The body was found in a decomposing state, indicating that the man must have died sometime last week.

Residents of the had condemned the incident, describing it as an abomination.

They have since reported the matter to the police division in the area as the man could not be immediately identified.

When contacted, the Ebonyi State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP. Sylvester Igbo, confirmed the incident.

He, however, said that the circumstance surrounding the death of the man had yet to be unravelled.

Igbo said that the police had begun investigations to determine both the identity and the remote cause of the death.

“This is a case of suicide. It is not a normal death. We are investigating the remote and immediate causes behind the death of the man.

“We have told the community leaders to spread information around to ascertain his true identify and place of origin

“So far, nobody has come up to claim ownership of the body while the Ebonyi State Environmental Protection Agency had been informed to remove the corpse as it was already decomposing.

“When it was reported, the police got to the scene and discovered that the victim carefully removed his clothes before hanging himself,’’ Igbo said.

Meanwhile, the Coordinator of the Abakaliki Development Centre, Mrs Franca Okpo, had condemned the act, wondering why such a young man should decide to terminate his own life.

She described the incident as a huge loss to the man’s community.

“When you look at the entire scenario, you will discover that it was a well arranged suicide mission put in place by the man,’’ she said.

The decomposing corpse of the victim was later deposited at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki. (NAN)

-via Vanguard

ABAKALIKI – EBONYI State House of Assembly, Thursday, impeached its Deputy Speaker, Hon. Valentine Okike representing Afikpo South West state constituency for alleged misconduct, insubordination and plotting to impeach the leadership of the House, gossiping, wearing of boxers to official functions and lack of respect for his colleagues.

Moving the impeachment motion, the member representing Ezza South state constituency, Hon. Chris Usulor during a plenary session of the house, accused the former Deputy Speaker of causing disaffection among members of the state House of Assembly.

He said: “Mr Speaker, the Deputy Speaker has been in the habit of moving from one office to another, reporting the leadership of the house, causing disaffection in the house, causing fragmentation in the house, promoting conflict and at the same time plotting to impeach the leadership of the house. Mr Speaker from all indications, the Deputy speaker has been in the forefront of promoting disaffection in this house and insubordination to the leadership of the house.

“Based on this and in accordance with Section 92 sub section 2c of the 1999 constitution which states inter alia, ‘the Speaker or the Deputy speaker shall vacate office if he is removed from office by a resolution of the House of Assembly by a vote of not less than two thirds of the members of the house’. Mr Speaker, I move a motion that the Deputy Speaker should be impeached for he has done a lot of destruction to the integrity of the house.

“And the way he dresses by wearing boxers to official function and in the house people are calling us a house without rules; if the Deputy
Speaker who is under oath to protect the integrity of the house and the constitution is at the forefront of breaching the two”

The House which also suspended the lawmaker who was also the Chairman House Committee on Rural Development, set up an eight member committee to look into the allegations against him and report back to the House within two weeks.

via Vanguard

Governor Elechi had through a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Onyekachi Eni, suspended the Commissioners for Works and Transport, Chukwuma Nwandugo; Justice and Attorney General, Dr. Ben Igwenyi as well as Culture and Tourism, Mr. Hyacinth Ikpor with a warning that they should not be seen in any government function within the duration of the suspension.

The statement explained that the trio dressed improperly to a state banquet organized by the state government for leaders and members of Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists of Nigeria (SOGON) after their 46th Annual General Meeting, (AGM) and Scientific Conference held in the state capital, Abakaliki.

However, investigations by The Guardian revealed that the commissioners had previously crossed the governor’s path in acts of omission or commission while performing their functions.

For instance, the Works Commissioner’s offence was not unconnected to an interview he granted a news magazine where the governor’s performance was said to have been taken to the cleaners. A source close to the governor said Elechi did not deem Nwandugo’s response sufficient enough to dilute the allegation of incompetence and non-performance bandied by the magazine.

In the case of Igwenyi, two decisions he took without being properly guided by the body language of the governor, which incurred the displeasure of Elechi, included the approval he gave for the conduct of Ishiagu Community Devlopment Union (ICDU) election despite subsisting court cases that led to the death of a personal assistant to the governor’s Special Assistant on Security, Mr. Collins Agbo.

“Not that alone, sometime ago when one lawyer came forward with a fresh claim for the payment of his professional fees for the conveyance he handled for Ebonyi State properties in Abuja and Lagos, the Attorney General advised the government to settle the claims despite spirited counter arguments by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Fidelis Mbam, that the lawyer had been paid for his services.

“Though Okafor was asked to go and bring further evidence to prove the state government’s indebtedness, the suspicion remained that Igwenyi may be acting in concert with the lawyer to rip the government off. But the governor swallowed his bitter suspicions because it was not easy to pin anything on the Attorney General,” the source said.

The Afikpo-born Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Ikpor, was said to have gone into Elechi’s bad book for his alleged altercation with the former legal adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr. Mudi Erhenede, during which he (Ikpor) was alleged to have threatened that all non-indigenes would leave Afikpo, where Erhenede, has been practicing law in the last 20 years.

Via guardian

Abakaliki -A High Court in Abakaliki on Wednesday sentenced three men to death by hanging for stealing.

The condemned men Chukwuma Idenyi, Nwobodo Omebe and Monday Ekwe of Izzi and Abakaliki Local Government Areas dispossessed their victims the sum of N180, 925.

Delivering the judgment, the Judge, Justice Paul Elechi, held that the prosecutor proved his case beyond reasonable doubt.

Elechi, therefore, sentenced the accused persons to death by hanging.

NAN reports that the judgment was given after the parties adopted their written addresses.

In his argument before the judgment was given, the counsel to the defendants, Mr Vin Njoku, prayed the court to dismiss the matter.

Njoku argued that the prosecuting counsel and the complainant failed to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.

“There were contradictions of the amount by the complainant and the prosecutor when the matter was first reported to the police and thereafter taken to court,” he said.

Prosecuting counsel, Mr. Roy Ude argued that his client was robbed and disposed of the said amount contributed by his community for school projects.

“If the accused persons were not properly punished the trend would continue in the community and constitute threat to the peace and security of the people. (NAN)

-Vanguard

Abuja – President Goodluck Jonathan now eats locally produced rice and bread made from cassava as part of efforts to encourage indigenous production and stop capital flight, says Minister of Information Labaran Maku.

Maku disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday at the Ministerial Platform where the Ministries of Science and Technology, Defense, Niger Delta Affairs and the FCT presented their performance sheet in the last one year.

“The President is emphasising made in Nigeria products; if you go to the President’s house today, he eats rice produced in Ebonyi State – Abakaliki – Ofada Rice; the imported rice is not eaten in the Presidential Villa.

“Also there, he eats Cassava Bread that has just been introduced, which is saving Nigeria almost N300 billion in imports.

“From what is going on, if we emphasise and urge Nigerians to patronise the things that are researched and produced here, the country will develop.”
He said that the country would develop only when Nigerians begin to patronise goods researched and manufactured locally.

While commending the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology for its research-based development efforts, Maku said a new Science, Technology and Innovation Policy was required to promote national development.

Maku called on all stakeholders in the country to take advantage of the vast opportunities in science and technology to develop the country.

“The new Science Technology and Innovation Policy remains what is going to be the prop for the development of science and technology in our country.

“We never can develop as a nation until we pay attention to science and technology; the difference between America, Europe, Asia and us is the emphasis on science and technology and human capital development.

“I want to assure you from what you have seen that intellectual property, creativity, is what we need to advance the development of our country.”

The minister urged the science and technology ministry not to relent in promoting scientific and technological research and development, so that by 2015, a lot of the demands in Nigeria would be met.

Maku also called for collaboration between the defense and science and technology ministries for the local production of military boots.

According to him, Nigeria has a large market, which has always attracted investors. He, however, urged Nigerians to play significant roles in meeting the needs of the market. (NAN)

-Vanguard

ABAKALIKI — EBONYI State government yesterday declared tomorrow public holiday to enable it hold a special thanksgiving in appreciation to God over Governor Martin Elechi’s electoral victory in court.

Commissioner for Information and  Orientation, Mr. Chike Onwe, who disclosed this to newsmen, explained that the public holiday would enable every citizen of the state come together to thank God for His mercies towards the state and Governor Martin Elechi during the last general election in the state.

He added that the thanksgiving would be graced by different church denominations as the Bishop of Abakaliki Catholic Diocese, Rt. Rev. Michael Okoro, would preside over the service.

He said: “The thanksgiving is designed to honour God for his mercies and love for the government and chief servant of the state, Chief Martin Elechi.

‘If we recollect the travails we passed through and the chains of litigation as a result of the last election, it became imperative for us to thank God”.

“That Ebonyi people should come together to thank God shows that this government believes in God and that only God will make man to surmount every impediment.

“The governor has graciously called for a public holiday to enable all lovers of Ebonyi participate actively in the Thanksgiving service. It is not limited to the operators of the government. The victory at the Court is a victory for the future of the state.”

BY PETER OKUTU
The commissioner, who is also the Chairman, Publicity Sub-Committee for the Thanksgiving Service, called on civil servants and people from all walks of life to be in attendance adding that the electoral victory of the Governor had secured the future of the State in terms of development and human empowerment.

“During the public holiday, Civil servants, traders, politicians, founding fathers and all those from all walks of life will come together at the Abakaliki township stadium to say thank you to God for the creation of the state and for giving us Governor Martin Elechi.

It will take the form of an interdenominational service which will be graced by his lordship, Bishop of Abakaliki diocese, Rt Reverend Michael Okoro.”

-Vanguard

The protesters, comprising the aged, men, women, youths and children, marched through the popular Ogoja road, to the Government House, before they were accosted by a combined team of security agents that prevented them from reaching the state seat of power.

They carried placards with various inscriptions, “Govt we need peace”, “Provide us Accommodation,” “Save us from this hardship of demolition of our houses,” among others.

They decried the alleged demolition of their houses by agents of government laying pipes across the community for the water reticulation of the state capital.

A spokesperson of the group, Mr Kelvin Uguru, disclosed that their grievances stemmed from the fact that their community was yet to be paid compensation by the government for the acquisition of their land used for the construction of the new secretariat of the state.

He said they were also protesting against the state government’s directive to relocate the rice mill from Abakaliki to Ikwo.

In his reaction, the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Chike Onwe, said that the protesters were not sincere in their alleged grievances, stating that the state government had put machineries in place to ensure adequate payment of compensation for lands it acquired.

He said the state government was committed to the enthronement of clean and environmentally decent capital city.

-Tribune

The Ebonyi State Government on Sunday said it had beefed up security in the state to prevent further blood letting and killings of its citizens.

The state government’s assurance was in response to last Saturday’s renewed killing of over 52 members of Ezillo Community in Ishielu Local Government Area of the  state.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeola Adeniyi, who led Governor, Martin Elechi, to Ezillo, said the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, had approved the deployment of mobile police officers from Cross River, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states to assist those in Ebonyi.

As at the time of filling this report, however, Elechi was in a closed door meeting with stakeholders on the communal crisis.

He had said in a live broadcast on the state Radio Service that the incident destabilised the  once fragile peace in the area.

Assuring Ebonyi people of adequate security, the governor stated that the current episode was a phase in the cycle of destruction and bloodletting, which have been the lot of Ezillo since Saturday, May 10, 2008 when the crisis started.

He said, “The shock waves sent by the latest incident are not only because of the wantonness of the destruction, but also because it came at a time when Ebonyi people and other Nigerians thought that peace had returned to Ezillo.

“As Ezillo burns and Ebonyi people mourn, I want to assure our people and all Nigerians that the state government will stop at nothing to fish out the perpetrators of this dastardly act neither shall we shirk our responsibility to protect lives and property everywhere in the state. We all feel the pains of the bereaved families and we all share their grief.”

-Punch