News
PDP Candidate’s Prayer Call for Dead Ogige Traders Moves Anglican Synod to Tears
There was a heavy outburst of emotions on Sunday at the Synod of the Diocese of Nsukka Anglican Communion when the deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, Chijioke Ugwu, asked the gathering to pray for the souls of people who died after the Enugu State Government demolished Ogige Market in Nsukka.
Ugwu, who represented the party’s governorship candidate, Uche Nnaji, appealed for prayers for the peaceful repose of those who died and for strength for the survivors.
The market demolition, carried out without compensation to the former occupants, remains a sore point in the relationship between Governor Peter Mbah and the Nsukka cultural zone. Anger has persisted, especially after a motor park and a petrol station were built in its place.
It is claimed that more than 72 former shop owners in the demolished market have died as a result of the hardship and frustrations they faced after losing their sources of livelihood. The claim reflects the deep sense of loss still felt in the community years after the demolition.
Ugwu also appealed to the government to improve the quality of its projects for the future safety of children.
“The Smart schools they are building are collapsing every day because of poor-quality work. The roads are terrible. Nsukka during the rainy season is a terrible sight, and we cannot continue like this,” he said.
He further called on the church to pray for a re-examination of the cost of governance in the state, noting that ₦50 billion was budgeted to rehabilitate the Presidential Hotel while work was still ongoing.
The Synod was also attended by the Enugu State Deputy Governor, Ifeanyi Ossai, who called for a debate among political aspirants on the quality of the Mbah administration and sought the people’s support.
Other political leaders present included Chidi Mark Obeta, a member of the House of Representatives, and the deputy governorship candidate of the NDC, Frank Okenwa Omeje.
Uche Nnaji later donated ₦2 million to the Synod and pledged that his government, if elected, would invest in improving the platform and create a liaison office for smooth engagement, with plans to make the Synod a more robust forum for discussions on the welfare of the poor and vulnerable.
News
Viral Video Shows Men in JIBWIS Uniforms Demanding AK-47s, Threatening Attacks in Enugu and Jos
A viral video showing a group of young men in uniforms associated with the First Aid Group of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa’Ikamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), also known as Izala, chanting for AK-47 rifles and threatening attacks in Enugu and Jos has drawn strong reactions across Nigeria.
In the footage, which circulated widely on social media on Monday, the participants are seen jogging in formation. One of them is heard demanding an AK-47 to travel to Enugu, describing the city as a “land of infidels” and threatening to open fire on worshippers on a Sunday.
Similar threats are made regarding Jos in Plateau State.
The chants have raised serious concerns about the potential for religiously motivated violence.
The national leadership of JIBWIS has strongly dissociated the organisation from the statements in the video. National Chairman Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau called on the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to investigate the footage, identify those involved and bring anyone found culpable to justice.
JIBWIS described the threats as contrary to its principles and teachings.
Amnesty International Nigeria also called for an immediate and independent investigation, describing the chants as a “vicious display of children being manipulated and indoctrinated with religious violence and hatred.” The rights group urged authorities to examine the instructors, the origin of the video and the content of the activities.
Security agencies have yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
One person has been confirmed dead after a storey building collapsed during manual demolition on Adedoyin Street, Ijegun, Ikotun, in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said the incident occurred on Monday. A distress call was received at about 1:44pm, and the agency’s Beta Team from Igando Base was immediately deployed to the scene.
Responders found that one worker had been trapped under the rubble while another, who sustained a hand injury, had already been taken to hospital before emergency teams arrived.
LASEMA, working with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and the Lagos State Ambulance Service, recovered the trapped worker. He was pronounced dead. The body was handed over to the police at Ikotun Division and later released to the family.
The agency said the area had been cordoned off and that an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the collapse and whether building regulations were followed.
LASEMA Permanent Secretary Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu urged property owners and contractors to engage certified professionals for demolition works and to comply fully with building control regulations.
The incident is the second building-related fatality reported in Lagos within the space of a few days.
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