The police in Delta State have declared as illegal the coronation of one Chief Nzefili Nwadukwe as the traditional ruler of Abala-Obodo Kingdom in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.
Nwadukwe was crowned king on April 5, 2014 by a faction of the community.
But the state Commissioner of Police, Ikechukwu Aduba on Wednesday said the coronation was illegal because there was an existing traditional ruler at the time of Nwadukwe’s purported coronation.
“The illegal coronation was done in contravention of an existing law banning the creation of parallel monarchies in a community.
Nzefili Nwadukwe is by this publication declared wanted and will be hunted down to face the law.”
The commissioner warned persons or groups intending “to usurp a government recognized monarchy in contravention of the law to have a change of mind and follow the due process of the law in pursuit of their ambitions.
“This is more so, as the command will not fold its arms to watch any person or group of persons attempting to truncate the relative peace we have so far achieved in the state as we will not hesitate to visit the full wrath of the law on such culprits, please.”
Meanwhile, one Mavin Aliemeke has been arrested for robbing a teenage girl at gunpoint of N100,000 and six telephone handsets in her custody.
The incident occurred on Sunday when the suspect and others now at large using an unregistered Lifan CG 125 motorcycle attacked the 18-year-old girl at Micon Mighty Filling Station, Ogbagidi quarters, Ekuku-Agbor in Ika South LGA of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the arrest, said two locally made single barrel guns were recovered from the suspect who would be charged to court at the end of investigation.
She said the police were on the trail of the fleeing colleagues of the suspect.

A cheiftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who described himself as Ambassador for Peace in Ogoni land, Chief Solomon Ndigbara has raised alarm over threats to his life by agents of the state government.
In a petition copies of which he sent to the federal government of Nigeria, the United Nations High Commission For Human Rights, the United States Government, the U.K government and all lovers of peace and free societies, Chief Solomon appealed that they should prevail on governor Rotimi Amaechi’s led All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state to spear his life.
He said that the recent allegation that minister of education, Chief Nyesom Wike paid the sum of N25million to him during his last visit was a calculated attempt not just to smear his good name but a direct plot against his life by the Rotimi Amaechi’s led All Progressive Congress in Rivers State.
“It is on record that there had been several attempts at my life by the Rivers State Government which led to the institution of a legal action against the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, Senator
Magnus Abe, the Hon. Attorney General of Rivers State, Commissioner of
Police and others in Suit No. FHC/PHC/CS/583/2011 where the cause of action was infringement of my fundamental human rights as a citizen of
Nigeria.
“As you may be aware, judgment was given in my favor and ever since then, I continue to receive threats even though they are yet to comply with the orders of the court with the payment of the N50million to me.
“Rather than paying me the compensation awarded by the court, they now seek to kill me.”
Chief Solomon wanted APC in the state to know that lying against him and placing
their spies to monitor his personal life will not guarantee their
success in the forth-coming elections in Rivers State.
“As usual, the APC in Rivers State wants to send me away so that they can do their manipulation and terrorism in Rivers State ahead of the 2015 elections.
“At a time I have committed my personal resources to peace building in Ogoniland, the APC in Rivers State wants to deceptively use lies to hatch their plot against my life.”

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta state has said that the 2014 Children’s and Democracy Day celebrations will not be celebrated with the usual fanfare as a result of the security challenges currently facing the country.
Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday, to kick-start the Democracy Day programme of activities in Asaba, the Governor explained that the Democracy and Children’s Day celebrations would be marked in the state with fasting and prayers for the nation.
Uduaghan who led those Journalists to observe a minute silence in honour of those that died in a Jos explosion observed that Nigeria is going through trying times.
“Two days ago, there was twin blast in Jos train terminal and several persons lost their lives. This calls for deep sober reflection and vigilance by all.
“Because of the situation of things in the country, we have decided that 2014 is not a year of celebration but a year of serious prayers. On May 27, Children’s Day, we are going to get our children to fast and pray.
“Our children will pray for Nigeria, they will pray for their colleagues who have been kidnapped, and they will pray that our children should be encouraged to be educated rather than be discouraged from being educated.”
The Governor said that on May 29th, “we will also pray because there is nothing God cannot do.”
Governor Uduaghan said that as a state, Delta state too has its challenges but that they would be overcome through prayers.
He said that President Goodluck Jonathan and his team are doing a lot to deal with  the security challenges, adding: “let me assure all of us that the life and property of all Nigerians are dear to the heart of the President.”
Governor Uduaghan disclosed that his administration has taken proactive steps to ensure that Delta State is kept safe from any form of attack even as he asked residents of the state to be security conscious.
“We must be conscious of our environment. We must be conscious about the people around us. We must be conscious about cars parked in public places. We must be conscious about who we give our houses to as landlords. We must be alive to security challenges.”
He said that due to the excesses of cattle rearers which has led to destruction of farmlands, rape of women and killing of some Deltans, security operatives in conjunction with the Nigeria Immigration Service have embarked on a mission to remove all illegal immigrants and Nigerians with evil intents.
“We had challenges of other nationals invading Delta State. Some were coming in trucks, some coming in as cattle rearers, but as a matter of fact, non-Nigerians who are here illegally are being taken care of by the immigration.”
The Governor explained that the exercise is not meant for Nigerians with legitimate businesses in the state even as he warned: “we shall not allow those who are not legally acceptable to be with us.”
On the 2015 general elections, Dr. Uduaghan said that all aspirants for political offices should be free to pursue their consultations and ambition peacefully and should avoid actions capable of causing breach of the peace.
“We are not against anyone’s ambition. What we are against is anybody overheating the system. A life lost in your attempt to get a position is a life that cannot be replaced. Don’t incite people either by publication or action. Don’t accumulate weapons because you may not have opportunity to use them.
“If you are in my cabinet and you want to campaign for elective position, you are free to leave my cabinet. My responsibility is to guide the transition process in a very peaceful manner so that no life is lost and those who are going to vote for their candidates do that without threat of any kind.”
Dr. Uduaghan stated that besides the peace and security that his administration has restored to the state, tremendous success has been recorded in the infrastructure and human capital components of his three point agenda.

Nigeria’s information minister, Labaran Maku has declared the war against Boko Haram in particular and terrorists in general as a Nigerian war.

He said that it is the cooperation of all Nigerians that will defeat it, adding: “it is our understanding that will isolate the evil. It is the unity of purpose in the country that will lead to victory over terrorism.”
Maku, who spoke to newsmen shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa today said: “We need greater unity to be able to break into what is going on and defeat it, and that is why the grandstanding and politicking that is associated with the fight against terror is increasing the tempo of the activities of terrorists.

“The variety of opinion amongst the political class feeds into the confidence of terror groups because their objective is to divide public opinion and continuously penetrate the Nigerian society and destroy it. ‘And so, we continue to plead that all of us in the politics of this country need to think again to understand that the challenge we face is not to the advantage of anybody. We need to understand that politics aside, we need to save our country first.”
The minister stressed that all Nigerians need today, the kind of work that will enable every religious preacher and every religious leader  to speak to their followers to be able to sensitize people to give support to what is going on.
“Every state in the North needs to go back to the basis. Which means that today, to deal with terror, every of the 19 Northern states must reorganize their people from the smallest unit of the smallest village to hamlet, to wards, to towns, to districts;  there must be a proper organization of communities for proper information about movement of people and activities that could lead to destruction of lives and property.”
Maku said that federal government “is a fire fighter” and that it does not own any constituency in the 19 Northern states.

“The federal government only sends soldiers and policemen when there is fire on the roof to put out that fire. But the real ground where terrorist is operating is at the local level, at the unit level, at the state level, and until we have every state government determined, not rhetorically but practically, to sit back and organize their people and to take proactive measures in terms of information gathering, in terms of preparing people to be able to report to confront to be able to report, to confront, to organize themselves, we will not be able to defeat terror.

“So, to defeat terror means that every community in Northern Nigeria today must be prepared by the state government to attune their minds with their neighbours, with their communities, in their schools, in their town unions, in their tribal unions, in their religious organizations. We need to be able to reorganize ourselves to prepare for the new challenges we face.”
The information minister regretted that federal government has not seen this preparation going on which is why he said, it has become so sad that in spite of terror operating for this period of time, there are still lapses as witnessed in Chibok, Borno state.

He said that at the moment, the greatest challenge Nigeria is facing is for every state governor to go and focus on the reorganization, adding that that was why when the President declared state of emergency; he did not remove the governors.

He said that the President decided that we needed the machinery of the state government to be able to organize the people and work in synch with the federal government “and I think that is the real work that has to be done now.

“Instead of all the grandstanding, media bliss and altercations, it is expected that every state must know that the war of terror in his own territory is a war not only for the soldiers and policemen that are sent there, but it is even more so a real political war of community organization, of community cooperation, of sensitization, of getting the communities to link up to be able to link terror.
“If this happens, I can tell you that even for terrorists to keep girls for two weeks it will not take place, because they will be travelling across villages and communities and places. If we are really doing the work we need to do at the state and local level, and organizing our people and making them sensitive to what is going on, I believe the job will be easier for the security forces.”

Former Nigeria Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has called for an all party conference aimed at forging a united approach to dealing with Boko Haram and the spate of insecurity in the country, even as he condoled with victims of the twin bomb blasts in Jos, Plateau state as well as the ones in Kano.

Reacting to the latest bomb blast in Jos, which reportedly killed 118 persons and in Kano where five were killed, the former Vice President said in a press statement in Abuja that the persistent terrorist violence against innocent people is embarrassing and intolerable.

He, however, advised Nigerians not to despair and succumb to terrorists’ blackmail, which is aimed at paralyzing the country with fear and hopelessness, and ultimately turning Nigerians against one another.

According to him, terrorism is an act of “deliberate provocation” intended to throw Nigerians at each other’s jugular thereby destroying every positive gains of the country since independence and amalgamation.

Atiku advised Nigerians not to play into the terrorists’ hands by letting themselves provoked into fighting each other or one another.

The former Vice President also called on politicians to be united in condemning terrorist violence against innocent people, adding that terrorists enjoy dividing public opinion in order to justify their atrocities.

The former Vice President advised Nigerians to be more security conscious by reporting suspicious activities or suspiciously parked and abandoned vehicles at crowded public places even as he enjoined the relevant agencies to put in place machinery  for evacuating these and other vehicles that may have been abandoned by their owners.