The Abia State Police Command has demoted a police corporal, Okonkwo Ebuka, to the rank of constable following his involvement in unprofessional conduct and incivility towards members of the public.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Maureen Chinaka, confirmed the disciplinary action in a statement released on Tuesday.

According to her, the demotion was the outcome of an administrative proceeding where the officer was tried in an orderly room and found guilty of discreditable and unprofessional behaviour.

“The Commissioner of Police, Abia State Command, CP Danladi Isa, in alignment with the vision of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to establish a professionally competent, service-driven, rule-of-law-compliant, and people-friendly police force, has disbanded the Command’s Anti-Cultism Unit for unprofessional conduct and incivility towards members of the public,” the statement read.

It further stated that Corporal Okonkwo Ebuka, formerly attached to the Area Command in Aba but deployed on special duty at Isuochi, was demoted as part of efforts to enforce discipline within the Force.

“The Commissioner of Police emphasized the Command’s zero-tolerance policy for any form of unprofessional conduct among officers that could tarnish the good image of the Force,” the statement added.

The Abia State Police Command reiterated its commitment to upholding professionalism and fostering positive engagement with the public in line with the principles of ethical policing.

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The commendation was contained in a statement by a socio-cultural group, Oyo Progressive Front (OPF) on the heels of the disbursement of N43 billion to Oyo and 23 other states in the country.

According to the state coordinator of OPF, Tunde Oladeji, the disbursement was due to benefits that accrued to Oyo state from the Federal government performance-based grants from the World Bank due to the Ajimobi-led administration’s input in 2018.

“The grant has again confirmed to the people of Oyo state and the country that Senator Ajimobi led a focused and transparent administration during his eight year-tenure in Oyo state. Months after his tenure, the State is still reaping the benefits of his stewardship,’’ Oladeji said.

He explained further that  the Federal government disbursed N43,416,000,000 (USD120.6 million) as performance based grants to 24 States on the basis of results achieved in 2018 under the performance-based grant component of the World Bank-Assisted States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme-for- results.

Apart from Oyo state, other beneficiary states are Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Sokoto, Taraba, and Yobe states.

The programme is wholly financed with a 750 USDmillion loan from the International Development Association (IDA) , a member of the World Bank Group.

Kaduna state achieved the highest number of result and got the highest share of N3.9billion while Katsina and Benue got the lowest amount of N540million each.

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The post IITA-ACAI to train 30,000 farmers in Abia, Benue, Oyo, Osun, Ogun  first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

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This comes just days after the force rescued 19 pregnant ladies in the Ikotun area of the state.

The State Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, disclosed that  the factory was uncovered after about seven pregnant ladies escaped from there on Monday night.

Elkana, also added that five of the girls hail from Imo State, one is from Abia, while the others are from Rivers State.

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Its Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo made the announcement during the funeral service of the late elder statesman, Dr Alex Ekwueme.

Paying glowing tributes to the late former Vice President, Osinbajo described him as a rare gem who always upheld the principles of personal sacrifice and service to humanity.

The Vice President said, “we celebrate Alex Ekwueme because he practiced the eternal principles that set men and women apart from their peers, whether they are poor or rich, famous or unknown; the principles of personal sacrifice for others, service to those who cannot offer a reward, the courage of one’s convictions, bravery in the face of terror”.

Former President, Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Mrs Patience Jonathan as well as former Vice President Namadi Sambo attended the event.

The event also had in attendance, state governors including Willie Obiano of Anambra, Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos)

And family, friends, and other top government officials were present at the event held in his hometown in Oko, Anambra State.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ogbizi took over from Mr Adeleye Oyebade after a brief handover ceremony at the command’s headquarters in Umuahia.
The new Commissioner of Police condemned the razing of Ariaria Police Station in Aba and expressed his resolve to work hard to make Abia safe for all.
Ogbizi warned against clamour for disintegration of the country, saying there would never be “a republic within a republic”.

Earlier, Oyebade thanked the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, for the opportunity to serve in the state.

The outgoing police commissioner urged men and officers of the command to give the new commissioner their maximum support and cooperation to enable him tackle crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery and child trafficking.

NAN reports that Ogbizi was recently appointed the new police commissioner for Abia following the posting of new commissioners of police to some states. (NAN)

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There has been a clash between soldiers and members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in the state, prompting Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to take the action.

The stay-at-home will run betwem 6pm and 6am for the period, the governor said in a statement he personally signed yesterday.

Abia has been under security focus because of the activities of the separatist group and its leader Nnamdi Kanu.

Last week the Army deployed troops for “Operation Python Dance 2”. During a “show of force” on Sunday, Kanu alleged that troops shot and injured his men near his Umuahia home.

But the military said its men only shot into the air to scare away a mob that threw stones at its convoy.

There was tension in different parts of Aba, as soldiers reportedly clashed with members of IPOB.It could not be confirmed if anybody died in the fracas.

Some members of IPOB who left Aba for Umuahia in solidarity with Kanu were alleged to have been stopped by soldiers at Isiala Ngwa junction on the Enugu/Port Harcourt Expressway.

The IPOB members who escaped after being stopped by the soldiers were said to have met another set of soldiers at Osisioma Junction, a few kilometers away. A face-off reportedly ensued.

The soldiers were said to have shot sporadically into the air while the IPOB members moved towards Ariaria International Market. There was confusion. People ran helter skelter.

The chaos at Osisioma stretched beyond Ariaria market to the Flyover Junction, a distance of over eight kilometres. Some vehicles were destroyed. Many people were injured.

There was pandemonium within the city centre as soldiers cordoned off roads leading to the Aba Central Mosque to prevent hoodlums from vandalising the facility.

They shot into the air to ward off intruders, and people ran for their lives. Traders hurriedly closed their business.

Ikpeazu said: “Government notes and has observed the frenzy of activities of members of IPOB within Afara – Umuahia, the ancestral home of the leader of IPOB for some months now.

“Government is equally aware of the recent proclamation by the Nigerian Army of Operation Python Dance II within the Southeast geopolitical region of Nigeria.

“The operation as declared by the Army is intended to check kidnapping, banditry, assassination, secessionist activities within the region, amongst other forms of criminal activities.

“The recent confrontation between the Nigerian Army and members of IPOB on Sunday, 10th September, 2017, could presumably be attributed to the commencement of the said Operation Python Dance II.

“The Abia State government unequivocally states that Abia is a component State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and subscribes to the supremacy of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and all other extant laws.

“While the government of Abia State recognises the right of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies, to perform their statutory duty of protection of lives and property of Nigerian citizens, such duties must be carried out within acclaimed Nigerian and international standards of engagement with the civil populace, with due respect to the human rights of citizens and sanctity of human lives.

“The Abia State government is committed to the protection of the lives and properties of its citizens and others residing and doing business within the geographical entity called Abia State.

“Abians and others living within Abia are advised to remain law abiding and carry on their lawful business without fear, as efforts by government will be made to reduce friction between the civil populace and military personnel in the State.

“Abia residents are advised to observe a curfew from 6pm to 6amfrom today 12/09/2017 to 14/09/2017.

“Persons residing within the State are strongly advised to remain law abiding, while going about their lawful business without fear of molestation, and, not engage in any form of confrontation with military personnel or other security agents.

“The government recognises the constitutional Right to Freedom of Movement for all Nigerians, but objects to the influx of people into Abia State for purposes of unsettling the enduring peace in the State.

“Abia State will co–operate with security agencies to maintain the rule of law and order in the State.”

The Southeast Governors’ Forum set up a seven-man committee to probe the Sunday clash between the Army and IPOB members in Umuahia.

Mr Michael Udah, the forum’s Director of Media and Communications, in a statement, said the committee was expected to submit its report during the forum’s meeting on Friday.

Udah did not mention the leader of the committee, but said that it was set-up to proffer lasting solutions to such problems and forestall future occurrences.

Udah said the governors were consulting with stakeholders in the zone, including the military, to ensure clarity of positions.

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The trainings, which were conducted with about 659 trained participants, built the capacities of spray gangs already existing in local communities on the safe use and application of herbicides.

NAFDAC’s Assistant Director in Benue State, Mr Emmanuel Anga, noted that the application of herbicides with disregard to standards and safety was becoming worrisome and lauded the training, emphasising that it would correct the current abuse of herbicides use in the country.

Emphasizing the need for herbicides use in agriculture, Mr Anga said that improving cassava yield could be easily achieved with the application of herbicides. However, he added that the application of herbicides must be consistent with the manufacturers’ recommendation in order not to undermine the health of applicators and destroy the environment.

During the training, which had both practical and theoretical sessions, participants were taught safety and correct use of herbicides. There was also a practical session on calibration using knapsack sprayers. A breakdown of trained participants across states showed that Abia had 105 participants, Benue had 101 participants, Ogun had 122 participants, and Oyo had 331 participants.

The Assistant Director for NAFDAC in Ogun state, Pharm L. J. Halim described the training as a step in the right direction. She commended IITA for organising the training, stressing that it would raise farmers’ consciousness on safe use of herbicides.

Farmers who participated said the training was a ‘life saving event.’

“Most of us spray herbicides without personal protective equipment and sometimes we use herbicides’ containers for storing water or cooking oil. Through this training, we have discovered that these are wrong practices because empty containers of herbicides contaminate either the water or cooking oil which affect our health,” farmer Emmanuel Tur said.

“If I go home, I will tell my wife and other members of the community to properly dispose empty containers of herbicides,” he added.

Another farmer, Rachel Olanipekun said the training demonstrated the must haves of any spray service provider.

“We have learnt how to protect ourselves and I thank IITA for training us. This training is an eye opener to all of us,” she added.

Across the major cassava growing areas in Nigeria, the use of herbicides is growing with some states having up to 90 percent of farmers using herbicides, according to a survey from IITA. The rising use of herbicides is driven by inadequate personnel for manual labour.

“However, the switch to herbicides demands that farmers need training to effectively apply the products,” according to Professor Friday Ekeleme, Principal Investigator with the IITA-CWMP.

“What the IITA-CWMP has set out to do is to promote integrated weed management options, combining mechanical, agronomy, and chemical weed control so that farmers are able to control weeds in a sustainable manner,” he added.

Godwin Atser, Communication and Knowledge Exchange Expert for the Cassava Weed Management project said the feedback from participants was exciting.

“Through the training, we saw farmers making commitment in terms of behavioural change. This makes me happy,” he said.

The trainings were implemented by IITA- CWMP, with support from NAFDAC, the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike; Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), and the University of Agriculture Makurdi (UAM).

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