Headline

Imo Attorney-General Denies Involvement In Setting Up ‘Fake ESN’

Published

4 years ago

October 3, 2021

Editor

Our Reporter, Owerri

Imo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief C. Akaolisa, has denied involvement in the setting up of a “FAKE ESN” group responsible for the killings in the South-East, just as he described the allegation as “continued vilification of his office and person by politicians with unforgiving spirit bent on destroying him for his role in the change of government in Imo State.”

A statement by his Adviser on Media, I. Ositadimma, which was made available to newsmen in Owerri, said the Attorney-General has “never and will never, for any reason, soil his hands with human blood.”

While expressing surprise at the allegaion which the statement described as “wicked, malicious and evil” the statement further said Chief Akaolisa is a committed Catholic who has used his office to free citizens in the state who were unlawfully incarcerated in prison through his recommendations to the Governor for his exercise of prerogative of mercy.

The statement which stated that the purported involvement in the ‘FAKE ESN’ group was to malign the image of the Commissioner for Justice, stressed that his office has been standing against extrajudicial killing of suspects in the state.

The statement reads in part, “Again, not satisfied with the burning down of his country home and the malicious allegations that led to his five years suspension from practice by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), they have now thrown up this statement purportedly issued by the IPOB spokesperson – Emma Powerful, to soil the image of the hardworking, peace-loving, kindhearted and humble gentleman and leader of the Imo State Bar.

“To this end, the general public is advised to ignore that statement which the Attorney General is sure cannot come from the leadership of IPOB. It is surprising to note also that all the persons mentioned in the said list of “FAKE ESN” members come from Awo-Idemili, showing clearly that the list is a product of some parochial persons with clanish preconceived intentions.

“Chief (Sir) COC Akaolisa is a Knight of the Catholic Church, a communicant, Human Rights Activist and known defender of the voiceless in the society who has never been involved in any satanic plot. He has never and will never, for any reason, soil his hands with human blood. His office in Imo State has stood against the extrajudicial killing of suspects and since his emergence as the State Attorney General, many citizens unlawfully incarcerated in prison have regained their freedom through his recommendations to the Governor for his exercise of prerogative of mercy.

“Furthermore, the Attorney General is surprised at this level of wicked, malicious and evil allegation which he has surrendered to God Almighty as his only strength and defender (refer, Psalm 23). Chief Akaolisa, once more, seizes this avenue to appeal to Imo politicians to give peace a chance and stop the shedding of innocent blood in the name of politics which should be played without bitterness as it is only God Almighty who gives power.”

Headline

Welcome Home, Israel Confirms Return Of 20 Hostages From Gaza

Published

2 hours ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

Israel said that the last 20 living hostages released by Hamas on Monday had arrived in the country.

“Welcome home,” the foreign ministry wrote in a series of posts on X, hailing the return of Matan Angrest, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa Dalal, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Segev Kalfon, Bar Kuperstein, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, Yosef Haim Ohana, Alon Ohel, Avinatan Or and Matan Zangauker.

AFP

Headline

20 Members Of Gang Blacklisted By US Escape Guatemala Prison

Published

4 hours ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

Twenty members of a gang designated a “foreign terrorist organisation” by the United States have escaped from detention in Guatemala, a prison chief said Sunday.

The members of the Barrio 18 gang “evaded security controls” at the Fraijanes II facility, prison director Ludin Godinez said at a news conference.

He received “an intelligence report” on Friday warning about the “possible escape” from the prison, which is southeast of the capital, Guatemala City.

Godinez said they were investigating possible acts of corruption.

Washington last month blacklisted Barrio 18, an El Salvador-based gang which has a reputation for violence and extortion, as part of its crackdown on drug trafficking.

The US embassy in Guatemala condemned the prison escape as “utterly unacceptable.”

“The United States designated members of this heinous group as the terrorists they are and will hold accountable anyone who has provided, provides, or decides to provide material support to these fugitives or other gang members,” the embassy said on X.

It called on the Guatemalan government to “act immediately and vigorously to recapture these terrorists.”

According to Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez, there are about 12,000 gang members and collaborators in Guatemala, while another 3,000 are in prison.

The country’s homicide rate has increased from 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024 to 17.65 this year, more than double the world average, according to the Centre for National Economic Research.

According to the Salvadoran government, the gangs Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, are responsible for the deaths of about 200,000 people over three decades.

The two gangs once controlled an estimated 80 percent of El Salvador, which had one of the highest homicide rates in the world.

Headline

South Africa Bus Crash Kills 40 Including Malawi, Zimbabwe Nationals

Published

4 hours ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

At least 40 people, including nationals of Malawi and Zimbabwe, were killed when a passenger bus rolled down an embankment in South Africa, a provincial transport minister said Monday.

The bus travelling to Zimbabwe crashed around 90 kilometres (55 miles) from the border on Sunday after the driver apparently lost control, Limpopo province transport minister Violet Mathye said.

“They are still working on the scene, but 40 bodies have already been confirmed to date,” Mathye told the Newzroom Afrika channel. The dead included a 10-month-old girl, she said.

Thirty-eight people were in hospital and rescuers were searching for other victims, she told eNCA media.

The bus was travelling from the southern city of Gqeberha, around 1,500 kilometres away, and its passengers included Malawians and Zimbabweans who were working in South Africa. The crash may have been caused by driver fatigue or a mechanical fault, the minister said.

South Africa has a sophisticated and busy road network with a high rate of road deaths, blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving and unroadworthy vehicles.

AFP