Nigeria Security Update #1 030707

Violence in Port Harcourt Kills 20 (Daily Sun, Reuters, Nigerian Tribune, Vanguard)

NO fewer than 20 persons lost their lives Sunday night in Port Harcourt when gunmen took over major streets, shooting sporadically. The cause of their action was still unclear at press time.

The shooting started from Water lines, an area where most travellers from the state capital board vehicles. There was panic while the shooting lasted. Sources said several persons sustained gun shot wounds.

Blood flowed in Mile One, Diobu area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, on Sunday night, when unknown gunmen shot randomly in the street. Among those killed were two ladies and an elderly man, while about 20 others, who were badly injured, have been hospitalized.

At press time, it was not clear where the gunmen came from or who they were, but eye witnesses told Daily Sun that they first came to Elechi Beach Street, in Diobu, in an unmarked Mercedes Benz car from where they drove to No.1 Abakiliki/Ojike Street, where they shot and killed three young men. In Abakiliki Street, relatives of the victims, told Daily Sun that Ikuroa Briggs and Biobele Princewill had gone to visit their friend, Dokubo Grandvill, when the gunmen opened fire on them without notice.

The dead including a woman who was hit in her car by a stray bullet, were killed in the high density Diobu district of the city where the rival gangs clashed late on Sunday, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the local police chief as saying.

At Njemanze, about six persons were feared killed, including a little girl said to be assisting her mother to sell roasted corn by the roadside. At Emenike, a lady was shot dead in her Mercedes Benz car, and just some metres away from where her car was parked another corpse laid dead on the ground.

On Abakelike road, a pregnant woman was reportedly killed by stray bullets in a church where she had gone to worship. Another lady in Okija Street allegedly died on her way to buy drugs at a nearby chemist shop.

Families lucky to be indoors locked themselves. Market that springs up by the roadside in Mile One every evening hurriedly packed up with traders and buyers fleeing in all directions. As at 730 p.m., the Mile One-- Mile Three part of the busy Ikwerre road was free of traffic. The few motorists around the Mile One part of the road were forced to go through Okija Street and other adjourning streets as the Police at their Mile One station blocked the road to traffic.

Passengers were left stranded as commercial buses and taxis were not in sight.

The fighting, which raged until the early hours of Monday, was the latest example of violence in Nigeria's lawless southern delta, where attacks on oil facilities, kidnapping of foreigners and gang bloodletting have increased since 2006.

Gang clashes are a common occurrence in Port Harcourt, the main city in Nigeria's oil heartland and gunmen frequently engage in turf wars to assert their supremacy.

Two people were killed in the city when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a crowd last month, while at least four died in clashes between rival gangs in April.

Violence over the last 18 months has prompted thousands of foreign workers to flee in the Niger Delta, a maze of mangrove-lined creeks that is home of Nigeria's oil wealth, and shut down about a third of the country's production capacity.

Poverty and endemic corruption in government is at the root of much of the insecurity in the region, where impoverished fishing villages host Africa's biggest oil industry.

It was further gathered that the gunmen drove to Njemanze Street, where they shot two persons to death, including an elderly man. In Okija Street, the hoodlums killed a lady and two men. The yet-to-be identified lady, was killed inside her dark blue 504 Peugeot car, with registration number, Rivers AV 270 PHC at No 2, Okija Street, while the two men, identified as Ifeanyi, a welder and Clement Nwene, were killed a few blocks away.

Another lady, whose name was simply given as Rose and two men said to be Hausa were killed in Gambia Street, near Okija, while some other victims were said to have died at Teme Clinic where they were taken for treatment.

Following activities of militants, living in Port Harcourt has become risky as hoodlums are fast changing the metropolis from its Garden City status to a city of blood. Concerned residents are expressing worry over this development. According to them, there is hardly any day that passes without one form of killing or another in various parts of the city.

The residents said that the killings had become so rampant that human lives seemed to have lost value in the city. They said that the current killings took a different dimension, as no rival group seems to be fighting with each other.

More than 30 other people, mostly unconnected with the groups, were said to have sustained varying degrees of injuries in the shoot-out.

The cultists, who took over the streets of Diobu for more than 40 minutes from around 7:00 p.m., shot indiscriminately, leading to the killing of some innocent people.

Nigerian Tribune gathered from security sources that a group known as “Klansmen” stormed the Diobu area, which they believed was the stronghold of another cult group, the notorious De Bam cult group.

According to a source, the Klansmen had accused the De Bam group of invading Ogbakiri community in Emohua Local Government Area of the state earlier in the year, during which it killed many of their rivals, among whom was Prince Igodo, a gang leader.

According to reports, the group moved from one area of Diobu to another, attacking both their enemies and any other person who was unlucky to cross their path.

Two bodies were picked up from Okija Street, three from Abakaliki/Ojike Streets, about seven from the Water Front and about two from Wokoma Street.

Sources informed the Nigerian Tribune that one of the two victims on Okija Street was a woman who was shot in her car. According to the sources, “I gathered that her husband is in prison, may be they had marked that car. I learnt they sprayed nothing less than ten rounds of ammunition on her.”

When contacted for details of the attack on the area, the Divisional Police Officer for Mile One Police Division, Mr. Emmanuel Asufi, confirmed the incident.

According to him, “we came across them around Ojoto and my men opened fire on them. When they saw that the fire was too much, they turned back and headed for Abakaliki to Ojike.

“We were still after them when I received a call that three people had been killed at Abakaliki. There is no way I would hear such a message that I won’t want to go back to see the situation.

Lagos Airport Radar Down (Nigerian Tribune)

THE radar at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, has partially broken down following an electric power surge which blew up the screen of the radar system last Friday.

The incident, according to investigations, has hampered air traffic at the airport.

As a result, air traffic controllers have been coping with separation of flights in and out of the Lagos airport, while the relevant agency, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), has been making frantic efforts to rectify the problem.

While confirming the incident, sources in the agency disclosed that there was no cause for alarm as the management had been working round the clock to put the radar back in order.

“The management has moved in to quickly rectify the situation, just as you know that providing excellent air traffic services is one of the top priorities of NAMA,”the sources said.

An air traffic controller who spoke on condition of anonymity admitted that the “failure is seriously hampering air traffic control.”

Floods Inundate Lagos Last Week (Vanguard)

LAGOS, the acclaimed centre of excellence, literally prostrated to floods last week following persistent heavy downpour in the city. Commuters were stranded in various parts of the city as drivers took their rickety vehicles off the roads.

The few who plied the roads charged outrageous fees and many got stuck in the deep craters along the roads. Stranded passengers who could not make it back home slept in their offices while others who made it home did so way into midnight due to the terrible jam. Houses, particularly those built near drainage channels, were submerged and several residents had to scoop flood out of their living rooms.

The rain, which started late Wednesday continued until Friday, sacking many families from their homes in the flood-prone areas. Many motorists, unable to navigate their way out of the heavy waters, got stuck on the popular flood-prone Ahmadu Bello Way, Adeola Odeku and other parts of highbrow Ikoyi and Victoria Island.

Also flooded were Agege, Yaba, Gbagada, Ajao Estate, Amuwo Odofin, Oworonsoki, most parts of Surulere, Bariga, the ever-busy Lagos-Apapa expressway and the Lagos-Badagry expressway. The slum neighbourhoods of Ajegunle, Orile, Sari Iganmu, Amukoko, Isale Eko, where the drainage channels have become totally blocked, were, however, the worst hit. Commercial motorcycle operators in various parts of the city also suffered heavy losses as they were forced to stay away in order not to cause damage to their engines. They even turned down heavy financial inducements from passengers.

Our ordeal by residents

Narrating his ordeal to Vanguard Features (VF), Mr. Sunday Okonu, who lives in a two-room apartment in a tenant building in the Aiyetoro area of Ajegunle, said: "We were fast asleep when I suddenly noticed that the room I slept in with my wife was flooded. I rushed into the other room where my children were sleeping on the rug and found them already soaked. The furniture was also wet. It was a very bitter experience which I have not had since the past eleven years that I have lived in that yard. I had to take my children to our bed while I spent the entire night trying to scoop the flood out".

Miss Ijeoma Duru, who lives with her uncle in another Lagos suburb, was luckier than Mr. Okonu. She also recounted her experience to VF. "When we noticed that flood has found its way into our neighbour's flat, we decided to stay indoors in order to safeguard most of our valuables. My auntie suddenly turned into a prayer warrior as she called upon God to intervene since my uncle travelled. Her little children, who were apparently excited with the whole drama, laughed at her. But, God heard her prayers and prevented the flood from entering our flat", Ijeoma said.

For Lagos residents, the rainy season is, indeed, the most dreaded period of the year. The season comes with the perennial problems of heavy flooding, traffic snarl, buildings collapse and destruction of property worth several millions of Naira.

Environment experts who spoke to VF on the drainage and flooding problems in the state, painted a gloomy picture of the obstruction of the free flow of the drainage system which has aggravated flooding on Victoria Island, a highbrow residential-cum-commercial hub. Lagos lies below the sea level. Despite this, the State government has aided private developers to embark on high-scale land reclamation and the result is the enormous damage to the ecosystem. When it rains, most homes are often flooded because garbage blocks the canals, making it difficult for the water to flow. The flood sweeps up plastic bags and other trash that washes into the rooms of people living close to the canals. As the population of Lagos keeps increasing geometrically, there is no corresponding improvement on the infrastructure to deal with the waste they generate. Most of the garbage and sewage collected by private operators, as well as the effluents from industries, end up in the lagoons and creeks. The rest is burned, either in the numerous illegal rubbish dumps that dot the landscape or in the three official dumps run by the government.

Implement drainage master-plan

President of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), Dr. Femi Olomola, hinged the perennial problem of flooding in Lagos on three main factors - Government has failed to faithfully implement the drainage master-plan; most drainages and canals in the State are blocked as well as illegal erection of houses, kiosks and containers on drainage channels.

Olomola, who is a past Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners and the current President of the Association of Town planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), explained that the drainage master-plan took care of things like the generation and flow of water as well as their acidity, but lamented that "like most other master-plans in this country, it is being implemented on ad-hoc basis".

Dr. Olomola tasked the drainage department in the State Ministry of Environment to stop the usual complaint of dearth of funds and brace up to the challenges of, at least, ensuring that blocked canals and other drainage outlets are cleared for free flow of water to be made possible.

Said he: "When it rains, the flood (water) from the smaller drainage should empty into the bigger channels and into the lagoon or ocean. When these channels are blocked, the water will overflow and spill onto the streets."

Flat topography, blocked drains responsible for flooding

Immediate past President of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStructE), Mr. Kunle Adebajo, also spoke on what causes flooding in the city.

"The water level of Lagos is high and it is, to a large extent, surrounded by water. The topography of the city is relatively flat and flat terrains do not give much room for the design and construction of proper functional self cleaning drains in terms of minimum allowable slopes, etc. In such a situation, very deep drain sections would normally be required and, yet, the high water table does not facilitate this.

This is generally the reason behind having shallow drains in the Lagos environs, he explained Continuing, Engr Adebajo, a Senior Partner with Ove Arup & Partners, (a firm of structural engineers), posited that the forces of nature are against Lagos. "Apart from the water that naturally drains into the ground, majority of the water would normally be expected to be channelled towards storm water outfalls. The main outfalls for storm water runoff in Lagos are canals and the lagoon. Unfortunately, they are also characterised by high water levels. In addition, the existing condition of the main storm water outfalls is very poor and most of the canals are stagnant".

Engr. Adebajo explained that "if we now add to this the lack of an effective general storm water drainage system in Lagos and the indiscriminate dumping of refuse both on the roads and in the existing drains, wherever they exist, we now have a recipe for disaster and that is the reason why so much chaos is wreaked out by the onset of the rains. When you have blocked canals, the result will surely be the persistent storm water flooding, as experienced in Lagos, as this results in impeded and reduced discharge of storm water runoffs".

Mr. Adebajo also faulted the unauthorised erection of structures on the drainage alignments and canals, saying that they further compound the problem of flooding in the State.

He stated that some of the existing drains were poorly designed in terms of their discharge capacity.

Asked what it takes to dredge the canals, he replied thus: "Firstly, it requires commitment. There is no doubt that it is capital intensive and, for this reason, I would always recommend that proper feasibility studies and engineering designs be carried out first before embarking on the actual work. Illegally located buildings and structures will also need to be demolished and this will mean that people will end up having to be displaced. The drainage system will, however, be dramatically improved and, considering the benefit to all who live in Lagos, and, indeed, the benefit to the economy of the entire nation, this is by no means is too great a sacrifice to pay.

He canvassed the construction of more drainage structures to compliment the existing ones which also have to be kept functional. "A proper storm water drainage master plan needs to be prepared for Lagos and, of course, faithfully implemented. Only qualified Civil/Structural Engineers should be involved in the design and execution of drainage works.

Existing structures built, whether legally or illegally, on any drainage alignments needs to be demolished. Future developments on drain lines must not be allowed. Where possible, roads and building levels should to be raised well above the nearest canal maximum tidal level. Indiscriminate dumping of refuse must continue to be discouraged and Government policy on this needs to be strictly enforced. In this regard, it is important that every single resident of Lagos has a role in keeping the environment clean and clearing all drains of refuse" he advised.

MEND Insists on Resource Control (Daily Champion)

A militant group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has said that no amount of blackmail or intimidation would force it to abandon the struggle for resource control.

Spokesman of the group, Jomo Gbomo who stated this in a press statement made available to Daily Champion in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, noted that the group and other genuine ones are fighting for the just cause of the Niger Delta, which includes resource control and a better deal for people of the region; adding that MEND is not concerned about the release of an individual.

"Until our demands are met, we will continue with our campaign, utilizing tactics we deem necessary," he noted.

Reacting to a recent statement credited to leader of the Niger Delta Vigilantes, Mr. Tom Ateke that groups in the oil rich region would cease hostilities going by the release of Ijaw militant leader, Alhaji Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo, he said that Ateke was not working with them.

On alleged claims by some groups that they represent MEND, Gbomo said the movement does not fraternize with media professionals or journalists warning impostors to desist from seeking cheap publicity before they are dealt with.

VP Says Niger Delta a "War Zone." (Daily Champion)

Vice President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday described the Niger Delta region as a war zone, insisting that the problem of the area is beyond pipeline vandalisation and hostage taking.

Jonathan who stated this in Port Harcourt, Rivers State while inaugurating the Niger Delta Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee of the oil-rich region to the era of a civil war, with armed youths controlling affairs of their communities.

Lamenting the poor living conditions of indigenes of the region.

Dr. Jonathan however absolved immediate past governors of the Niger Delta States of being insensitive to the developmental needs of the people.

The Vice President pointed out that there is erroneous impression among many Nigerians that the Niger Delta neglect, marginalization and underdevelopment started eight years ago and that the immediate past governors collected so much money and did not do anything to improve the conditions of their people.

Although he admitted that there might have been some leakages in the way finances were manage in the past eight years, he argued that does not means the Niger Delta crisis started then.

Jonathan recalled that the crisis came to public knowledge before independence of Nigeria and the colonial government did not do anything about it and subsequent federal administration neglect of the area gave rise to the present situation in the oil-rich region.

He pointed out that if the situation is left unchecked, most companies operating in the region may leave even as he appealed to all stakeholders to come together to see how the issue could be resolved.

Inaugurating the committee, Jonathan noted that issues like hostage taking cut across borders of the various states as expatriates kidnapped in one state are usually taken to other states.

He explained that each state would have its own committee based on its local circumstances while the one inaugurated would serve as a coordinating committee working with the various states committees.

Dr Jonathan listed the committee's terms of reference to include liaising with and coordinating activities of the various states committees, monitoring of organization whose activities cut across the region, liaising with state government to carry out responsibility that may be assigned to it by the vice president or the president.

The committee which has Senator David Briggidi as chairman has a life span of 12 months which may be reviewed at its expiration as well as its terms of reference.

Other members include Mr. George Timmimmiand Mr. Godwin Ebosa representing Delta State; Chief James Jephtap and Mr. Joshua Benamesia, Bayelsa; Arc Esoetok Ikpong Ikpong Etteh and Elder Bassey Ekpa, Akwa Ibom; His Royal Highness [Colonel] Asakara Ekanem Ita Umoh [rted] and Barrister Bassey Ukim, Cross River; Prince Francis Iyasere and Mrs Florence Gbinije-Erhabor, Edo while Mr. Kingley Kuku of NDDC is the secretary of the Committee.

The oil companies as expected to nominate four members of the committee, NNPC, Police and the State Security Services are to nominate a member each.

In his remarks, the Rivers State Governor, Sir Celestine Omehia described the inauguration as historic and a show of commitment of the people to find peace.

Omehia said the people of Niger Delta have gathered to publicly demonstrate that they are ready to take the challenge of finding solution to a problem that is confronting the region.

The ceremony was attended by governors of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers states.