President Muhammadu Buhari felicitates with the Muslim Ummah, Nigerians of all faiths and the followers of Islam all over the world on the occasion of the Maulud-Un-Nabiyy, the birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him.
In a message to mark the occasion, Tuesday, 19th October, a public holiday throughout the Federation, President Buhari says, “I am delighted to send greetings of peace, unity and goodwill to the Muslim Ummah, fellow citizens and Muslims all over the world as they observe and celebrate Eid-ul- Maulud.”
The President urges Muslims to strive for “forgiveness and closeness to the noble life and teachings of the Prophet (SAW) whose birthday is being marked on this blessed day. On this auspicious occasion, I wish you all the blessings of today.”
The President uses the occasion to give a snapshot of the increased activities the Armed Forces, Police Force, and intelligence agencies have embarked upon to effectively respond to the security challenges in the nation.
He says the government fully expects and intends for these trends to continue, and calls on the media to address the tone, content, and standards of reporting into security and safety measures. Time has come to revise the prefixes “rising insecurity” with “declining insecurity.”
The President adds that increased cooperation and collaboration from the citizenry, coupled with reinvigorated, dynamic, and energized police, security and military leadership is helping the administration score more victories against terror, criminality, and economic sabotage. The reality of declining insecurity should replace the inaccurate narrative of rising insecurity in the country.
“While there is work to do, the men and women in uniform who are helping the nation to achieve this goal, desire our collective appreciation and encouragement to do even more. The whole country and its mass communications systems have a duty in this regard,” the President adds.
President Buhari concludes his message by appealing to road users to drive with care and avoid needless accidents.
Nigeria is obviously the biggest black democracy in the World but Nigeria has yet to adapt to those critical factors and practices that characterize a vibrant and viable democracy. There are practices within and without government that allows for leakages that lead to willful underdevelopment and these burdens of underdevelopment are instigated by a dearth of knowledge of how to govern a corporate political entity as a corporate business as are the cases with such developed societies like Great Britain, Germany, Canada, USA, Australia. For a Constitutional democracy to be assumed to be viable, there have to be some elements present such as the establishment of strong institutions, respect for rule of law and the supremacy of the constitution or the Grund Norm. It is exactly because of the absence of the deep rooted practice of constitutionalism that gives rise to the perennial national conversations on the character of the national leader that Nigerians should elect as their President. The debate on the character of who becomes the 2023 president of Nigeria has reached a frenzied dimension with a lot of focus on which between the North and South should the office of the president of Nigeria be rotated to in the next presidential election.
The debate on the zoning of the office of president of Nigeria in 2023 is not trivial as some persons would want us to believe. This is because the tempestuous nature of our make up as a Country of diverse ethnicities makes it essential that the people should formulate a democratic ethos of rotating the office of president, governors and local council chairman amongst all shades and ethnicities. However, this reflection is basically about the very character of who should vie for the office of president in which case this writer is making a case for election of a highly successful businessman as Nigeria’s next president in addition to the need to zone the office of the president of Nigeria to the South of Nigeria for equity and balance. As the debates over the next presidential poll heats up, the salient conversations that Nigerians are yet to start is the urgency of electing a successful businessman or business woman who will then kick start the governance of Nigeria in the same format that led to his or her emergence in the real sense as being rated as very successful. Nigeria is also lucky to have vastly successful businessmen and women who are also successful in politics. If truth be told, of all the successful business executives who delved into politics and have successfully transited to successful political governance are the current Chief whip of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Senator Orji Uzor Kalu who also governed Abia State twice as Chief executive and made huge successes as the governor of the God’s own state of Abia. Closely following this versatile senator of the Federal Republic is the former Anambra State governor Mr. Peter Obi who is reputed to be incorruptible, erudite, accessible and frugal with resources. As far as the 2023 presidential poll is concerned, Orji Uzor Kalu and Peter Obi are the two most successful businessmen and investors of rare ingenuity that are actually being considered to run for the office of the president of Nigeria. Orji Uzor Kalu has also tested the baptism of political fire by way of being subjected to largely politically motivated trial for alleged corruption. He was sent to prison and he spent 6 months and because he is a man of the people he survived this prison ordeals and came out a bigger and much more respected statesman who now has become an advocate for prisons reforms. The Federal High Court has just discharged and acquitted him of all charges of corruption after the nation’s Supreme Court freed him from wrongful imprisonment. So it is safe to say that he has no institutional baggage and impediments to run for the office of President of Nigeria in 2023, all things being equal. Currently, he is the most senior in rank of all Igbo Political office holders. He is knowledgeable about the diversities that make up Nigeria as he has spent time in the West, and in the North in addition to becoming teinterms governor of Abia State and now the Senator representing Abia North who defeated a sitting Senator of the PDP to become the only elected Senatotbof the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). So as a very successful businessman and and a good politician, he stands poles apart to be considered to run for the office if the President of Nigeria but the only obstacle is himself. He has to decide if he will go for the bigger call to serve the Country in 2023. I will kick start by saying that the reason for emphasizing the material essence of letting a successful businessman/woman to become the next president is because the United States of America became what it is today by the virtue of the fact that the founding fathers were mostly successful businessmen who later got elected into office as presidents of the United States of America for successive terms and today America is the richest nation in the world in terms of economy and in politics, USA is the strongest democracy globally and in military term, United States of America is number one. No doubt it is the overwhelming desire of Nigerians in their multitude that Nigeria should be governed just like how successful private sector businesses are governed so the nation can have the fighting chance of becoming an advanced democracy and a big economic power house in the shortest possible time frame. I will come to that but first, let me make the clearest and the most unambiguous case for the person of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu to consider running for the office of the president of Nigeria because of his invaluable achievements in both public sectors and the Nigerian economy. Both senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Peter Obi who are about the most successful businessmen from the East with political tentacles spread across board, are some of the finest businessmen who should be persuaded to consider running for the office of president. Orji Uzor Kalu is quoted as saying that he has not yet decided to run for the office of president of Nigeria in 2023. The Senate Chief Whip Orji Uzor Kalu has said he has no ambition to run for the presidency in 2023.
He however said that he would heed the call of Nigerians if it becomes a consensus that he should run for President and serve them in that capacity.
Kalu spoke while responding to questions from reporters after being conferred with a traditional title of ‘Kibiya’ (Arrow) of Argungu Emirate by the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Mohammed Mera, in Abuja.
When asked if he would run for the presidency in 2023 in view of agitations in the South East, Kalu said: “There is nothing like that in my mind. You should understand that there are only two zones that have not been President of Nigeria – the North East and the South East.
“So I have never thought about going to run for President. But everywhere I go people are disturbing me talking about presidency.
“I have told my family members and political associates that I want to come back to the Senate.
“The four years of my tenure in the Senate would end in 2023. I would like to come and do another one. Possibly, after my second term in the Senate, I will retire from politics and go back to my farm.”
When asked if he would if Nigerians call on him to run, he said: “Nigerian presidency is not what one can say I want. They know how to arrange it.
“No one man can make himself Nigerian President. It takes a lot of consultation across the regions. If other regions agree it could be possible.
“I have the capability and capacity to do any job given to me by every Nigerian not by some Nigerians.
“I am not running for President. I want to come back to Senate and continue serving my people.
“This place (Senate) is a very interesting place to be. When I was a Governor I used to be in a big office alone. But in the Senate, if I am tired in my office, I will go and see the Senate President, Senate Leader, Senator Kashim Shettima or Senator Ibikunle Amosun. I find in this place a strong bond for Nigerian people.” Those who should know have recorded that Prior to the election of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu on 9th January, 1999 as the second Executive Governor of Abia State after Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and his subsequent swearing in on May 29,1999, OUK has been in business. He had garnered at a very youthful age wealth of knowledge in business,( human and material resources management)and held several management positions wherein, he proved himself as a good Manager. As a Founder of over ten(10) gigantic Companies with Subsidiaries all over the globe, he remains the Chairman cum Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of these Companies. These conglomerate of OUK’s Companies had and keep providing job opportunities for thousands of Nigerians and non Nigerians which record is yet to be beaten by any businessman who is of Abia extraction. No wonder the unabated envy , unfounded and spurious allegations against this illustrious, industrious, vibrant,active,philanthropic, energetic, committed ,versatile, responsive and responsible son of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has held many management positions, to wit: Chairman, Borno State Water Board; Chairman, Imo Marketing & Supply Agency Limited; Chairman, Co- operative and Commerce Bank(CCB)Ltd and even served as the Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Finance & Internal Affairs as well as the Promoter of the first International Bank Ltd in Gambia. The above qualities mark him out as a very successful businessman who will inevitably govern Nigeria in the same success ethos he adopted in business. I had searched for the fundamental evidence to support my belief that having a Businessman President will bring out the Entrepreneurial Spirit in the Aso-Rock. Matt D’Angelo the Business News Daily Contributing Writer in a piece Updated Feb 14, 2020 gave us a run down of Presidents of the USA who were successful businessmen. They are: George Washington (No. 1, served 1789-97) It turns out Washington, in addition to being one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history, was a savvy businessman. After completing his final term as president in 1797, Washington turned his talents to a much-enjoyed business at the time: whiskey. He opened a distillery on the grounds of Mount Vernon. By 1799, the distillery was producing 11,000 gallons per year, making it one of the largest in the country. Of course, at that time, Washington’s business ventures were built on the backs of slaves, specifically six people who worked the distillery. His commercial success, like that of much of the nation’s early distillers, was due in large part to slave labor. Next is Abraham Lincoln (No. 16, served 1861-65) and the writer says: “If Lincoln wasn’t a success of enormous consequence, his noble mug wouldn’t be on every $5 bill we pull out of our wallets. But Lincoln couldn’t hack it as a businessman. Long before he assumed the weight of the country’s deep divisions, Lincoln ran a general store – and not very well. He was 23 years old when he and a partner opened their store in New Salem, Illinois. Lincoln got out of the struggling business fairly quickly, but he did get stuck with his partner’s debt of $1,000. Andrew Johnson (No. 17, served 1865-69) Before Johnson entered political life, he was an accomplished tailor and real estate owner. The son of a seamstress, Johnson apprenticed as a tailor when he came of age. Once he was old enough, he started his own shop. It was in his business as an independent tailor that he began to teach himself to read and write, eventually leading him to political life and the presidency. Warren G. Harding (No. 29, served 1921-23) Dealing with the press has always been a cumbersome task for the president, but Harding had an advantage: He came from a newspaper family, learning the ins and outs of his father’s business from the age of 10. He studied the newspaper trade in college and – after dabbling in teaching, insurance and law – dove into the business full time. With partners, he cobbled together $300 to buy The Marion Daily Star in Ohio. He owned the paper outright by the time he was 21. Owning a business wore Harding down, but he refueled at a local sanitarium and pursued his business aggressively. In 1923, the year he died, Harding sold his paper for $550,000. In today’s dollars, that’s about $7 million – not too shabby. Herbert Hoover (No. 31, served 1929-33) Hoover served during the country’s absolute worst economic period. It would seem ideal to have a businessman in charge at that point, but Hoover’s policies exacerbated the economy’s deterioration. Before the economy tanked, Hoover succeeded in the business world. He worked as an engineer and invented a new process to extract zinc that was lost in the contemporary mining processes of his day. He started the Zinc Corporation in the early 20th century, and it later became part of a larger corporation. Then comes Harry Truman (No. 33, served 1945-53) described by the author thus: “Truman’s most lasting impression on history occurred within weeks of his taking office after President Franklin D. Roosevelt died. Upon taking the helm, he found out about the Manhattan Project. Within months, he made the decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan, effectively ending World War II. The president had come a long way from being a local haberdasher. He remains the only president elected after 1897 who did not earn a college degree. Medical issues prevented Truman from getting into West Point, so he took some classes at a business college but never finished. Then he decided to get an education in hard knocks. Truman opened his clothing store in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1919. He went bankrupt a couple years later and changed career paths, starting with positions in local government that ultimately led to greater offices. Jimmy Carter (No. 39, served 1977-81) In addition to being elected to the highest office in the most powerful country in the world, Carter started the Department of Education, won a Nobel Peace Prize and has written nearly two dozen books. Yet he’s still remembered as a peanut farmer. Carter was serving in the Navy after graduating from the Naval Academy when his father died. He returned to Georgia to work on the family business. Agriculture proved a natural fit for Carter, and he grew the business successfully. And lastly Donald Trump (No. 45, served 2017-present)
Before Trump was a politician, he was a famous entrepreneur. He took over the family company and developed it into an international brand. He also invested in real estate and helped develop some of the world’s most luxurious hotels and casinos. A long line of products have borne the Trump brand, including Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump Shuttle and Trump Success Eau de Toilette. Trump developed such a reputation as a businessman that he was cast in the American TV show Celebrity Apprentice, which started his famous motto: “You’re fired.” The fruits of Trump’s success are much debated by critics today, but it’s clear that Trump was an accomplished entrepreneur before he became president. That journalist made the following legal imperatives: “Surveying the presidents reveals at least two prevailing characteristics among many of them: They were born rich and viewed the law as the best avenue to further their prominence. Perhaps the most privileged found work at prestigious firms or used their bar credentials to vault immediately into illustrious positions. But more than a few put up their own shingle and practiced on their own or with a partner, including Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Millard Fillmore, Benjamin Harrison and Gerald Ford.” We ned to remark that I the above compilations, Patrick Egan contributed to the reporting and writing in this article cited by my humble self who is making a case for a Businessman President for Nigeria in 2023. In subsequent editions, we will name and explain some other successful businessmen and women who could be persuaded to run for the presidency in 2023 from Southern Nigeria. The next edition will commence with Peter Obi who was mentioned earlier. *EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO is head of the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and was a federal commissioner at the National Human Rights commission of Nigeria.
For the umpteenth time, the leading civil rights advocacy group-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked the law enforcement agencies in the Country to obey the constitution and put a permanent stop to their practice of pre-trial media parade of accused persons.
In a media statement issued to mark the one year anniversary of the nationwide #ENDSARS PROTESTS, the civil rights advocacy group through the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said the continuous parade of suspects increasingly portrays Nigeria as a Banana Republic whereby the Constitution is defecated upon by the same publicly paid employees who should enforce the law just as the Rights group said in developed societies, identity of crime suspects are revealed after they are convicted by competent courts of law.
HURIWA said it is in discussion with stakeholders on what legal steps to take to compel law enforcement agencies to follow the law and stop media parade of accused persons in Nigeria.
The following are our determination regarding media persecution of suspects:
What is Parade?
The word ‘parade’ means to display (someone or something) while marching or moving around a place. Synonyms include, procession, march, display, spectacle, escort, etc. The word “suspect” in legal parlance means a person thought to be guilty of a crime or offence, but who has not yet been proven to be so.
What is Media Parade?
Media consists of means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the internet) regarded collectively. The term “parade” is a noun and a verb. As a noun, it means a public procession. When used as a verb, it means to display. Regardless of the form in which it is used, a parade is an over act.
Media parade is therefore, a practice of displaying or communicating to the public about an incident or development. In the case of people arrested for certain crimes, it is a means of informing the public, usually through publishing on the internet, the identities of these suspects.
The practice has become notorious in Nigeria, that once security agencies arrest anyone suspected to have committed an offence, such suspects are immediately paraded before the public, in the full glare of cameras.A clear case is the case of chidimma ojukwu a 21 years old undergraduate of Lagos state university mass communication who was alleged to have killed the CEO of super TV ,Usifo Ataga ,in Lagos recently. But in another trending follow – up video,the young lady made a dramatic U- turn , curiously recanting her earlier “confession” before the media during her initial parade in the police premises.she denied ever killing Ataga.
Media parade is therefore, a practice of displaying or communicating to the public about an incident or development. In the case of people arrested for certain crimes, it is a means of informing the public, usually through publishing on the internet, the identities of these suspects.
The practice has become notorious in Nigeria, that once security agencies arrest anyone suspected to have committed an offence, such suspects are immediately paraded before the public, in the full glare of cameras.
such crude practice undermines the investigation process. Worse still, it defames the suspect’s reputation in an irreversible manner, where such a suspect is eventually proven innocent.
The courts have consistently cautioned the law enforcement agencies, to desist from parading criminal suspects before the media.
It is more worrisome that these parades and media trials by the Police, of people who are at best suspects, usually take place even before investigations begin, or are concluded. This act is patently unconstitutional and unlawful. It is curious that such practice has since been accepted as normal, by individuals and the society. For the avoidance of doubt, every suspect enjoys the constitutional protection of ‘presumption of innocence’ until proven guilty under Section 36(5) CFRN 1999. The suspect is also entitled to dignity of his human person, by virtue of Section 34(1)(a) of the CFRN 1999.
Right of Suspects to Presumption of Innocence
The presumption of innocence inures in favour of criminal suspects by virtue of Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Act. Even the ACJA makes ample provisions for dignity of human treatment of suspects, in addition to Section 34 CFRN1999, which provides for the right to dignity of the human person. The Nigeria Police Force and other law enforcement agencies in Nigeria have, however, continued to expose accused persons to media trial before arraigning them in courts. Thus, the practice of subjecting suspects to media trial and parade before arraignment in a criminal court, is an infringement of their fundamental rights to fair hearing and dignity. To compound these human rights abuse inclination, such suspects are subjected to gruelling sessions of interviews and what appears to be “cross-examination” by law enforcement officials and the media crew at crowded press conferences, without being accorded human dignity and the services of a Lawyer as required by law.
Supreme Court expounded on them in the case of SAUDE v ABUDULLAH (1989) 4 NWLR Pt. 116 page 387 @419, as:
“Fundamental rights are important, and they are not just mere rights. They are fundamental. They belong to the citizen. These rights have always existed, even before orderliness prescribed rules for the manner they are to be sought….”
It is a right which stands above the ordinary laws of the land, and which in fact is antecedent to the political society itself. As Kayode Eso, J.S.C of blessed memory succinctly stated, “[i]t is a primary condition to a civilised existence”. (RANSOME KUTI & ORS v A.G. OF FEDERATION & ORS (1985) 2 NWLR P. 211 at 230). He further pronounced that “[i]t is a right which stands above the ordinary laws of the land and which in fact, is antecedent to the political society itself.”
Some Judicial Decisions on Media Parade of Criminal Suspects
The Judiciary has always risen to the occasion, castigating suspects’ parade. It has, in a plethora of cases, serially condemned the illegal practice of parading mere criminal suspects before the media. The “jungle justice” inherent in it, is that it adjudges them already as guilty convicts even without any trial. In NDUKWEM CHIZIRI NICE v AGF & ANOR (2007) CHR 218 at 232, Banjoko J. (as she then was) (then of Federal High Court, Abuja), tongue-lashed the Police, holding that:
“The act of parading him (the suspect) before the press as evidenced by the Exhibits annexed to the affidavit was uncalled for, and a callous disregard for his person. He was shown up to the public the next day of his arrest, even without any investigation conducted in the matter. He was already prejudged by the Police who are incompetent, so to have such function, it is the duty of the court to pass a verdict of guilt, and this constitutes a clear breach of Section 36(4) and (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 on the doctrine of fair hearing
Further, the courts have in several decisions condemned such public parade of criminal suspects as an illegal practice. For example, in Ndukwem Chiziri Nice v. AG, Federation & Anor. (2007) CHR 218 at 232 Justice Banjoko held that ‘The act of parading him (the suspect) before the press as evidenced by the Exhibits annexed to the affidavit was uncalled for and a callous disregard for his person.’
“Similarly, Femi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human Rights Activist in a 2017 article,gave an example of one of such court cases: the Ecowas Community Court of Justice sitting in Abuja in Dyot Bayi & 14 Ors. v. Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004-2009) CCJLER 245 at 265 the Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS Court condemned what it called ‘media trial’ of the Applicants in the following words: ‘The Court is of the opinion that for the fact that the Defendants presented the Applicants before the press when no judge or court has found them guilty, certainly constitute a violation of the principle of presumption of innocent.the court proceeded to award damages of US $42,750.00 to each of the 10 Applicants and the US $10,000.00 as costs payable by the Federal Government for the illegal actions of the Naval personnel who carried out the illegal parade of the applicants.”
COMRADE EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO:
NATIONAL COORDINATOR:
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA).
At least 49 persons have been killed after gunmen invaded a market at Goronyo town in the Goronyo local government area of Sokoto State.
One of the villagers told SaharaReporters that residents have fled the community following the insecurity in the area. He noted that gunmen rounded up villagers in the market and opened fire on them.
He said: “Gunmen on Sunday evening killed at least 49 at Goronyo town of Sokoto State.
“The incident happened yesterday evening on the market day of the town. The gunmen rounded up people in the market while it was full of activities and started opening fire randomly. The town is now deserted.”
SaharaReporters had reported that the assailants attacked the market in large numbers on Sunday night, shooting sporadically and killing several persons.
In the past two weeks, bandits have launched attacks on a village market in Sokoto.
Earlier this month, at least 19 traders were killed by bandits who raided a weekly market at Unguwan Lalle in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The attack also left several others injured, the majority of whom were taken for treatment at the General Hospital, Sabon Birni.
Unguwan Lalle, a community located along Goronyo-Sabon Birni Road, has suffered a series of bandits’ attacks in recent months.
Five soldiers who were on a rescue mission in the area were ambushed and killed by bandits a few months ago. A resident had said the attack happened during market hours.
For several weeks, troops have been conducting air and ground operations on bandit camps in neighbouring Zamfara state where authorities have shut down telecom services to disrupt communication between the gangs.
Bandits fleeing the military operation in Zamfara have set up camps in the Sabon Birni district from where they raid villages.
The influx of bandits from neighbouring Zamfara state prompted authorities in Sokoto to suspend weekly markets and shut down telecom towers in areas on the border with Zamfara, including Sabon Birni.
Last week, some youths of Goronyo town in the Goronyo local government area of Sokoto State flooded the streets to protest against the abysmal level of insecurity in the area.
A source said the youths were demonstrating against the insecurity in the area, which had forced many residents to flee the town.
He said, “Protest is going on at Goronyo town in Sokoto State. The youths took to the streets protesting rampant insecurity that is forcing people to flee the town. The protest is currently ongoing.”
Photos obtained by SaharaReporters show roadblocks and burning tyres as the youths expressed their displeasure with killings and kidnappings going on unchecked in their area.
Sokoto is one of the states ravaged by insecurity in the North, a situation that has worsened under President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. Just recently, the state government ordered the shutdown of telecommunications services in some parts of the state to curb the prevailing banditry in the state.
The ban on mobile phone services is effective in Dange Shuni, Tambuwal, Sabon Birni, Raba, Tureta, Goronyo, Tangaza and Isa local government areas amongst others.
Meanwhile, some bandits operating in the Eastern Senatorial District of the state recently resorted to writing letters to reach out to families of their victims to demand ransoms.
A source, who was privy to the bandits’ new antics in Sokoto, said a letter was written to a traditional ruler in Burkusuma, demanding a ransom to secure the release of 20 persons kidnapped from two communities in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area.
Attacks on police stations in the South-East region of Nigeria continued on Monday as unknown gunmen attacked the Divisional Police Headquarters situated in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
SaharaReporters gathered that the gunmen “stormed the station around 2 am, releasing all the suspects in custody in the police facility”.
Some operational vehicles were also set ablaze by the hoodlums while some officers escaped with bullet wounds.
Other circumstances surrounding the attack, including the identities of the attackers could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report.
Loveth Odah, Ebonyi State Police Command spokesperson confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters, saying the police commissioner was on his way to the scene to ascertain the level of damage.
The incident is the latest in what appears to be a growing trend of attacks on police stations and security personnel in the South-East region of the country.
The governors in the region recently announced the establishment of a joint security outfit, codenamed ‘Ebube Agu’ to “battle rising insecurity”.
