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Ikem’s Employer to be Charged with his Murder in Philippines- Dabiri-Erewa

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Ikem’s Employer to be Charged with his Murder in Philippines- Dabiri-Erewa

By: Michael Mike

Chairman/ CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has informed the Senate Joint Committees on Diaspora and Inter Governmental Affairs and Foreign Affairs that the employer of Ikem, a Nigerian student beaten to death in Philliphines, has been charged with murder, along with five others.

She also said that a viral video by a man posted on social media recently alleging that 250 Nigerians are slated for killing in Ethiopia was totally false and untrue.

This was the highlight of the investigative hearing of the Joint Senate Committees presided over in Abuja on Monday by Sen. Victor Umeh, saying on the case of Ikem, who was brutally murdered, the Philliphines authorities have declared the employer, who has since been on the run, wanted.

Dabiri-Erewa said that Nigeria Embassy had informed the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines and also reported the case to the Inspector General of the Philippines National Police.

The Embassy, she added, had maintains regular contact with the line police station at the location; with a strong directive to go for the investigation.

Dabiri-Erewa said the investigating police team on the case are done with evidence building and presented the case to the Mandaue city prosecuting Department for action; who has evaluated it and deemed it fit for murder case filing.

“They have filed the case and issued a warrant of arrest to the boy’s employee and five other suspects; they are charged for murder, human trafficking and operation of illegal business in the Philippines”, she said.

The NiDCOM boss who gave the committee, a copy of the pictures of the suspects, said the pictures have been forwarded to all exits in the Philippines to prevent them from leaving the country.

She stressed that the case will be held as soon as the major suspect, still at large, is arrested.

On Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons, she said the official information received is that 160 Nigerians were serving various jail terms under very poor conditions and that over 90 per cent of them were for drug related offences.

She told the Committees that in order to decongest the prisons, amnesty was granted to them but majority of them went back and still committed the same crime.

She said that a Memorandum of Understanding was entered into awaiting Ministry of Justice in Nigeria to sign its own side of the deal to enable prisoners swap or to continue their jail term in their respective country.

In addition, she explained that most of those caught are those transiting from Addis Ababa to other countries of the world

Other stakeholders who appeared before the Committees were Hon. Amb. Enya Francis , Director, Consular representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the sister of the deceased, Blessing Essien, President National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) Mr John Ogar and Country Representative Commonwealth Students Association (CSA), Mr Nwanba Chidubem.

Speaking in the same vein, the Director Consular in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Enya Francis said they are in close contact with Embassy and on top of the matter.

Francis said the corpse is yet to be buried as it will cost between N31million to N35 million to repatriate and bury the corpse in Nigeria as against N10 million to N15 million to cremate it in the Philippines.

He said the cost of keeping the corpse at the funeral home is accruing N30,000 on daily basis, hence the need to expedite action on the investigation and take appropriate action.

Speaking on behalf of the family of the deceased, Blessings Essien, Ikem elder sister, said he was the only son of the family and in-line with Igbo tradition, it would be an honour to bring the body back to Nigeria for burial.

She therefore appealed to the Federal Government through the Senate Committees to assist the family in repatriating the body back to Nigeria for a befitting burial.

The President of National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) in the Diaspora, Mr John Ogar said the group was troubled by the dastardly and wicked act in which late Ikem was killed and seeking for justice.

He and Mr Nwanba Chiduben, Country Representative of Commonwealth Students Association (CSA) said apart from protest they have done to seek justice for the death of Ikem, they have written to Gov. Charles Soludo of Anambra state to assist the family in bringing back the corpse home for burial while appealing to some foreign airlines plying the route to see it as Corporate Social Responsibility in flying the corpse home.

Senator Umeh thanked all the stakeholders for all their efforts, saying the investigative hearing was sequel to a motion he moved on the floor of the Senate and the joint committees were mandated to investigate the matter.

He assured that the Committees will ensure that all those involved will be prosecuted and face the music, saying the matter would never be swept under the carpet.

Ikem, a Nigerian student based in Philippines, was on October 22, 2023 tortured by a group of Chinese co-workers over a minor disagreement with his supervisor.

“They tied his hands up, covered and tied his mouth and beat him until he gave up the ghost”, an eye witness said in a statement.

Ikem’s Employer to be Charged with his Murder in Philippines- Dabiri-Erewa

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NEWMAP-EIB, Great Green Wall Forge Stronger Ties on Watershed Management, Degraded Land Restoration

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NEWMAP-EIB, Great Green Wall Forge Stronger Ties on Watershed Management, Degraded Land Restoration

By: Michael Mike

The National Project Coordinator of the Nigeria Climate Adaptation – Erosion and Watershed Project (NEWMAP-EIB), Engr. Ayuba Yalaks has a courtesy visit to the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NGGW) to deepen collaboration in watershed management, combat land degradation, and promote environmental sustainability.

During the visit, Engr. Yalaks congratulated the Director General of NGGW, Alhaji Saleh Abubakar, MFR, on the successful hosting of the 10th Anniversary of the Great Green Wall, recently observed in Dutse, Jigawa State. He described the anniversary as “highly impactful and a strong testament to the agency’s leadership role in environmental restoration.”

He commended the DG and the agency for initiating a five-year strategic plan to plant date palm (dabino) trees across the NGGW’s shelter belt corridor of the sahel — a project designed to enhance livelihoods, strengthen food security, biodiversity, ecosystem restoration, green jobs, food security and ensure a long-term sustainability and developing resilience of the impacted communities along the belt.

He further eluded to the fact that the “Great Green Wall is not just a Wall of Trees across the Sahel but a Wall of Hope, Security, Green jobs opportunities, Economic growth, and peace”.

Highlighting NEWMAP-EIB’s mandate, Engr. Yalaks noted that the project — funded by the European Investment Bank with a five-year lifespan — is dedicated to climate change adaptation, erosion control and flood management, and watershed management. He stressed that the NGGW remains a key partner in advancing Nigeria’s vision for a green environment, green jobs, and a green economy in line with Mr. President Renewed Hope Initiatives for an improved and better green environment for the betterment of the Nigerian people.

“ As a green project, We provide bioengineering solutions to protect and sustain the civil engineering infrastructures we have put in place. Much of the erosion and flooding we battle today is manmade, caused by human quest for livelihood, and that of poor urban town planning and deficit in urban drainage infrastructural investment. With the increase in the rate to which our forest cover is being degraded and ever rising temperature, the depletion of the ozone layers our rainfall pattern becomes disrupted. Therefore, reversing this trend is critical and called for collective action” he said, which the current government regime is tackling head-on today with the NEWMAP=EIB intervention project.

Engr. Yalaks also encouraged the NAGGW to invest more in research and development, focusing on how planted trees — such as Neem, date palm etc — can generate value chain, including solutions for managing post-harvest losses, herbicides and pesticides, soil fertilizer, pharmaceuticals etc. This will provide ownership and sustainability of the NGGW across the Sahel Region of the Nigerian corridor.

In his response, the Director General, NGGW, Alhaji Saleh Abubakar, MFR appreciated the visit and pledged continued collaboration with NEWMAP-EIB. Both parties reaffirmed their shared vision and commitment to tackling watershed challenges, restoring degraded lands, and building a sustainable and resilient environment for the benefit of Nigerians across the Sahel.

The NPC was accompanied on the visit by all FPMU Specialist Staff, and in attendance with the DG, NGGW was some top management staff of the agency.

NEWMAP-EIB, Great Green Wall Forge Stronger Ties on Watershed Management, Degraded Land Restoration

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Policeman earlier presumed killed in Zamfara bandit attack found alive

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Policeman earlier presumed killed in Zamfara bandit attack found alive

By: Zagazola Makama

The Zamfara Police Command says a police inspector earlier presumed killed in a bandit attack on Adabka village in Bukkuyum Local Government Area has been found alive.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that AP/No 287155 Insp. Utanga Micheal, reported missing during the Aug. 8 incident in which a Police Mobile Force personnel and a Civilian Joint Task Force member were killed, was rescued after spending five days hiding in the bush.

According to sources, a joint rescue team comprising police operatives, local vigilantes and residents of Adabka traced the officer to the fringes of the surrounding bushes, where he had evaded the attackers.

“He was handed over to the village head, who took him to Adabka Primary Health Care Centre for initial treatment before arrangements were made to refer him to the Federal Medical Centre, Gusau,” the sources said.

Sources said efforts were ongoing to recover missing arms, including riot gunners, taken during the attack.

Policeman earlier presumed killed in Zamfara bandit attack found alive

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Two killed, two abducted in bandit attack in Zamfara

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Two killed, two abducted in bandit attack in Zamfara

By: Zagazola Makama

Armed bandits have killed two persons and abducted two others in an attack on Ruwan Bore village, Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack occurred at about 1:30 a.m. on Monday when a group of armed men invaded the village, shooting sporadically.

“Two persons were shot dead while two others were abducted to an unknown destination,”said the sources.

The sources added that upon receipt of the report, troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA were mobilised to the area in search of the perpetrators and to rescue the abducted victims.

The sources said assured pf efforts track the attackers.

Two killed, two abducted in bandit attack in Zamfara

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