This is a review of top events which occurred in Nigeria's South-east within the past week
The past week was action-packed in Nigeria's South-east, where mainly sad events made headlines.
The top stories included the report of a fatal road accident in Imo State involving members of the Lord's Chosen Church, the complaints of Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State at the funeral of former governor of the state, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, and the killing of an entrepreneur by members of a neigbbourhood watch in Enugu State.
It was the third week of April 2024.
Here are the highlights of the top stories that made headlines in the region within the past week:
Police rescue female kidnap victim, arrest suspects in Enugu
The week began with an announcement by the police in Enugu State last Sunday that they had rescued a female kidnap victim in the state.
Daniel Ndukwe, the police spokesperson in the state, said in a statement that two suspects behind the alleged kidnap were arrested after residents raised the alarm about the victim's kidnap.
Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, gave the names of the suspects as Ejike Okorie, 26, and Christopher Kindness, 25 - both males.
The police spokesperson said, before the police intervened, an angry mob had earlier intercepted the suspects and set ablaze their minibus at the P-and-T Bus Stop in Okpara Avenue area of the state after the alarm was raised about the victim's kidnap.
The suspects have confessed to the crime, he said.
The development highlights the worsening incidence of kidnapping in the state and South-east.
Soldier's murder of woman, torture of hotelier to death
After media reports, the Nigerian Army, last Sunday, confirmed the murder of a woman by a soldier in its barracks in Enugu State, South-east Nigeria.
The soldier, Muhammad Adamu, murdered the woman at the Nigerian Army's 82 Division Barracks in the state.
The woman, Hauwakulu Tabra, was Mr Adamu's girlfriend.
Army spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, said in a statement that Mr Adamu, a private in the army, had been arrested over the alleged murder.
Mr Nwachukwu, a major general, said Mr Adamu allegedly murdered the victim last Thursday night and that her corpse was discovered within the barracks premises the following day.
The army spokesperson, however, denied claims that the soldier is a repentant Boko Haram member enlisted in the army through the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).
Meanwhile, in a separate statement previous Sunday, Mr Nwachukwu announced that the Nigerian army would investigate the alleged involvement of some of its personnel in the death of a hotel manager, Achimugu Etubi, in Umuahia, Abia State.
On 13 April, Mr Etubi of Hotel Royal Damgrete, Umuahia, was reportedly tortured to death by yet-to-be-identified personnel of the Army.
He was tortured following the drowning of an Air Force cadet, Emmanuel Onyemereche, in the hotel's swimming pool.
The torturing of the hotelier to death highlights the frequent allegation of highhandedness of soldiers against Nigerians.
Blackout in South-east as EEDC announces system collapse
There was anxiety on Monday across the South-east when the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) announced that it had experienced a total system collapse, causing blackouts in the entire region.
Checks by PREMIUM TIMES showed that the collapse had been reoccurring for a long time.
Although power supply was later restored in the region after hours of power outage in the South-east, the frequent collapse of the system calls for urgent intervention by relevant authorities.
Killing of entrepreneur by neigbourhood watch operatives in Enugu
It was a tragic day on Monday when Ofor Ugwu, a restaurant owner in Enugu State, was shot dead by individuals believed to be operatives of a Neighbourhood Watch Group in Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state.
The police have since confirmed the incident and assured that they had begun an investigation to track down the killers.
The incident highlights how local vigilante operatives contribute to the worsening insecurity in Nigeria by taking part in arbitrary killings.
Police to prosecute suspect allegedly caught with fake naira notes
The police in Enugu State, Tuesday, announced that they would begin prosecution of a 24-year-old man for allegedly possessing and transacting in fake naira notes in the state.
The suspect, Mmaduabuchi Okonkwo, is a resident of Mkpologu in Emene, Enugu East Local Government Area of the state.
The police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement that the suspect was arrested on 10 April at a bus stop along Abakaliki Road in the state.
Mr Ndukwe said the suspect has confessed to the crime and fake naira notes recovered from him.
Two arrested for illegal mining
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Anambra State, Wednesday, announced the arrest of two suspects for illegal mining of over N20 million-worth of Kaolin materials.
The NSCDC spokesperson in Anambra State, Edwin Okadigbo, who made the announcement in a statement, gave the names of the suspects as Madueke Akpuchukwu, 53, and Chimezie Ezenduka.
The development is a clear evidence that the state is rich with Kaolin. The substance is a type of solid mineral used in making ceramics, medicine and coated paper. It is also used as a food additive, in toothpastes, as a light diffusing material in white incandescent light bulbs and in cosmetics.
Worshippers killed in Imo road accident
It was another tragic day on Friday when many people were feared killed in a road accident in Imo State, South-east Nigeria.
The accident occurred along Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Owerri, the state capital when a luxurious bus, conveying members of the Lord's Chosen Church, collided with a tipper in the area.
Although there were speculations that about 20 people might have died in the accident, the police confirmed, shortly after the accident, that about five persons died in the crash as of afternoon of the day, with many injured persons taken to nearby hospitals.
It is unclear if the death toll later increased.
Arrest of suspected killer of ABSU final year student
The police in Abia State, Friday, announced the arrest of Emmanuel Victor, the suspected killer of a final-year undergraduate student of the Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU).
The victim, Emmanuel Uche, went missing in March after some cult-related clashes in students' residential quarters in the area, but would later be seen in a viral video being killed by suspected cultists.
The police said the victim was murdered in front of a lodge known as Miracle Lodge in Uturu, a community in the local Government Area of the state.
The development highlights the danger of cultism among students in Nigeria's tertiary institutions.
Police arrest officer who shot businessman dead over bribe payment
It was another sad story of police brutality on Friday when a police operative in Abia State shot dead a businessman in the state for allegedly refusing to give a bribe.
The businessman, Emmanuel Okocha, hailed from Abiriba, a community in Ohafia Local Government Area in the South-eastern state.
The operative was on duty alongside his colleagues from the Rapid Response Squad of the police in the state during the incident.
They were said to have demanded a bribe from the victim despite the victim having his complete vehicle documents and driver's licence.
The police spokesperson in Abia State, Maureen Chinaka, later announced the operative who allegedly killed the entrepreneur had been arrested.
Ms Chinaka, an assistant superintendent of police, identified the operative as Obagi Njok, a police corporal attached to the Abayi Police Division in the state.
While the arrest of the operative is commendable, police authorities must act fast to fish out and dismiss bad eggs in their folds amidst rising cases of police brutality in the country.
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No glitches as JAMB holds 2024 UTME exam in Enugu
Like in other regions of Nigeria, the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), on Friday, began the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for candidates across the South-east.
However, unlike in other states across the country, there were no technical glitches during the examination across some centres visited by PREMIUM TIMES in Enugu State on Saturday.
Some of the candidates praised JAMB for the smooth conduct of the exercise which is expected to last for another one week.
It is expected that JAMB will work hard to sustain the smoothness of the exercise in the state while also quickly addressing issues in centres where glitches might have been experienced.
Soludo's anger at Ezeife's funeral
There was drama on Saturday in Igbo-Ukwu, a community in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State when Governor Charles Soludo expressed sadness over the alleged violation of the state's burial law at the funeral of a former governor of the state, Chukwuemeka Ezeife.
Mr Ezeife, who served as the governor of the state between January 1992 and November 1993, died at the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, in December 2023.
The former governor's burial held on Saturday at his residence in Igbo-Ukwu community.
The state's House of Assembly had enacted the Anambra State Burial/Funeral Ceremonial Control Law on 9 April 2019 during the administration of former Governor Willie Obiano.
The law is intended to discourage excessive spending during burial and funeral ceremonies, given that communities in Anambra State have a history of organising flamboyant burial and funeral ceremonies.
Speaking at the late Ezeife's funeral on Saturday, Mr Soludo expressed anger at the fanfare and flamboyant style of the funeral, which he said contravened the state's burial law.
"So all this fanfare that makes burial very expensive runs contrary to the Anambra burial law passed three years before I became governor," he said.
