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Alleged Cable Theft: Edo Community Thrown Into Darkness; Monarch Fingers BEDC Officials

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The Traditional Ruler and residents of Ugbegun community in Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo State have cried over an alleged vandalization of Benin Electricity Distribution Company , BEDC, a development that has thrown the community into total darkness for over six weeks.

The community also fingered a staff of BEDC caught vandalizing armored cables.

They explain that the suspect was handed over to the police for prosecution but was later said released in a suspicious manner which further worsened the situation.

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They claimed the action of the community leaders and vigilantes in apprehending the said BEDC staff and handing him over to the police was behind the reasons why the BEDC officials had remained adamant in restoring electricity to the “peaceful agrarian community. ”

READ ALSO: Edo Community Expresses Concern Over Rise In Insecurity, Herdsmen Attack

According to the community, the plan to cover up the crime perpetrated by the said officials has crippled business activities in the community, calling on the BEDC management and other relevant authority to come to their aid.

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Speaking on the development, the traditional ruler of Ugebgun, His Royal Highness, Samuel Obade (JP) and the Itohan of the community, Chief Mathew Emiohe lamented over the suffering of the community due to non-availability of electricity occasioned by the cable theft.

Obade said, “We have been mandated to defend our facilities in our domain and that we have always done. Sometimes in August we increased our vigilance arising from what we heard from neighboring clans and we caught someone in Ikiogbe substation but he ran away. We caught the second person vandalizing armored cable at the sub-station and was handed over to the police.

RRAD ALSO: Hope Rises For Edo Residents As Oshodin Drags Akobe To Stage

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“This last one that happened was the Engineer in charge of Igueben sub-station called Charles. The vigilante saw him red-handed. A day before they saw him take a ladder from someone’s house, climb the high tension and loosen the cable with the pretense that he was clearing grass around the transformer.

“We have a force station in Ugbegun with over five staff and if he has no ulterior motive he should have ask the staff to come and clear grass around the sub-station. The vigilante saw Engineer Charles on motor bike with another person behind him holding the armored cable. We called in the police but they were neither here nor there.”

Corroborating the position of the traditional ruler, Emiohe called for the immediate restoration of power, saying residents have been thrown into total darkness since the theft.

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Contacted, the Public Relation Officer, BEDC, Evelyn Gbewen, denied knowledge of the incidence, saying they are yet be briefed on the matter.

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Delta-billionaire Lawuru To Grace Ijaw Media Conference As Guest Of Honour

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The President of Egbema Brotherhood, Alaowei Promise Lawuru, is expected to grace the forthcoming Ijaw Media Conference 2025, as a guest of honour.

The event is scheduled to hold on December 3rd, 2025, in Warri, Delta State.

The annual media conference organised by the Ijaw Publishers Forum with the theme ‘Safeguarding Niger Delta’s Natural Resources for Future Generations,’ is second edition of the series.

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Lawuru, youthful politician and businessman’s willingness to appear as guest of honour was made known
when a delegation of the Central Working Committee led by Pastor Arex Akemotubo paid him a visit to inform him of the forthcoming event and his expected role.

READ ALSO:IPF Holds Annual Ijaw Media Conference December

In his presentation, Akemotubo explained that this year’s theme was chosen out of concern for the growing strain on the region’s land and waters.

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The Publisher of WaffiTV stressed that the forum wants to strengthen public understanding, support honest reportage, and encourage leaders to protect what the Niger Delta holds for the next generation.

He addex that Lawuru’s history of service and steady involvement in community work made him a natural choice for the role.

READ ALSO:IPF Commends Tompolo’s Commitment To Security In Delta, Nigeria

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Chief Lawuru welcomed the invitation and spoke warmly about the need for shared responsibility among stakeholders and groups such as the IPF.

He commended the forum for using the media to defend the region’s interests and promised full support for the conference.

Lawuru further urged other stakeholders across the Ijaw nation to lend their weight to efforts that safeguard the environment.

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Senate Recommends Death Penalty For Kidnappers

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The Senate has passed a resolution classifying kidnapping as an act of terrorism, stipulating that an amendment to the Terrorism Act be made to impose the maximum penalty of death.

The resolution was made during plenary on Wednesday.

Under the new law, according to the upper legislative arm, once a kidnapping conviction is established, the death penalty must be applied.

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Nigeria suffers from a persistent security crisis fuelled by attacks and violence by “bandit” gangs that raid villages, kill people, and kidnap for ransom.

READ ALSO:Senate Uncovers $300bn Unaccounted Crude Oil Sales

In response to recent kidnappings and attacks by terrorists, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday ordered a total security cordon over the forests in Kwara State.

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Series Of Abductions

Bandits had struck the Isapa community of the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting 11 residents.

The attack came about two weeks after and 38 worshippers were abducted from a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in the Eruku community of the state.

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Terrorists also attacked St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Niger State, abducting more that 300 school children and staff in a resurgence of the mass kidnappings that have long harrowed Africa’s most populous country.

READ ALSO:Bill To Establish Federal Oil And Gas Hospital In Delta Scales Second Reading In Senate

In the same week, 24 schoolgirls were taken from the Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga, Danko Wasagu Local Government Area in Kebbi State, but regained freedom on Tuesday.

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At least 50 taken from St Mary’s Catholic school also managed to escape, but more than 265 children and teachers are still being held.

Nigeria’s high-profile mass kidnapping was that of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, when Boko Haram forced 276 girls from their dormitories in the North-East region.

More than a decade later, man of the Chibok girls are still missing.

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FG Threatens To Seize Dana Air Assets

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The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the Federal Government may recover and sell the assets of Dana Air to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain trapped following the suspension of the airline’s operations.

The Minister disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Ministry’s fourth quarter stakeholders’ engagement to enhance governance for effective service delivery in aviation with the theme: “leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services”.

According to him, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will be directed to probe why funds trapped by the airline are yet to be refunded.

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He revealed that the Authority suspended the operations of the airline as a matter of choice between safety and disaster.

READ ALSO:NCAA Petitions IGP Over KWAM 1’s Unruly Conduct In Abuja Airport

“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So we didn’t take the commercial thing as priority. The priority was safety, and we all looked at the damning reports that we had met on the table.

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“It was a decision of the NCAA to suspend them, but I pushed them to say, look, these are the reports we are seeing on the table about safety record, about lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk. If they continue flying, I don’t know whether most of us will be here. Many of us would have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.”

According to him, “I have asked Najomo to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that.

“One solution will also be that if that same individual or those entities are trying to come back to aviation under any guise, whether to go and register a new AOC or use any business within the aviation sector, they have to go and settle their debts first.

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READ ALSO:NCAA Seeks K1 De Ultimate’s Arrest, Petitions AGF, IG

We should look at their assets. There are assets that are still available. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalize their revenue and pay people. Let’s find a way to go after their assets and get money to pay Nigerians who are owed.

“NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it.”

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