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Ogoni Women Threaten Nude Protest Over Oil Exploration

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Women from the Ogoni ethnic nationality in Rivers State have vowed to protest nude if the Federal Government goes ahead with the move to resume oil extraction in the area, without addressing what they term key issues in the area.

This was revealed in a statement jointly signed by 15 women groups in Ogoni, including ‘Mba Okase Initiative, Eedee Ladies of Tai, De Voice of Eleme Women Association, League of Queens International, Gbogbia Feefee Women, Lekeh Foundation, We the People under the auspices of ‘Ogoni Women Coalition for Sustainable Environment’.

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Others are; KEBETKACHE Women Development and Resource Centre, Global Concern Women and Youth Development Initiative, Miikeekor Environmental Development Initiative, Concern Ogoni Daughter, Peoples Advancement Centre, Ogoni Women Coalition for Sustainable Environment, Yerebaneko Women Group Tai and Ogoni Women Development Initiative.

The women in the statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday said they would not allow the resumption of oil activities in their area until the key issues that led to the discontinuation of oil exploration in the area in the 90s were addressed.

READ ALSO: Tinubu Signs Bill To Establish Federal University In Ogoni

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They further said the area was not ripe and ready for oil exploration without the fundamental issues being addressed, even as they alleged that the women were being excluded in the ongoing oil resumption talks.

Meanwhile, fielding questions from newsmen, the Leader of Mba Okase Initiative, Dr Mrs Patience Osaroejiji, said women of Ogoni are ready to go nude in protest to get the world’s attention if the apex government go ahead with its plan to resume oil exploration without looking into the issues that cost the death of a generation of Ogoni leaders.

According to Osaroejiji, “If as we have taken position today and the government goes ahead to resume, we the women of Ogoni will come out en masse and protest naked until the world hears us.”

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Osaroejiji regretted that the women of Ogoni are not duly represented in the ongoing consultations in the area, adding that women are being neglected.

READ ALSO: Protests Mar Ogoni Oil Exploration Congress In Rivers

On jet part, Lezina Pat Ntetep, who is the Coordinator of Eedee Ladies of Tai, while reading the statement tagged “Ogoni Oil Again in the Eye of the Storm, Ogoni Women Stand Against Oil Resumption in their Land”, said Ogoni women and their communities have for decades endured the impacts of the industry’s adverse activities.

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Ntetep stated that the Federal Government has not addressed issues raised in the Ogoni Bill of Rights which led to the stopping of oil business in the area, adding that oil exploration would resume only when key issues in the area are addressed.

“It is disconcerting that in the ongoing frenzy to resume oil extraction in Ogoniland, the concerns raised in the Bill of Rights which led to the termination of oil extraction and the repression of the people, have not been addressed.

“Similarly, there has been no attempt to secure justice for the countless families that lost lives, livelihoods and properties in what is still the worst attack on a peaceful Indigenous population by Nigerian security forces.

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READ ALSO: CSOs Condemn Planned Resumption Of Oil Extraction In Ogoniland, Demand A Halt

“Persons who committed acts of genocide and abuses against unarmed populations, and boasted publicly about it, have still not been brought to justice.

“It is worrying why the government will decide to resume oil extraction in Ogoniland when the pollution of the last decades is yet to be cleaned and the recommendations of UNEP are yet to be fully complied with, ” she stated.

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Continuing, Ntetep said, “Flowing from the foregoing, it is our recommendation that the government puts a stop to any planned attempt to resume oil activities in Ogoniland.

“It should rather concentrate on redeeming the ecological disaster in the area, decommissioning aged oil infrastructure, replacing the lost livelihood of the people and securing justice for the countless Ogoni waiting for closure.”

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Metro

Law School Student Freed, Five Colleagues Still In Kidnappers’ Custody

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Police Arrest Suspected Stolen Goods Dealer In Akwa Ibom, Recover Items

One of the six Nigerian Law School students abducted in Benue State has regained freedom, it was learnt.

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The students were kidnapped on Saturday while travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to the Yola campus of the Nigerian Law School in Adamawa State.

They were en route to resume academic activities after their court externship break, with lectures scheduled to recommence on Monday.

Earlier, the abductors had allegedly threatened to kill the victims if their ransom demand was not met.

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Although it remains unclear whether any ransom was paid for the release, a source familiar with the situation confirmed the development. t

“One of them has been released. There are still five in the kidnappers’ custody,” the source revealed to PUNCH Metro in a telephone interview.

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When contacted on Wednesday, the Students’ Affairs Director, NLS, Yola Campus, Johnson Ogunboyo, confirmed the number of victims still in captivity.

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“They are five (now). We are putting all our efforts into ensuring they are safely released. They demanded ransom yesterday, according to the students.

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“We are doing everything to see what we can do. If it is official, my director general will be in the best position to speak on it. I am not in the position to give you details,” he said during a phone call with The PUNCH.

On whether there was any coordination between the Law School management and security agencies, he stated, “We have seen the security people in Yola and even in Abuja, so we are on it.”

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The Adamawa State Police Command’s spokesperson, Yahaya Suleiman, had also affirmed the collaboration during an earlier interview with The PUNCH.

This latest abduction adds to a growing list of kidnappings targeting Nigerian Law School students.

In 2022, two students from the Nigerian Law School, Agbani Campus, in Enugu State, were abducted while shopping at the Eke Agbani market.

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Metro

Two Killed During Domestic Violence

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Three suspects have been arrested by the Adamawa State Police Command, in connection with two domestic violence that led to killings in Madagali and Gombi Local government areas.

Police spokesperson, SP Yahaya Nguroje, explained that the first incident, in Pallam District, Madagali, involved two co-wives, Rhoda Anthony, 55, and Victoria Anthony, 36.

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“During the fight, Victoria’s son Ijai Anthony, 16 years, allegedly hit Rhoda with a piece of wood on the head and she fell on the ground. She was rushed to Cottage Hospital, Madagali, but died while receiving treatment. Victoria and her son have been arrested.” Nguroje revealed.

READ ALSO:Woman Arrested For Killing, Selling Pregnant Nurse’s Body Parts

In the second case, police in Gombi arrested one Idi Buba for allegedly stabbing his father, Buba Jelli, on the neck and the back during a domestic dispute.

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The father was confirmed dead by medical personnel at a nearby health centre.

The spokesperson confirmed the Police were able to recover a Knife, suspected to be the murder weapon from the scene.

Commissioner of Police, CP Dankombo Morris, condemned the killings, particularly the fact that they involved family members, and urged residents to seek peaceful resolutions to conflicts. He assured that investigations are ongoing and the suspects will be charged to court once completed.

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Security Operatives, Youths Arrest Notorious Drug Dealer In Delta Community

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Operatives of the Delta Sweep and youths of Abraka community in Ethiope-East Local Government Area of Delta State have arrested a notorious drug dealer, Benson Izah, with a stash of illicit substances concealed in his motorcycle.

The suspect was arrested at the secretariat of the Abraka Community Youth Wing.

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Izah is suspected of spearheading the drug trade in the university town.

READ ALSO:Police Arrest Suspected Stolen Goods Dealer In Akwa Ibom, Recover Items

His arrest triggered immediate investigations, leading security operatives to four warehouses reportedly linked to him.

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Each site yielded significant quantities of assorted hard drugs, validating long-standing suspicions of Izah’s role in a wider drug distribution network.

Authorities have confirmed that Izah and the confiscated substances will be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution.

READ ALSO:Reactions As 2Face Idibia Weds New Lover, Natasha Osawaru [VIDEO]

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The arrest has been met with widespread relief and jubilation across the town, according to a local youth leader.

The operation has reignited calls for deeper collaboration between community stakeholders and security agencies in the ongoing war against drug abuse and crime.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe is yet to comment on the incident.

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