News

Bayelsa Killings: Stakeholders Indict Lawmaker, Demand His Arrest

Published

7 years ago

August 25, 2018

Eric

Some stakeholders on Saturday indicted the lawmaker representing Brass Constituency 1 in Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Mr. Israel Sunny-Goli, over the violence that left three persons dead and many others injured in Brass Local Government Area of the state.

Also, a civil society organisation, Network for Peace and Development, called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Sunny-Goli, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, following the killings and constant mayhem in the area.

But Sunny-Goli, who is the only APC member in the state Assembly, has since denied the allegation, saying he did not win his mandate through the barrel of the gun.

One of the residents and aide to the Caretaker Chairman of the council said the violence, which occurred on Monday started when suspected armed cultists attempted to attack his boss, Victor Isaiah.

The aide, who craved anonymity, said his boss was fortunate to have been absent when the assailants launched the attack.

The source said, “From the reports available to us, the plan of the hoodlums was to assassinate the council boss before the political season that is approaching. The APC lawmaker is responsible for the crises in Twon-Brass.

“There is this thug that died in the incident. He was reported to have led the breaking of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad cell in Yenagoa some months ago, an event that led to the dismissal of four SARS officers.

“Since then, this thug and other cultists were used by the APC member to terrorise innocent people in Brass Island and neighbouring communities. We recall the case of the killing of a promising youth in Okpoama community, Iruo Ayibatonyo Jnr by the same group of boys sent by same APC leader in February 2018 during a youth election there.”

He wondered why the security agencies left the APC chieftain to go unpunished despite his involvement in a series of cult-related happenings in the area.

He said the people of Twon Brass have been living in fear for several years since the politician began using known cultists in the community.

The NPD also said until the APC chieftain is arrested and made to face the law, the oil-rich Brass Kingdom will not know peace.

The group in a statement by its Coordinator, Mr. Temple Igbikiri, accused the APC member of arming youths of Brass and recruiting known cultists to advance his political interest.

The group noted that the APC stalwart shunned every avenue to bring peace to Brass and reportedly refused to honour the invitation of the police to clear his name from the recent crisis in the area.

News

242 Passengers, Crew Feared Killed As Air India Enroute London Crashes

Published

12 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Eric

An Air India plane flying to London’s Gatwick Airport crashed in Ahmedabad in western India shortly after take-off on Thursday, the carrier said on Thursday.

A total of 242 passengers were on board the flight, Reuters has reported. All flights out of Ahmedabad have been temporarily suspended, the news agency said.

Citing local police, the Financial Times said the plane crashed “within 10 minutes” of take-off from the airport in Ahmedabad.

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 said in a post on social media that it was following reports of a crash involving Air India flight AI171.

The plane was a Boeing (NYSE:BA) 787-8 Dreamliner, Flightradar24 noted, adding that the first flight of the aircraft was in December 2013 and it was delivered to Air India in January 2014. Shares in Boeing were down by more than 6% in pre-market U.S. trading.

“Initial ADS-B data from flight #AI171 shows that the aircraft reached a maximum barometric altitude of 625 feet (airport altitude is about 200 feet) and then it started to descend with an vertical speed of -475 feet per minute,” Flightradar24 said in a post on X.

The signal from the aircraft was lost at 10:08 local time, less than a minute after take-off, Flightradar24 said.

News

Tinubu’s Loyalist Who Turned Against Him, Jesutega Onokpasa Reported Dead

Published

2 days ago

June 10, 2025

Eric

A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and staunch supporter of President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, Jesutega Onokpasa, has been confirmed dead.

According to TJ News Nigeria, the outspoken APC chieftain, who was also a lawyer and renowned political commentator, died just days after making headlines for vowing to mobilise against President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

The exact cause of Jesutega Onokpasa’s death has not been officially disclosed. Family members and party associates have yet to release an official statement regarding burial arrangements.

Multiple sources from social media have however confirmed the sad incident. The Boss has not independently confirmed the story.

News

Eight Staff of FMC Abuja to Face Probe over Negligence

Published

2 days ago

June 10, 2025

Eric

The Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, on Monday, said eight of its staff members, including four doctors, two nurses, and two attendants, are under investigation for alleged negligence at the hospital.

The hospital, which disclosed this at a press briefing, noted that any staff member found guilty of dereliction of duty would be held accountable.

The Head of Clinical Services at the hospital, Dr. Bioku Muftau, added that the accident victims allegedly abandoned by personnel in a trending video on social media have since been treated and discharged.

Our correspondent had on Sunday reported that the Federal Government launched an investigation into a viral video showing alleged neglect of accident victims at the Emergency Unit of the hospital.

The video, which circulated widely on social media, showed victims of a road accident reportedly left unattended by hospital staff after being brought in by a good Samaritan.

The good Samaritan, who recorded the footage, claimed he found the victims on the road and transported them to the hospital for urgent care.

He alleged that hospital staff refused to provide immediate assistance, with one citing a lack of gloves.

Muftau, however, said the patient with head injury in the video that attracted public outrage has been treated, stabilised, and discharged on the same day he was brought into the facility.

He said the findings of the investigation ordered by the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako, would be made public upon conclusion.

“All the staff who are there on that particular day are going to be investigated. They are up to eight -Nurses, attendants, doctors, all of them will be investigated; for now, they are four doctors, two nurses, two health assistants,” he emphasised.

Muftau also denied reports that the hospital was overwhelmed by the number of patients at the time of the incident, asserting that the facility is adequately staffed to manage patient care

“In terms of being overwhelmed, this hospital is blessed with a lot of staff. As I speak with you, we have over 100 consultants in various specialities. In neurosurgery alone, the sole speciality of surgery, we have three,” he claimed.