Rivers State government is poised to overrun militants in the state, according to its governor Chibuike Amechi, who also said that Ateke Tom, now the wanted outlaw, would forfeit his houses to the state. The houses would eventually become health centres.
Amechi announced this at the closing ceremony of the Port Harcourt Polo Tourna-ment, where he urged residents of the state not to be overwhelmed or influenced by press reports and text messages that originate from the hoodlums and that are making the rounds in the state. These messages, he said, were made to create fear among the populace.
The governor assured that very soon nemesis and the security detachments would catch up with Ateke and he would be made to account for his misdeeds.
The governor promised not to compromise the peace and security of the state.
“I have a responsibility as the governor of the state to protect lives and property. Please do not live in fear.”
�We are acquiring the properties of Ateke to convert them to public use. I have directed the Ministry of Housing to clear the evil forest and build a health center for the people of Okochiri,� Amechi assured.
He told the gathering that he has asked the federal government to beef up the security in the state with more soldiers, assuring that soon lives and the crucial investments in Rivers State and the region would be free of any threats.
The governor also dismissed the claim by the Movement for the Emanci-pation of the Niger Delta (MEND) that they were responsible for the fire incident on board the oil vessel at the Nigeria Ports Authority on Friday, where two people were injured.
The captain of the vessel; had explained to the governor that the fire was caused by an electrical fault in their engine room and had nothing to do with sabotage as MEND claimed.
He said the criminals were gaining grounds by using false information and owning up to disasters that they knew nothing about. He said the claims should be ignored as they were bogus.
Amaechi said that his govrnment was embarking on comprehensive development measures that would enforce peace in the state and tackle its security challenges. He added that crime would be treated in like manner and militants would also hence forth be snuffed out of their enclaves for public safety to return.
He said that once that was done, all employable youths would be registered and recruitment programmes would commence where all companies and banks in the area including Zenith Bank would facilitate loans for the youth to find profitable means of livelihood.
Meanwhile, barely 24 hours after the merchant vessel exploded at the Nigeria Ports Authority Wharf in Port Harcourt, a petrol tanker incident at the Awka Park, Eleme Junction burnt 14 vehicles, some with passengers in them.
At the time of filing this report the actual casualties in the incident were yet to be determined, even as the Police Public Relations Officer Mrs. Ireju Barasua said three people lost their lives. Other sources however put the deaths at between five and ten.
The tragedy was said to have taken place around midnight when the tanker with registration number AA 351 AJL suspected to be loaded with condensate and fleeing from police patrol crashed.
Reports indicate that the police had suspected the occupants of the tanker to be condensate thieves who had broken a pipe and siphoned the product. They refused to stop for routine checks before the incident which led to the accident.
The chase progressed rapidly towards the Eleme Junction, towards Oyigbo and came to an abrupt stop when a construction site which has long been a driver’s nightmare forced the driver to veer dangerously and skid off his path. This sharp reflex dragged the truck towards Ekwulobia Motor Park where the Transport Corporation of Anambra State office is located. The area was set ablaze.
Tha tragedy was said to have alarmed the police patrol team which bolted away, leaving the problem to the Federal Road Safety Corps to clean up.
The park is a beehive of activities because of the constant presence of long-haulers who spend their nights there before continuing their journey. This may have been responsible for the uncertainty of the exact number of casualties.
On arival, ThisDay witnessed a rowdy scene of wailing and sobbing and the more than 20 shops that once lined the area had been reduced to rubble.
Human parts had been burnt beyond recognition and in some cases such parts hung out of charred vehicles.
An eye-witness Ifeanyi Okonkwo told this reporter that one of the drivers who had evacuated two vehicles and was heading for a third refused to heed public caution and walked right into his death when the vehicle he attempted to drive out would not start but instead caught fire. He was roasted in it instantly.
Jan142008