16—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015
FRSC moves against driver's licence racketeers By Felix Ogbonna
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N A bid to clamp down on racketeers of driving license, the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Aba unit command, has set up surveillance teams around its office in Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State. In a chat with journalists, the Unit Commander, FRSC, Aba, Mrs. Okowa Awassam, said such moves had become necessary, following reports about the activities of drivers’ license racketeers who relied on the ignorance of some drivers to issue fake licenses. Awassam warned drivers going for the renewal or obtaining a new drivers’ license against patronizing touts who would issue them fake license and vowed to deal decisively with anyone caught in the act of procuring fake drivers’ licence. She said: “Once you (driver) are suspected to be in possession of a fake drivers license, the officer that stopped you will collect the license and input the data on the license on the system, every information about the person which was taken during capturing will appear on the system if it is genuine, but if it is the one done by fakers, those information will not appear.
Family makes formal announcement of Chukwuma Azikiwe’s death .Buhari mourns, says a gentleman has left a turbulent world
By Vincent Ujumadu, Levinus Nwabughiogu & Chimaobi Nwaiwu
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NEWI—THE Azikiwe family of Onitsha has formally announced the death of Chief Chukwuma Bamidele Azikiwe, the first son of the first President of Nigeria, the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who died on Sunday at the Charles Borommew Hospital, Onitsha. President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, described the death of Ambassador Chukwuma Bamidele Azikiwe as a sad
development. In a condolence message in Abuja, Buhari said that younger Azikiwe lived a humane life that possessed virtues of his father which qualified him for his traditional title, “Owelle of Onitsha.” According Buhari, a gentleman, through-bred in the best African values and traditions, had departed the world to the great beyond. “With the demise of Chukwuma Azikiwe, a gentleman has left a turbulent world. Ambassador Azikiwe was a thorough–bred Nigerian citizen who chose a
private life after a distinguished diplomatic career in Nigeria’s Foreign Service. There is no doubt that it was Ambassador Azikiwe’s humane and refined qualities that made it possible for him to step into the big traditional shoes of his great father - Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe as the Owelle of Onitsha.” The President-elect said with the demise of the Owelle, he had lost a friend who cared for him and often found the time to visit at home in Kaduna. While condoling with the Azikiwe Family, he urged the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nna’meka
MEETING: From left, Senate President, David Mark; Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State; Speaker, House of Representatives, and Sokoto State Governor-elect, Aminu Tambuwal, and Governor Chibuike Amaechi, at the National Council of State Meeting, in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: NAN
Bloody clash looms in Anambra communities By Enyim Enyim
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NITSHA—THERE is a looming communal crisis over a piece of land between the people of Umuoji and Nkpor in Idemili local government area of Anambra State. Addressing reporters shortly after its emergency meeting, the President-General of Dimboko, Umuoji, Chief Tony Onwuachu, claimed that Okofia land which was in dispute between the two communities belonged to them. According to him, his community has been farming on the land in ages past without molestation or any form of attack until recently when some miscreants from Nkpor started attacking them over the land even when a court of competent jurisdiction in a consent judgement had ruled that the land belonged to his community. He added that the piece of land was registered with the Ministry C M Y K
of Lands with the title of Dim Onyia Estate. He further said the community had granted up to 300 plots of land to Living Faith Church, a.k.a Winners Chapel, to build a tertiary institution that would benefit the generality of Nigerians. He warned against any
disturbance to the land developers or any other project Dimboko people might decide to execute on the land. He alleged that they had been attacked by Mgbachu with machetes, guns, clubs and other dangerous weapons on three occasions they went to the layout
as owners of the land. “We want peace, progress and brotherly love to continue. We do not want the relationship between us and Npkor people at large built by our forefathers to be shattered by mere greed over a land not belonging to Mgbachu people.
Babalakin sues EFCC for malicious prosecution
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HAIRMAN OF BiCourtney Ltd, Dr. Wale Babalakin SAN, has sued the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, accusing them of making desperate efforts to prosecute him maliciously. Babalakin, who is seeking a judicial review of the actions of the AGF and EFCC, had on February 23, 2015, been discharged by Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of a Lagos High Court, along with Alex Okoh,
Stabilini Visinoni Ltd, BiCourtney Ltd, and Renix Nigeria Ltd. They were prosecuted by the EFCC for allegedly laundering N4.7 billion. After two years in court, the Judge ruled that there was no basis for the charges and consequently struck out the charges and discharged Babalakin and other defendants. The court observed that the entire 27 charges did not contain any single charge that constituted an offence under
the laws of Nigeria. Following reports that the EFCC was planning to file the same charges against him on the same subject matter and on the same provisions of the law, Babalakin approached the Federal High Court seeking protection and a judicial review of the actions. The Court presided over by Justice Tsoho on April 29, 2015, granted a restraining order against EFCC, prohibiting the agency from proceeding with the action pending the determination of the suit.
Ugochukwu Achebe and the entire people of Onitsha Royal Kingdom to take heart and bear the loss with fortitude. The announcement came on a day National Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, said Ndigbo would miss his political philosophy based on balance of interest. Head of Azikiwe family, Nwamulunanma Azikiwe, who spoke through Akunne Arah Azikiwe, told reporters at Inosi Onira residence of the Owelle that with the announcement, burial arrangements would begin in earnest. The two –paragraph announcement released by the family read: “On behalf of the Azikiwe family, we announce the death of the Owelle of Onitsha, Chukwuma Bamidele Azikiwe, who died in the early hours of Sunday, 10th of May, 2015. Burial arrangements will begin later.” At Owelle’s residence yesterday, a condolence register had been opened and many people were trickling into the compound to sign it. Among the callers yesterday was the Special Adviser to Rivers State governor on Statistics and Strategic Planning and an in-law to the Azikiwes, Mr. Okey Okiri, who regretted that he was unable to deliver a message the late Owelle gave him for Governor Rotimi Amechi before his death. Okiri said: “I got the devastating news about the death of the Owelle yesterday (Monday) and was shocked. The late Owelle meant so much to me and I will greatly miss him. “I spoke with him on Wednesday last week during which he told me that he was sick and I advised him to go to hospital for treatment. He sounded so healthy and I did not know that it was the last time I would speak with him.” The entire Inosi Onira compound, facing the famous Zik’s roundabout, was still desolate yesterday, except the few family members from Onitsha Inland Town who visited on hearing about the demise of the Owelle. Few workers of the construction company working on the Zik’s Mausoleum, where work stopped since April, 2014 due to non- payment for work done,were also there although they appeared not to be aware that Owelle Chukwuma Azikiwe was dead. Meanwhile, National Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, has said Ndigbo would miss the political philosophy of the late Owelle of Onitsha, Chief Chukwuma Bamidele Azikiwe.