NEWS
Gunmen storm Anambra community, kidnap leader
*Brutalize wife, son
Armed gunmen whose identities are yet- to -be known, early morning Tuesday, attacked the residence of one of the community leaders in Eziowelle, Idemili North Local government area, Anambra state and abducted the 67-year-old owner of the house, Anthony Ojemba Chigbo.
The abducted Ojemba Chigbo
His wife, Francisca, 54, was brutalized while their son, Ifedinachi, 27, was shot on the leg during the raid that lasted two hours.
Wife of the victim who was seriously wounded on the face and hands during the attack said the attackers, armed with AK 47 rifles and numbering about twenty, forced their way into their compound by climbing their fence and breaking doors and windows in their house. She said the gun men shattered all the glasses in their building and gained entrance through the garage after which they demanded for her husband.
Narrating the plight of her family in pains, she said they subjected her son, Ifedinachi, to untold battering after which they shot him on the leg when he could not tell them the where about of his father. According to her, I had to throw myself on top of my son in a bid to protect him when they threatened to kill him. “At this stage, they pounced on me and continued beating me with sticks and guns while I was pleading that they should not kill my son. “When the beating continued without ceasing, my husband who was hidden in his bedroom came out and pleaded with them to kill him instead of killing his wife and son. They then kicked him and he feel down. They gagged him with chains and started beating him after which they matched him into their Hilux Pickup parked at the gate and drove to an unknown destination.”
Her story: “On Tuesday morning by 5:30 am, two of our dogs started barking. I stood up to use the restroom and when I was done, I looked through the window. I saw some group of people entering the compound from the fence. I woke my husband up to inform him that we have guests. They were about twenty people. I thought they were armed robbers. When my husband woke up, I told him to go and hide and he went to hide in my children’s room. They started knocking at the door of the parlor, shouting ‘everybody in this house should come out.’ But we all kept quiet and we started hearing gunshots.
“They went to the kitchen window, started shooting at the door of the kitchen and they succeeded in entering from the garage to the parlor. When they came in, they saw a phone with my son and and they shot him on the leg and seized it. My son started crying “why would you shoot me. What did I do?” They continued beating him. I had to lay down on top of him begging that they should kill me first before they kill my son. At this stage, my husband came out from his hiding place and asked the gun men who they wanted, they said they were looking for Ojemba and my husband said, ‘I am Ojemba, please leave my family.
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“They now descended on him, chained his two hands and dragged him to the ground while beating him mercilessly. After that, they forced him out of the compound and drove away with a white Hilux they came with to an unknown place with all our telephones and many other valuables.
” Since then, we have been going round all police stations to report and search for him without success. We are suspecting that the armed men must have been hired by some traditional leaders in our community, Oddida Umuoniya village, Eziowelle, Idemili North LGA in Anambra, who have been fighting my husband over our land. Few weeks back, they stormed our house with gun-wielding policemen from Zone 13, Ukpor, harassed and arrested him only to release him later.
The same gang that attacked us also invaded the home of our youth leader same night but he narrowly escaped death. I am appealing to the Governor of Anambra State and the Inspector-General of Police and all security agencies to urgently intervene and help locate my husband, dead or alive.
He has not committed any crime and his abductors subjected all of us to serious torturing and beating before disappearing with him. We don’t know the state of his health or where they have taken him to, as we speak,” she lamented.
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s prolonged absence from Nigeria, saying Nigerians deserve to know the President’s whereabouts amid the country’s security challenges.
Obi made the remarks on Arise TV on Thursday while discussing the President’s absence from the country and the situation surrounding other senior government officials.
According to Obi, the issue was not simply that Tinubu was outside Nigeria, but that he had remained abroad beyond the period initially announced for his trip.
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“It’s not just that he’s out of the country. He’s out of the country beyond the days he was supposed to be. Beyond the days they even said he was going for,” Obi said.
He also noted that Vice-President Kashim Shettima was outside the country, while Senate President Godswill Akpabio was also reportedly abroad and the Senate was not in session.
“The Vice President is not in the country. And I understand the Senate President is out of the country, the Senate is not in session,” he said.
Obi expressed concern about the situation against the backdrop of insecurity and recent incidents involving the deaths of suspected illegal miners in Niger State.
“We don’t need this level of rascality at this moment in time, when Nigerians are being kidnapped, being killed, things are… we need a country where we have somebody, where we have competence, capacity, and compassion,” he said.
Referring to the deaths recorded in Niger State, Obi said the presence of the country’s chief executive was particularly important during a crisis.
“Look at Niger State now, where 10 people… where some young people have died for nothing,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor argued that while there is a chain of command within government, delegation should not replace the physical presence of the country’s leader during critical situations.
“It is… the CEO being present is critical at a time of crisis. Not delegation. Yes, you have a chain of command,” Obi said.
He subsequently asked where the President was and insisted that Nigerians should be informed.
“Where is the President? Nigerians ought to know,” he said.
Obi also said that, if elected president in 2027, he would make his whereabouts publicly known whenever he travelled.
“If I travel today, I tell people where I am. When I become President, Charles, people will know where I am 24 hours,” he said
“That is public space, public office,” Obi added.
The comments come amid continuing public debate over the absence of the President and Vice-President from Nigeria.
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 election, Peter Obi, has challenged the way government borrowing is accounted for, arguing that funds borrowed but not actually drawn down should not be treated as debt left behind by an administration.
Obi made the remarks during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday while explaining his position on borrowing during his tenure as governor of Anambra State.
“That is a wrong public accounting. Even if I had gone to bank and borrowed money, but I did not spend the money, you cannot call it debt I left,” Obi said.
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He illustrated his argument with a hypothetical ₦10 billion loan facility, saying that where only ₦500 million was actually drawn, it would be inaccurate to describe the entire ₦10 billion as money owed.
“They gave me a loan of 10 billion Naira, and Charles, I only drew down 500 million. You cannot say I’m owing 10 billion, because you know the amount,” he said.
The NDC candidate said such a practice would amount to improper public-sector accounting.
“That’s why I said it is not proper public sector accounting,” Obi said.
He also cited the former Director-General of the Debt Management Office, Abraham Nwankwo, whom he said served for 10 years, in support of his claim about his borrowing record as Anambra governor.
Obi recalled that Nwankwo invited him to his send-off ceremony and publicly explained why he had selected Obi as chairman of the event.
“He announced it to everybody in that party that the reason why he made me chairman is because I was the only governor in Nigeria who never came to his office for approval to borrow money,” Obi said.
Anambra Debt Controversy
Obi’s comments come against the backdrop of continuing debate over the debt profile he left behind after serving as Anambra State governor from 2006 to 2013.
The former governor has consistently defended his administration’s financial record, while figures and claims about Anambra’s debt during and after his tenure have generated public debate.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has commenced the final phase of restoration works on the 330kV Kainji–Birnin Kebbi Transmission Line following the recent collapse of Tower T367 along the line corridor.
TCN, in an update issued on Wednesday, said significant progress had been recorded at the affected location in Yauri, where restoration activities are ongoing.
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According to the company, the collapsed transmission tower has now been completely dismantled and decommissioned, while the conductors and skywire have been properly aligned and prepared for the next stage of the restoration process.
TCN also disclosed that an Emergency Restoration System (ERS) tower has been moved to the site and is ready for installation.
The company said the installation would be followed by cable stringing and other associated works towards the restoration of the affected transmission line.
“Our engineers and technical personnel remain actively engaged at the site and are working hard to ensure a quick completion and restoration of the line.”
TCN said it remained committed to restoring normal bulk transmission as soon as possible and appealed to electricity consumers and other stakeholders affected by the incident for patience and understanding.
“TCN appreciates the patience and understanding of electricity consumers and other stakeholders affected by the incident and assures the public that every effort is being made to restore the line and consequently, normal bulk transmission as soon as possible.”
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