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#EndSARS: We’ll Pay IPOB Victims’ Families N20m Each -Wike
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has announced N20million compensation to the families of each of the soldiers and policemen killed by members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in Oyigbo, last week.
In addition, the governor also promised to rebuild all burnt police stations in Oyigbo, and vowed to ensure that the terrorist organisation no longer exists in Rivers State.
Wike stated this during a condolence visit to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, and families of the slain policemen at the Rivers State Police Command, last Wednesday.
The governor, who was accompanied by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo; the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim; and the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Prof Zacchaeus Adangor, described the gruesome murder of the policemen and soldiers as unacceptable and unfortunate.
He stressed that the state government would support the police to make sure that all IPOB members who masterminded the killing of the policemen and soldiers, as well as the wanton destruction of police stations and other critical infrastructure in Oyigbo were apprehended to face the full wrath of the law.
“IPOB masterminded the killing of our gallant officers of the Nigerian Police and Army. We want to state clearly that Rivers State Government will support you to make sure that any of the perpetrators of this hideous crime does not go free. Enough is enough. You cannot continue to kill our policemen who have not done anything; who have not committed any crime”, he said.
Emotionally stricken by the presence of the grieving wives and children of the killed policemen, Wike, vowed to ensure that IPOB would no longer exist in any part of Rivers State.
According to him, the killing of policemen was one crime that the state government would never condone.
The governor announced that the state government has decided to pay the sum of N20million to each of the families of those killed by IPOB members in Oyigbo.
He further assured Mukan that the state government would rebuild all the police stations torched by IPOB, and provide necessary support to policemen whose residences were vandalised and rendered homeless.
In his remarks, the state Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, said the governor, by his decision to commiserate with the command and the deceased families, has demonstrated he was a compassionate father of the state.
Mukan explained that the police and the Army have taken over all IPOB strongholds in Oyigbo, and would ensure that the group ceases to exist anywhere within the state.
The police commissioner maintained that the command would not abdicate its responsibility by ensuring that IPOB, which had been declared a terrorist group by the Federal Government in 2017, did not continue to use Rivers State as launch pad for its terrorist attacks.
Mukan also said that the police have declared war against members of IPOB, and moved to arrest and prosecute supporters of the group in the state.
Speaking during a meeting with DPOs/HODs of the Tactical Units in the command, yesterday, Mukan, gave the heads of the units marching order to, within the next 48hours, deploy both intelligence and patrols across the command to ensure that the items looted by hoodlums were recovered and perpetrators arrested with immediate effect.
The Public Relations Officer of the state command, SP. Nnamdi Omoni, who disclosed the position of the commissioner in a statement, said Mukan further tasked members of IPOB to leave the state or face arrest and prosecution.
Omoni said: “The CP. Joseph Mukan has declared total war against the miscreants who attacked and looted police stations in Oyigbo LGA.
“The CP further warned members of the proscribed Indigenous peoples of Biafra (IPOB) to relocate from the state as machineries have been put in place to fish them out and deal with them as a terrorist group.
“Again the CP for the umpteenth time wishes to reiterate emphatically that Rivers State is not an IPOB state and will deal decisively with any group that carries out activities under that guise or any guise whatsoever”.
“IPOB has been outlawed by both the federal and state governments and to that extent is non-existent anywhere else, including Rivers State. Hence parents and guardians should warn their children/wards to be law-abiding or else bear the full weight of the law.”
He, however, tasked the public to increase their security consciousness and report any suspicious character or the whereabouts of any of the looted property to the nearest police station.
The Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board says it has begun the compilation of list of retired civil servants who have defaulted on the full repayment of housing loans obtained.
Head of Information and Public Relations, FGSHLB, Mrs Ngozi Obiechina, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, yesterday.
Obiechina quoted the Executive Secretary of the Board, Mrs Salamatu Ahmed, as saying that the move was aimed at recovering mortgaged properties from retirees who failed to meet their loan obligations.
Ahmed noted that the decision followed a recent memo issued by Mrs Patience Oyekunle, Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
According to her, the memo reminded public servants of the mandatory requirement to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness to the FGSHLB and MDA Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society as a precondition for retirement.
The Executive Secretary said that the board would take necessary legal steps to repossess properties where applicable, in line with the terms of the loan agreements.
She said this was in line with the provisions of the Public Service Rules 021002 (p), issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
“I am directed to bring to your attention the provision of Public Service Rule (PSR) 021002 (p), which mandates all public servants to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness as a prerequisite for retirement.
“The Federal Government will commence the seizure of mortgaged properties belonging to retiring federal public servants who have failed to fully repay housing loans obtained from the board,” she said.
Ahmed explained that the FGSHLB reserves the legal right to repossess any mortgaged property in cases where a public servant exits service without fully repaying the loan.
She reiterated that the directive also applied to already retired officers who were still indebted.
She urged all affected public servants to regularise their loan status and obtain the required clearance certificate without delay.
“The board is currently compiling a list of such retirees, which will be forwarded to relevant regulatory agencies for debt recovery.
“The FGSHLB remains committed to enforcing compliance and ensuring proper loan recovery procedures are followed, “ she added.
The Federal Government has kicked off a three-day induction programme for newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and the Accountant-General of the Federation, aimed at equipping them for strategic leadership and effective policy implementation.
The induction, according to a statement yesterday by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Eno Olotu, which commenced on Wednesday, is being held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja.
Speaking at the opening session, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, congratulated the new appointees and described their roles as pivotal to governance and national development.
“Permanent Secretaries are the engine room of the government. They are critical to driving policy implementation, institutional performance, and reform across the service”, she said.
The Federal Government has kicked off a three-day induction programme for newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and the Accountant-General of the Federation, aimed at equipping them for strategic leadership and effective policy implementation.
The induction, according to a statement yesterday by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Eno Olotu, which commenced on Wednesday, is being held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja.
Speaking at the opening session, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, congratulated the new appointees and described their roles as pivotal to governance and national development.
“Permanent Secretaries are the engine room of the government. They are critical to driving policy implementation, institutional performance, and reform across the service”, she said.
“The expectations are high, and the responsibility is immense. But with commitment and teamwork, we can deliver a more efficient, accountable, and citizen-centred public service.
“This final lap of FCSSIP 25 calls for urgency, accountability, and strategic focus. You must translate vision into measurable results,” she stated.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, described the programme as a strategic investment in leadership capacity and institutional effectiveness.
The sessions featured expert-led discussions, simulations, and strategic briefings facilitated by a distinguished faculty, including Engr. Suleiman Adamu, former Minister of Water Resources; Dr. Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination; Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba, Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice; Alh. Yusuf Addy, retired Federal Director; Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Amb. Mustapha Lawal Suleiman, Mr. Adesola Olusade, and Dr. Ifeoma Anagbogu, all retired Permanent Secretaries.
Participants include Dr. Obi Emeka Vitalis, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, Mr. Danjuma Mohammed Sanusi, Mr. Olusanya Olubunmi, Dr. Keshinro Maryam Ismaila, Dr. Akujobi Chinyere Ijeoma, Dr. Umobong Emanso Okop, Dr. Isokpunwu Christopher Osaruwanmwen, Mrs. Oyekunle N. Patience, Dr. Kalba U. Danjuma, Mr. Nadungu Gagare, Mr. Onwusoro I. Maduka, Dr. Usman Salihu Aminu, Mr. Ogbodo Chinasa Nnam, Mr. Ndiomu Ebiogeh Philip, Dr. Anuma N. Ogbonnaya, Mr. Adeladan Rafiu Olaninre, and Mr. Mukhtar Yawale Muhammed, alongside the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi.
The induction programme will feature sessions on public sector leadership, policy delivery, ethics in service, digital transformation, and performance management.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has announced that a forensic audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) will begin soon.
Edun revealed this at the ongoing Nigerian Investor Forum, held alongside the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC.
The minister explained that the recent changes in the NNPCL management are part of a broader effort by the Federal Government to clean up and examine the company closely.
While addressing top global investors, including representatives from J.P. Morgan, Edun shared key reforms the government has introduced to revive the economy and restore investor confidence.
He told the investors that the government’s bold economic steps have laid a strong foundation to attract private investment.
He stated, “Our goal is not just to maintain this momentum, but to accelerate it. We are targeting seven per cent annual growth, and we believe the policies we have implemented have laid the groundwork to achieve this.”
Edun highlighted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has rolled out major reforms that are already making a difference.
He added that the Nigerian economy grew by 3.84 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024 and recorded a 3.4 per cent growth for the year.
Edun further stressed the importance of the reforms, describing them as “unprecedented,” adding that, “We said we would do it, and now we have done it. This time, we’re staying the course.”
He pointed out signs of progress such as lower budget deficits, a better trade balance, and a more stable exchange rate.
He also said that the focus is now on growing key sectors, especially agriculture.
According to Edun, agriculture is at the top of the government’s agenda, with the aim of improving food supply and increasing productivity.
“We aim to close the food supply gap, not by importing more, but by enabling domestic producers to scale and innovate,” he said.
On infrastructure, Edun revealed that the government has rolled out 90,000km of fibre optic cable to improve internet access.
He said this move is crucial for supporting young Nigerians and tech startups.
He also noted that 4,000km of roads have been offered for private sector participation, with the first 1,000km already approved for construction.