG, has warned that the contents of the letter from former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to President Goodluck Jonathan was capable of disintegrating the country.
Speaking at the end of the year meeting of Gospel Ministers for True Leadership in Benin recently, National Coordinator of the group, Dr. Dele Oluwatade said the letter will either destroy Obasanjo or Jonathan.
He added that Obasanjo had no locus standi and equity to point out problems to a sitting President, since he had most of the problems while in office and did nothing.
“At his age, Chief Obasanjo is supposed to be resting and he is supposed to keep quiet,” Oluwatade said.