News
Miraculous escape: Gunmen attack Chukwumerije in Abia!
Chaka Chukwumerije, son of Uche Chukwumerije, former Chairman, Senate Committee on Education, barely cheated death by the skin of his teeth, after some unknown gunmen, reportedly launched a deadly attack on him while driving from Umuahia, Abia State to Okigwe in Imo State.
In a lengthy account by Dike Chukwumerije, the elder brother about his sibling, who is currently, the Commissioner for Lands in Abia State, the gunmen fired steadily on the car in which he was travelling with three other persons, but were not able to hit target, in an attack, which nobody seemed to have an idea of the reason behind it.
In the account, titled Eyes Forward, the older Chukwumerije, a renowned poet and public affairs analyst did not state the identities of the other passengers in the car, but attached pictures of how it was badly riddled with the windshield perforated with bullet holes to show how serious the attack was.
He wrote: “Two nights ago, my brother, escaped an attempt on his life. He was on his way from Okigwe to Umuahia, when the car behind him opened fire. It was not his time to die. So, he and the 3 others with him escaped unscathed. Even though the car was riddled with bullets. Two years ago, my brother was appointed a Commissioner in Alex Otti’s government.
“No, we didn’t send him off with a wish list. All we asked of him was – do not bring us shame. Don’t take what is not yours. And use every resource within your power to help our society become a better place for us all. My brother has been a faithful supporter of Alex Otti for at least 10 years.
“Every election since, at least, 2015 he has poured his heart, soul, and resources into campaigns. And when his team did not win, even when they were clearly rigged out, he came back home, and licked his wounds in quietness and dignity. Where we come from, no matter how provoked, we tend to keep a civil tongue. So, he has always played the sort of politics that has sat well with my own conscience.
“I did not fully understand his loyalty to Alex Otti. But knowing him, and having implicit trust in his judgement, I stood by my brother in his chosen political path. Till Alex Otti won, and I came to see why my brother had placed such trust in him for so long. In 2 years, Abia has turned around. I don’t praise politicians lightly, because – to me – one should not be effusively praised for doing one’s job. But he is doing the job, and doing it to a level that we have not seen in Abia in many, many years. And, today, I am proud to be Abian.
“My brother is a part of that government. And I know that he is totally aligned with the principles and developmental drive of his Principal. So aligned, so committed, that I have not seen my brother (like proper seeing) in, at least, 8 months. But I understand that politics is public service. That a family member in politics is a family member lost. We know this. And take it in our stride.
“When you have finished, you will come back and meet us. And so, my brother has buried himself in his work. Buried himself so completely, so selflessly, that we are constantly picking up the slack in other areas of his personal life. Unfortunately, it is people like this – who are totally, selflessly, committed to public service – that are too often the victims of our current socio-political order. For we are not yet a meritocratic society.
“We are still very much a society riven with materialistic greed, nepotism, and the toxic type of tribalism. Not just in our politics but also in our social spaces. And so the incentives everywhere are skewed. Those who are comfortable with doing things anyhow-anyhow are safe and ascending. While those who are not, are not. This is the struggle we all, who are true change agents, face. And the further threat of being physically harmed for nothing more than doing the right thing.
“Still, Death does not scare me. But I can only speak for myself. I know it is coming. And when it arrives, it will find me alive, from the very core of my being. And unafraid. I thank God for sparing my brother’s life. I pray he continues to keep us all who are living true to the purpose for which He made us. May His shield of protection continue to hold until we are done. And on the day He calls us home may we step forward without a single reason to look back. For, as Patty Obasi once soulfully put it, ‘O si mu gaba a tula ujo’. Yes. Eyes forward, no fear.”
It was another day of misery in Kwara State, when daredevil terrorists reportedly stormed Yashikira Community in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, and as has been the case in many of the attacks, abducting scores of residents including women and children.
But, apparently to register their authority, the gunmen, who were said to have operated for hours without challenge from the security operatives, were said to have torched the palace of the Emir.
The attackers, which reportedly occurred late Sunday night were said to have announced their presence through heavy firing and after storming the palace of the monarch during the period, set it on fire before whisking away their victims, but a similar attempt at the police station in the community, was repelled.
While some of the residents, narrated how the spent hours without resistance, leaving behind destruction and fear in the border community, another account said the villagers were caught unawares as the gunmen invaded the town under the cover of darkness.
However operatives made up of the police and military personnel, were said to have launched a manhunt immediately for the immediate rescue of the victims, including throwing a cordon in the area as part of the mission.
“The suspect offered ₦500 million to the SPU commander in an attempt to make the team stand down and allow him to contact his associates to move the consignment elsewhere. The offer was rejected immediately and properly documented for further investigation.”
These were the exact words of Olohundare Jimoh Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), with which he detailed how operatives of the Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) scoffed at a N500million bribe to turn their eyes off the importation of a huge consignment of drugs imported into the country.
This was part of the details of a major breakthrough by the operatives after bursting a major drug trafficking syndicate in Lagos, which led to the seizure of suspected illicit drugs estimated at ₦7.8 billion and arresting several suspects, including the alleged kingpin.
In the operation, reportedly carried out by officers of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) in collaboration with divisional police detectives, the operatives, were said to have stormed a house in Mende, Maryland area of Lagos, following months of surveillance and intelligence gathering coordinated by the Zone 2 Headquarters.
The recovered drugs consisted of hundreds of bags of suspected Canadian Loud, allegedly stored in the residence of the prime suspect, Jimoh, said disclosing that the suspect was apprehended on May 19 after weeks of strategic monitoring by operatives.
Offering further details, he said the operation was executed with technical support and guidance from the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, alongside coordinated efforts between the SPU and divisional police teams.
Jimoh revealed that during the operation, the suspect allegedly attempted to bribe the SPU commander with ₦500 million to compromise the mission and allow the movement of the drug consignment.
The AIG described the development as a reflection of the renewed professionalism and operational discipline being entrenched in the Force under the current policing strategy.
He noted that the success of the operation underscored the importance of deploying specialized police units alongside conventional divisional teams in tackling organized crime.
According to him, the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of rapid containment strategies, intelligence-led policing, and professional conduct among the operatives involved in the raid.
“Rapid containment was achieved as the Special Protection Unit worked with divisional teams to secure the perimeter and prevent escape or interference with evidence.
“The operation was intelligence-driven, following months of surveillance and technical monitoring before the raid was carried out.
“The immediate rejection and documentation of the bribe attempt also reflect the standard expected from redeployed personnel at the divisional level,” Jimoh added.
Reacting to the development, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, commended the operatives for their professionalism, saying the success of the operation validated the ongoing redeployment of personnel to divisions and units across Lagos and Ogun states.
The IGP noted: “Policing must be close to the people, and our specialized units must work side by side with divisional teams on the ground.
“The professionalism shown by the SPU commander in rejecting a ₦500 million bribe and following due procedure is the standard we expect. It shows that when you put your best foot forward at the grassroots, you get results and restore public trust.”
Disu further assured that the Force leadership would continue to reward integrity while holding officers accountable to the highest ethical standards.
Police authorities said exhibits recovered during the operation have been properly documented and will be tendered in court. The suspects are currently in custody while investigations continue to track down other members of the drug trafficking network.
Slavery is a wound on the memory of the Universal Church, Pope Leo XIV, said on Monday, as he issued a fresh apology over the participation of the the Catholic Church in the centuries-long delay in condemning slavery.
The pontiff stressed the position of the church after his predecessors had offered similar apologies, said: “For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”
Writing in a major text that warned about “new forms of slavery” behind the digital economy, the joined John Paul II, who denounced slave trade in 1992 before issuing a sweeping request for forgiveness for historical injustices in 2000 and Pope Francis who also repeatedly denounced contemporary forms of slavery.
In his own vein, Pope Leo, pointed out that the Church owned slaves until the Middle Ages and it also advised European sovereigns on how to justify the enslavement of “infidels.”
He stressed in “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), a document focused primarily on the rise of artificial intelligence, that it was only in the 19th century that “a formal, absolute and universal condemnation of slavery was clearly articulated.”
Hear him: “It is true that past events cannot be judged anachronistically, as though the moral criteria that matured over time had always been available. Yet neither can we deny or diminish the delay with which both society and the Church came to denounce the scourge of slavery. This constitutes a wound in Christian memory, one from which we cannot consider ourselves detached.”
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