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Imo communities battle govt, church over communal land

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The controversy surrounding the ownership of the former premises of Imo State Polytechnic, Orlu campus has taken a different dimension, as the people of Umuire, Eluama, Ndiowerre and Ndikabia in Orlu Autonomous Community, have dragged the Imo State Government and the Orlu Catholic Diocese to court, seeking to repossess their land.

In the case, with Suit No: HOR/48/2025, between, Chijioke Odogwu, Venatius Nnuyi and Hon Elijah P.N. Uzomba as representatives of the Communities against the State Government and the incorporated Trustees of the Catholic Diocese of Orlu, the communities, are praying that the court should determine the original owners of the land.

The plaintiffs, in the statement of claim signed by their lawyer, N.O. Chukwuezi, stated that sometime between 1945 and 1946, some Irish missionaries arrived Orlu and were looking for a place to establish a secondary school.

They stated that their fathers welcomed the Irish missionaries and their desire to establish a school and jointly donated a part of their land known as Uhu Agu to them where they built Bishop Shanahan College (BSC), Orlu.

The communities recalled that the school was then managed for the Irish missionaries by the Marist Brothers.

The Plaintiffs averred that after some time, the same Irish missionaries approached the community again, to give them the remaining Uhu Agu land opposite Bishop Shanahan College for them to use as a temporary place for training teachers.

They stated that at that period, their fathers refused to make an outright donation of the land to the missionaries but merely granted them the right to stay on the land pending when they will conclude their assignment and leave.

Based on that premise, the Plaintiffs showed the missionaries a little portion of their jointly owned Uhu Agu land opposite Bishop Shanahan College, where the missionaries raised few temporary structure for Teacher-Training College.

The lawyer further revealed that another portion was given to the church for Pastoral Centre.

The Plaintiffs further averred that one of the conditions for showing the Irish missionaries the land was that the missionaries would be paying rent to them on a yearly basis through their Traditional Rulers, an agreement the plaintiffs claimed had been carried out religiously by the missionaries until the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War in 1967 which disrupted the school’s academic calendar.

“When the War ended in 1970, the College’s premises were taken over by the 24 Battalion of the Nigerian Army.

“The Army continued to occupy the land until 1973 when the then Government of East Central State took over all schools owned by the Government ,including BSTC,” the plaintiffs stated.

They recalled that the government continued to run and manage the school before the then Government of Imo State converted the site to a campus of Alvan Ikoku College of Education, following the exit of the former occupants.

The communities’ representatives further stated that In the process, the government expanded the school and took over other adjoining parcels of the land belonging to them and built a block wall right round it.

“In 1982, the then Government of Imo State returned the campus of Alvan Ikoku College of Education to Owerri and established Technical Skills Acquisition Centre (TESAC) thereon which was renamed Technical Skills Acquisition Institute (TESAI) under the regime of Governor Ikedi Ohakim.

“During the regime of Governor Rochas Okorocha, he made the place a campus of Imo State Polytechnic which the present Government has moved to Omuma in Oru East Local Government Area.

“Following this move, the land became vacant for us the original owners to take back, but surprisingly, the State Government handed the land to the church without our knowledge,” they claimed.

They argued that since the State Government and the former occupant of the land were no longer in need of the land in question, that they lacked the powers to hand the land to a third party.

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Fuel price hike: Gov Makinde announces N10,000 transport support for workers

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The governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, has approved a N10,000 transportation allowance as a palliative for the state workforce to cushion the effects of the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State chapter, Kayode Martins, in a statement released on Monday, March 23, disclosed that the governor has granted the request of the union on the issue of transportation allowance.

The statement read

“Following the intervention and formal request made by the State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) earlier this morning, the state government has approved a N10,000 transportation allowance for all workers in the state.

The newly approved allowance is set to take effect from April 2026, providing much-needed relief to workers grappling with rising transportation costs amid current economic challenges.

This development comes as a direct response to sustained advocacy by the state NLC, aimed at cushioning the impact of increased living expenses on the workforce.

Further details on implementation are expected to be communicated by the relevant government authorities in due course.”

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Former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation bags 72years imprisonment for diverting N868.46 million security funds

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Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, March 23, convicted and sentenced Chukwunyere Nwabuoku, former acting Accountant-General of the Federation (AGoF), to a 72-year jail term without an option of fine.

DailyTrust reports that in the judgment delivered, Justice Omotosho held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had been able to prove the nine-count money laundering charge beyond reasonable doubt.

According to the judge, the defendant is hereby convicted as charged.

Justice Omotosho convicted Nwabuoku in all the nine counts and sentenced him to eight years imprisonment in each of the counts, making 72 years.

The judge, however, ordered that the counts shall run concurrently.

Justice Omotosho, who described Nwabuoku’s act of diverting funds meant for security and defence while he served as Director of Finance and Account in the Ministry of Defence as “appalling,” commended the EFCC for being detailed in its prosecution.

The judge observed that the evidence of the 9th prosecution witness that Nwabuoku voluntarily refunded part of the siphoned money of over N200 million during investigation was not controverted by the defence.

Nwabuoku served as the Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021. He became acting Accountant General of the Federation in May 2022.

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11 more arrested over Ozoro “r@ping festival”

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The police in Delta state have arrested eleven more suspects over the sexu@l ass@ults recorded during what was described as a “r@ping festival” in Oramudu Quarters in Ozoro last Thursday, March 19.

In a statement released on Saturday, March 21, the spokesperson of the command, SP Bright Edafe, said the CP Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT) was tasked with conducting a detailed investigation into the incident.

Edafe said operatives of CP-SAT conducted a thorough analysis of available video evidence and intelligence, leading to the arrest of eleven additional suspects identified as Samson Atukpodo, Steven ovie, Ugbevo Samson, Afoke Akporobaro, Evidence Oguname, and six others. Edafe mentioned that these latest arrests bring the total number of suspects currently in police custody in connection with the incident to fifteen (15)

“The Command reiterates that preliminary findings indicate that the unfortunate incident was perpetrated by criminal elements who exploited the situation to engage in acts of sexu@l v!olence, which are in no way representative of any legitimate cultural practice.

The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Aina Adesola, condemns these acts in totality and reassures the public that the Command remains resolute in its determination to ensure that all those involved are identified, arrested, and prosecuted in accordance with the law. Members of the public, particularly victims and witnesses, are once again encouraged to come forward with credible information that will aid ongoing investigations. The Command assures that all information provided will be treated with strict confidentiality.”the statement in part reads

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