Okowa mourns security aides killed by unknown gunmen
Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor of Delta, Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa has commiserated with the Delta Police Command and families of police officers killed by unknown gunmen in Anambra State.
The officers, Inspectors Lucky Aleh; Celestine Nwadiokwu and Jude Obuh were attached to the Explosives Ordinance Disposal EOD Unit in Government House, Asaba.
They were ambushed and killed around 1.30pm yesterday Friday, Feb. 10, by unknown gunmen along Ihiala-Orlu Road enroute Umuahia on official duty.
State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu who briefed journalists on the sad incident said the late officers would be greatly missed for their contributions to the peace and development of Delta.
He described the unfortunate killing of the officers as barbaric and unacceptable in a country seeking to be united again for peace and development .
“We bring you the sad news of our very gallant officers who have helped us in maintaining peace in our state attached to the Explosives Ordinance Disposal EOD Unit in Government House, Asaba.
“The officers met their untimely death while they were proceeding as advanced team for the PDP National Campaign Rally in Abia, unfortunately this particular team veered off from the convoy and took another route different from where the convoy was taking.
“They were ambushed along the Ihiala-Orlu Road enroute Umuahia by non-state actors who eventually killed three of them in police uniform while the one on mufti escaped.
“We have recovered their corpse and we have also reached out to their families,”
He said some accounts of the unfortunate incident trending on social media was untrue adding that the state government delayed announcing their untimely death because efforts were being made to reach out to their families before making the announcement.
He called on security agencies in the country to fish out the killers and bring them to book so that Nigerians can once again live peacefully in any part of the country.
“What is happening in parts of this country today, particularly in the South East, is not healthy for our development as a country because the elections are very very close.
“The security we are asking for are not just for the purpose of the elections. It is also something that everybody wants. We should be able to have security at every given time; that way, we would have development.
“We must also plead with our brothers and sisters who may have taken guns on the account of what they see as agitation to know that the best way to help our people, is to allow peace to reign. That way development will take place in the South East.
“Our people in the South East are very very industrious, they are commerce oriented and have developed love for one another over the years.
“We will plead with these our brothers to allow this kind of love that permeated the atmosphere in the time past in the South East, to continue to pervade that environment.
“That way, they are able to ensure that government will bring development to them and also able to ensure that private sector investments would thrive.
“It is unfortunate that these our gallant officers, just like many others have also lost their lives in the past, have lost their lives on account of the activities of individuals who describe themselves today as ‘unknown gunmen’.
“We are pleading with them to sheath their swords and begin to allow that love of which the people of the South East have been known for over the years. So that as a people, we will continue to coexist.
“We pray the good Lord Almighty to accept the souls of these our loved ones, three of them, that have passed on due to no fault of theirs.
“We also pray that God gives their families the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss; even as we seek justice on their behalf, both as a government, as a state and as a people.
“We ask their immediate families to take heart. Only God understands situations like this and we know that God will not allow them die in vain because it was in the course of duty and service to our dear cou try.
“But even if it was not in the course of duty, nobody deserves to die the way these our brothers have been killed.
“As a government in Delta, we will be with their families in this their trying moments and we will also take steps to seek justice on their behalf by impressing it upon security agencies to take steps to unravel those who have caused this pain that is in our heart today,” Aniagwu stated.
Delta Guber: Local Govt pensioners reject endorsement of Omo-Agege
Members of the Local Government Contributory Retirees of Delta State have disassociated themselves from the recent endorsement of the All Progressives Congress APC Governorship Candidate and the Deputy Senate President, Ovie-Omo-Agege by the Primary School Teachers Retirees under the aegis of the Association of Contributory Retirees (ACR).
Mr Daniel Onosanimoni and Engr. Godwin Ekenini, Chairman and Secretary respectively of Local Government Contributory Retirees, in a press statement said that; “We the Local Government arm of the Association of Contributory Retirees (ACR) wish to outrightly dissociate our members from the meeting between Mrs. Helen Ejieh, Chairman Contributory Retirees (Local Education Authorities/Primary Schools Retirees), her supporters/group (among the LEA/Pry. Sch. Retirees) and the Gubernatorial Candidate of the APC in Delta State, DSP Ovie Omo-Agege.
They stated that the Local Government Contributory Retirees is composed of all categories of Local Government employees who retired from the Local Government Service of Delta State and are yet to draw their Pensions, adding that as a body they were not consulted nor was a part of the meeting at Ozoro “and therefore the Teachers group of ACR cannot speak for us nor serve as our mouth piece. Whatever resolution reached is for the Primary School Teachers and should not be misconstrued as the decision of all Local Government Retirees”.
According to them ; “We are a non-partisan body that is poised for the payment of the pensions and gratuities of our members using only known legal and constitutional channels to press home our demands and we have not resorted to party politics by endorsing any political party or any Governorship candidate for that matter.
“We completely disown the contents of the press release/publicity that followed the said meeting as we remain neutral and apolitical in our approach and agitations for the payment of our pension entitlement,” they wrote.
They added that “We do not begrudge any person or group of persons from associating or holding political opinions. But we object to the use of our umbrella Association and name in the promotion of the interests of a political party (the APC), among political parties on ground in Delta State. While we concede that no pensioner of Delta State ought to be owed pensions, having served for 35 years or attained the age of 60 years, we therefore use this medium to urge the State Government to expedite action with the Technical Committee put in place to clear the backlog of pension and gratuities owed the Local Government Retirees in the State”.
They commended the Delta State Government for a renewed commitment towards the payment of accrued rights of pensioners, especially, with the release of the 2 tranches of N2.5 billion each making a total of N5 billion lately for the payment of the accrued rights of Local Government and Primary School Teachers in the State.
“The information at our disposal from our engagement with the Bureau of Local Government Pension at various times indicate that there are not more than 8,000 retirees yet to be paid. Our figures are not near 10,000 not to talk of the 50,000 cited in the news. And that the number is decreasing on monthly basis due to the enhanced fund release by the Governor for the payment of accrued rights,” they added.
They also said that “We therefore condemn in its entirety the attempt by the Primary School Teachers Retirees arm to drag us into unwholesome politics and unnecessary heating up of the polity as we do not want to be caught in any guise, in the unfolding struggles and contests among political actors, since we are ordinary retirees supporting the government of the day to speedily pay our outstanding pensions”.
“Therefore, we once again deny and reject any attempt by Mrs. Helen Ejieh and her sympathizers to draw us into any political circus show”, they said.
Polls: Okowa wants total rejection of Muslim-Muslim ticket
Vice-Presidential Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor of Delta, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, has called for total rejection of Muslim-Muslim ticket in the forthcoming Presidential election to mitigate religious intolerance and ensure unity in the country.
He made the call at the PDP’s Presidential rally on Saturday in Umuahia, and urged the South-East people to stick with the party for Nigeria’s recovery and good governance.
Okowa charged Abia citizens to work hard for the party’s victory, pointing out that Nigerians had embraced PDP “and those in South East cannot afford to be in opposition anymore”.
“I say this with all seriousness because Atiku Abubakar will win the Presidential election and PDP will return to power at the federal level and when that happens, we want to ensure that Abia State is counted.
“We know that the South East has suffered a lot under the APC and that is why Atiku said he would unite Nigerians and ensure that every part of the country is carried along.
“We want to restore the dignity of the Igbo man and by the grace of God, when Atiku Abubakar and I become President and Vice President, we will be able to ensure that the construction of railway from Port Harcourt to Aba and Ikot-Ekpene is done.
“Atiku is a man who is fair to all and he will work for all Nigerians, including Christians and Muslims to make life better for all.
“We say no to a Muslim-Muslim ticket because that is not good enough for our country Nigeria. We can work together to make Christians and Muslims live peacefully in this country.
“Let me assure you that the Igbos will benefit from the principal positions due to each of the six geopolitical zones,” he said.
He urged to vote for PDP to “take APC out” but remarked that In taking APC out, the opposition must be united to fight the battle.
“Let me reiterate that Atiku will raise 10 million dollars to support businesses across the country; so, we must support him because he is the candidate that is best positioned to win the elections and rebuild our country,” Okowa added.
On his part, Presidential Candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said that his quest for PDP to rescue and rebuild the country was not based on ethnic or religious cards but was to provide Nigerians with good governance.
He recalled that the country prospered when PDP was in charge from 1999 to 2015 and urged the people of Abia and the entire South East to join hands with the party to return Nigeria to the part of glory.
The presidential candidate expressed optimism that the people would come out to cast their votes for the PDP in the forthcoming elections, adding that “PDP is going to win and therefore it is better you are on a winning ticket than a ticket thar cannot take you anywhere.
“Do not be distracted by other political parties playing religious or ethnic card. In PDP, we have no religious or ethnic card, we play a Nigerian card, a card that will bring everybody on board and bring a sense of belonging to every part of this country.
“I appeal to you Abians to make sure you remain PDP and PDP remains Abia’s party. I have seen the number of requests you have made and they fall within our policy which we tagged ‘My Covenant with Nigerians’.
“The issue of railways and rehabilitation of federal roads is also there. Aba is the capital of South-East as far as business is concerned.
“I remembered addressing businessmen in this city in 2019 and I assured them that we will set aside funds to rehabilitate and support businesses, particularly in this part of the country,” he stated.
He promised to ensure operationalisation of the Abia dry port which he approved while in office as Vice-President and assured that PDP was prepared to give Abia people what they wanted.
“It is not an issue of ethnicity or religion, it is about good governance. You can bear us witness that when PDP was leading, Nigeria was prospering and that is the time Nigeria became the biggest economy in Africa.
“We created more jobs and more prosperity for everybody in this country. We brought about peace and there was unity and there was not a question of people crying over marginalisation because we created a balanced leadership in this country, so you have no reason not to vote for PDP,” Atiku said.
National Chairman of the party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, urged the people to vote for the PDP to rescue and rebuild the country from the ruins of the APC-led Federal Government.
He said “voting Labour Party will not help you rather it will help Bola Tinubu who will again marginalise you for another eight years and am sure that is not what you want.
“The PDP is the only alternative because it is an organic party owned by the people and not any individual.
“The APC thrives in distortion of truth, propaganda and lies and I repeat here today in Umuahia that APC has brought shame to all Nigerians.
“The APC came and made things difficult for the people; they brought hardship to Nigerians and I call on you to unite and let’s send them packing,” Ayu stated.
Former Vice-President Namadi Sambo; Chairman, Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wagbara; Chairman, Presidential Campaign Council and Governor of Akwa-Ibom, Udom Emmanuel; Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, Abia State Deputy Governor, Sir Ude Chukwu; PDP Governorship Candidate in Abia, Chief Okey Ahiwe, among others attended the rally.
Izeze condoles Okowa over death of security aides
Member Representing Ughelli South State Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, Comrade Reuben Izeze has commiserated with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on the gruesome murder of three of his security aides.
Izeze in a condolence message to the Governor, the Delta Police Command and members of the deceased families, the lawmaker condemned the dastard act and called on the police authorities to fish out their assailants and bring them to justice.
The Comrade lawmaker said the deceased officers particularly Inspector Jude Obuh would be greatly missed for his impressive service as the EOD officer at the 6th Assembly.
“On behalf of my family and the good people of Ughelli South State Constituency, I mourn the passing of three police officers attached to the EOD Unit in Government House Asaba.
“I commiserate with our dear Governor and Vice Presidential Candidate of our great party Sen. Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, the State Commissioner of Police, and families of the deceased police officers who lost their lives in the hands of unknown gunmen at Ihiala-Orlu Road yesterday.
“It is my prayer that God will grant their souls eternal repose and give fortitude to the families and friends who mourn their demise.
“Once more my condolences to the families and may their souls rest in peace,” Izeze prayed.
Attacks on opposition: SERAP seeks ICC probe of election-related violence
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to “promptly seek authorisation from the ICC Chamber to commence an investigation into the situation in Nigeria in relation to the growing cases of pre-election violence, which if not addressed may escalate and lead to post-election violence in the country.”
The petition dated 11 February, 2023 was sent to Mr Karim Khan, QC, Prosecutor, ICC.
The organization urged Mr Khan to “urgently send the ICC legal team to Nigeria to promote free and fair elections in the country, and gather potential proof of election-related violence before, during and after the general elections.”
The petition followed reports of election-related violence in several states including Lagos, Rivers, and Kaduna states. Over 4,000 cases of violent attacks and 11,000 fatalities were reported across the country between 1 January 2022 and 3 February 2023 alone.
In the petition signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “These cases reflect the gravest election-related crimes in several states ahead of the general elections.”
SERAP said, “Based on these cases and other similar cases and trends of election violence, we believe that opening an investigation into the situation in Nigeria will be in the interests of justice.”
The petition, read in part: “SERAP urges you to seek authorisation from the ICC Chamber to commence an investigation into the situation in Nigeria in relation to election-related violence that may be committed during and after the elections scheduled for February and March 2023.
“SERAP also urges you to identify the suspected perpetrators of election-related violence and those individuals who bear the greatest responsibility for encouraging or facilitating these crimes, and to ensure their effective prosecution by the ICC.”
“These are not isolated acts, but part of growing cases of election violence, thus constituting crimes against humanity.”
“Seeking authorisation from the ICC Chamber to commence an investigation in relation to election-related violence that may be committed after the general elections is consistent with Article 53(1)(a) of the Rome Statute which allows investigation into ‘a crime which has been or is being committed.’”
“SERAP notes that the Prosecutor has consistently relied on the provisions of Article 15 of the Rome Statute and Regulation 49 of the ICC to investigate cases of election-related violence in other countries, including Cote d’Ivoire and Kenya.”
“The requested investigation is neither frivolous nor politically motivated. Cases of election-related violence are rarely investigated by the Nigerian authorities. Nigerian authorities are unwilling or unable genuinely to carry out the investigation or prosecution.”
“As a result, suspected perpetrators and those who encourage or facilitate their crimes continue to enjoy impunity. Victims continue to be denied access to justice and effective remedies.”
“The escalating cases of election-related violence in Nigeria meet the requirements of the Rome Statute and provide reasonable basis for you to promptly commence an investigation, particularly given the gravity of these cases and the interests of victims.”
“The test of ‘reasonable basis to believe’ is the lowest evidential standard provided by the Rome Statute. Thus, the information available to the Prosecutor to make a request for investigation is not expected to be ‘comprehensive’ or ‘conclusive’.”
“It is necessary to ensure that any request for authorisation covers investigation into ongoing and continuing election-related crimes during and after the elections, especially given the volatile political environment in the country and the entrenched impunity for these crimes.”
“The incidents of election-related violence strike at the integrity of the democratic process in the country, and undermine the right of Nigerians to participate in their own government.”
“Victims have been let down when it has come to the prevention and prosecution of these offences, largely because they are regarded as an accepted concomitant of elections in the country.”
“The available information provides a reasonable basis to believe that crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court are being committed and may be committed across the country ahead of the elections.”
“Nigeria is a state party to the Rome Statute and deposited its instrument of ratification on 27 September 2001.”
“According to our information, opposition supporters are routinely targeted, attacked, beaten and ill-treated and subjected to other physical abuse. Violent attacks against political opponents or persons perceived to support the political opponents continue to be reported.”
“According to the Nigeria Election Violence Tracker by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and the Centre for Democracy & Development (CDD), there were over 4,000 cases of violent attacks and 11,000 fatalities between 1 January 2022 and 3 February 2023 alone.”
“State governors continue to suppress campaigns by opposition parties within their states, and fail to ensure the security and public safety of opposition candidates, members and supporters.”
“These cases followed other growing reports of election-related intimidation, harassment and violence in several parts of the country including Abia, Lagos, Imo, Kaduna, Kano and Rivers states.”
“Nigeria has a long history of election-related violence. Dozens of people were killed during the 2019 general election. In 2011, hundreds of people were killed in post-election violence.”
“Under Article 15(1) of the Rome Statute, the Prosecutor may initiate investigations proprio motu on the basis of information on crimes that are within the jurisdiction of the Court.”
“In accordance with Article 15(3) of the Statute, if the Prosecutor concludes that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation, he shall submit a request for authorisation for an investigation, together with any supporting material that has been collected.”
“Under Article 7(1) of the Statute, a crime against humanity involves any of the specified acts that are listed when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack.”
“Similarly, pursuant to Regulation 49 of the Regulations of the Court, the Prosecutor can provide information to the Chamber on the basis of information by non-governmental organisations and the media.”
Kolawole Oluwadare
SERAP Deputy Director
12/2/2023
Lagos, Nigeria
Emails: info@serap-nigeria.org; news@serap-nigeria.org
Twitter: @SERAPNigeria
Website: www.serap-nigeria.org
For more information or to request an interview, please contact us on: +2348160537202
