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Aluu 4: Police Arraign Three More Suspects

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13 years ago

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The Rivers State police command, yesterday, arraigned three more suspects before a Port Harcourt Chief Magistrate Court over their involvement in the gruesome murder of four University of Port Harcourt students in Aluu, Ikwerre Local Government Area.

The accused persons are Finebone Jeffrey (23), Joshua Ekpe (27) and Abang Cyril (27) who are standing trial before Chief Magistrate Emmanuel C. Woke on five count charge of murder, lynching, killing and conspiracy.

It would be recalled that four students of UNIPORT, Ugonna Obuzor, Lloyd Toku Mike, Tekena Elkana and Chiadika Biringa, were murdered at Omuokiri, Aluu Community near Port Harcourt on October 5, this year.

The state prosecution, State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), CSP Henry E. Njoku told the court that the accused persons and others now at large on the 5th October, 2012 at Omuokiri Aluu Community within the Port Harcourt magistrate district did murder one Ugonna Obuzor, Toku Lloyd, Chiadika Biringa and Tekena Elhanah by lynching and burnt them to death.

He averred that the accused persons committed an offence punishable under Sections 319 (1), 324 of the Criminal Code Cap 37 Vol II, Laws of Rivers State, 1999.

The accused persons were not allowed to take any plea on the matter.

In his ruling, the presiding chief magistrate, Emmanuel C. Woke while remanding the accused persons in prison custody said the court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the matter considering the degree of the charge brought against them.

He directed that the original file of the case be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice on the matter and adjourned the matter to 28/2/2013 for mention.

In a related development, a Port Harcourt Chief Magistrate Court presided over by Emmanuel C. Woke has adjourned to February 28, 2013 on the matter involving Alhaji Hassan Welewa, Community head of Omuokiri, Aluu and twelve others on their roles in the killing of four students of University of Port Harcourt, in Aluu on October 5, 2012.

The case slated for hearing yesterday on DPP advise on the matter however could not go on due to the inability of the DPP to turn in their advise.

However, all the counsels in the matter were present at the court including the prosecuting counsel, CSP Henry Njoku.

Before the adjournment of the matter, counsel representing the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Human Rights Committee, Augustine Ojekudo moved an application urging the court to direct the prosecution to give them a copy of the original case file (D 19) of the matter to enable them be abreast with the details of the case.

According to him, the case borders on the human rights and constitution, adding that the idea is to ensure that equity, fairness, justice and the interest of the public are protected in the matter.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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3 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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3 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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3 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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