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Security guard electrocuted at Kubwa
By Emma Elekwa
An eighteen year-old security guard was electrocuted while trying to remove an antenna pole that fell on a lower high tension cable while trying to remove an antenna pole that fell on a lower high tension cable in Phase 2, Area 1 of Kubwa in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
City News gathered that the deceased, identified as Isaiah Bello, had climbed the pole to remove the antenna with a ladder as soon as he woke up early morning on Sunday when he was suddenly electrocuted.
According to the source, it was one of the residents of the compound, identified as Monday, who had earlier tried to rescue the deceased by pouring water on him, that alerted the police who arrived the scene and removed the body.
City News learnt that part of the body of the deceased was burnt by the electric shock.
Confirming the incident, the Kubwa Divisional Police Officer, Chief Superintendent Nurrudeen Sabo, said the corpse is presently at the mortuary for preservation and autopsy, adding that the death is being investigated.
FCT IDPs reject Borno camp
By Maureen Onochie
Two hundred out of the one thousand five hundred Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) squatting in Durumi, Garki in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have agreed to go back to Borno state but have rejected the idea of moving into a government run IDPs camp in Maiduguri.
Speaking to newsmen over the weekend in the Durumi, National Human Rights Commission officials responsible for profiling the IDPs said most of them insist that they want to go back to their homes rather than remain in camps built for them in the state’s capital.
According to the officials, the IDPs prefer to go back to fend for themselves rather than keep surviving on charity.
President of the IDPs from the Gwoza community, Chakule Lawan said he and the inter-agency committee travelled to Maiduguri to visit the camp “but the camp is not good enough for us to relocate to.
“Let me tell you, the camp is not safe. I thank the National Human Rights Commission for their support to us and other well-meaning Nigerians who have been supporting us but we are not going back to Borno camp. We have called our brothers and sisters who are there but they told us the place is not safe and conducive.”
“I personally visited the camp courtesy of NHRC to ascertain the situation at the camp but we were not satisfied with what we saw, we were hiding for the few days we spent there. We can only return to Gwoza that is our local government, not Maiduguri that is very far from Gwoza,” he insisted.
He insisted that when they get to their local community, it would be better for them because they would go back to their farms and do other businesses to fend for themselves rather than go to the camp in Maiduguri which he says was not habitable.
On profiling of the IDPs to ascertain whoever was authentic or fake, Lawan insisted that there was no fake person amongst the people in his camp while he insisted the federal government was not being sincere about the whole exercise.
The inter-agency committee for the resettlement of the IDPs in Nigeria had several weeks ago said that the federal government had provided a safe and conducive camp for the relocation of the IDPs and confirmed that the IDPs had accepted the offer to relocate.
“The settlement and the condition under which these Nigerians live violates our collective right as humanity, 21 women had given birth through the assistance of traditional birth attendant due to lack of hospital or clinic,” Professor Bem Angwe, Executive Secretary of NHRC stressed.
FCT minister appoints press corps chair media aide
By Ben Atonko
FCT Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Musa has appointed Sani Abubakar, chairman of FCT Press Corps as his Special Assistant, Media.
Abubakar, who writes for Nigerian Newsday, a publication by the Nasarawa State government, is the first media aide to FCT minister to have been appointed from the press corps.
Making the historic announcement, the minister called for closer relationship between the FCT administration and the media as the nation strives to build a befitting capital city.
He said his administration values the role of the media as a major stakeholder in the Abuja project and would continue to partner with all stakeholders to build on the existing infrastructure and services.
“After receiving briefs from the FCT Legal Services Secretariat in order to guide us, I have decided next to meet with the members of the fourth estate of the realm to show how I value professionalism and partnership,”
Bello told the journalists.
He assured that his administration would work in tune with the change mantra of the federal government and in the best interest of the people.
The FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye thanked the minister for personally initiating the meeting, stressing that this indeed made the relationship between the FCT administration and the media very simple.
“I really appreciate the fact that you (journalists) have moved away from what we know journalism to be, to developmental journalism which is what it should be,” Dr. Ajakaiye observed.