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A Painful Moment Of The Effium-Ezza Effium Conflict: NELAN Engineers Tragedy

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China Harbour

A Painful Moment Of The Effium-Ezza Effium Conflict: NELAN Engineers Tragedy

The attention of the Office of the Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, CON, has been drawn to the protest that occurred today by persons identified as family members and sympathizers of the late engineers of NELAN Consulting Engineers.

First and foremost, the Honourable Minister acknowledge the deep pain that comes with the loss of loved ones. The death of the NELAN engineers remains a painful tragedy. No family deserves such grief, and the Honourable Minister understands the weight of that loss. As Governor of Ebonyi State at the time, Senator Umahi shared in that pain and treated the matter with the seriousness it deserved.

For the purpose of clarity and public record, it is important to emphasize that the incident occurred on November 3, 2021.

The unfortunate disappearance of the engineers occurred at the height of the violent Effium vs. Ezza Effium communal conflict, a crisis that consumed lives and properties and threw the area into severe insecurity. The engineers were not singled out in isolation; they were victims of a wider conflict that tragically claimed many lives during that period.

Immediately the information about the incident reached the then Governor of Ebonyi State, Senator David Umahi, CON, he swiftly mobilized security agencies and launched intensive search and investigative efforts to determine the whereabouts of the engineers and bring the perpetrators to justice.

He personally visited the incident site with security operatives and was directly involved in the search efforts. He never treated the matter lightly and never looked away from the responsibility of the state to pursue the truth.

These efforts led to the arrest of individuals involved in the dastardly act. Those arrested confessed to committing the crime, and they have remained in custody since then. The matter is still before the court, and the judicial process continues even after Senator Umahi left office as Governor.

It must therefore be clearly understood that the government under Senator Umahi did not abandon the matter, suppress it, or fail to act. Swift investigative actions were taken, arrests were made, and the suspects were handed over to the justice system, where the case continues to be prosecuted.

The Honourable Minister wishes to reiterate that he never wished for such a tragedy to occur. The communal violence that engulfed Effium at the time created a dangerous environment that sadly led to the loss of many innocent lives, including the NELAN engineers. As Governor then, he worked tirelessly to restore order and address the conflict that had devastated the area.

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David Umahi

While the Minister sympathize deeply with the families and understand their grief, it is important that public discourse on this painful matter remains guided by facts and the ongoing judicial process.

Senator Engr. David Umahi remains committed to justice, truth, and the rule of law, and he continues to pray for the repose of the souls of the departed and for strength for their families.

Francis Nwaze, FIPMD
Senior Special Assistant to the Honourable Minister of Works (Media)
March 16, 2026

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We Will Resist Plot To Make Tinubu Only Presidential Candidate In 2027, Says ADC

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ADC Slams Tinubu Over Failure To Appoint Ambassadors

We Will Resist Plot To Make Tinubu Only Presidential Candidate In 2027, Says ADC

We will resist plot to make Tinubu only presidential candidate in 2027, says ADC … Party alleges APC Plan to impose expelled member on leadership.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused powerful figures within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe, an expelled member of the party, as ADC National Chairman. The party described the move as part of the elaborate plot by the ruling party to ensure that President Tinubu emerges unopposed as the only serious contender on the ballot in 2027.

In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described the move as a calculated attempt by elements within the ruling establishment to manufacture confusion within the ADC and weaken the only viable opposition platform left in the country.

The party maintained that there is no legal basis for any confusion as its leadership remains firmly under Senator David Mark following a combined meeting of the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee witnessed by INEC officials in July 2025.

The party vows to employ every legitimate means to resist plots by anti-democratic forces within the ruling party to end competitive democracy in Nigeria.

The full statement read:

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has uncovered a desperate and sinister plot is allegedly being orchestrated by powerful figures within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into recognising a certain Nafiu Bala as the National Chairman of the ADC.

This brazen attempt to undermine and destabilise the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections is reportedly being driven by an APC governor in collaboration with a senior security official based in Abuja as part of the plot to impose President Tinubu on Nigerians as the sole presidential contender in 2027.

At the centre of this scheme is Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe, an expelled member of the ADC who has recently been parading himself as a leader of the party while collaborating with external political interests. Mr. Gombe, who once claimed to be Deputy National Chairman under the former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, was duly expelled from the ADC after engaging in actions that were inconsistent with the party’s constitution, its principles, and the collective decisions of its leadership.

It is therefore shocking, though not surprising, that elements within the ruling establishment are now attempting to use him as a willing instrument of destabilisation and plot to forcefully take over the leadership of the ADC.

The objective is clear: to manufacture confusion within the ADC, sponsor illegitimate leadership claims, and ultimately cripple the only credible opposition platform that Nigerians are increasingly looking to as a genuine alternative, thereby leaving Nigerians no choice in the next general election, despite widespread suffering that the ruling party has brought on the people.

It may be worth reiterating that a properly constituted combined meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC), witnessed by officials of INEC, transferred leadership to the coalition led by Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola in July 2025.

This exercise was duly acknowledged by INEC with a formal recognition of the David Mark leadership in September 2025. And most recently, on March 6, a Federal High Court had dismissed a case challenging Mark’s leadership of the party, affirming a well- grounded Supreme Court judgement that matters of leadership is wholly an internal affair of political parties.

ADC Slams Tinubu Over Failure To Appoint Ambassadors

ADC, Tinubu

We therefore wonder at the level of desperation that is driving these anti-democratic forces to continue in their sinister efforts to impose expelled individuals on the party or manipulate its internal structures through external political pressure on judges and electoral officials.

Nigeria’s democracy cannot thrive where the ruling party seeks to capture, infiltrate, or manufacture opposition parties for its own political convenience and survival. Such actions represent a dangerous assault on democratic pluralism and the constitutional right of Nigerians to freely organise and support credible political alternatives.

We therefore call on the general public, party members, and democratic institutions to disregard the activities and claims of Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe and those backing his illegitimate adventure. We know them and their game plans and we will resist them by all means necessary. We will defend our democracy.

The ADC remains united, focused, and committed to building a strong democratic alternative for Nigerians. No amount of intimidation, infiltration, or political engineering will derail this mission.

Signed:
Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi National Publicity Secretary African Democratic Congress (ADC)

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NAF Vows To Sustain Salary Payments For 12 Months To Families Of Personnel

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NIMASA

NAF Vows To Sustain Salary Payments For 12 Months To Families Of Personnel

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has said that it will sustain salary payments for up to 12 months to families of personnel who die in the line of duty.

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, approved the welfare initiative as part of measures to strengthen support for families of fallen personnel.

He said the policy, which provided a special extension of salary payments to the spouses or next of kin of NAF personnel killed in action, would help cushion the impact of their loss.

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NAF

According to him, the initiatives reaffirms the NAF’s resolve to honour the sacrifices of fallen heroes, support the families they left behind and sustain a motivated and mission-ready force.

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EFCC Arraigns Ex-Convict Adekola Oluokun For Allegedly Laundering N12m

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EFCC

EFCC Arraigns Ex-Convict Adekola Oluokun For Allegedly Laundering N12m

EFCC arraigns ex-convict Adekola Oluokun for allegedly laundering N12m. He pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, arraigned ex-convict Adekola Oluokun for allegedly laundering N12 million.

Mr Oluokun was arraigned on a one-count amended charge of money laundering, contrary to Section 330 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

He pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his plea, EFCC counsel Muhammed Bashir asked the court for a date to review the facts of the case and sentencing.

The prosecution also prayed that the defendant be remanded in a correctional centre.

EFCC alleged that the defendant, with others still at large, sometime in 2025 in Lagos, concealed and converted N12 million paid into his account through Point of Sale (POS) agents.

The commission said the sum formed part of N3.9 billion reportedly stolen from accounts in a new-generation bank through unauthorised access and fraudulent activities on its mobile banking platform.

Justice Rahman Oshodi adjourned the case until March 17 for the review of facts and sentencing.

Mr Oshodi also ordered that the defendant be remanded in a correctional centre.

EFCC

EFCC

Mr Oluokun was earlier convicted on July 23, 2020, by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Mr Abdulmalik sentenced him to 20 years’ imprisonment for defrauding a Taiwanese national of $22,300, following prosecution by the EFCC Ibadan Zonal Directorate.

The EFCC Ibadan office had prosecuted him on a six-count amended charge, which included obtaining money by false pretence.

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