By Alex Enebeli

The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has said that his heart bleeds as a result of the killings in Igboland.

Iwuanyanwu disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Enugu.

He said, “My heart bleeds at the sad events in Igboland where Igbos are killing fellow Igbos.

“I am equally very distressed by the rate at which the Nigerian security operatives are killed not only in Igboland but all over the country.

“Worse still is the suspected reprisal attack where innocent Igbo sons and daughters from Mbano in Imo state have found their lives and means of livelihood completely destroyed.

This situation, he said, is completely unacceptable to him, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and “Indeed unacceptable to all honest, right-thinking and patriotic Nigerians.

“I condemn it in strong terms,” the Igbo leader said.

He said he would be sending a team immediately, under the Chairmanship of C. J. Ihemedu, the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Imo State Chapter, to give him a comprehensive report on the matter.

“I call on the Federal Government to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime and make sure they face the law.

“I also urge the Federal Government to put in place necessary security measures to forestall the reoccurrence of this sad event,” he said.

He noted that similar incidents had occurred in all the states of Southeast, adding that as at now there seemed to be no solution as the matter is even getting worse.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo is right now undertaking a total transformation of Igboland and by this transformation, more job opportunities will be created in the zone for school leavers; and infrastructure for business men and women.

“I wish, on behalf of all Igbos worldwide, to express our deep sympathy to the families of the security men who were gruesomely murdered.

“We also sympathise with our people in Mbano whose shops and houses were destroyed during the reprisal attack.

“I pray the Almighty God to take control of events in Igboland so that we will once more enjoy peace, happiness and prosperity in our land,” Iwuanyanwu said. (NAN)

Edited by Vincent Obi

By Fabian Ekeruche

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has donated 1800 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to street sweepers of the Lagos Waste Management Authority in Lagos.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mrs Folashade Kadiri, Director, Public Affairs, LAWMA, and made available to newsmen on Friday in Lagos.

Kadiri said that the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, appreciated the gesture, describing it as the beginning of a robust partnership between both agencies.

He said that the kits comprised 600 reflective jackets, 600 face masks and 600 safety cones, largely for the use of LAWMA’s highway sweepers.

Gbadegesin said that LAWMA was committed to ensuring the effective management of marine waste.

Kadiri also quoted the NIMASA’s Director-General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, as saying that the gesture was part of the agency’s Corporate Social Responsibility.

Jamoh said that there was the need to significantly enhance highway sweeping efforts.

Represented by the Deputy Director of finance, Mr. Samuel Ajayi,  Jamoh said that the maritime agency was committed to safeguarding both maritime and environmental interests.

The event was attended by LAWMA’s senior management staff. (NAN)

Edited by Christiana Fadare

By Deborah Akpede

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has published the details of four men convicted for sexual offences to serve as deterrent to others in the state.

The identifies of the offenders were made public on Thursday.

The details of the publication include the names, pictures of the sex convicts, the nature of their offenses, as well as the duration of the sentence handed down by the courts were captured in the new update.

According to the DSVA, it is giving an update on publication of details of sex convicts as maintained by Lagos State.

“Justice is served and serves as a warning to those who may consider such heinous act,” it stated.

It stated that the four sex offenders were convicted for offence of defilement and were sentenced by the Lagos State High Court.

The first offender, it is said, is Momoh Isa who got life imprisonment.

It also named ”Prince Tom” who also got life jail term.

“The third offender, Ujong Ibiang, also sent to life imprisonment while Emmanuel Gabriel, the fourth offender, was sentenced to 21-years imprisonment,” it stated.

The agency appealed to the public to continue to demand justice for survivors.

It urged residents of the state to report domestic or sexual violence by calling 08000 333 333. (NAN)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Aderogba George

International Police Officers from Spain have concluded a three-day training on effective management of Tafficking in Person and Smuggling of Migrants (TIP/SOM) for officers drawn from Nigeria Law Enforcement Agencies.

The officers who participated in the training are from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Police and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was aimed at strengthening the investigative and prosecutorial capabilities of the officers.

The training was facilitated by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), a Spanish public institution.

NAN reports that FIIAPP is the promoter of Action Against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) in Nigeria, a project being sponsored by the European Union (EU).

The participants will in turn train others at their various stations and spread the knowledge to other officers.

The ATIPSOM team leader, Mr Federico-Millan Marcicalva, congratulated all the participants for the first international police training course 2023.

He said they all demonstrated ability to respond to academic challenge, adding that the training had culminated in effort to work together with the sole aim of not losing the benchmark and constantly updating themselves.

Marcicalva said that participants learnt new methods of investigation, as well as broadened their knowledge on the do’s and don’t of TIP/SOM crime, while charging them to be committed to fight the crime.

According to him, the university of knowledge is the basis of any project and that is why they must all continue to invest in the journey that gives the tools to be able to face any phenomenon.

The participants learnt how to make the world more difficult for perpetrators of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.

The ATIPSOM team leader also urged the participants to continue to strive to protect victims of TIP/SOM.

The Director-General of NAPTIP, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, appreciated FIIAPP for organising the training, stressing that it was a very good one for law enforcement officers in Nigeria.

Waziri-Azi, who was represented at the event by Mr Hassan Tahir, NAPTIP Director of Legal and Prosecution, expressed optimism that the participants would make use of knowledge gained from the training.

She also urged them not only to cascade perpetrators, but also to transfer the knowledge to other officers who were not privileged to be at the training.

The Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, who was represented by Mrs Tabitha Bako, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), also thanked FIIAPP for facilitating the training.

He further thanked FIIAPP for bringing trainers all the way from Madrid, adding that they had been up and doing from the day one of the training.

Mr Fernando-Alvarez Moriano, a Chief Inspector of Police, Madrid (Spain) thanked Nigerians for the warm reception and hospitality his team received throughout the duration of the training.

He said that his colleagues also showed passion to give their best for the training, adding that the team’s mission was accomplished and they were satisfied.

Miss Selbyen Bani, a participant, who is also a Chief Supretendent Officer, Legal Department of NIS, noted that many of the participants were now a new person after the training.

She said that the training would influence her because it had helped in deepening her knowledge and modus oparandi in regards to SOM crime. (NAN)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman