Metro

Edo Communities Protest, Give Obaseki 30 Days Ultimatum To Fix Failed Teboga Road

Published

3 years ago

November 16, 2022

Residents of Teboga and Uteh communities in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, Wednesday, gave the state government a 30-day ultimatum to fix the road leading to their communities.

They threatened that, if it is not done, they will continue to barricade the ever busy road leading to Aduwawa axis of the state.

They gave the ultimatum when they barricaded the Teboga road, leading to Aduwawa axis of Benin City in protest of the bad roads leading to their communities.

Addressing newsmen, Elder Enabosi Edward, chairman, Iwogban North landlords and landladies association, said Iwogban-Uteh-Teboga road has remained in a very sorry state for several years with the government making promises of fixing it but all to no avail.

He said having waited patiently for the government to fix it and nothing is being done to that effect, they decided to block the road to register their grievances.

“This Iwogban-Uteh-Teboga road has been taken over by erosion. We have even made covet through our own self help so that we can access our homes.

“All along, we have been talking with the government. People who claimed to be government officials have been coming to inspect the roads and when they come, they promised that the road has been awarded and that they are coming to work on the road. They just promised and they did nothing

“During election, we mobilized our youths and every other persons to go and vote for the governor hoping that this road will be constructed because he has so assured us, but now, nothing is done”, he said.

Elder Enabosi said they have made frantic efforts to reach the appropriate authorities to construct the road and it has not yielded any positive result.

“We have gone to the secretary to the state government to remind him and if we go to the governor’s office, they will refer us to the ministry and they will so assure us that the road has been captured already, yet nothing is done by now.

“Of recent, about three weeks ago, some government officials came and said that we should go and plant bamboo in a gully that is above 15 feet deep because the road is so bad.

“We do not know if they were sent by the government. We made effort to see the governor, we could not see him. We went to the Commissioner, only one of the directors told us that the place has been captured and that works will soon commenced, but with this new directive that we should go and plant bamboo, it means that there is no hope”, he said.

Also speaking a resident and landlord of one of the communities, Engr. Duke Josiah Ighomuaye, said it is painful for a landlord to be a tenant in his old age.

“Edo State government, please, Teboga is under serious threat .

“Landlords are at the verge of becoming tenants. How do you become a tenant at an old age? We beg you Mr. Governor, you can see elders sitting in the sun since morning.

“It’s gone way pass ‘becareful’. It is now an emergency. You should better declare a state of emergency in Teboga.

“It is an SOS. Please, our good governor, Mr. Obaseki, our Excellency, Philip Shaibu, the comrade, Osarodion Ogie, our dependable SSG, all the excos, you people should put heads together, intervention for Teboga is over due”, he said.

Another resident, Mrs. Patience Osayande, said they are always apprehensive whenever it rains because of the volume of flood in the community and thus pray that none of their children should fall inside the gully.

She said she is a widow and that the government should come to her aid before the only house left for her by her late husband is being swept away by erosion.

Metro

Sowore Mobilises Supporters For #FreeNnamdiKanu Protest

Published

4 hours ago

October 20, 2025

Editor

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has urged Nigerians to join a nationwide protest demanding the release of detained Indigenous People of Biafra’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu, despite a court order restricting demonstrations around key government areas in Abuja.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday morning, Sowore called on citizens to take to the streets in peaceful protest.

“Good morning, wherever you may be this morning, do not stop moving. Carry a sign, sing a song, make a statement!” he wrote.

He had earlier shared a message on Sunday night welcoming participants to the protest tagged#FreeNnamdiKanuNow.

“We warmly welcome everyone who has travelled from far and wide to join the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest tomorrow. Your courage, sacrifice, and solidarity speak volumes. Together, we are writing history,” he wrote.

Sowore announced that protesters would converge in front of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, at 7 am, urging them to “come ready, come peaceful, come determined.”

He also shared a Facebook post that read, “We want to put one million people on the streets of Abuja tomorrow for #FreeNnamdiKanuNow — let’s make it happen.”

However, the planned march comes in defiance of an interim injunction issued by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which restrained Sowore and other organisers from protesting in or around sensitive government areas, including the Presidential Villa, National Assembly Complex, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.

Reacting to the reported order on Saturday, Sowore questioned its legitimacy and the perceived double standards of law enforcement.

“Suppose a court order truly exists restricting protests around Aso Rock Villa; it begs the question: why hasn’t the same police force obtained a similar order against those protesting freely for three consecutive days opposing Nnamdi Kanu’s release?” Sowore asked.

“The hypocrisy is glaring. The double standards are undeniable,” he added.

The activist disclosed that his legal team, comprising 115 lawyers, would challenge the alleged court order once it is formally served on Monday.

He maintained that the planned October 20 #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest would proceed as a peaceful and lawful march, declaring, “October 20 #FreeNnamdiKanuNow remains sacrosanct. We march peacefully, lawfully, and powerfully.”

The demonstration also coincides with the fifth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests of October 2020, which culminated in the alleged Lekki Toll Gate massacre — a period now remembered for its call for police reform and justice for victims of brutality.

Metro

Police Fire Tear Gas At #ReleaseNnamdiKanuNow Protesters In Abuja

Published

5 hours ago

October 20, 2025

Editor

Security operatives on Monday fired tear gas canisters at protesters, including human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, who had gathered in Abuja to demand the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

The protest, tagged #ReleaseNnamdiKanuNow, was planned to take off from the Transcorp Hilton area and other parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), but was disrupted as police officers moved in early, firing multiple rounds of tear gas to disperse participants and passersby.

The operatives, who had cordoned off the hotel and adjoining streets, began firing tear gas even before protesters arrived in large numbers.

A visibly tightened atmosphere was observed across the city on the way this morning.

Soldiers, police, and operatives of the Department of State Services were deployed to key locations, including the Three Arms Zone, Eagle Square, Federal Secretariat, Unity Fountain, and routes leading to Aso Rock.

Metro

[PHOTOS] #FreeNnamdiKanuNow: Gridlock Hits Abuja Expressway

Published

5 hours ago

October 20, 2025

Editor

Severe morning traffic congestion has brought the Kugbo-Nyanya Expressway to a standstill on Monday, as a planned #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest disrupts commuting into the Federal Capital Territory.

The demonstration, organised by activist Omoyele Sowore, began at 7 a.m. near the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, with protesters demanding the release of Indigenous People of Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu, who has been detained since 2021 on terrorism charges.

According to NTA News, the heavy gridlock is fueled by parked vehicles and gatherings along the busy Abuja-Keffi highway stretch, mixing commuter traffic with protest-related activity.

“Motorists heading into the FCT from the Kugbo/Nyanya axis report slow movement, with several lanes reportedly blocked by parked vehicles and protest‑related activity,” the station reported.

It identified that the corridor is historically vulnerable to disruptions, citing “heavy traffic and blocked lanes due to security checks during protests and security operations in the past.”

The protest, defying police warnings and a Federal High Court order, aims to march toward the Presidential Villa, raising security concerns across the city.

PUNCH Online had earlier reported that security operatives fired tear gas canisters at protesters, including Sowore, who had gathered for the protest.