PRESS RELEASE Abia State Governor, Mr Okezie Ikpeazu, wishes to express his appreciation to Abians and residents, particularly those living and doing business at Aba, for their support and cooperation during this trying period. For a commercial city that is also the economic hub of the state and the South East region, the effect of the socio-economic disruption at Aba is too massive to measure at this time and the Government fully appreciates all the sacrifices made to ensure early restoration of normalcy. We also wish to commend the efforts of the men and women of the security services currently…

Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), has directed all Imams in the country to preach peace and tolerance during sermons at Friday prayers. JNI Secretary General, Mr Khalid Aliyu, said at a press briefing in Kaduna that the measure was to forestall any breach of the peace following recent clashes in the south east. “It is important we make this call today being Friday, a very important day for Muslims in which they will climb the pulpit to read sermons, that the sermons should be geared towards calling for peace and calming of nerves,” he said. “Taking laws into our hands will…

Details have emerged on the offers made by the federal government to the university non-teaching staff towards ending the indefinite strike they began on Monday. The negotiating team, the Joint Action Committee, JAC, of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities, NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT had Thursday night risen from a 9-hour, 13 minutes meeting with a delegation of government officials in Abuja and subsequently announced it had agreed to take the government offers to its members for further deliberations. Head of JAC, Samson Ugwoke, who led the negotiating…

Ariaria Police Station in Aba, commercial hub of Abia State, was set ablaze by men believed to be members of Indigenous People of Biafra on Thursday. The incident occurred some hours before the Federal Government ordered the withdrawal of troops from major towns in Abia State, which have been under siege since Saturday when Nigerian Army began its Operation Python Dance II. Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, Geoffrey Ogbonna, confirmed the burning of the police station, adding that the arsonists also injured a policeman. It was learnt that aside from the Aba incident, irate mob made for the residence…