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Tag: Imo

  • Erosion displaces 3,000 families in Imo

    Erosion displaces 3,000 families in Imo

    No fewer than 3,000 families have been affected by an erosion menace ravaging Okohia Akwakuma in Owerri North council area of Imo state.

    The affected families have been ordered by the government to immediately relocate to avoid loss of lives.

    The state Commissioner for Environment, Iyke Njoku who spoke to journalists on the issue disclosed that the government is considering short, medium and long term measures to prevent the slide from escalating.

    He lamented that the situation was beyond the state considering the dwindling economic state.

    According to him, Imo has over 300 erosion sites which are gradually being looked into, stressing that the best for the inhabitants of these sites was to vacate the places to avoid calamity.

    He said, “we are calling on the Federal Government, Ecological Fund Office and international agencies to come to our aid to save the places from submerging.”

    Meanwhile, one of the affected persons who spoke to newsmen (name withheld) frowned at the lackadaisical attitude of the government in proffering a solution to the menace.

    “They have ordered us to relocate. Where are we going? Did they provide a place for us to stay? The government should act fast and stop being insensitive to our plight. Our homes are being submerged by the gully erosion and the government is paying lip service.”

  • NDLEA arrests suspect with 247kg cannabis in Imo

    NDLEA arrests suspect with 247kg cannabis in Imo

    The Imo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 48 year-old-man with substance suspected to be cannabis sativa weighing over 247kilograms.

    Mr Nse Inam, the Imo NDLEA commander said this while parading the suspect at the command’s headquarters in Owerri on Tuesday.

    Inam, who was represented by the Assistant State Commander in charge of Operations and intelligence, Mr Kayode Raji, said that the substance was found in the home of the suspect by officers of the command at 2a.m on Monday.

    He added that the suspect, whom  the agency had been trailing for about four months, was arrested based on intelligence reports from monitoring and surveillance.

    He further alleged that the suspect was a notorious dealer and major supplier of the exhibit to most outlets in the state, adding that his arrest would go a long way in reducing the spate of circulation of illicit drugs in Imo.

    The Imo NDLEA boss also said that all facts of the arrest were ready for the prosecution of the suspect.

    He assured that necessary mechanism had already been put in place by the agency to forestall any possible attempt by sympathisers of the suspect to frustrate his prosecution.

    “In the last four months, our men have worked very hard to achieve this result and we believe that the arrest of this major notorious drug dealer will sound a note of warning to other peddlers in Imo to desist forthwith.

    “We respect fundamental human rights of everyone and that is why we have thoroughly prepared the facts of this arrest for prosecution,’’ he said.

    He, however, called on members of the public to report suspected drug peddlers to the NDLEA while thanking officers of the command for a job well done.

    On his part, the suspect, a father of five said that he usually bought the exhibits from a supplier in Edo and sold them in Imo, adding that he had been in the business for five years.

    He also claimed that farming was his major occupation, saying that he was in business of cannabis sativa to make additional income.

  • Imo: Okorocha congratulates Uzodimma

    Imo: Okorocha congratulates Uzodimma

    Former Imo Gov. Rochas Okorocha has felicitated Sen. Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the Supreme Court rulling declaring him the winner of the 2019 governorship election in Imo.

    But some stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state described the judgment as ”a rape of democracy”.

    The Supreme Court nullified election of Emeka Ihedioha of the PDP as the governor of the state and declared Uzodinma winner of the governorship election held in Imo.

    However, Okorocha, who is representing Imo West Senatorial zone at the National Assembly, said he would support Uzodinma’s government to succeed in Imo.

    Okorocha, who disclosed this through a statement issued to NAN by his media aide, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, said the judgment represented the choice of Imo people.

    “I want to congratulate Hope Uzodinma for his victory at the Supreme Court and we will all work together to ensuring that his government succeeds.

    “This is an indication of a new hope in Imo, everybody must remain calm and watch Uzodinma unfolds what he has for Imo,” Okorocha said.

    In another development, some PDP members in Imo have described the Supreme Court judgment as ”a rape of democracy”.

    Speaking with NAN shortly after the news of the judgment, a PDP woman leader and a retired civil servant, Mrs Dora Nnawuchi, said the judgment did not only rape democracy, but a way of causing crises in Imo.

    Security presence was seen at strategic places in the state to forestall any disorder that may occur as a result of the judgment.(NAN)

  • Judgment: Imo People have emerged victorious, says President Buhari

    Judgment: Imo People have emerged victorious, says President Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the Supreme Court for the `courage and perseverance’ to return Sen. Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Imo.

    The president made the commendation while reacting to Tuesday’s Supreme Court judgment that sacked Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Governor of Imo State and declared Uzodinma winner.

    President Buhari said: “The road to justice may be long and tortuous, but it is the best path for anyone aggrieved.

    “Under the new administration, a new journey to build a new Imo with new energy is about to begin. In this outcome, it is the people of Imo State who have emerged victorious.”

    The Supreme Court in a unanimous judgment on Tuesday sacked Ihedioha as Governor of Imo State, and declared Hope Uzodinma winner.

    In congratulating the new governor, the president urged Uzodinma to promote the ideals of the APC and unite the state by running an inclusive administration.

    A seven-man panel of the apex court in its decision held that Ihedioha did not win majority of votes cast at the March 9, 2019 governorship election.

    In the Judgment delivered by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the court accordingly ordered the INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Ihedioha and issue a fresh Certificate of Return to the candidate of the APC on grounds that he won majority of the lawful votes cast at the election.

    The court also ordered the immediate swearing in of Uzodinma as lawful winner of the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Imo State.(NAN)