A credible military source said troops of Operation Udo Ka successfully dislodged suspected IPOB/ESN fighters from their hideouts in the Mother Valley general area of Orsumoghu, Ihiala local government area of Anambra.

He said the operation followed actionable intelligence indicating that the terrorists were massing to enforce an illegal sit-at-home order within the area on February 2.

According to him, ground troops, supported by air assets, conducted coordinated offensive operations which forced the terrorists to flee into surrounding forests.

“Radio intercepts and aerial surveillance suggested that several of the fighters were neutralised during the engagement, while troops have continued to dominate the area to intercept fleeing or wounded elements.

“Meanwhile, in Ebonyi, troops acting on intelligence discovered a mass burial site at Amasiri in Afikpo North Local Government Area.

“The site contained corpses of victims suspected to have been killed during previous attacks on surrounding communities.

“One of the victims, identified as a recently missing person, was evacuated to a morgue in Afikpo for preservation and further investigation,” he said.

In the South-South, the source said the troops of 4 Brigade, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police, apprehended five suspected kidnappers during a raid at Agbede Forest in Etsako West local government area of Edo.

He said the operation led to the recovery of two motorcycles, five mobile phones and a power bank believed to be linked to kidnapping activities.

According to him, the suspects and recovered items were handed over to the Edo State Police Command for further action.

The source said the sustained operations reflected continued pressure on criminal and secessionist elements, improved intelligence fusion and an unwavering commitment to restoring peace, security and normalcy across the South-East and South-South regions.

Source: NAN

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Even if his premise might have been well founded on grounds that the last visit by the gentleman allegedly led to some deaths or on the basis of what ought to be the standard protocol for such high-profile visits, there is no excuse for what comes across as a threat, especially in a public gathering in which his words could be taken literally by anyone there to run with, or activation at a later date.

That said, it would be erroneous to assume that all of the people that have latched on to this as a cudgel to pummel Okpebholo actually do so for the reasons they project. Many of those on his case didn’t start today. They have been at it from the moment he emerged as the APC Governorship Candidate.

A caricature of him had been created as a barely literate, unrefined, uninformed politician who neither knew his right from the left. He was said to have been unable to string together a few sentences in English.

A Breakfast Show on a particular TV Station made mincemeat of him, with repeated mockery, daring and taunting him to make an appearance on their show. They even offered to conduct an interview with him in his mother tongue, having concluded he lacked the capacity for such an engagement in the supposedly superior English language.

Edo is a State in which I maintain more than a passing interest. So, while folks on TV spent day after day, during the campaign period, demarketing the man and making jest of him over what might have passed as slip of tongue, information from those on the ground had it that the man has some level of decent connection with the people at the grassroots, helped by his record before he became a politician.

With the then incumbent Governor said to have destroyed, rather than build or reinforce bridges with major political stakeholders within and outside his party, those with ear to the ground were positive about Okpebholo’s chances in what was projected to be a close election.

Contrary to the argument by those who insisted he had to be a guest on their TV programme to qualify as Governor, the election results from the State pronounced him winner. Rather than eat the humble pie, they shifted the pressure to the Judiciary and when it became evident that victory was not forthcoming from that end, the campaign now became one for electoral and judicial reforms.

With victory finally sealed for Okpebholo with the judgement of the Supreme Court, many of these critics had recoiled to lick their wounds secretly, until the Governor offered them ammunition last week by going overboard.

So it was a case of unforced error on the part of Governor Okpebholo, serving into the hands of those who have been waiting for any opportunity to have a go at him.

They now have him on the platter and his friends have come with all sorts of knives to dig in. They have what is said to be his WASCE statement of result flying all over the place, making a meal of what is said to be his low level of education.

While I can’t begrudge those who have seized on the moment to make jest of the man and his educational status, I can’t see what that has got to do with what recently transpired. It is an overreach that we have seen with both the highly educated and those who do not have such benefit.

Akpakomiza might be rough around the edges, but that does not make him a misfit he is being presented as. Those who insist on typecasting him might need to look into the mirror themselves and ask how much their claim to high education has relieved them of their rough edges.

I wonder how a man who has at different times thrown decorum out of the window on live TV, with an allegation of threat to life hanging at his neck, found the moral high ground to call another man out for a threat not as menacing as that he was said to have allegedly made.

There is no excuse for his misspeak, but it is obvious that some of the critics are riding on that to hit at a man they do not consider fit for that office.

So much has been made about education. Fair enough. Perhaps what will make sense is for us to embrace the rule by philosopher-Kings as Plato prescribes so that we can exclude the Okpebholos and let the intelligentsia take charge of our affairs.

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But we don’t need to look afar to see how we have fared under the rule of the intelligentsia. Examples abound, just as there are copious instances of how institutions under the watch of the intellectuals have fared. We have seen professionals literally going to war over leadership of such institutions and professional bodies. We have seen the enlightened doing worse many times. Even the philosopher who is the victim in this instance did worse as Governor. So, it is not and cannot be about the level of education.

Making it about Okpebholo’s level of education, whatever that is, is simply playing up prejudice and preconceived assumptions about a man they never liked.

I saw the man in a lengthy sit-down interview with my friend, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju, sometime back, and I tell you, he acquainted himself well in the course of that interview with a decent grasp of issues, policies and focus of his administration.

I disagree with my friend, Dr Reuben Abati, on his characterisation of the man, and his call for the man to sit down with his Attorney General to explain constitutional provisions on allocations from the Federation Account.

I didn’t see an Okpebholo who didn’t understand that it was not President Tinubu giving money to the state for execution of projects. What I saw was him doing, was breaking down, in the language the ordinary people could understand, the fact that on account of the Tinubu policy of withdrawal of subsidy, there has been a marked increase in funds available to the States, a point several other Governors have made. He was only linking policy with politics, and communicating in a manner the people would understand so as to effectively gain political mileage for the President, his party and himself, which is legitimate.

Okpebholo is not a dullard as some of his critics desperately try to present him, some even insulting the people of Edo State on account of that. He strikes me as a man with a good deal of native intelligence and connection with the people. He appears to have a clear understanding of his vision and has kept to the task of fulfilling his mission. He might not be as eloquent as his critics. He might not be as educated as they are, but we have also seen our educated in action. Okpebholo is the Governor today, and with time, his people will decide if he has lived up to expectations for them.

There is no excuse for his misspeak, but it is obvious that some of the critics are riding on that to hit at a man they do not consider fit for that office. But they must also recognise that the decision of who is the best fit to govern the State at every point in time is that of the Edo people.

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The management disclosed this, in a statement, on Saturday in Benin.

The building, where the students resided, collapsed on Saturday, following the down pour, which began Friday afternoon.

An eyewitness accounts revealed that no life was lost, but several students were injured.

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The statement said rescue team, comprising staff of the security and fire service departments, the health centre, students as well as the police succeeded in rescuing the students.

It said that the rescued students were first taken to the institution’s health centre before two of them were later taken to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.

“The management wishes the affected students speedy recovery and commends the rescue team for their gallantry,” the statement said.

Source: NAN

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In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Tuesday evening, Ojeifo said though none of the cases had been confirmed as positive, residents of the state should be vigilant.

He said: “We have three suspected cases of Mpox; two patients are in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, and one is at the Edo State University Teaching Hospital, Auchi.”

He explained that while the symptoms of Mpox resembled those of other skin rashes, the ministry was maintaining a high level of caution by isolating the suspected cases for proper management.

“We make sure that any suspected case is isolated, while we send samples to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja for testing.

“So, until the results of the tests are out, we cannot say we have any case of Mpox,” Ojeifo said.

He assured that the patients were not in critical condition but are being isolated as part of the state’s enhanced surveillance measures.

He also said the ministry had strengthened its surveillance across private, public, and primary healthcare centers in the state.

“The ministry is also working with local government health educators to raise public awareness about the symptoms of Mpox”.

Ojeifo noted that while Edo had managed cases of Monkeypox in the past, the current situation was being taken more seriously in line with the WHO and Africa Centre for Disease Control’s alert on it.

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“We have had pockets of cases of Mpox in Edo in the past and we have always managed them and they get well,” he said.

Mpox is a viral disease and primarily spreads through close contact with an infected person or animal, or by touching contaminated objects.

It can cause serious complications, especially in individuals with weakened immune systems, but most cases are mild and recover without treatment.

The disease is characterised by flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a distinctive rash that develops into small, fluid-filled blisters and eventually forms scabs.

Infection Prevention and Control measures  for the disease include regular hand hygiene by washing hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based sanitiser

Other measures are disinfecting surfaces and objects, managing waste properly, and practising respiratory hygiene by covering while coughing and sneezing and using masks in crowded area.

Source: NAN

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The declaration was made on Thursday by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mallam Mohammed Idris, against the backdrop of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s criticism of fuel subsidy and foreign exchange market reforms by the federal government.

The minister said the time for politics and politicking was over, pointing out that it was time for the serious business of governance to build a stronger, more viable, socially cohesive and more prosperous Nigeria.

He warned that rather than criticize government policy unnecessarily, the Edo State governor should focus on how his government would be using available resources to drive impactful projects that would genuinely uplift the people of the state.

“Nationally, decisions led by President Tinubu are based on foresight, with the primary aim of engineering a resilient and sustainable economy. This vision is consistently echoed within the National Economic Council, where significant economic decisions are made,” the minister said.

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He said Edo State, alongside other 35 States plus FCT, could access more FAAC revenue, due only to the bold and courageous economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu since he assumed office.

While stating that the decisions of the federal government had been applauded by all, the minister said the federal government was still at a loss on what could be the trigger for Governor Obaseki “to issue such blatantly false accusations against the Federal Government.”

He said constitutionally, “Governor Obaseki is a member of the National Economic Council (NEC) where far-reaching decisions were taken on the issues he talked about, in his media address by his colleagues, while sitting in-Council with the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima.”

According to him, even as Governor Obaseki would have an explanation to make to the people of his state on why he was absent at the two NEC meetings under the current administration, his colleagues praised President Tinubu for finding the courage to remove the ghost of fuel subsidy which crippled the finances of the 3 tiers of government for decades.

“It would be helpful if Governor Obaseki participated in these meetings to provide insights and align with the collective vision.

“At the last NEC meeting which took place last week, the council took far-reaching decisions on many interventions to help households, contrary to the wrong impression being created by Governor Obaseki.

“One of the decisions was an approval for the immediate disbursement of N5 billion to each of the states to procure food items for onward distribution to families, while the states are working to clean up the social registers for cash transfers that will benefit up to 20 million of the most vulnerable Nigerians.

“The NEC also constituted a committee to negotiate a new national minimum wage with the Labour Unions and the general upward review of salary for public sector workers as part of plans to address the rising cost of living and help working people to maintain a decent living standard.

“This is apart from ongoing plans to provide 11,500 CNG powered mass transit vehicles for affordable public transportation, supply of fertilizers to farmers, and support for farmers to cultivate 500,000 hectares of arable land to plant staple crops for consumption and industrial use,” the minister explained.

He said the federal government understood the current difficulties Nigerians were facing and was working very hard with the states and local governments to bring succour to our people.

He said President Tinubu was guiding the country through very challenging times and there was the confidence that “we will soon turn the corner into a prosperous future.”

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The command’s Public Relations officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Monday in Benin.

Nwabuzor said: “On 20/06/2022 at about 04 00Hrs, the Operatives Of Egba Police Divisional Headquarters, Benin city, while acting on a distressed call that a gang of kidnappers/armed robbers blocked the Benin-Lagos  Expressway by Utekon Community, Benin, immediately swung into action and moved to the scene and on sighting the police, the hoodlums engaged the police in a gun duel.

“And in the process the police operatives neutralised one of the kidnappers while the rest gang members escaped with their guns.”

The police spokesman, however, said that a combined bush combing operation is ongoing to arrest the fleeing gang members.

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This is contained in a statement in Benin on Monday by Miss Omozie Inegbenebor, an Assistant Route Commander, and Public Education Officer for the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Edo sector command.

Inegbenebor disclosed that the crash which occurred on Sunday at about 11:00 hours, involved 14 vehicles, comprising 13 trucks and one Sienna bus.

She also said that 25 adults were involved in the crash in which seven persons died and left other victims with various degrees of injuries.

According to her, FRSC Edo Sector Command on Sunday, June 5, 2022, was alerted of a crash in Agbede about 20 kilometres from the FRSC base in Agbede.

She disclosed that the crash occurred as a result of break failure from one of the trucks, which ran into other vehicles resulting in multiple crash and fire outbreak.

“Rescue team of the FRSC Edo command have been on ground carrying out rescue operations, clearing obstructions and controlling traffic along the area.

“The Sector Commander, Mr. Henry Benamaisia, while carrying out on the spot assessment of the fatal crash, sympathised with families of the victims who were present at the scene and ensured the proper transloading of the vehicles spilling fuel and arrival of water tankers to put out the remaining fire.

“The sector commander advised the motorists to always make sure their brakes, tyres and wipers are in good working condition.

“He further advised the motoring public to imbibe defensive driving techniques at all times and desist from driving above the prescribed speed limit,” she further said.

Source: NAN

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The former governor, who arrived at the headquarters of the EFCC, at Jabi, Abuja, around 2 p.m. on Thursday was still being quizzed as of the time of filing this report.

Shortly after his exit as governor in 2007, Igbinedion was prosecuted by the EFCC and convicted of corruption.

But the new investigation, according to the source, who was not authorised to speak on the matter, was based on fresh evidence against him.

The source said that the former governor diverted a loan obtained by the Edo State government to finance an investment during his tenure, to settle the financially indebtedness of a company in which he had interest.

When contacted by the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, spokesperson for the commission, confirmed the invitation of the former governor but declined further comment.

Source: NAN

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Musa Ebomhiana, a Project Manager in the LOC’s Media and Communication Sub-Committee, in a statement Thursday evening said the decision was taken after an emergency meeting.

He said the meeting was to review the presidential intervention which came after a financial crisis threatened the festival.

Ebomhiana disclosed that the meeting, which was presided over by the LOC chairman, Philip Shaibu, agreed that the festival should continue.

“The LOC agreed that the presidential intervention is a very strong and direct commitment which we must all respect, honour and take seriously.

“We strongly believe and respect the commitment from the Presidency. We take them by their words.

“It’s a strong message to us that they are committed to redeeming their pledge to support us for the losses suffered arising from the three postponements of the games,” he said.

The LOC then commended President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo for their commitment towards the success of the festival.

The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development had earlier assured that the 20th NSF hosts would get federal government’s financial support to ensure the went on as planned.

Nebeolisa Anako, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, while giving the assurance at a press conference in Benin, had stated that the process of getting funds was at an advance stage.

The assurance came on the heels of Wednesday’s threat by the Edo State government to abruptly shut down the festival by noon on Thursday.

Edo’s threat was as a result of the non-release of the support fund promised by the federal government.

Edo had made good its threat when it shut down the secretariat of the festival’s Main Organising Committee, MOC, on Thursday morning.

Source: NAN

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The festival was originally scheduled to hold in March 2020 in Benin city, Edo State, but was shifted to February 14 to 28, 2021.

Barely few days to the commencement of the event, however, it has been shifted to April, 2021.

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, announced the change in date during a media briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Monday in Abuja.

The minister blamed the new development on the increase in the spread of coronavirus.

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