Metro

Land Dispute: Ogwashi-Uku Youths Dissociate Self From Protest

Published

3 years ago

September 28, 2021

Editor

Youths of Ogwashi-Uku inAniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State have dissociated themselves from a protest staged by Ogidiase Quarters over farmlands.

The Secretary-General of the Ogwashi-Uku Youths, Comrade Augustine Nkwo, dissociated the Ogwashi-Uku umbrella youth body – Ogwashi-Uku Youths Development Association (OYDA), from the protest carried out on Monday.

Recall that a few members of the Agidiase Quarters in Ogwashi-Uku staged a protest in some areas of Ogwashi-Uku on Monday over the alleged fraudulent sale of farmlands located at Azagba Ogwashi-Uku, Edo Ogwashi-uku and Otulu Ogwashi-Uku.

The transaction from land speculators recently led to the suspension of some prominent chiefs in the kingdom by the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku, HRM Obi Ifechukuwde Aninshi Okonjo II, who has a zero tolerance for illegal land sales in his kingdom.

A statement signed and made available to journalists on Tuesday by the Obi’s media aide, Prince Greg Okwumbu, said the incidents of Otulu Ogwashi-Uku over the past week have highlighted the importance and significance of Ogwashi-Uku to Asaba and Delta State in general.

“It appears that the close proximity of Ogwashi-Uku to Asaba and the lack of land for development in Asaba has put a serious pressure on Ogwashi-Uku.

“From records available, the traditional land tenure system in Ogwashi-Uku vests all land in the hands of the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku who by tradition and custom is the Custodian, Trustee and Overlord of all land in the Kingdom.

“Following the tradition of his late father, HRM Obi Professor Chukwuka Aninshi Okonjo I, the present Obi of Ogwashi-Uku decided to stop all indiscriminate land sales.

“Letters sighted from the Obi in Council indicate that the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku has stated that rather than outright land sales, long term lease agreements can be explored for investors who agree to develop part of Ogwashi-Uku and or build factories that will create jobs,” he stated.

According to him, “approach to the development of Ogwashi-Uku is in very sharp contrast with what has been happening in neighbouring communities such as Okpanam and Ibusa where land is sold by individuals and villages.

“It will appear that the rigid position of the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku, who himself is a developmental economist, just finishing up his doctoral degree in France, is creating anger amongst a minority group in Ogwashi-Uku who are hell-bent on selling off all Ogwashi-Uku communal lands that they can get their hands on.

“It seems from a sampling of opinions within the Ogwashi-Uku community that the vast majority of the people in Ogwashi-Uku accept the Obi’s position regarding land sales.

“At the recently concluded Izu Ani (Meeting of the Ogwashi-Uku people), the entire Ogwashi-Uku community endorsed the established land tenure system in Ogwashi-Uku which has been diligently guarded and protected by the current Obi of Ogwashi-Uku.

“The disjointed press release by some fringe elements in Agidiase Quarter, who appear to be confused as to the purpose of their press release, has been condemned by the vast majority of Ogwashi-Uku people and even the Diokpa in Agidiase quarter Diokpa Chad Rafua.”

Metro

JUST IN: Truck Rams Into BRT On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Published

53 mins ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

A truck has rammed into a Lagos State BRT bus at Ibafo bus-stop along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.

The PUNCH correspondent who went to the scene gathered that the accident occurred around some minutes to 6am on Saturday.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and Police on response call at the accident scene insisted that only their Public Relations Officers were authorised to speak.

However, unconfirmed reports from onlookers noted that several people on the BRT bus were injured.

Onlookers accounts noted that the BRT was parked loading its passengers at the bus stop before the truck loaded with cows heading to Lagos rammed into it, taking it off the road to destroy shops and kiosks by the roadside.

The cow truck had been towed a little away from the scene so as not to hinder traffic.

Details later

Metro

Court Jails Social Media Influencer For Celebrity Scam

Published

10 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, has sentenced Aluko Tunmise to one year in prison for his involvement in a celebrity scam.

Tunmise was prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a cybercrime-related charge.

This was disclosed in a post on X by EFCC on Friday, May 17.

The post reads: “Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, convicted and sentenced one Aluko Tunmise, a self-acclaimed social media influencer and model, to one year imprisonment for celebrity scam.

He was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one-count charge bordering on cybercrimes.”

“One of the counts reads: “That you, ALUKO TUNMISE JUWONLO (A.K.A. KEANU REEVES), sometime between January and March, 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, directly made a false statement, wherein you held yourself out as a white man by name “KEANU REEVES” on your Telegram Account, knowing same to be false and with intent that the representation is relied upon for the purpose of procuring the issuance of financial instrument to yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015′.

He pleaded ‘guilty’ to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel, C.C.Okezie, sought to present an operative of the EFCC, Vincent Sunday Kwambuge, to review the facts of the matter.

Kwanbuge told the court that the defendant was arrested sometime in March, 2024 at Lekki County Estate, Lagos, following credible intelligence received by the Commission on the activities of some internet fraudsters operating in the area.”

Metro

Three Children Rescued As Fire Guts Storey Building In Delta

Published

12 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

Three children have been rescued as fire gutted a-storey building at the Obi Onuorah Crescent back of Okowe plaza in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

The PUNCH correspondent who visited the fire scene on Friday, observed that the roof and the two apartments were razed down as property worth millions of naira was damaged.

However, the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained as at the time of filling this report

Speaking, a widow and mother of four children, Mrs Gloria Sado who wept profusely appealed to Nigerians to come to her aid.

She said, “I came back Thursday night around 9 pm when I saw a fire burning in our house.

“My three children were in the house, one went with me to market, thank God, it was a lot of effort for my children to be rescued. I didn’t know the cause of the fire

“All the three fire services that came did not have water to quench the fire, our property was burnt to ashes”

Also, her neighbor, Simon Amalimen, and father of two said, “I was in my apartment when I heard fire, fire, I came out and noticed that the fire was coming out from my neighbor’s apartment.

“When learned that the three children were inside the apartment sleeping, we immediately moved into the fire to rescue the children, then, the fire had to gut my apartment.

“Before we could rescue them, the fire had entered my apartment and my two children and my wife were rescued. Only the boxers I wear are the clothes I came out with.”

He said before the third fire service could arrive, the two apartments and property had been burnt.

The victims were currently homeless as sympathizers were said to have gone to buy some clothes for them.

An official of the state fire service who did not want his name mentioned confirmed the incident.