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Insecurity In Imo: DSS Arrests 2 ‘Prime Suspects’, Recovers Arms, Ammunition

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Two prime suspects, who have allegedly been spearheading the spate of attacks and arson in Imo State, have been nabbed by operatives of the Department of State Security, DSS.

Announcing the breakthrough yesterday in Owerri, during a stakeholders meeting, organized by the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Professor Sylvia Uchenna Agu, the DSS Director (names withheld), said: “It gives me the joy to announce that two of the people who have been troubling the state are now in our custody.

“The first suspect, who operates with the name, Engr. Mike Ahize, and founder of the criminal camp in the Orsu local government area of the state, has been apprehended.

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“His criminal camp is located somewhere at the Imo/Anambra border. This camp thrived for this long, as a result of the difficult terrain. Today, he has been arrested and cooling his heels in our custody.

“Again, just yesterday night (Tuesday), we also nabbed one Ejima, who says he is bent on burning down all facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the state.

“He has been boasting that the general elections will not hold anywhere in the state. Let me also inform you that in the early hours of today (yesterday), the suspect led our operatives to his armoury, where we recovered somes arms and ammunition.

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“There is no doubt that the nation is passing through difficult times. What is going on is sheer criminality and that is why all the security agencies are working in synergy, to tackle the issue.

READ ALSO: Coalition Raises Alarm, Calls For Investigation Of DSS Claims Against Emefiele

“We are talking about the forthcoming general elections, but that will only be if we have a nation to call our own.”

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Welcoming the stakeholders earlier, the REC lamented over the growing attacks on INEC offices.

Her words: “These attacks are a concern to the Commission, considering its negative consequences on INEC’s preparations for the 2023 general elections.

“However, it is pertinent to mention that these attacks would not in any way, disrupt the set electoral calendar of the Commission.”

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She used the opportunity to commiserate with the Imo State Police Command, over the loss of it’s personnel, during the exchange of gunfire, during the Owerri attack.

Giving an update on the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards, PVC, Professor Agu said: “The distribution of the newly received PVCs, which began Monday, December 12, 2022, shall be on till Sunday, January 22, 2023, from 9am to 3pm daily, including Saturdays and Sundays.”

Answering a question, Agu assured the electorate that “with the BVAS and electronic transmission of polling unit results, it would not be business as usual, because it is only what emanates from the field that shall be transmitted to the INEC Result Viewing Portal.”

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Metro

IFAD, Life-ND Train 630 Agriprenuers In Edo

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Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises for Niger Delta (Life-ND) in collaboration with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Federal Government on Tuesday trained no fewer than 630 youths in agriprenuer in Edo State.

The trainees, regarded as incubatees, were simultaneously trained across the three Senatorial Districts of the state with the theme: Building a New Generation of Agriprenuers for Sustainable Food Security in Edo State.

Speaking at the orientation programme in Benin, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Jerry Uwangue, said the programme “aligns perfectly with the vision of our state,” adding “to nurture young farmers into successful agriprenuers who can transform subsistence farming into profitable agribusiness ventures.”

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Represented by Principle Igbinadion, Programme Manager, Agricultural Development Project (ADP), Uwangue said
the programme was not about training individuals, but “breeding a new generation of innovators, leaders, and wealth creators who will drive Edo State towards self-sufficiency in food production.”

READ ALSO:Anambra, Lagos, Others Top 2025 Fiscal Performance Rankings, As C’Rivers Dropped from 5th to 30th

Uwangue expressed the state government’s readiness to support the beneficiaries through “improved Access to inputs, Extension services, value chain development, and Linkages to markets.”

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We are also integrating LIFE-ND initiatives into the broader state agricultural transformation framework to ensure sustainability beyond donor support.),” he added.

The commissioner, while urging the incubatees to take the opportunity seriously, said: “Agriculture today is no longer about hoe and cutlass; it is about innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.”

Through your dedication and creativity, you can build thriving enterprises that will not only feed our people but also employ others and contribute to the State’s economic growth,” he added.

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READ ALSO:Obaseki Has Paid N147m Counterpart Fund For LIFE-ND Agric Project, Says Coordinator

He urged the incubatees to “seize the opportunity, remain diligent, and be proud ambassadors of the agricultural transformation we are driving in Edo State.”

Earlier in his remarks, State Coordinator, Life-ND, Mr. John Omoruyi, said the training “represents the beginning of a transformative journey,” adding that over “3,000 agriprenuers women and youth in the promotion of cassava, rice, fish and poultry commodities along with the corresponding value chain as well as Business Development Service (BSC) in Edo State,” have been captured.

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He added that “together, we are building a new generation of skilled, self-reliant, and prosperous youths who will transform the agricultural landscape of Edo State and increase in the food basket of Nigeria.”

 

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Ogun FRSC Spokesperson Dies After Protracted Illness

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The Public Education Officer of the Ogun State sector command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Florence Okpe, a Chief Route Commander, is dead.

The State Sector Commander, Akinwunmi Fasakin, confirmed the demise of Okpe to our correspondent in a phone conversation on Tuesday.

Fasakin said that the former image maker of the command had been on a sick bed for a while before succumbing to death on Tuesday in her hometown in Cross River State.

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READ ALSO:FRSC Warns Officers Against Bribery, Unethical Practices

The sector commander said, “We lost Okpe this morning, Tuesday; her family has confirmed the sad news. She had been sick for a while and attending the clinic here in Ogun until she was given medical leave, after which she travelled to her hometown in Cross River State, where she eventually died.

“Okpe was no doubt an enigma, a very sound, resourceful and professional officer of unparalleled dedication to duty. I have sincerely lost a very dutiful officer. She was very dear to me, and it’s been a sad day since we were told of her death.

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“The command commiserates with her family and loved ones and pray that the Almighty God will grant all of us the strength to bear this irreplaceable loss.”

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Two Dead, 28 Rescued As Building Collapses In Lagos

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Two people have been confirmed dead, while 28 others were rescued after a two-storey building collapsed at 49 Coates Street, off Oyingbo Road, Lagos, early yesterday.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS) said it received a distress call around 12:20 a.m., and responders from the Sari Iganmu Fire Station arrived nine minutes later to begin rescue efforts.

The Director of the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Beatrice Makinde, confirmed that the deceased were a man and an elderly woman. A resident, who declined to be named, said he was awakened by a loud cracking sound moments before the building gave way. Another resident said a man who visited the premises late on Sunday had not been seen since the incident, though officials have not confirmed this.

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READ ALSO:Lagos: Festac DPO, Matilda Ngbaronye Is Dead

Teams from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), LASAMBUS, the Fire Service, the Nigerian Police and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) were at the site, using heavy machinery to search through the rubble.

LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the operation would continue until everyone was accounted for. He added that investigations were ongoing to determine whether structural fatigue or substandard materials caused the collapse, and that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted.

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Residents said the building had been repeatedly marked for demolition by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) over structural defects, but the owner allegedly ignored the warnings and carried out unauthorised renovations. Some tenants reportedly moved out after noticing cracks, while others remained until the collapse.

READ ALSO:Lagos Inaugurates 24-hour Traffic Management Operations

Emergency officials provided water, medical care, and temporary relief supplies to displaced residents, while authorities urged the public to stay away from the area to allow rescue operations to continue smoothly.

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Earlier, LSFRS Controller General, Margaret Adeseye, said 15 people: seven men, four women and four children, had been rescued with varying degrees of injury and taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Ebute Meta and the Lagos Island General Hospital. She confirmed that the collapsed structure had previously been declared unsafe but remained occupied.

Adeseye added that the LSFRS and other emergency agencies were fully mobilised to ensure that all victims were rescued and accounted for.

“It is an ongoing rescue involving an existing two-storey building which had reportedly been marked distressed before collapsing on the occupants,” she said.

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