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Floods not sparing the dead, wash up corpses in Bayelsa, Delta cemeteries

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As floods continue to ravage parts of the country, residents of Aeroplane Road in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State and Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta have raised the alarm over floating corpses from submerged cemeteries in their areas.

This came as several communities in Bomadi, Patani and Burutu local government areas of Delta State were yesterday sacked by the ravaging flood, with indigenes sleeping on top of Bomadi Bridge.

This year’s flood is proving to be the worst in Nigeria’s history, with over 603 dead, two million displaced and hundreds of hectares of farmlands destroyed.

Corpses litter Bayelsa, Delta communities

Raising alarm yesterday over the health implication of floating corpses in their community, residents of Yenagoa in Bayelsa called on the state government for immediate action to avoid a public health crisis.

Confirming the incident, a resident, Mr Emmanuel Oden, lamented that the floating corpses had become a recurring development during floods, adding that relocation of the cemetery is long overdue.

Oden further alleged that corpses at the cemetery were often buried in shallow graves of about 3 feet, rather than the recommended six feet prescribed by law.

Another resident Mr Ebi Owoupele, pleaded with the Bayelsa State Government to understand the plight of the people and assure them that the cemetery will be relocated.

Vanguard’s findings also revealed that the morgue at Bomadi General Hospital and Olodiama had been submerged, also with floating corpses as a result.

The state commissioner for environment and chairman of Bayelsa Flood Committee, Iselema Gbaranbiri, confirmed that three floating corpses were recovered and reburied with the environment properly fumigated.

His words, “the floating of corpses were actually reported. First, as commissioner for the environment, I got the report of a floating corpse and directed my head of health and sanitation to get the corpse reburied. Later two more corpses were recovered and reburied and the environment was properly fumigated.”

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Bomadi, Burutu, Patani LGAs sacked

More disaster was recorded in parts of Delta State yesterday as many villages in riverine Bomadi, Patani and Burutu local government areas of the state were sacked by floods, with indigenes sleeping on Bomadi Bridge.

They appealed to the state government and political leaders to come to their aid.

Lamenting the situation in his community, the chairman, Bomadi federated community, Mr Seleyeibo Perekeme, said neither government nor political leaders from the area had responded to their call for help.

He said: “The entire Bomadi Local Government area is submerged, with only the council secretariat still standing because of community efforts.

“We’ve been able to dislodge the flood by blocking entry points with sand-filled sacks at the community waterfront through our earlier efforts. Now, the flood level has risen and we’ve been making similar efforts but we’ve run out of resources as a community.

“So, we’ve been calling on our political leaders to help since Bomadi is the last community standing and victims are fleeing in from neighbouring communities, such as Kpakiama, Oboro, Esanma, Tuomo, Tubegbe, Koloware, Ogboin-ama and many others in both Burutu and Patani council areas. Many victims are fleeing from Yenagoa to Bomadi.

We need N2m to save Bomadi town from submerging—Community chair

“If we can get N2 million, we can buy sand and sacks and be able to block entry points along the length of the community shoreline because the youths are ready to work to save Bomadi.

“But, until this moment, there’s no response from either the state government or our political leaders at a time of pains and distress as this. We are not happy because we seem to have been forgotten or abandoned,” he said.

An activist and youth leader, Comrade Kenneth Mezeh, however, lauded the efforts of the community leader and appealed to both state government and political representatives to respond to the plight of victims in Bomadi local government area and environs.

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However, the chairman, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Bomadi local government chapter, Apostle Liberty Usiayo, in his reaction, said: “We have been going round the council area to see the level of flood devastation on the people and property, and the situation is really pathetic.

“No community is safe in the council area as all eleven communities have been ravaged, with women and children seriously affected. They need immediate food and medical attention.

“It’s also appalling that until this moment, there’s no government response to the plight of victims in the council area and we, as a body, urge the state government, appropriate agencies and politicians from the area to respond to the plight of victims without further delay.

Ibori seeks support for victims

Reacting to the devastating effect of the flood in the state, former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori, yesterday urged government agencies at the federal, state and local government levels to provide relief materials to flood victims across the country.

While condoling with flood victims, Ibori, in a tweet on his official Twitter handle, said: “Government agencies at all levels must act promptly to provide relief to those affected by floods in our country.

“The loss of lives and property caused by massive floods ravaging several states across the country as a result of the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon must be dealt with decisively to ensure this never happens again.”

Oborevwori, donates relief materials

Moved by the sufferings of the people, PDP governorship candidate in Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, yesterday, donated bags of rice, yams, bags of garri, noodles, packs of bottled water, tissues, bags of salt, beans and other relief materials to victims of the ravaging flood in the state.

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Oborevwori, who is also speaker of the state House of Assembly, made the donations when he visited the victims at designated Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.

He was at the ICS Camp, Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area housing 1,016 IDPs and Alaka Grammar School, Ozoro, Isoko North Local Government Area with 1,180.

Chatting with newsmen moments after the donations, Oborevwori said: “I have visited the ICS and Alaka camps and I am here at the Delta State University of Science and Technology, Ozoro to ascertain the level of damage done by the flood.

“We understand that the university has been closed for two weeks. We pray that the floods will recede soonest. There is nothing man can do because it’s a natural disaster.

‘’I will advise those who refused to come to the IDP camps to relocate to higher grounds. This is a natural disaster, so they have no choice than to relocate to higher ground. This also happened in 2012.”

The All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate for the Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency in Bayelsa State, Michael Olomu, also donated items worth millions of naira to flood victims in the Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.

In a statement, his media office explained that Olomu was touched by the pains of the vulnerable people, personally visited the area at weekend and donated relief materials to reduce the agony caused by the flood.

Olomu also visited sick people in various hospitals in Sagbama, Bulou-Orua and the Adagbabiri communities, all in the Sagbama Local Government Area. Some of the items donated included foodstuffs such as garri, rice, noodles, salt and seasonings.

Metro News

Gunmen invade Ogun church, kidnap two

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Several gunmen have reportedly invaded the Celestial Church of Christ, Oriyarin parish in Mowe.

 

The Ogun police command said the attack occurred Thursday.

 

“SUSPECTED KIDNAPPING, report at my disposal 28/3/2024 at about reveals that unidentified gunmen, invaded a Celestial Church around Oriyarin village Mowe and abducted one Oladapo Seyifunmi, Oluboboye Abiola, and escaped through the thick forest behind the Church,” said the police in a post on X.

 

The statement added that the police commissioner, Alamutu Abiodun, has ordered immediate mobilisation of security personnel to go after the hoodlums.

 

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Hoodlums attack, set police tation ablaze in Anambra

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Hoodlums have attacked and razed the Neni Divisional Police station in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State.

 

Emerging reports suggest that the attackers numbering about thirty stormed the area at about 2am in the morning on Thursday, wreaking havoc on several buildings.

 

The State Police Public Relations officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the hoodlums attacked the police station with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

 

He, however, stated clearly that the hoodlums did not take away any arms or kidnap any police personnel.

 

The police imagemaker further disclosed that the hoodlums were forced to flee after the police operatives subdued them in a superior fire-power adding that tactical operations are still ongoing in the area.

 

Mr Ikenga assured that more updates on the sad incident will be availed to the public in no time.

 

He did not give much details as regards the extent of damages done to the facility.

READ  Gunmen strangle motorcyclist to death in Delta community

 

 

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Repentant cultists surrender arms in Ogun

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At least 48 repentant cultists in the Sagamu area of Ogun State have surrendered their arms to the Nigeria Police Force and renounced their membership in the various cult groups they belonged to.

The ceremony to profile the repentant cultists and take stock of the arms and ammunition was held at the Palace of the Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Adewale Ajayi, in the Sagamu Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday.

Recall that in January two cult groups, Neo Black Movement, popularly called Aye, and the National Association of Airlords, also known as Eiye Confraternity, Sagamu chapter, wrote letters of apologies to the Akarigbo of Remoland, asking him and other traditional rulers in Remoland to forgive them of their wrongdoings.

 

The two groups had, in a viral letter, pleaded for mercy and promised to abide by the laws of the country.

 

While the letter from the Eiye Confraternity was dated December 22, 2023, that of Aye was dated December 26, 2023.

Weapons submitted by the cultists, who have promised to turn a new leaf, include one pump action gun, four double barrels, seven single barrels, two English pistols, four locally made pistols, and 35 cartridges.

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Speaking at the event, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, said the approach of the police to engage in moral persuasion as a way of curbing the incessant cult crises that have ravaged the part of the state led the cultists to renounce their membership and surrender their arms.

 

Alamutu, while urging the repentant cultists not to go back to their old ways, stressed that the police would also work with the Ogun State government and the traditional rulers to convert them into an Anti-Cultism Vanguard that would preach the dangers of cultism to others still engaged in the act.

 

The CP said, “You will recall that last year, this community witnessed disturbing incidences where cultists were on rampage and disturbing the peace of the community that I had to partially relocate to this community.

 

“It was the persistent nature of this crisis that brought the idea of having a second look and approach to the crisis and we thought of using moral persuasion and engagement to see if we can get results and thank God this is the outcome.

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“By giving them this Olive branch, the idea is for them to turn a new leaf. I have had a closed-door meeting with Kabiyesi on how we can engage these youths. Now that we have convinced them that the right thing to do is hard work, we are going to see how we can assist them to be of use to themselves and be our vanguard so that others will have a reason to embrace peace.”

 

In his reaction, Oba Ajayi said the amnesty for the cultists was a result of several engagements and discussions during when many of the cultists regretted their nefarious acts and promised to turn a new leaf.

 

The monarch added, “Not satisfied with the killings and disturbance of these cultists in the town, the community re-strategised and moved against them. The heat was so much that some of them were even forced to leave the town, but they continued to beg, sending emissaries that they were ready to turn a new leaf.

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“We have engaged them and told them point-blank that cultism is not the way forward, that they will only ruin their lives, ruin their family names and the plans of God for their lives.

 

“We told them to submit their weapons and stay away from cultism, and we have promised to integrate them into the society. It is an ongoing exercise, and we hope that their colleagues in other parts of Remoland and Ogun State as a whole will draw a vital lesson and follow suit as well.”

 

He thanked Governor Dapo Abiodun, security agencies, and the Sagamu Security Committee for working round the clock to ensure the success of the amnesty deal for the former cultists.

 

He begged the residents of the community to show the repentant cultists love and support and not treat them as outcasts.

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