The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: delta

  • Commuters Feared Dead in Boat Mishap on River Niger

    Commuters Feared Dead in Boat Mishap on River Niger

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    An unspecified number of commuters are feared dead after a boat conveying passengers across the River Niger from Asaba, Delta State, to Onitsha, Anambra State, capsized on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.

    The passengers were reportedly travelling to Onitsha for business and other activities when the incident occurred.

    According to eyewitnesses, some commuters had turned to boat transportation as an alternative means of crossing the River Niger following the closure of the First Niger Bridge for repair works.

    The number of passengers on board the ill-fated boat had yet to be confirmed as of the time of filing this report.

    Among those reportedly involved were a couple identified as Mr and Mrs Victor, while three other victims were said to be minors aged between 12 and 16.

    A video circulating on social media after the incident showed what appeared to be bodies recovered from the river and laid along the riverbank.

    The circumstances surrounding the boat mishap were not immediately clear, while efforts to establish the number of people who died or survived were ongoing.

    The incident occurred about two weeks after the old Niger Bridge was closed to traffic by the Federal Government for major rehabilitation works.

    The closure has created difficulties for commuters and traders travelling between Asaba and Onitsha, with road users resorting to alternative means of transportation.

    Some commuters have reportedly been trekking along the pedestrian walkway of the bridge to access Onitsha, while others have resorted to commercial motorcycles.

    Passengers travelling with goods and vehicles have largely had to use longer alternative routes through the Second Niger Bridge before proceeding to Onitsha and other destinations.

    The closure of the bridge has consequently increased pressure on alternative transportation routes between the two cities, particularly for traders and other regular commuters who depend on the Niger Bridge for their daily activities.

    Authorities had yet to issue an official statement confirming the boat accident, the number of passengers involved or the casualties at the time of filing this report.

  • EndSARS: Delta Judicial Panel recommends payment of compensation to victims of Police brutality and extra-judicial killings.

     

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State had on July 9, 2021 received the report of the State’s Judicial Panel of Inquiry into complaints of police brutality and extra-judicial killings in the state with a promised to do its best to support families of victims of police brutality and extra-judicial killings in the state.

     

    Chairman of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry, Justice Celestina Ogisi (retd.), when presented the panel’s report, disclosed that the Panel received 86 petitions and 49 were heard on merit while 37 were struck out for various reasons.

     

    “In total, the Panel received 86 petitions and 49 were heard on merit while 37 were struck out for various reasons.

     

    “The Panel also received 10 petitions which sought the enforcement of judgments of various High Courts of the State against the Police for acts of Police brutality and extra-judicial killings.

     

    “The Panel recommended the payment of compensation to victims and/or their families for various acts of Police brutality and extra-judicial killings in Delta State.

     

    “We also recommended the enforcement of all judgment debts awarded against the Police, which they have refused to obey till date,” Justice Ogisi stated.

     

    Meanwhile, the State government said it has concluded the consideration of that particular report except for some few items that needed to carry out some investigations with a view to arriving at the right decision.

     

    The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu stated that on October 14, 2021, the state EXCO continued consideration of the white paper of the findings of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry.

     

    “The State Executive Council concluded the consideration of that particular report except for some few items that we have to carry out some investigations with a view to arriving at the right decision.

     

    “Particularly some directives that will require the Attorney General to find out further details so that we don’t take decision in error.

     

    “In all, we have gotten to the end of that consideration except those other few items we jumped because we needed further information before we can ratify or possibly approve the report of the Ju dicial Panel of Inquiry”

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Uknown persons threaten to attack Delta state capital, if Governor does not withdraw his support to ban open grazing within 72 hours.

     

    Meanwhile, unknown persons, yesterday, raised the tension in Delta State as they threatened to attack Asaba, the state capital, and Agbor, if Governor Ifeanyi Okowa does not withdraw his support for the ban on open grazing within 72 hours.

     

     

     

     

    An unsigned letter containing the threat was pasted in strategic locations in Asaba including the fence of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) at Infant Jesus Road.

     

     

     

     

    The letter titled ‘Fulani Jihadist Warning: An Open Message of 2 Paragraphs to Delta State’ dated June 13, 2021 warned that “failure to adhere to this demand for been the host of the 17 governors, Delta State, most likely the city of Asaba and Agbor, shall encounter severe consequences than that of Bornu, Kebbi, Kastina, Kaduna, Enugu, Benue, Oyo and many more that will not respect the Fulani’s heritage, as we take responsibility for the detonate explosive uncovered in the state capital secretariat, which should serve as warning to the Delta State Government for what is to come, should the governor fail to abide  to our demand.”

  • Delta Community Head murdered

    The immediate past Chairman of Ugbori community in the Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, Godwin Metie, has been shot dead by yet-to-be-identified gunmen.

    PUNCH Metro gathered that the gunmen perpetrated the act around 9pm on Monday at Merogun, a volatile area of the Warri metropolis.

    According to sources, the deceased was waylaid by the mask-wearing hoodlums, who opened fire on him at close range.

    He reportedly gave up the ghost on the spot.

    In a similar development, a bricklayer, identified only as Uruese, has been murdered by gunmen suspected to be cultists.

    Uruese, also fondly called Iron Monkey, was killed at Orerokpe in the Okpe Local Government Area of the state last Friday.

    The deceased, who lived around a street close to the council’s secretariat, was reportedly shot through the window of his room while asleep.

    The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, said she was not aware of the alleged killing of the former Ugbori community chairman.

    Onovwakpoyeya promised to react after making enquiries on the matter.

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    She, however, confirmed Uruese’s death.

    “The one that was shot while asleep is true and investigation is on,” she stated.

  • 35 years old man gets electrocuted in delta State

    35-year-old man has been electrocuted by Christmas decorations mounted on the Nnebisi Road, Asaba, Delta State.

     

    The victim, popularly called Jaja, was said to have been engaged by the contractor to the Asaba Capital Territory Development Agency on beautification to dismantle the decorations when he was electrocuted and died on the spot on Monday.

     

    An eyewitness and fellow worker told our correspondent that the victim was disconnecting the decorations when one of the wires on the street light poles fell and electrocuted him.

     

     

    “Jaja climbed the pole with a metal ladder to disconnect the street light. One of the wires suddenly snapped and touched the ladder he was standing on and he was electrocuted,” he stated.

     

    The street lights were initially powered by generators during former governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration, but were connected to the national grid in 2015 by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

     

    A source, who lamented that the disconnection crew could not rescue the victim, who died on the spot, said the corpse was deposited in the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba.

     

     

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Onome Onovwakpoyeya, said the case had not been reported at any police divi sion in Asaba.

     

    Source: www.punchng

  • 2023 Election : APC declares it’s readiness to win future elections, vows to take over Delta State in forth coming election

     

    All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta has declared its readiness to win future elections in the state, beginning with the March 6  local government elections.

     

    The party said it was poised more than ever before to sack the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Government House, Asaba in the 2023 general election.

     

    Chairman of the caretaker committee of the party, Jones Ode Erue, made the declaration while inaugurating the state Non-Working Committee, State Working Committee (SWC) and the 25 local government caretaker committees in Asaba.

     

    Erue said the APC in Delta State is now more united, adding that with the successful inauguration of the party organs, APC has reconciled all aggrieved members to work in one accord.

     

    He said there were no more factions or tendencies that hitherto pursued narrow and selfish interests in past, which had accounted for the party’s poor electoral fortunes.

     

    “We are all united now to take over the governance of Delta State from the PDP, led by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa,” he said.

     

    The chairman tasked the caretaker committees for the 25 local governments to take the message of total reconciliation to the grassroots to have a more harmonious and cohesive platform to defeat the PDP.

     

    He, however, admitted that reconciliation was not a tea party, and charged party faithful to reach compromises and be ready to shift ground in the interest of APC in Delta State.

     

    Erue urged the local government executives to go back to their various localities and inaugurate caretaker committees for the different wards.

     

    He tasked the grassroots leaders  to ensure the membership strength of the party is increased by over 100 percent in the forthcoming national revali dation exercise.

     

    Source:www.sunnewsonlin.com