He appealed to the governments of Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu states to team up to flush out criminals in their domains.

Mr Okeke Nkemjika, a palm plantation worker, is grateful to God that he is alive to narrate his ordeal in the hands of suspected Fulani herdsmen numbering about eight, according to CmaTrends.

“When the herdsmen invaded the plantation farm where I work, they demanded that I pay them N30 million, else they would kill me. “

Nkemjika, who spoke to CmaTrends on a hospital bed, at Jideofor Hospital, Awgu, Enugu State, said that he survived the onslaught by a miracle, adding that the same gang was responsible for the gruesome murder of a native four days before his attack.

Narrating his harrowing experience Nkemjika, who was still reeling in pain, said, “On that very day, Sunday, May 22, 2022, I went to the palm plantation with a commercial vehicle to carry palm fruits. It wasn’t put in one location, so after we loaded the ones put at the warehouse, I moved to carry the ones put at the residence.

“Suddenly, while I was carrying the palm fruits to the vehicle, I saw two Fulani herdsmen with guns. One was with AK-47 and another with a pump-action rifle. They were standing at a mango tree chewing mango fruits they had plucked there. When I turned back, I saw other ones; they were six in number. Three of them were carrying machetes, while the other three were carrying sticks.

“When I looked at where the vehicle was parked, I discovered that the driver had gone. They said I should kneel down and I knelt. The one carrying the AK-47 said I should bring N30 million or they would take me hostage and I told them I didn’t have N30 million. I didn’t have money. They said I should follow them to where they were keeping their hostages and I refused.

“This incident happened between 9:30 am and 10 am,” he explained, adding that he had to tell them that this would be their last reign of terror in the area.

“The two carrying guns were threatening to shoot me. I was so resolute that I had to tell them that their guns could not shoot me. In their efforts to take me hostage, they now macheted me.

“After inflicting deep cuts on my left hand and at the back, I slumped. At that point, I was bleeding and when they couldn’t take me hostage because they couldn’t drag me as I was bleeding, they left.

“Shortly, after operatives of Ebube-Agu security team and a team of policemen stormed the farm and rescued me. I learnt they were contacted by the driver who saw them earlier and escaped. So, they brought me to this hospital (Jideofor) here in Awgu where I am being treated,” he narrated.

He, however, told CmaTrends that he went to the farm on Sunday because of the Monday’s sit-at-home that has been compelling residents of South-East states to stay indoors.

He appealed to the governments of Ebonyi, Abia and Enugu states to team up to flush out criminals in their domains.

What Innoson Vehicles produced were just a few samples for test marketing, this is to enable the end-users to give us feedback on some innovations added to it.

We’re now collecting this useful feedbacks and the next set of first batches of the final products will come out between August/September.

In essence, the factory does not have units to sell to the market now and the cost is not N300,000 (300k).

Buyers Beware. Don’t fall to scammers.

Cornel Osigwe
Head Corporate Communications
IVM Innoson Group.

It was learnt that the committee prevented one of the contenders of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Abdul-Ahmed Mustapha, from the venue.

The PUNCH reports that the Lagos State Governorship Primary Election Committee of the All Progressives Congress, on Thursday, barred one of the aspirants from the venue of the primary at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in the Surulere area of the state.

It was learnt that the committee prevented one of the contenders of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Abdul-Ahmed Mustapha, from the venue.

Mustapha, a former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Minerals Resources in Lagos, resigned 14 months ago and had picked up the N50m governorship form of the party.

It was gathered that the committee chaired by a former deputy governor of Borno State, Shettima Yuguda, claimed that Mustapha was not cleared by the screening committee of the party.

However, the aspirant told The PUNCH that he was in Abuja two weeks ago for the screening though the result was not announced.

He said the Secretary of the primary election committee, Bashir Mohammed, turned him back on Thursday, saying that he was not cleared and as such cannot be given accreditation access to the venue.

Mustapha said, “We were told that we were not cleared by the leadership of the party and as such, they only gave accreditation tags to those that were cleared.

“We went to Abuja for clearance two weeks ago. The results of the clearance were not communicated to us.

“We went to the APC state secretariat at Acme Road yesterday (Wednesday), we tried to get our accreditation tags but we were not given. We were there till 7am this morning before going to the venue of the primary.”

Efforts to reach Yuguda, Mohammed and another member of the committee, Tilewa Sijuade, proved abortive as of press time as calls to their lines rang out.

Also, APC chairman for Lagos, Cornelius Ojelabi, did not take his calls as of press time.

Sanwo-Olu, the anointed aspirant of APC leader, Bola Tinubu, is seeking re-election. He is in the race with Mustapha; and Wale Oluwo, a former Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources in Lagos who is also an ally of ex-governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

‘Nobody should be compelled into a consensus arrangement’

Mustapha had, in an interview with The PUNCH, said Lagosians deserve better than they get under Sanwo-Olu.

“After the End SARS riot, that incident broke something in me; something that was very personal and there were two ways I could go: it is either I go to the present government and told there is nothing that can be done or I say, ‘Let’s do what can be salvaged’. How can this over 70 per cent population that is alienated, angry, disconnected and that doesn’t have any stake in the economy or the way the country is being governed, how can we do something to attract them.”

He had insisted on going to the polls and noted that he won’t agree with any consensus arrangement.

“Let’s go to the field and test our popularity. Nobody should be compelled into a consensus arrangement,” he said.

On why he was challenging his former boss, he said, “Because we strongly believe we have a better model that will help further accelerate the development of the state. There is a Master Plan put in place by Asiwaju (Tinubu), built on by BRF (Babatunde Raji Fashola), and built on by (Akinwunmi) Ambode. If other states are going at 3%, Lagos should be going at 9% to account for the mirage challenges in healthcare, education, energy and other sectors.

“We believe passionately that we have a better model and it that belief that is propelling us. I have some experience working for the City of New York, and understanding how the city was put together. Such model is really transmittable and we can accelerate the development of Lagos State.”