Images of Ebiraland

Ismail M. Kabir Lagos. Today, the people of Kogi state will be deciding on who takes over the mantle of the state leadership. Considering the level of violence rocking the state for some weeks now, the federal government has ensured maximum security towards making today's polls violence free. The success of the polls largely depends on fair coordination of both the election process and distribution of security personnels particularly across major flash points in the state. Whoever comes victorious between the duo of Prince Audu Abubakar of ANPP and Alhaji Ibrahim Idris (both ex-governors of the state) becomes the custodian of the Lugard house, Lokoja. It is worth mentioning that the central senatorial district of the state may record low voting turn-out as we have reports of people leaving the area en-masse to neighbouring towns and bordering states fearing likely outburst of violence commonly attributed to elections in the area. As the people step out for the polls, we need your

Passing through the community; morning, day and night time, victims of the Police mayhem in Ogaminana are seen by the ruins of their homes eating, sitting, chatting or simply gazing helplessly at the passers-by. They are left un-catered for. Please provide them with relief today!

A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted an order of mandamus compelling the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, to investigate the pre- and post- April 2007 Polls’ mayhem in Kogi.The incidence which took place between April and June in Kogi Central Senatorial district allegedly claimed 10 lives while 13 houses were destroyed and eight cars burnt. Justice Babs Kuewumi gave the order while delivering ruling on a suit filed by seven Action Congress chieftains seeking an order compelling the IGP ``to arrest, investigate, prosecute'' some alleged culprits of the mayhem''."The respondent is hereby ordered to carry out his statutory duties of investigating the crisis in the State,'' Kuewumi said.Those to be investigated for the alleged mayhem as contained in the suit include Dr. Abdulazeez Farouk, two retired generals, Abubakar Yusuf and Salihu Ibrahim. Others are, four members of parliament, M.J. Ozevche, Azeez King, Moses Okino and Bode Ogunmola.The l

By Mathew Raji Andah For ten years, 1981-1991, there was a steady rise in their numbers. They were the beneficiaries of a contractual agreement, trained at the tertiary institutions of the host country. They studied hard to earn their PhDs or diplomas in medicine, engineering, economics, linguistics and other specialties. Upon graduation, many have gone back home, some have opted to travel to other parts of the world or stayed behind in the host country. Others failed to graduate, returned home, stayed behind or gone to overseas. No one knows exactly how many there are. Conservative estimate put their number at about a hundred. They are the Ebira-sovietniks. The Ebira-sovietniks who went home upon graduation--probably about 30 percent-- are making their mark in the academia, the medical, engineering and other professions. Those who failed to graduate before heading home have enrolled and did so at home upon arrival. To both group of returnees, readjustment and settling down was hard. T

Ismail M. Kabir, Lagos. Between controversial existence and a contentious exit. There are various sides to a story. For an event that happens with few or no significant eye witness, the news come in different versions; some partially correct, others completely cooked up. In some cases, such non-witnessed event pass round as rumour until eventually confirmed. Rumour it was, when a phone call from Okene announced the death of two famous Ebira youths! They were killed by the Police, reported the news. Being on a Sunday when nothing too special should ensue save for the usual church services and social functions, the news sounded as the most unexpected, as a matter of fact, incredible! The thought of losing such youths on an ordinary day like Sunday undoubtedly was the reason for the astonishment. Not a single person of Ebira origin, within or outside the soil would believe such shocker upon first hearing. Text messages, phone calls and of course physical enquiries lingered, all in an atte

Sunday Williams, Abuja A group has proposed the creation of gainful employment opportunities at the Ajaokuta Steal Company and the National iron Ore Mining Company for youths in Ebiraland as a panacea to the recurring violence in the Kogi State Central Senatorial Zone. The proposal was contained in a communiqué by the Righteous On-lookers Association issued at the end of a peace parley on communal crises in Ebiraland which was convened by the president of the Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Moses Bello. The group said "for a long term measure for peace in Ebiraland, there must be the creation of gainful employment opportunities for the youths through the ASCL & NIOMCO and other places. Serious youths should be encouraged to develop educationally." The senatorial zone has been plagued by widespread violence which has claimed lives and property. In a proposal for a lasting solution in Ebiraland by Ahmed Adoke, the group's patron, it called for re-orientation programm

We congratulate Abdulmalik Badamasuiy on his prestigious appointment as the Special Assistant (Diplomacy and Bilateral Cooperation) to the Honourable Minister/Deputy Chairman of National Planning Commission, Abuja. See full profile here . We wish him success in the discharge of his duties. Malik's recent paper. Click to view "NTU has enabled me to grow personally as well as academically, enabling me to achieve things that I did not think possible" - Abdulmalik Badamasuiy. ( Read more about Abdulmalik's impact at Nottingham Trent University here ) . When on December 14th, 1969, friends and family members of Badamasuiy gathered for the naming of a ‘bouncing’ baby boy in Adavi, Kogi state, little did they know that the Boy will be highly respected by the Government and people of Texas in the United States. Even his childhood did not give an inkling of a rising star. Eloquent and courageous, he always left footprint of an unrepentant advocate of a equal

After the police storm, Ogaminana now wears this horrific look: One of the hijacked GIHL trucks Deserted homes around Inorere area Ogu Unoko (pot market) of the famous Ohu Ogaminana ridden with police bulltes Some of the hijacked trucks Youths step out of their hideouts, after the raid One of the burnt homes around Uhucheba (the worst hit) One of the Okada (Motorbikes) repair shop burnt down by the Police One of the burnt shops, around Oziokutu The remnant of Ohu Ogaminana (Ogaminana main market) Inorere, a shadow of its old self A family compound burnt in Uhucheba A humiliated community, Uhucheba in sorrow Asema compound razed by the Police A humiliated Uhucheba