Images of Ebiraland

By Demola Akinyemi ILORIN—A notorious hoodlum, who has been terrorising Ilorin and environ was killed yesterday at Pakata area of the city, while an army officer sustained severe injury in a fierce battle that lasted nine hours. Eye witness account told Vanguard that Anifowoshe community in Pakata, Ilorin, Kwara State capital, was a theatre of war in the battle between the hoodlum and a combined team of Army, Airforce and Police. Residents of the area were held hostage for hours, while the main road around Government Girls Day Secondary School was blocked by the security team, thus preventing vehicular movement from both sides. The suspect, believed to be in his thirties, suspected to be a policeman from Okene, Kogi State, reportedly rented an apartment in the area for his wife and aged mother  from where he had been carrying out his nefarious activities. The source said:  “In the ensuing crossfire, the suspect was said to have been gunned down,while an unidentified man of Nigeria

Abdulazeez Omeiza Aliyu By Ismail M. Kabir The Kogi state governorship aspirant, Alhaji Abdulazeez Omeiza Aliyu has been told not to disappoint the people of Kogi central senatorial district in the face of growing support for his ambition. The call was made yesterday in Abuja when a group of youth from Kogi central met with the aspirant, Alhaji Abdulazeez Omeiza Aliyu who is contesting under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The meeting which held at the Funplex Garden, Wuse Zone 6 in Abuja was conveyed by the President of Ebira Unity Forum, Prince Abdulkarim with the aim of initiating a structure for periodic interaction with the gubernatorial aspirants ahead of his public declaration. The highpoint of the meeting was the unanimous declaration of support for the gubernatorial aspirant by the comrades and a call for the development of a workable plan for timely mobilization of the grassroots especially the undecided electorates just as they implored  the

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The Senator representing Kogi Central in the Red Chamber and candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) for Kogi Central Senatorial election, Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman, has condemned the abduction of an American missionary, Rev. Mrs. Phillis Sortor in Kogi State. The 80-year-old missionary worker with Methodist Church resident in Emi-Woro community along Ajaokuta/Okene road was reported to have been abducted by unknown gunmen within the church premises on Tuesday. In a statement issued by Abatemi-Usman’s media aide, Michael Jegede, the Senator described as callous and ruthless the action of the kidnappers, wondering what they intend to achieve from putting an old innocent woman who has dedicated her life to the service of God and humanity in Nigeria through such an excruciating pain. The PPA chieftain called on the security agents, especially the police to leave no stone unturned to ensure the immediate release of the missionary from the hands of her abductors, warning

INTERVIEW (Daily Trust) By Hamisu Muhammad A consortium of Henan Taihang Quanli Heavy Industry and Total Steel Nigeria recently renew efforts to restart the Ajaokuta Steel Plant. Last month the group visited the plant site, at Ajaokuta LG, Kogi state and some government officials in Abuja. After the visit, the leader of the group Mr Huang Quanli shared his experience with Daily Trust's Hamisu Muhammad and unveiled some of the plans they have for the abandoned steel plant if given the opportunity. May we know a little background of your Group? Our group of companies specialises in metallurgical plant building and management. We are very well connected at a very high level to the Chinese government and also have the financial sources and technical capability in China which we hope to tap from in order to restart Ajaokuta Steel Plant if given the chance. We already have the requisite international projects and investments experience as we are currently handling similar projects in