Rivers
Police Gun Down TIMARIV Officials’ Killers … Rescue Abducted Female Corper
Authorities of the Rivers State Police Command say it has shot two members of a notorious armed robbery gang that killed officials of the state Road Traffic Management Agency (TimaRiv) last December.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr . Suleiman Abba disclosed this at a press briefing Wednesday at the police officers mess, Port Harcourt.
According to him, a gang of four armed robbers on Wednesday morning, broke into the shop of Casmarine Services, a liquor distributor, situated at no 474 Ikwerre Road, Rumuigbo, but the robbers on sighting police patrol team from Rumuepirikom Division opened fire on them. Though the hoodlums escaped with bullet wounds during the exchange of gun battle with the policemen, three of the personnel also sustained injuries even as the robbery operation was foiled.
The police commissioner said that with the aid of the combine police teams from the swift operation squad (SOS), Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), metro patrol, Ozuoba and Rumuepirikom Division, the robbers were pursued to NTA junction, where two members of the gang were found fatally injured.
He gave the name of the gang leader as one Tochukwu, who confessed that, his gang robbed Paddy Man Limited liquor depot at No 3 Ojoto Street, Mile 2, Diobu, on 29th December, 2011 and also shot dead two TimaRiv officials at Emenike in D/Line axis of the state.
Mr Abba said, the operational vehicle of the gang, Passat Station Wagon car and three A-K 47 rifles were also recovered from the gang, adding that intensive search for the two other fleeing members of the gang are on top gear.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command has rescued the abducted female corper who was kidnapped by an unkown gunmen at Odagwa in Etche Local Government Area last Saturday.
A source told The Tide that, the female youth corper, whose name was given as Miss Patience and her lady friend Miss Mirrian were rescued early hours of yesterday within Odagwa and Umuebulum water side.
The Tide learnt that the kidnappers were in the verge of crossing the Odagwa river to Umuebulum when the team of security operatives and youths from the community surrounded the area but the kidnappers disappeared.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ben Ugwuegbulam, who confirmed the release, however said, he does not have the full detail of the release.
Sarah Jacob Princess
The Rivers State Judiciary has described as embarrassing and misleading a purported online publication by the News Week Electronic Media channel alleging that the State Chief Judge , Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi plans to embark on a One Year annual vacation.
The Judiciary in a statement signed by the Chief Registrar High Court Port Harcourt, DAVID IHUA-MADUENYI while dismissing the said report described it as malicious and baseless, stressing that the allegation levelled against the person and the office of the Chief Judge of Rivers state was an embodiment of falsehood.
The statement reads this “to put the records straight, the Chief Judge did not at any time announce nor intend to announce embarking on any recess or extended recess leave by whatsoever name called, as such leave is alien to the Judicial Officers Calendar of Vacations.”
The vacation calendar of Judicial Officers is of public knowledge, namely: Christmas Vacation, Easter Vacation and Annual Vacation “the statement stated.
He therefore urged members of the public and the judiciary community to disregard the misguided publication as it is targeted to causing disaffection , confusion and ill will in the State.
Maduenyi however threatened a legal action against the author of the publication, JAKE CLIFFORD and the publishers if they failed to retract the false publication immediately without hesitation.
Akujobi Amadi
Determined to sustained and promote a peaceful stability in the Niger Delta states, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has trained over 200 selected youths drawn from the nine states of the commission on the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism (ADR)in settling conflicts and disputes in there various communities.
The one -day capacity Building workshop organised by the Department of the Dispute and Conflict Resolution, NDDC with the theme “Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanism: Facilitating inclusive youth Engagement for Transformative peace “held in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Declaring the workshop open,the NDDC managing Director and chief executive officer, Mr Samuel Ogbuku said the essence of the workshop was to build the capacity of the youths in the region on conflicts management through Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR) mechanism which will enable them handle conflicts in there communities,noting that conflicts is part of human society and happens every day in the society.
Ogbuku who was represented on the event by the Director Research, planning and statistics,Dr Patterson OGOM, stressed that Niger Delta region is at the centre of conflict due to its dominance in oil explorations and exploitations and there is the need to acquaint the youths who are always on the front burner during agitations on a more convenient peaceful approach to go about resolving conflicts with out it snowballing to crisis.
According to him,the workshop will exposed the youths on how to manage conflicts in there areas when they arise, adding that carrying arms and destruction of national critical assests in there communities was not the best option for achieving peace when conflict arises.
Ogbuku averred that Niger Deltans are noted for settling there disputes through dialogue and that informed the choice for the ADR workshop.
” What we want to achieve in the workshop is how to resolve and manage these conflicts when they arise.How the we explore other windows of dispute resolution, negotiation, dialogue and nip them on bud before they occur.ADR is Germaine to Niger Delta region.
The NDDC MD/ CEO urged the participants to take the workshop serious so that they can take the message back to their various communities and States.
Also speaking, the Ag Director, ADR NDDC, Godwin Ayewumi Ogedegbe esq, disclosed that since the inception of the present NDDC management led by Mr Samuel Ogbuku the region has not witnessed crisis as it was in the past , adding that the commission has been proactive and preventive in conflicts management in the region.
Ogedegbe averred that the training was designed to teach the youths an alternative ways of resolving conflicts when they happen or occur rather than resorting to arms carrying and destruction of critical national assets in their domain, adding that Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is the best way to resolving and managing crisis.
He opined that peace is critical to the commission and the region, noting that when the youths destroy the oil installations and other critical national assets in the region it will affect revenue accruing to the commission and in turns affects development in the region.
“They are going to preach the message learnt here to their fellow youths that there are other ways of resolving conflicts despite carrying arms or destroying oil facilities in there communities as such acts can’t bring peace.”he stated.
Our correspondent reports that the participants were drawn from Rivers, Delta, Akwa ibom, Edo, Cross River and Bayelsa states
Others include, Imo, Abia and Ondo states.
Akujobi Amadi