Innocent Ojefia Blog

Suspected men of infamous terrorist group, Boko Haram have abducted two Emirs in broad day light today. According to reports from Premium Times, two first class traditional rulers in Borno State – the Emir of Uba, Ismaila Mamza and the Emir of Gwoza, Idrisa Timta, were abducted on their way to Gombe. The two emirs were seized by gun-wielding insurgents at 10a.m Friday near Shaffa while they were travelling to Gombe to attend the funeral of the Emir of Gombe, Shehu Abubakar, who died on  Tuesday evening at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer. The two abducted emirs were elevated to First Class traditional ruler status only in January.   The Borno state government is yet to issue an official statement on the abduction.   The abduction came 46 days after the Boko Haram sect whisked away over 200 schoolgirls from their dormitories in Chibok. More details soon.  

Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Boni Haruna, on Thursday disclosed that President Goodluck Jonathan has announced amnesty for members of the Boko Haram sect as parts of is administration’s youths-friendly programmes and policies. Haruna disclosed this while giving an overview of youth’s position in the present administration’s transformation agenda at a special event tagged “A day with young leaders of Nigeria” to mark the nation’s Democracy Day in Abuja. The minister said series of integration programmes have been lined up for members of the sect who would surrender their arms and embrace peace. He therefore called on them to embrace the government’s gesture. The minister said, “President Goodluck Jonathan has also declared amnesty for members of the Boko Haram sect. “Series of integration programmes have been lined up for the members of the sect who would surrender their arms and embrace peace. “Let me use this opportunity on behalf of the Federal Governm...

The Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, CON, has called on leaders in the country to stop the “blame game” but take full responsibility and play active roles in the battle against terrorism. Governor Uduaghan spoke on Thursday at the 2014 Democracy Day celebration which was marked with solemn inter-denominational church service in Asaba, where prayers were offered for the peace, unity of the country, and release of the abducted female students of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. Dr. Uduaghan who took a swipe at those who claimed that sponsors and members of the dreaded terrorists group, Boko Haram was faceless, said it was “impossible for someone not to know who knew someone who knew members of the Boko Haram sect.” The Governor whose speech was laced with his personal efforts towards ensuring that aggrieved militants sheath their swords in Delta State asserted, “we all have to be involved to solve the problem of Boko Haram, leaders have...

Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has urged the people of the Niger Delta to be vigilant against pipeline vandals and crude ... oil thieves as such persons portend danger to their environment. Besides, he said that the State Government was in support of those calling for the establishment of modular refineries across the Niger Delta region in place of the illegal ones being destroyed as part of the measures to get the youths gainfully employed among other benefits. Speaking when the new Commander in charge of the Joint Task Force code-named Operation Polo Shield, Major-General Emmanuel Atewe paid him a courtesy visit, Wednesday in Asaba, Dr Uduaghan said it was important for the people of the Niger Delta to guard against pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft because such dangerous activities destroy the environment. According to him, it was also important for them not to engage in such nefarious activities observing that oil spillage degrades the environment for a l...

  Salkida Northern-born journalist widely reported to have strong ties with the Boko Haram sect, Ahmad Salkida, has said that he is still readily available to render his services to bring an end to the insurgency in the country. Salkida was said to be close to the late Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf, as well as many top shots of the group. He had since fled to the United Arab Emirates on account of an alleged threat to his life over what he described as his “professional closeness” to the insurgents. “My first-rate exclusive reports on the insurgency in northern Nigeria served by the Boko Haram militant group unsettled a section of the local authorities. This consequently led to threats to my life. I now live with my family and work part-time in the United Arab Emirates,” a post on his LinkedIn page read. But, writing on Twitter, Salkida stated that despite being “gagged for doing his work dutifully and lawfully,” he is still willing to make use of his “rare”...

Justice Kutigi Loses Wife Former Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Conference holding in Abuja, Justice Idris Kutigi has lost his wife.  Maryam Kutigi died Tuesday at the age of 70. The Conference will expectedly observe a brief break in respect to the passing on of its chairman’s wife.

GOVERNOR EMMANUEL UDUAGHAN IN AN INTERACTIVE SESSION WITH CHILDREN FROM VARIOUS SCHOOLS IN THE STATE DURING A PRAYER ASSEMBLY FOR THE ABDUCTED CHIBOK GIRLS MARKING THE 2014 CHILDREN’S DAY CELEBRATION IN GOVERNMENT HOUSE, ASABA, TUESDAY. DELTA State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has urged Nigerians not to be discouraged by the incessant attacks by the Boko Haram terrorists’ sect but continue to stand behind President Goodluck Jonathan and the various security agencies in their determination to defeat the insurgents. Governor Uduaghan observed that despite the havoc the group was causing, it was not winning the war and cautioned against actions and utterances that tend to give encouragement and impetus to the terrorists. Dr. Uduaghan spoke in Asaba on Tuesday at the 2014 Children’s Day Celebration, which was marked in Delta State with prayers for the peace of the nation and release of the students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. The theme of the celebrati...

      A scion of the Justice James Omo-Agege family and former Secretary to the Delta State Government, Obarisi (Barr) Ovie Omo-Agege over the weeke nd commenced consultations at seeking nomination towards his aspiration  to become the next Governor of the State in 2015.  Barrister Omo-Agege who is the current National Chairman of the Urhobo Political Congress - UPC, met with the National Executive and the Elders Council of the UPC in Warri to inform them of his aspiration. He pledged to pilot the affairs of the State with a pan Delta mindset if given the mandate.  He emphasized his resolve to participate in the Governorship nomination process and maintained that he was offering himself for the service of all Deltans. He promised to use his wealth of experience in government to further the development of the State by building on the foundation laid by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan's admi...

  T he Delta State Deputy President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Alex Okwudi, and five others are currently cooling their heels in police net following their alleged involvement in the murder of the secretary of a PDP ward and a councillorship aspirant, Tony Osubor, in Issele Uku, the administrative headquarters of Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State.    Investigations by Delta Herald revealed that the late Osubor was murdered in cold blood on Saturday, May 17 at a nearby bush, a few metres away from Chambers Guest House and the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).    It was learnt that a minor fracas between the late Osubor and his assailants ensued at the guest house where Osubor came with a lady whose name could not be identified as at press time.  The fracas took a dangerous dimension leading to Osubor running into the bush with Mr. Okwudi and his co-murderers trailing h...

Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, CON, has hailed Monday’s Supreme Court decision, which dismissed an appeal filed against his  re-election by the Democratic People Party candidate, Chief Great Ogboru.  Speaking on behalf of the governor in Asaba on Monday, the Secretary  to the Delta State Government, Mr. Ovuozourie Macaulay, said the case  of the governor was like “God’s Case” over which there can be no  appeal.  Macaulay said the case and other challenges posed to Uduaghan by his political opponents belonged to God , who he said would deal with  them accordingly.  He said Monday’s Supreme Court ruling was a vindication that no man  can fight God. He said he hoped that Ogboru and Uduaghan’s perpetual  opponents would have learnt a lesson from it and would allow the State  to move forward. “Our case has always been in the hands of God. And like we said, God’s  Case has no appeal. That’s what the Supreme Court has aff...

As we prepare to celebrate another democracy day, the last for the present elected offices across the country , i t is i n a sombre mood!    Delta State University Teaching Hospital Oghara  One of Reconstructed Secondary School in Delta State    Road projects in Delta State The modern Asaba International Airport. Dr. Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan has set the tone, by declaring last week that celebrations meant for this period, that is the Children and Democracy Days, will not be celebrated with the usual fanfare as a result of the security challenges currently facing the country and the non-release of the adopted school girls from Chibok in Bornu State. However in looking at how far we have gone as a society in fifteen years of democracy, there is no doubt that there is some progress in the polity. I confidently say this, because I know where we were in 1998, and where we are now. Though a lot has been achieved, no doubt, generally a lot is sti...

The Nigerian Army has announced the captured of three people they  believe are suppliers of arms for the dreaded Islamist militant group, Boko Haram. According to reports, the suspects include a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP, and a corporal, Abu Haruna, Solomon, arrested for illegal trafficking of arms and ammunition. * The Nigerian Army It was gathered that the suspects were captured in Nsukka by men of the Nigerian Army while they were travelling in a bus heading to the North from Imo  State. Some of the arms and ammunitions recovered from them include 40 AK47  magazines, 4 boxes of AK47 live ammunition, 100 pieces of live cartridges, one  piece of Denin Mopol khaki and charms concealed in a cap. The captured arms suppliers confessed their involvement in supplying of arms to insurgents in the Northern Nigeria. A police corporal serving in Imo State Police Command was also involved in  the arms running, ac...

  An attempt by a suicide bomber to kill football fans in Jos on Saturday night was unsuccessful but he was killed in the blast. The bomber, who approached Jos viewing centre while people were watching the match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, could not get there before his car exploded. It was a few minutes into the second half of the match. A source close to the scene told Punch correspondent that, “The suicide bomber wanted to attack a viewing centre where Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid fans were watching the UEFA Champion League final.” The blast followed the twin blasts, which occurred in the same city on Tuesday. The Tuesday explosion killed no fewer than a hundred people and left many others wounded and hospitalised. Although information about the Saturday night blast was sketchy, the bomb was said to have been planted in a car, near a car stand where some youths were watching the match. It was gathered that the bomb exploded near a residence injuring the ow...

ASABA: Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, CON, has said that the 2014 Children's and Democracy Day celebrations in the State will not be celebrated with the usual fanfare as a result of the security challenges currently facing the country. Addressing a press conference to kick-start the Democracy Day programme of activities in Asaba on Wednesday, the Governor explained that the Democracy and Children's Day celebrations would be marked in the state with fasting and prayers for the nation.   In particular, Uduaghan who called for the observance of a minute silence in honour of those that died in a Jos explosion said: “These are trying times for us as a nation. Two days ago there was a twin blast in Jos train terminal and several persons lost their lives. This calls for deep sober reflection and vigilance by all. According to him, because of the situation of things in the country, we have decided that 2014 is not a year of celebration bu...

The federal government yesterday decried the increasing spate of bombings in the Northern part of the country, saying the senseless attacks by the Boko Haram sect was becoming worse because state governors in the region were not doing enough to end the attacks. It said the May 29 Democracy Day celebration billed for next week would take place despite the bombings in parts of the country by terrorists to cause distractions. Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku,  made government’s position known while briefing State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan. He noted that, already, the federal government had lined up activities to highlight its achievements in the last four  years as part of the Democracy Day celebrations. Blaming Northern governors for not doing enough in the war against terror, Maku said that while the grandstanding and politicking associated with the fight against terror was increa...

  Video Of Interview Granted By Boko Haram Member To US News Channel and CBS A member of Boko Haram on Tuesday granted an interview to US news channel, CBS where he revealed that the group spent three months planning the abduction of 276 girls of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, last month. Watch video here: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/boko-haram-warns-of-more-kidnappings/

  The Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan presenting a publication of the Delta Micro Credit Scheme to Rev. Dr. Felix Omobude, President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria.   This morning, the Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan received the leadership of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria on courtesy call at the new Government House, Asaba. The PFN President was accompanied by Bishop Simeon Okah, Vice Chairman, PFN South-South region. The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria top leadership are in Asaba for an official event.

       It was gathered on Monday that the Federal Government has started a  secrete talk with the members of the Islamist sect popularly known as Boko Haram,  on how to free the over 234 school girls that were abducted From Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.    A source who claimed he was not authorised to speak on the subject, said the talks is being coordinated by Vice-President Namadi Sambo, through some Islamic clerics and elders in the North. The dreaded sect members were asked to seize fire for the interest of both parties, in order to ensure a smooth dialogue.  It was gathered that the terrorist group requested that the Nigerian military  should soften its pedals against their brethren as well as the unlawful detention of some of their members without trial. The source, however, pointed out that the talks had nothing to do with  "outright negotiation...

          Van Gaal: Handed Three-Year Deal As United's New Manager Manchester United have confirmed Louis Van Gaal is their new manager.   The Netherlands national coach has been linked with United since the departure of David Moyes towards the end of last season. Van Gaal will join United after the Dutch complete their World Cup campaign in Brazil and he has signed a three-year deal. Ryan Giggs, who ended the season in interim charge at Old Trafford, will be van Gaal's assistant and he is also bringing assistant coaches Frans Hoek and Marcel Bout with him. Chief executive Ed Woodward said: "In Louis van Gaal, we have secured the services of one of the outstanding managers in the game today. "He has achieved many things in his career to date and Old Trafford provides him with a fitting stage on which to write new chapters in the Manchester United story." More follows...

    As Nigeria grapples with the challenge of winning the war against terror, the governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, has urged political leaders to always use their positions to unite the nation and join hands with the relevant authorities in defeating the enemies of the country. He noted that the international community is aiding the country to combat terror, especially that posed by the extremist Islamist group, Boko Haram. Uduaghan said leaders irrespective of political leaning should be statesman-like in their utterances and support the Federal Government in the war. Uduaghan spoke through Chike Ogeah, Delta State Commissioner for Information in Lagos when the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) conferred on him the award of a “Positive Thinker” based on the transformational policies and programmes of his administration which have brought massive economic turnaround in the state. He expressed dismay at the utterances of some ...

Last-minute advice from some foreign intelligence services, who are currently part of the efforts to free the over 200 abducted schoolgirls of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, stopped President Jonathan from embarking on the trip to Chibok on Friday. They termed the trip “ill-advised and contemptuous”.  The initial plan of the president was to visit Chibok early on Friday before heading for Paris, France, where he is currently attending a security summit. A Presidency source hinted that the president’s planned trip to the troubled town was against the initial advice of Nigeria’s security and intelligence community. The aborted visit have elicited varied reactions from sections of the country even as the media have been awash with different slants of reports regarding the cancelled visit. Presidential spokesman Dr Rueben Abati had, in his twitter account, said that there was no such planned visit to Chibok. Abati’s denial of a planned visit came amidst report...

  Boko Haram gunmen have killed a Chinese worker in Cameroon and kidnapped 10 others overnight, piling more pressure on leaders meeting in Paris to thrash out a tougher strategy against the Nigerian Islamists. Militants stormed an encampment used by Chinese road workers late Friday in a region of northern Cameroon just across the border from the strongholds where they sparked global outrage by abducting more than 200 schoolgirls last month. “The Boko Haram militants were heavily armed, they came in five vehicles,” an official in Waza, a town near the site of the attack, told AFP on condition of anonymity. He said the camp where the Chinese road workers stayed was usually guarded by soldiers from Cameroon’s elite Rapid Intervention Battalion, but that many of the troops were in Yaounde for a military parade marking National Day on May 20. “Cameroonian soldiers retaliated and the fighting lasted until 3:00 am (0200 GMT),” said a local police chief, who said the...

Global strategy against Boko Haram adopted at Paris security summit French President Francois Hollande (C) poses for a familly photo with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, African leaders and EU representatives, May 17, 2014.   African and Western leaders agreed on Saturday to combine their intelligence information and defence mechanisms in a bid to reduce the security risk posed by Boko Haram. French President, François Hollande, called the islamist group a ‘global’ threat that warrants a ‘global’ response.’ It accomplished what it set out to do. Saturday’s security summit saw leaders from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Benin agree to share their technical know-how with Western allies France, the U.S and Britain to defeat Boko Haram. The plan adopted incorporates the following: Co-ordinated, regional strategy to boost intelligence-sharing Creation of surveillance and border-controls Centralizing technical means and capability Military presen...

                                           Ace Comedian and renowned father of comedy in Nigeria, Atuyota Alleluya Akpobome, aka  Ali Baba  has expressed his displeasure at the fallen standards of education in Nigeria especially for the girl child, a situation he fingers as affecting  even the First Lady of the nation, Dame Patience Jonathan.   While speaking in an exclusive interview with Hiphopworld recently, Ali Baba pointed that the education of the girl child beyond the primary and secondary school levels is important and should be seen as priority as this would go a long way in sustaining growth and development in the nation as a whole.   The king of comedy while buttressing his point, made reference to the First Lady who has ...

 ·                   The government embarked on Urban renewal in the State as a deliberate commitment to keeping our surroundings beautiful, clean and ensure that wastes are properly disposed, while buildings conform to lay down rules. The main objective is to decongest the selected junctions and to promote free flow of traffic in them thereby, enhancing economic and social activities in both Warri and Effurun. With the declaration of the special sanitation exercise, Warri has become quite neat and adorable. Most residents of the State are now calling on the State government to hold more of such special sanitations exercises in other towns and cities in the State.