News

Umahi, Security Expert Differ On Insecurity In South-East

Published

4 years ago

June 4, 2022

A security expert, Col. Hassan Stan-Labo (retd.), and a former chairman of the South-East Security Committee, General Obi Umahi (retd.), have differed on the increasing level of insecurity in Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Abia states.

While Stan-Lanbo insisted that the continued breach of security in the South-East should be blamed on years of marginalisation of the region by the government, Umahi stated that governors in the region should take the blame for the killings and kidnapping.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, Stan-Lanbo said, “We need to see the efforts from the government to make the average person on the street to feel safe and have a sense of belonging. Those in authority should try to see that there is enough inclusiveness in the way they go about things.

“Everything should be done to bring in those who feel that they no longer want to be part of the family. They should get them back to the family. It should be by appeasing them and not by using force.

“The year 2023 is coming around; we shall have a fresh set of leaders as well. There will be a new set of appointments. We hope we will not have a situation where those appointed will come from a particular region.

“Such act does not make my country safe for any of us. Those who are creating these problems have two or three passports. As we speak, their children are abroad, but we are here killing each other.

“Solving the problem of insecurity in the South-East will call for a multifaceted approach, including political solutions. It goes beyond the formation of Ebubeagu to enjoy peace in the region. How have you tried to make the Igbo man have a sense of belonging in the Nigerian state?”

They say IPOB should be called terrorists. If you ask me, I don’t think they should be called terrorists. The solution is that we should look for a way to bring some of these people to the negotiation table.

“We must talk to several other stakeholders; we must talk to elders in the communities, we must be talking with political leaders. You have to talk to people who these boys can listen to.”

However, Umahi said some politicians and elites from the South-East region were exploiting the fragile security situation in the region for their selfish gains.

He asked Nigerians to blame the sitting governors of the region for the carnage that had characterised the recent development in the South-East.

Speaking during a programme on TVC and monitored by Saturday PUNCH, Umahi said if the governors were honest with their fight against insecurity in the region, they should have strengthened the regional security outfit, Ebubeagu, with enough finance and moral support to address the menace.

The South-East Governors’ Forum had on August 31, 2019, appointed Umahi as the chairman of the committee.

The committee was asked to draft a framework for the establishment of a South-East joint security outfit to cater to the security needs of the zone.

However, most of the South-East governors were said to have refused to fund the security outfit, a development that made Umahi to resign on June 4, 2021, as chairman of the committee.

The retired soldier noted, “There are some political elites that leverage the security situation in the South-East for their selfish gains. They thought they could use the situation to their advantage during the election. But if the governors were proactive, all of these would have been avoided.

“The issues of insecurity in the South-East were orchestrated by the Indigenous People of Biafra. When some politicians want to settle scores, they begin to look for bandits.

“When it was brewing, as the chairman of the security committee, I noticed that some clerics were propagating IPOB and I condemned it. But people were afraid and refused to speak out against it.’’

“I knew what to do, but the means to do it was not available. A General does not like a situation where he knows that he can deal with a thing but does not have the resources to deal with it. That is frustration.

News

Migration Agency Warns Migrants Against Irregular Travel Routes

Published

2 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with Giving is Healing Foundation, has sensitised residents of Ayobo in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State on the dangers of irregular migration and the need to embrace legal travel procedures.

Speaking during a sensitisation programme held at Megida Ifelodu Community Development Association in Ayobo, the founder of Giving is Healing Foundation, Mr. Gbolahan Ayediran, warned intending migrants against using illegal travel routes.

Ayediran said many Nigerians desire to migrate abroad in search of better opportunities but often ignore proper procedures, thereby exposing themselves to several dangers.

“Lots of people want to migrate and most of them do it in the wrong direction. The reason for the programme is for us to advise people on how they can migrate in the right way. As much as migration is their right, they should do it correctly,” he said.

He advised intending travellers to obtain the necessary travel documents before embarking on any journey, noting that such documents include international passports, visas, flight tickets and yellow cards, depending on the destination country.

According to him, migrants should also gather adequate information about their destination countries to enable them make informed decisions before travelling.

Ayediran further highlighted some of the dangers associated with irregular migration, including abuse, exploitation, discrimination and forced labour.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Megida Ifelodu Community Development Association, Elder Mathews Amusan, commended the organisers for enlightening members of the community on safe migration practices.

He urged residents planning to travel abroad to always follow legal migration procedures to avoid falling victim to human trafficking and other migration-related challenges.

One of the participants, Mr. Kolawole Adenoko, said the programme enlightened him on the dangers of irregular migration and the importance of travelling through the proper channels.

He added that he would also educate his relatives and friends on the risks associated with illegal migration.

News

Shatta Wale Bailed Burna Boy From Ghana Prison After Arrest For Smoking Weed – Captan

Published

5 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

Ghanian singer, Captan, has claimed that his former record label boss, Shatta Wale, once bailed Nigerian singer Burna Boy out of prison in Ghana after he was allegedly arrested for smoking weed.

Speaking in a recent podcast interview, Captan claimed that Shatta Wale sent him and others to free Burna Boy from police custody.

He also claimed that Shatta Wale and his group once accommodated Burna Boy when he was being hunted by some dangerous men.

Captan said, “I once bailed Burna Boy out of prison in Ghana when he was arrested for smoking weed. Shatta Wale sent me and some guys to go and free him from police custody.

“There was a time we also accommodated him when some people were after his life. We helped him settle the case.”

He added that he and Burna Boy are no longer in good terms after the Nigerian artist’s fallout with his mentor, Shatta Wale.

He, however, said he and Shatta Wale are open to reconciling with Burna Boy if he asks for it.

Watch the video here

News

Children’s Day: Chaos At Ogbe Stadium As Dozens Faint

Published

21 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

Chaos erupted on Wednesday during the Children’s Day celebration as dozens of students reportedly collapsed following a stampede triggered by the use of pepper spray.

The event,
organised by the Edo State Ministry of Education at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium was disrupted after some male students of Ihogbe College allegedly made uncompromising advances towards female students at the venue.
‎
‎ A parent who identified himself as Oboh Emmanuel said, “the behaviour of those uncultured students attracted the attention of bouncers stationed at the stadium as they rebuked the male students.”
‎
‎Oboh said the affected students later regrouped and attacked the bouncers, leading to a confrontation within the crowded arena.

READ ALSO:Children’s Day: Edo Commits To Child Protection
‎
It was gathered that in the ensuing confusion, the bouncers were reported to have deployed pepper spray in an area occupied by a large number of students.
‎
‎Several students, particularly female students, reportedly fainted after inhaling the substance, while others sustained injuries after being stepped on during the ensuing melee.
‎
‎The panic was said to have spread across the stadium as students, teachers and parents scampered for safety.
‎
‎Many of the affected students were reportedly rushed to the Edo Specialist Hospital for medical attention.

Reacting to the incident, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Dr Patrick Ebojele, said the security personnel that fired the tear gas had been detained.

He said all the students, except two, that were rushed to the hospital have been discharged.

Ebojele stated that doctors wanted to observe the students till tomorrow before allowing them to go home.

“The two students are not seriously injured. Doctors want to observe them overnight. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education is still at the hospital. The man who used pepper spray has been detained.

“The incident did not happen the way it is being exaggerated. All modalities were put in place to ensure the children enjoyed their day.”
‎