Youths in Anambra State have joined the ongoing protest calling for an end to police brutality.
The protesters took to the streets of Awka the state capital, marching from Aroma junction to the Government House alongside blocking the expressway with tryes.
The Anambra youths are also demanding the prosecution of a former commander of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in the state, CSP James Nwafor.
CSP Nwafor is being accused of killing several youths and extorting from the citizens.
The protesters arriving at the Government House demanded to see Governor Willie Obiano to present their demands and the names of those who have been killed from police brutality.
But the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Solomon Chukwulobelu, who received the protesters commended them for their peaceful conduct, giving assurances that the governor will hear all their demands.
Thousands of #EndSARS protesters on Saturday occupied the gate of the Anambra State Police Command Headquarters in Amawbia area of the state.
The protesters, who are mostly youths and others are calling for the dismantling of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force meant to tackle violent criminal activities in the country.
They carried placards and raised their voices to the national outcry for SARS to be ended in Nigeria, adding that the security outfit no longer serves the purpose for which it was created.
Addressing the aggrieved citizens, the Commissioner of Police in the state, John Abang, assured them that the Federal Government will consider their matter accordingly.
The baby said to have been recovered from a gutter in Awka, the Anambra State capital. Credit: Anambra State Police Command.
A day-old baby has been found in a gutter in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
The baby who was abandoned in the gutter by an unknown person was said to have been picked after an early morning downpour in the area.
This was confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday by the State Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed.
Mohammed said the incident occurred at Abuja Estate near the Government House in Awka.
The police spokesman said a good samaritan resident in the area reported the incident to the police around 8.25 am on Saturday.
“On Saturday at about 8.25 am, a Good Samaritan resident at Abuja Estate behind NSCDC office Awka reported at B Division Police Station Awka that on the same date at about 7.30 am, a day-old baby boy was wrapped up in a cloth and abandoned inside a gutter at the same area by an unknown person,” he said.
“All efforts made to trace the mother of the baby proved abortive. The scene was visited by police operatives attached to JWC and the baby who is in good health condition was rescued and handed over to Time to Fort Care specialist medical centre Awka for safekeeping.”
According to Mohammed, the Ministry of Social Welfare children and women Affairs had been contacted and the baby would be handed over to them for proper care.
The PPRO said efforts were ongoing to trace the mother of the baby to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Anambra shares borders with Delta state to the south-west.
Tragedy struck in Nnewi area of Anambra State after a 47-year-old man allegedly killed his mother and two of his children.
Channels Television learned that the suspect, Emeka Ezimadu, committed the act with a machete while they were sleeping.
The incident was said to have occurred on Thursday night at Okpuneze Uruagu in Nnewi North local government area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the incident.
He said the police have arrested the man and commenced an investigation into the incident.
“On the September 17, at about 11:55 pm, Police operatives attached to Nnewi Division arrested one Emeka Ezimadu ‘m’ aged 47years of Okpuneze Uruagu in Nnewi North LGA of Anambra State,” he said.
The police spokesman said no explanation was obtained as to the cause of the ugly, adding that the suspect, who owns a sabbath mission, was suspected to be mentally unstable.
Apart from killing his 85-year-old mother, the suspect also attacked two other children said to be battling for their lives in a hospital while his wife reportedly escaped.
The police have found a missing boy said to have trekked from Nnewi to Awka, the Anambra State capital.
In a statement on Friday, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Haruna Mohammed, identified the boy as Akachukwu Gabriel.
Mohammed, a Superintendent of Police (SP), explained that Akachukwu was found by a team of policemen while on patrol on Wednesday along the UNIZIK Junction area in the state.
According to him, the three feet tall boy who is about 11 years and dark in complexion was trekking to Abakaliki in Ebonyi State.
The command’s spokesman noted that Akachukwu (as of the time of this report) is in the protective care of the police and called on his biological parents and close relations to come and identify him.
A photo released by the police authorities in Anambra State shows Akachukwu Gabriel.
Read the full statement from the police below:
ANAMBRA STATE POLICE COMMAND DIARY:
FOUND CHILD
On the 12/8/2020 at about 6:30pm Police patrol team attached to 29 PMF Awka while on patrol along UNIZIK junction found a male child of about 11 years old who gave his name as Akachukwu Gabriel. He is about 3 feet tall, dark in complexion and speaks Igbo language fluently.
The boy said he trekked from Nnewi to Awka en-route Abakaliki, in Ebonyi State where he allegedly hails from.
He is presently in the protective care of B’ Divisional Anti Human Trafficking Unit, Awka, pending identification of his parents or guardian.
In view of the foregoing, you are kindly requested to disseminate this massage through your medium to enable the biological parents or close relations identify him.
Anyone with useful information about the found child should report at B’ Divisional Police Station or contact PPRO Anambra State Police Command through GSM no 08060970639, please.
SP Haruna Mohammed PPRO Anambra State Police Command,
INEC Chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu. Photo: Sodiq Adelakun/Channels Television June 30, 2020
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has said that the commission remains committed to improving electoral processes in the country.
According to him, one of the things it plans to implement in the coming year is the introduction of electronic balloting.
Yakubu said the commission intends to introduce this during the Anambra elections, taking place in 2021.
“The commission is committed to introducing at least electronic balloting in the major election we are going to conduct next year, which happens to be the Anambra governorship election and thereafter, with the support of the National Assembly, we hope that the legal environment will improve such that we can also go ahead to collate and transmit results electronically”.
The INEC boss said this on Tuesday during a town hall meeting tagged Fixing Nigerian Elections, adding that “at present, the law doesn’t permit that because the system is essentially manual”.
He made the comments while responding to a question about what he would like to improve about the electoral system in the country.
“There are quite a number of issues, one of which is the deployment of technology,” the INEC boss said.
“We would like a situation where the electoral legal environment is reformed in such a manner that will continue to deepen the deployment of technology in elections.
“I am happy with what the commission has done since 2010. Recall that there is a trajectory. We started in 2010 with the biometric register of voters and so in 2011, the Commission essentially updated the biometric register and we did the same thing in 2014 and in 2017 and in 2018 over a period of 16 months in which we added 14.2 million Nigerians to the register.
“The second is biometric accreditation of voters and there was an innovation introduced in 2015, the smart card readers that go along with the permanent voters’ card.
“We have achieved that. We are looking forward (particularly with the 2015 amendment) to the electoral Act that empowers the commission to deepen the use of technology, in voting, particularly in the era of electronic voting, to see how far we can go a notch higher,” he added.
A file photo of Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano.
The Anambra State government has confirmed 32 active cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) and nine deaths in the state.
Governor Willie Obiano made the announcement in a special broadcast to residents on Wednesday at the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia in Awka, the state capital.
He explained that the new cases were discovered as a result of the increased testing campaign across the state.
The governor disclosed that out of 302 samples sent for testing, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has released the results of 230 people with 53 of them confirmed positive.
He noted that 13 patients have been discharged and seven cases were receiving treatment at one of the state’s Protective Care Centres, with nine persons dead.
Governor Obiano, however, reassured the people of Anambra not to panic, saying the government was on top of the situation.
He reminded them of the COVID-19 law in the state and appealed to the residents to observe the law diligently.
The governor asked the people to maintain a high level of vigilance to enhance the chances of surviving the pandemic.
He warned that individuals found in public places without wearing face masks would be arrested by the security agencies and prosecuted accordingly.
Residents of Agulu community in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State lament the death of an 80-year-old woman allegedly killed by the police on June 10, 2020.
Tragedy struck in Agulu community in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State on Wednesday when policemen allegedly pushed an 80-year-old woman to her death while trying to make an arrest.
Channels Television gathered that the area has been thrown into mourning after officers of the Special Anti-Cult section shoved the elderly woman.
According to family members, the policemen stormed the family’s compound early in the morning to arrest the deceased grandson for cult related matters.
The old woman was reported to have been pleading to the officers to let go of the grandson, who is a sickle cell patient before she was shoved aside by the officers and fell to her death.
Reacting to the incident, the President-General of Agulu People’s Assembly, Anene Orakwelu the State Police Command to open an investigation into the incident.
Orakwelu said the police authorities have assured the community that the incident will be probed with a view to bringing the culprits to justice.
“The DPO, Anaocha and the Commander, Anti-Cult have assured us that no stone will be left unturned in unveiling whatever thing that happened here,” he said.
The deceased until her death was a farmer who had already prepared bags of cassava she would take to the market on that fateful day.
However, her death didn’t allow that to happen.
Residents of the community called on the police authorities to ensure that justice is served.
Anambra State Government has confirmed its first COVID-19 related death in the state.
The deceased is a 66-year-old man who was among the 10 confirmed positive cases in the state.
The State Governor, Willie Obiano made the announcement during a special broadcast on Monday.
He noted that the victim did not report to the health authorities early enough.
“People of Anambra, it is important to explain here that the only COVID-19 death we have recorded so far was a 66-year old man who did not report his ill-health on time.
“The case was reported late to the hospital and by the time his result came back positive, 24 hours later, he had passed away.”
Obiano also announced that there are 10 confirmed cases of the infection in the state, out of which three cases including the index case have recovered from treatment and discharged.
The governor, therefore, assured of the readiness of the state in protecting the people from the fast spread of the pandemic.
He added that the state has ensured that the protective care centers are fully prepared to tackle confirmed cases.
A 20-year-old man has allegedly been shot dead by policemen at New Tyre Market in Nkpor, Anambra State.
Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed in a communique stated that the incident was caused by an unprovoked attack on police patrol team with substance suspected to be acid by some miscreants.
The PPRO in his statement claimed that the youths also tried to snatch some rifles from the police operatives.
Though the police say the youths stirred the unrest, some eye witnesses maintain that the security operatives caused the problem when they tried to disperse some people at a drinking point.
Channels Television gathered that a discreet investigation into the matter has been ordered by the Police Commissioner, John Abang.
As at the time of filing this report, efforts were still ongoing to restore sanity within the area even as a massive protest ensued after the incident.
The Senator representing Anambra South district in the National Assembly, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, says he will be surprised if his opponent, Mr. Obinna Uzoh of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) heads to the Supreme Court over his election victory.
Ubah’s comments on Thursday follow the Appeal Court ruling which set aside a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court judgment sacking him as the lawmaker representing the region.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Stephen Adah, the court held that the FCT High Court acted outside its jurisdiction to entertain a matter that arose in Anambra state.
But appearing during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Ubah said he doesn’t think anyone can appeal a verdict given by an appellant court.
“I will be very surprised if they challenge what was given. You need to give me some time so that they (my lawyers) can look at the judgment.
“I don’t think, to my best knowledge, that it is appealable. But if they go to the Supreme Court, I’m more than ready,” he said.
Speaking further, Ubah alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been working hard to oust him from office.
According to him, he is the only Senator in the country that has faced two opponents in a tribunal shortly after the general elections.
“I have passed through serious hurdles; I am the only Senator in Nigeria that faced the tribunal with two opponents – from the PDP and the APC,” he said.
“With the court victory in the tribunal, we went to the Appeal Court in Enugu with court victory. They have done everything possible to take me out of my seat. And at the same time, they are working in conjunction with so many parties.
“At the end of the day, touch not His anointed and do his prophet no harm. One with God is a majority. So we are working, I need now to concentrate and give value to those who have elected me,” he said.
