Straight From The Headlines! What Everyone Was Talking About This Week

Hello Everyone. Hope you’ve had a great week thus far.

Good evening and thank you for joining us on the Straight from the Headlines slot where we recap major stories that made the headlines this week.

The week began on a sober note for us. The gruesome murder of four students of University of Port Harcourt in Aluu community shocked the entire nation and left us feeling sad. It was therefore no surprise that emerging stories, accounts and testimonies of their death filled the headlines this week. Other events including the flood which has ravages some states in Nigeria and displaced thousands from their homes were also trending on our headlines across the country.

Here’s a summary of major news stories for the week:

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A sister of one of the four University of Port Harcourt students brutally murdered last Friday in Umuokiri village, Aluu, Rivers State, has narrated how her younger brother and his friends were lynched. Miss Ibisobia Elkanah, elder sister of Tekena Friday Elkanah, revealed yesterday that policemen visited the scene where the students were burnt to death after they were severely injured and that one of the law enforcement agents told the perpetrators of the dastardly act “to burn them alive”

 

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The Lagos State Government has said the Third Mainland Bridge will be closed totally to traffic on Sunday to allow for thorough repair works on the bridge. The government has advised motorists in the state to make use of alternative roads on Sunday as the bridge would undergo complete diversion of traffic from 6.00 am to 12 midnight. Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, who disclosed this said that the complete diversion from the bridge was to allow the contractor, Borini Prono, to do the concrete casting of the expansion joints currently undergoing repair works on Oworonshoki-bound section. According to him, the concrete casting and drying process required zero vibration, hence the diversion of vehicular traffic away from the bridge from Adeniji Adele to Oworonshoki end on Sunday.

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The Managing Director of Keystone Bank, Mr Oti Ikomi has resigned. The bank said his exit was based on personal reasons. In a four-paragraph statement, the bank explained that Ikomi, a seasoned professional banker with a wealth of experience spanning over two decades, was appointed chief executive officer of the bank in August 2011, adding that the Chairman of Keystone Bank, Moyo Ajekigbe, has convened a meeting to review the development and appoint a successor.

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Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan this week had a tour of the areas hardest hit by flooding, described as “the worst in our history – an authentic national disaster.” In Kogi alone, the central state toured by Jonathan, the local Civil Defense (NEMA) calculated around 630,000 displaced persons and over 150,000 hectares of cultivated land destroyed. During the current rainy season, which in Nigeria runs from June to the end of October, there have been 148 deaths, according to a cautious estimate by the local Red Cross. During the week the government gave the go-ahead for the forming of a commission to guarantee assistance to the population effected and allocated 85 million euros for medical assistance operations.

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Earlier this week, it was reported in the media that the First Lady, Patience Jonathan would be returning to Nigeria. However, Sahara Reporters who released the intial report said a day after that her trip has again been canceled by her hospital in Germany. A source at the hospital said Mrs. Jonathan could not be discharged to leave as was requested by her husband because there are still several unresolved issues concerning her health. SaharaReporters was unable to determine what those issues are, but it seems obvious that her condition is still poor. Only a few days ago, however, the presidency, through spokesman Reuben Abati, said she was in good health. She has now been away for six weeks.

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The people of Omuokiri Aluu Community recounted their losses after students from the University of Port Harcourt embarked on reprisals to avenge the killings of their colleagues. The angry students had on Tuesday stormed the community, burnt some houses, cars and other property over the torture and murder of the students last Friday. On Wednesday, few of the indigenes were seen bemoaning their losses. One of the leaders of the community, Sunday Ahanonu, said he had lost all he laboured for to the students’ reprisals. Ahanonu, whose house was torched by the students, expressed shock that security agents could not stop the rampaging students when they stormed the community.

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Twenty teachers in three schools, who were absent from their duty posts, when Edo State Governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, paid unscheduled visit to the schools in the state, Tuesday, have been dismissed. Oshiomhole, who disclosed this during the visit to Asoro Primary School, Emokpae Model Primary School, Western Boys High School, George Idah Model School and Esonere Primary School in Benin City, also ordered deductions from the salaries of some teachers who got to their schools after the 8a.m., resumption time. The governor frowned at the lackadaisical attitude of some teachers to work. He went through the teachers’ attendance register and discovered that names of teachers, who were yet to arrive the school were signed in.

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A Kano-bound IRS Airlines plane departing the Lagos airport on Wednesday morning collided with an abandoned truck beside the taxiway, forcing the pilot to cancel the flight. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)’s sewage tanker was on official assignment when it got stuck after fallen into drainage at about 8.30pm on Tuesday night in the taxiway of General Aviation Terminal (GAT), Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos caused a minor damage to the aircraft. The aircraft, a Folker 100, was scheduled to operate flight LVB 3306 out of Lagos to Kano flight with a transit stop at Abuja. Information from the Airports Authority and the airline said no passenger or crew member on board the aircraft sustained any injury. The passengers were disembarked and accommodated in another aircraft which departed Lagos at 10:15am.

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How do you feel about the news that made headlines in the country this week? What other stuff happened that you would like to share?

Have a great weekend!