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Many Injured as Traders, Revenue Agents Clash in Abakaliki Market

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Abakaliki Traders Revenue Collectors 28 August 2019 Clash
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Several people on Wednesday 28th August 2019 in Abakaliki sustained various degrees of injuries as traders at the Abakpa Main Market, Abakaliki clashed with suspected revenue agents drafted to enforce payment of tax in the market.

Some of the victims including Messrs Uchechukwu Nkwegu, Sunday Awoke, Patrick Eze among other traders are currently receiving treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.

Mrs Loveth Odah, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Ebonyi confirmed the incident while speaking with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Odah said that armed policemen had been drafted to the market to maintain law and order, adding that the police had launched preliminary investigation into the incident.

She confirmed that one of the traders was left unconscious after the clash but was revived by doctors.

According to Odah, trouble ensued when Ebonyi revenue collection agents led by Mr Martin Ukwuegbu, Special Assistant to Gov. Dave Umahi on Internally Generated Revenue went into the market for tax collection.

She said that in the statement deposed on oath by Ukwuegbu, some of the affected defaulters resisted and began fighting with the revenue agents.

“According to the SA to the governor on IGR, trouble started when revenue defaulting traders at the market refused to pay their tax to the agents who came to collect it.

“The SA said that expected IGR from the market has been on the decline due to refusal by shop owners to remit taxes to appropriate government revenue accounts.

“So, the SA and the revenue agents moved into the market to enforce compliance and to get defaulters to face approved sanctions after the defaulters have failed to honour series of invitation and papers served on them to come and explain their non-compliance.

“The revenue agents went into the market to identify those ones who have refused to pay and to seal their shops.

“They have succeeded in sealing about seven shops when clashes began.

“In the process of the clash, one person was confirmed seriously injured and currently on admission at the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.

“The Commissioner of Police quickly deployed two Assistant Commissioners of Police and a tactical team to the market to restore order and sanity.

“Everywhere is now calm and normalcy has returned to the market and we have launched investigation to ascertain the cause of the clash,” Odah explained.

She said that preliminary reports obtained indicated that the traders were agitating against alleged government imposition of leaders on them.

“We, the police will investigate because we have different reactions from traders at the market.

“One was the allegation that one Mr Peter Oba was allegedly imposed on them but when we asked government, they denied any imposition of leadership on the traders.

“Government said that the tenure of the former executive expired and in order to avoid any vacuum, an interim leadership was put in place pending when substantive executive will be elected and inaugurated to pilot affairs of the market.

“Again, the traders alleged a witch-hunt because they dragged government to court to challenge quit notice and revocation of lease-hold order served on them by government.

“But government through the SA to the governor on IGR denied the allegation saying that they were in the market to enforce revenue payment compliance,” Odah added.

Meanwhile, some traders at the market who spoke with NAN including Chief Emeka Uba, Sabastine Achaniru and Dandy Ogbonnaya condemned the clash and called for unbiased police investigation into the incident .

The traders alleged that many of them were severely injured, shops vandalised and goods worth millions of naira allegedly looted by the suspected revenue agents.

They said government served them quit notice and revocation of their lease-hold order and had already gone to court as peaceful and law abiding citizens to challenge the government action.

The traders said their lease-hold with the Ebonyi local government council was 30 years and they still have 12 years remaining.

Oba, the interim market chairman when contacted for comments, declined to speak. (NAN)

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Alausa Condemns Incident in Viral Asaba Exam Video

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The Federal Ministry of Education has condemned the incident involving candidates sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at night using torchlights.The Minister of State for Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, expressed his displeasure in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo.

Boriowo quoted the minister as outlining the situation captured in the widely circulated video as “completely unacceptable”, adding that all necessary measures would be taken to prevent a recurrence.
He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to ensuring a conducive environment for learning and assessment.Alausa criticised the poor conditions under which the examination was conducted at Unity Secondary School in Asaba, Delta, under the supervision of the State Ministry of Education.
“The ministry’s attention has been drawn to the conduct of an examination in an unsuitable environment, as seen in footage circulating on social media.“This reveals an inappropriate setting for such a critical academic exercise, and it occurred under the oversight of the Delta State Ministry of Education”.The minister stated that the ministry is working in collaboration with the Delta government and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to investigate the matter and ensure appropriate corrective measures are taken.“The outcome of the investigation will be made public as necessary,” he added.Alausa reiterated his commitment to improving educational infrastructure and ensuring that students across the country have access to safe and enabling environments for teaching, learning, and assessment. (NAN)

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Zulum Announces Scholarship for Female Indigenous with 250, Above in UTME

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Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has announced a full scholarship for all female indigenes of the state who scored 250 and above in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).The UTME is conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for candidates seeking admission into tertiary institution after their secondary school education.

Zulum made the scholarship announcement on Saturday in Maiduguri.
He spoke during the inauguration of new executive members of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), Maiduguri Chapter, and a scholarship programme facilitated by his wife, Dr.
Habiba Babagana Zulum.The governor said the initiative was aimed at promoting girl-child education and encouraging female students.
He said it was to encourage them to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as technical and vocational education.“In order to encourage girl-child education in the state, I want to announce that all female indigenes who scored 250 and above in JAMB would be sponsored by the Borno State Government to study STEM or technical/vocational education,” Zulum said.The governor directed the acting Chief of Staff, the State Scholarship Board, Ministry of Education and APWEN to identify and screen eligible candidates for the scholarship scheme.He commended his wife for her efforts in supporting education and acknowledged APWEN’s role in promoting the engineering profession among women and girls in Borno.The governor’s wife delivered a paper titled, “The Role of Mentorship in Encouraging Girls to Pursue Engineering Careers in Nigeria”.She emphasised the importance of mentorship in enhancing both personal and professional development among young girls.Dr. Zulum noted that women made up only 14 per cent of Nigeria’s STEM workforce, which should be improved upon.“Mentorship is critical to shaping the minds and future of upcoming generations,” she said.She highlighted its role in building confidence, breaking stereotypes, fostering critical thinking and creating access to opportunities.In her remarks, the outgoing APWEN Chairperson, Kori Shettima, expressed pride in the association’s achievements, particularly in advocacy and mentorship for girls in STEM fields.“I am proud of the progress we have made, the lives we have touched and the young minds we have inspired,” Shettima said.Highlights of the event include the inauguration of the 4th Chairperson of APWEN, Maiduguri Chapter, Engr. Hajju Tijjani Gazali.It also featured the presentation scholarships – N200,000 each to six top-performing female pupils of Wulari Primary School and N300,000 each to six best science students of Federal Government Girls College, Monguno. (NAN)

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PCRC Gets New Leadership in Imo

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The Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) in Owerri has elected and inaugurated a new set of executive officers led by Mr Bathram Uzodinma.The National Chairman of the PCRC, Alhaji Mogaji Olaniyi, inaugurated the 15-man executive committee, as part of activities marking the PCRC’s 41st anniversary celebrations held in Imo on Saturday.

Olaniyi charged the Uzodinma-led executives to eschew arrogance, power confrontation and vindictiveness in the discharge of their duties.
He also urged the PCRC family in the state to extend their support and cooperation to the new executives. He urged them to keep the flag flying through commitment and dedication to duty, to strengthen the relationship between the police and the public.
He, however, hailed the immediate past excos led by Mr Chima Chukwunyere for their exemplary performance which he noted has raised the credibility of the organisation.The Commissioner of Police in the state, Aboki Danjuma, represented by the command’s spokesman, ASP Henry Okoye, commended Mogaji for enhancing the relationship between the police and the public.He said that sustained partnership, trust and collaborations were of crucial importance for the police and the PCRC to move on.He congratulated the new Excos on their emergence and wished them a successful tenure.Also speaking, Uzodinma pledged to justify the confidence reposed in him, promising a robust relationship between the police and the public.Earlier, Chukwunyere said he established a weekly radio programme in Owerri to smoothen the relationship of the police with the public.He added that he also created a stronger public awareness on the dangers of cultism, drug addiction and other vices among students. According to him, police still remain friends with members of the public. Chukwunyere, who is the MD/CEO of Domino Paramount Hotel Owerri, said that between 2008 till date, he had so far offered free hotel accommodation to police officers on transit to the tune of N7.6 million. “ In addition to the radio programmes, the Imo PCRC under my watch regularly visited secondary schools across the state to sensitise students on the dangers of drug abuse and cultism, with our 68th visit last Thursday, to City School, Owerri”, he said. Report says that erstwhile Chairman Chukwunyere joined the association in 1996.NAN also noted that he had served in various leadership positions since 2008, including Southeast Zonal Chairman, culminating in being the Imo chairman in 2025.Chukwunyere has now been elevated to the position of National Consultant, Community Policing of the PCRC, for his role in reviving and revitalising the committee in Imo and the Southeast. (NAN)

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