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Confusion As Gunmen Kill Kwara CP …IG Vows To Arrest Killers
The Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, yesterday promised to do ‘everything’ possible to apprehend and bring to book the killers of Chinwike Asadu, Commissioner of Police in Kwara.
In an interview with newsmen in Abuja, CSP Frank Mba, the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, quoted the IG as saying that the circumstance surrounding the death of the late commissioner was ‘most unfortunate and saddening’.
“Those who murdered Asadu have murdered sleep, they will find no rest, they will find no peace, they will find no comfort and they will find no hiding place until they are brought to justice,” Mba quoted the IG as saying.
Mba said the IG had also ordered the commissioner of police in Enugu State to leave no stone unturned in arresting and bringing the perpetrators of the crime to justice.
He said Abubakar had also directed detectives from the Police Homicide Unit as well as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad to provide technical support to Enugu State command in efforts to apprehend the killers.
Asked if the police had made any arrest in connection with the crime, Mba said he could not confirm that.
Meanwhile, there was confusion in Enugu, the Coal City, as news spread yesterday morning that the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Chinweike Asadu was shot dead in the state capital by dare-devil gunmen.
The Police boss was killed at about 9.45pm last Saturday at gunpoint in his car at Amorji Nike, near the densely populated Abakpa Nike area in Enugu East Local Government Area within the state capital.
The orderly of the commissioner, MrAloha Olaiyi and driver, Mr Oliver Omeh escaped the attack but they sustained gunshot wounds and are reported to be in a critical state at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu.
Reports said that, Mr Asadu, who was on a visit to Enugu, his state of origin, had a visitor and he decided to escort the guest in his own vehicle with only his driver and orderly coming along with him.
While the trio were returning to the commissioner’s residence, they reportedly noticed a bus trailing their vehicle and as they veered into the street, the gunmen who must have laid an ambush for the commissioner a few metres away from his private residence, started firing at the vehicle from the rear.
It was during the sporadic shooting that the Asadu was killed on the spot while the police orderly posted to guard the CP’s residence from Abakpa Police Division, sustained bullet wound all over his body and his rifle taken away, before the gunmen escaped.
The official escort team that came with the Commissioner from Kwara State Police Command that were left behind in his compound, got wind of the attack but not until the gunmen had routed their escape.
They quickly rushed the commissioner and his aides who were in a pool of blood to the Orthopaedic Hospital but the police boss was confirmed dead at the hospital.
He reportedly gave up the ghost before arriving at the hospital.
His aides who were badly wounded were immediately admitted but they are in a critical state.
The Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Ebere Amaraizu has confirmed the incident, adding that “a serious man-hunt has started to track down the gunmen behind CP Asadu’s killing.”
However, the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, yesterday promised to do ‘e
“Our correspondent who went round Ilorin, yesterday, reports that the command and other police formations were like ghost towns.
At the command and other formations visited by newsmen, officers and men were seen discussing the demise of the police chief.
Some top police officers in some of the formations and officers’ mess were in tears while others were too dazed to utter a word.
Some of the officers, who spoke to newsmen but refused to give their names, described the death of the commissioner as ‘a big tragedy’ to the command and the entire police force
“We have lost a fine gentleman and hardworking officer,’’ they said.
The Rivers State Investment Promotion Agency (RSIPA) has unveiled measures to enthrone ease of doing business and win back the confidence of the business community.
The Director-General of the Agency, Dr Chamberlain Peterside, unveiled the plans at the Breakout Session of RSIPA at the ongoing 18th Port Harcourt International Trade Fair, at the Obi Wali International Cultural Centre, in Port Harcourt.
Dr. Peterside said the agency was poised to free the state from accumulation of wrong narratives that branded it over the years as unsafe for business.
He, however, admitted that many things had gone wrong in the past where regulators joined to make the business environment difficult for investors.
He announced that the agency was rather focused on actions, solutions, and results as adopted in the mission statement of the Board.
“Our task is no mean feat. We are dealing with the perception risk that over several years branded the state as unsafe. We are also faced with the challenges of dealing with the lack of cohesion amongst MDAs, policy inconsistencies, multiple taxation, incessant harassment by miscreants, red tape and delays in obtaining operating permits, high cost of operations and opaque public sector,” he said.
“It is about listening to the investors in the field and ensuring that MDAs are carried along, hence the imperative for the setting up of our One-Stop-Center”, he added.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Warisenibo Joe Johnson, who represented the state governor, said the Fubara administration was ready to listen to the business community to see ways of reducing impediments to investments.
He listed the stages of actions being undertaken by the governor as outlined in his 37-page blue print to revive the economy of Rivers State.
The Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China, who was presented at the event as a star investor and promoter of Rivers State reputation, said for the plans of the investment promotion agency to materialize, an enabling law should replace the Executive Order that established the Rivers State Investment Promotion Agency.
He said this would insulate the agency from political instability and remove fear in the minds of investors about its sustainability.
According to him, protection precedes promotion and Local Direct Investment (LDIs) is what attracts and promotes Foreign Direct Investment (FDIs).
“It is the rat at home that reveals to the one in the bush that there is fish in the kitchen”, he added.
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?The Mayor of Housing who is also the CEO of the Alesa Highlands Sustainable Green Smart City said that Port Harcourt is like a business empire under lock and key because it is not protecting its own and also not promoting its own enough for investors to come in.
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?In the area of land documentation and inventory, China urged Rivers State Government to borrow a leaf from Abuja and adopt the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in dealing with land and property registration and documentation for ease of doing business.
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?He said Lagos understood the power of business information, adding “this creates the impression that if you are not doing it in Lagos, you are not doing it in Africa.
“We need to shout louder than Lagos, because we need more investments than Lagos and the structural integrity of Abuja. When you marry both, Rivers State would be wonderful and become green with investments,” he said.
In her speech, the President of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), Dr. Chinyere Nwoga, called on the state government to look into the menace of parked trucks now turning Trans-Amadi into a risk zone.
She outlined the activities of the PHCCIMA and invited investors and businesses to the Port Harcourt economic hub, saying peace has returned.
The Director, Investors Relations of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Mrs Lovina Kayode, urged Rivers State to make haste and catch up on Ease of Doing Business, saying the Council has come to help businesses in the state.
Mrs Kayode, who represented the Executive Secretary/CEO of NIPC, Aisha Rimi, commended the Mayor of Housing and his counterpart, Mr. Oliver Biedima of Rainbow Heritage Group, for their decision to invest in Rivers State, saying it is a proof that Rivers State is safe for investors and their investments.
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In his remarks, Oliver Biedemi of Rainbow Heritage Group urged government to give the private investors chance to develop the economy, saying ordinarily government does not have the funds to develop the economy.
Happy Birthday Chief Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike CON
Honourable Minister Federal Capital Territory
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We’ll Drive Tinubu’s Vision in Rivers With Vigour – Fubara …Inaugurates Dualized Ahoada/Omoku Road ….Debunks Rift With RSHA
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has stated that he will lead Rivers people to galvanize support for President Bola Tinubu to drive the vision and objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda in the State with vigour.
The governor, who joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on Tuesday, explained that his decision to join the APC was not for personal interest but for the overall benefit of Rivers State.
Fubara disclosed these while inaugurating the extension of the dualized Ahoada/ Omoku Express road in Ahoada East and Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
He commended the contracting firm, Julius Berger, for timely delivery of the project, saying the project is a campaign promise fulfilled which will bring economic benefits to the people and tackle issues of insecurity associated with the route.
He said his administration has remained focused in delivering democratic dividends in the state despite facing glaring challenges.
The governor thanked the people of Ahoada East and Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Areas for their continuous support, and urged his supporters to remain steadfast and also support President Tinubu who he said, has demonstrated love to Rivers State as a father.
Fubara denied having rift with the Rivers State House of Assembly, stating that his meeting with the lawmakers was stalled as a result of delay in the agreed meeting to be convened by former Governor Nyesom Wike and other stakeholders for him to meet with the state lawmakers.
“I have made every effort to meet with the Assembly members, but it is not within my leadership to initiate the meeting process.
“The arrangement was for my leader, Wike, and the elders led by Anabraba to call for a meeting with the the lawmakers.
“I’m a gentleman and principled. I can’t go behind to call them when we’ve already agreed. Whoever that tell them that I don’t want to meet with them, or I rejected proposal meant for them isn’t saying the truth,” Fubara said.
The Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry Works, Mr Austin Ezekiel-Hart, who gave the project description, said the delivery of the project was a fulfillment of long time dream by the people of Ahoada East and Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local Government Areas.
He said the road was previously a single lane and has now been dualised to 14.6 meters wide, complete with solar-powered streetlights with drainages.
He said the road significantly would reduce travel time between Ahoada and Omoku while improving economic activity in the region.
In his welcome address, Chairman of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area, Hon. Chuku Shedrack Ogbogu, described the road as a symbol of unity, oneness, and development, thanking the governor for fulfilling his campaign promises.
On his part, the Managing Director of Julius Berger, Engr. Peer Lusbash, said the project was awarded to his company in 2023 with a completion period of 18 months which was achieved in best quality.
He added that Julius Berger enjoyed a good support from the Fubara administration, and assured to complete all ongoing projects being handled by Julius Berger on specification, especially the Ring Road project which is a legacy project.
