Nnamdi Kanu’s boast about ending insecurity, killing of police operatives, other top stories from South-east

From Nnamdi Kanu’s startling comment on insecurity to the killing of two police operatives in Imo State, top stories from Nigeria’s South-east within the past week focused more on insecurity in the region.

I haven’t received salary as governor, my wife has no official car – Nigerian governor

The week began with a shocking remark by Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State that he has not taken any salary from the state government since assuming office as governor two years ago.

Mr Soludo, who came into power as governor on 17 March 2022, also said his wife, Nonye, does not have an official car as the first lady of Anambra State.

The governor explained that the decision was part of his efforts to cut the cost of governance in the state.

Mr Soludo’s claim that he has not taken salaries is strange given that the Nigerian law supports salaries for governors.

However, PREMIUM TIMES reports that the Office of the First Lady of a state is unknown to law although some state governments in Nigeria appear to be allocating funds to such offices.

The 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), for instance, did not make any provision for the Office of First Lady of a state.

What Ngige, Emeka Offor told Soludo on his second anniversary as governor

On Sunday, a former minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, and renowned entrepreneur, Emeka Offor, hailed Governor Soludo for his achievements as governor of the Anambra State since 2022.

Messrs Ngige and Offor spoke separately during the celebration of Mr Soludo’s second anniversary as governor of the state at the International Convention Center, Awka.

While Mr Ngige, who governed the state between 2003 and 2006, commended Mr Soludo for managing the state’s resources “prudently”, Mr Offor told the governor that the dream of a new Anambra State has been realised under his administration.

Mr Soludo, a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was sworn in as governor of the state on 17 March 2022. His four-year tenure will end by March 2026.

Mr Offor, who is the chairperson, the board of directors of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), would later sound political, saying with Mr Soludo’s performances in the state, there was nobody who could challenge the governor in the next election which is expected to be held in November 2025.

As the board of directors of the EEDC, a power distribution company covering South-east Nigerian, including Anambra State, Mr Offor’s praise of Mr Soludo has been described by some observers as a way of seeking business favour from the state government.

However, the support for Mr Soludo by Mr Ngige, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is interesting, given that the governor is a member of the APGA and appears ready to battle Ifeanyi Ubah, a senator and member of the APC.

Mr Ubah, who recently defected to the APC from the YPP, has since declared interest to contest in the next governorship election in the state.

It is unclear, for now, if Mr Ngige would support Mr Soludo in the next governorship election in the state against his party man, Mr Ubah.

Anambra govt uncovers 210 ghost workers, sacks six directors

On Monday, we reported that the Anambra State Local Government Service Commission sacked six deputy directors for possessing fake certificates.

The Chairperson of the commission, Vincent Ezeaka, said the commission also uncovered 210 suspected ghost workers in the system.

Police operative allegedly refuses to pay medical bill, arrests doctor

We also reported, on Tuesday, that a police operative, Stephen Okona,  allegedly refused to pay his medical bills to a medical doctor, Ofodile Ekweogwu, after being treated, according to a statement by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Anambra State.

The NMA accused the operative of ‘illegal’ arrest, torture and detention of the medical doctor for asking to be paid for treating the operative.

The group also accused the operative of kidnap, attempted extortion, and mental assault and threat to the life of Mr Ekweogwu.

The police said they have directed that Mr Ekweogwu should make a statement based on a petition before them and be granted bail while they continued with the investigation into the incident.

Nnamdi Kanu’s boast to end South-east insecurity within “two minutes”

On Tuesday, Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), stirred controversy when he boasted that he can end insecurity in South-east and South-south Nigeria within two minutes if he is released from detention.

Mr Kanu has been in detention at the facility of the State Security Service (SSS) since he was rearrested and brought back to Nigeria from Kenya in June 2021 under controversial circumstances.

He is facing terrorism charges at a Federal High Court, Abuja.

The IPOB leader said the insecurity in the two regions has been going on because of his incarceration at the SSS facility.

Mr Kanu claimed that nobody can disobey his order in the South-east and South-south when he is out of detention.

The comment by the IPOB leader has elicited several reactions, with many people saying the comment appeared to suggest that he knows the identities of the people responsible for the attacks in the two regions.

Meanwhile, several orders issued by Mr Kanu from the detention have been ignored by factional members of IPOB.

For instance, Mr Kanu, in late July 2023, through Aloy Ejimakor, his special counsel, had ordered Simon Ekpa, a pro-Biafra agitator, to stop issuing sit-at-home orders in the region.

But Mr Ekpa, who leads Autopilot, a faction of IPOB, refused to obey the order by the IPOB leader and maintained that the illegal order would go on until Mr Kanu spoke to him directly in Finland, a North European country, where he (Ekpa) resides.

Abia State’s repeal of pension law for governors, deputies

On Tuesday, the Abia State Assembly made history when it passed a bill to repeal the then-2001 law which made provision for pension for former governors and deputy governors in the state.

Governor Alex Otti of Abia signed the bill into law on Thursday.

At least two former governors of the state have said they did not receive the pensions despite the existence of the law.

The passage of the bill by the state assembly and its consequent signing into law by Mr Otti has drawn commendations from different quarters.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was among the people who praised the Abia governor for the courage to sign the bill into law.

Mr Obasanjo also asked other state governors to emulate Mr Otti in repealing laws supporting the payment of pensions to former governors and deputies in their states.

While the applause is still loud, there has been concern over the failure of the state government to provide details of the beneficiaries of the pension law so far and how much has been spent on the former officials.

Analysts, for instance, say that while the governor’s action is commendable, it appears the repealed law was never implemented in the state given the state government’s failure to name those who benefitted from it.

Police contradict army on figure of slain IPOB members during joint operation

There was confusion on Friday when the police in Ebonyi State, contradicted a report by the Nigerian army that a suspected IPOB member was killed during a joint operation.

The Nigeria army, in a statement on Thursday, said its troops and personnel of other security agencies, including the police, in Ebonyi, killed the suspected IPOB member during a raid on a camp belonging to the separatist group in Mgbalukwu, Inyimagu, a community in the Izzi Local Government Area of the state.

But in a separate statement on Friday, the police spokesperson in Ebonyi State, Joshua Ukandu, said three IPOB members, not one, were killed during the operation.

Apart from the casualty figure, the security agencies also disagreed on the arrest of suspects, the identity of the community where the operation was conducted and items recovered during the joint operation.

When confronted with the conflicting statements, the authorities of the two security agencies could not explain it, even as they maintained their different positions.

The development highlights a lack of cooperation and intelligence-sharing among security agencies in Nigeria which is grappling with growing insecurity.

Killing of police operatives in Imo

It was a bloody day on Saturday in Imo State when gunmen ambushed and killed two police operatives in the state.

The police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye, said the hoodlums attacked some operatives while they were on patrol duty in the early hours of Saturday, killing two of them on the spot.

Mr Okoye, an assistant superintendent of police, said the gunmen threw dynamite at the police patrol vehicle and subsequently engaged them in a shootout, resulting in the death of the operatives.

The unfortunate incident is another painful reminder that insecurity and attacks against security operatives in the South-east are yet to slow down.

Gov Mbah resolve to generate electricity, extend wage award payments

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, On Saturday, promised continuous payment of wage awards to state workers until the committee on new minimum wage concludes its work.

The governor began the payments of the wage award of between N10,000 and N25,000 to state workers last December to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.

At the Town Hall meeting with Enugu people, Mr Mbah, said his government would prioritise workers’ welfare, adding that he would create values that would help workers to thrive.

The governor also said his administration will begin the generation and distribution of electricity in the state by the end of 2026.

He said the state government will soon inaugurate Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission to drive the initiative to completion.