Paper review: Amid herdsmen attack, FG wields big stick on Enugu CP as thugs invade Edo

– FG removes Nwodibo Ekechukwu, the commissioner of police over the attack on Ukpabi Nimbo in Enugu state by suspected Fulani herdsmen

– APC governors vow to partner FG to fish out the culprits

– Mimiko, Fayose in battle for Southwest PDP’s soul

– Speaker storms Edo House with thugs shooting sporadically, six sustain severe injuries in the melee

For days now, newspaper headlines have continued to compete for stories on the Fulani herdsmen attack on Ukpabi Nimbo community, Enugu state and today’s major dailies, May 4, isn’t any different.

According to The Punch, the federal government has removed the Enugu state police commissioner Nwodibo Ekechukwu, over the attack on Ukpabi Nimbo in Enugu state by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

On Monday, April 25, rampaging Fulani herdsmen attacked the area killing scores of villagers, mostly farmers, and destroyed property worth millions of naira.

Sources in the area had put the casualty figure at 40, even as the police was yet to give a definite figure

Bisi Kolawole, the Nigeria police force public relations officer, confirmed on Tuesday, May 3, that Ekechukwu had been posted out of the state to another command.

She, however, did not state why the police boss was redeployed.

“The Enugu State CP has been posted out of the state to another command and a new CP, Emmanuel Ojukwu, has taken over. The redeployment is part of strategies to improve police effectiveness across the country,” she stated.

Still on the Fulani herdsmen attack, Vanguard reports that governors of  the All Progressives Congress under aegis of Progressives Governors Forum, stormed Enugu government House, on Tuesday, May 3, to commiserate with Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on the killing of scores of villagers in Nimbo community, Uzo-Uwani local government area of the state by rampaging Fulani herdsmen.

They vowed to “join hands with the Federal Government to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book and forestall a recurrence”, adding that “this time, we speak about the unity of this country.”

READ ALSO: Fulani herdsmen attack: Police abandoned us – Enugu residents

Moving away from the herdsmen attack, The Nation reports that there is an on-going battle for the soul of Southwest PDP between two governors in region, ahead of the May 21 national convention of the party.

It was gathered that the battle is between Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state and Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo state, over who controls Southwest PDP.

Two parallel meetings will hold today, May 4 at the Akure, the Ondo State capital, and Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, to discuss its proposed national convention.

While the Akure meeting is at the instance of Ondo state governor Olusegun Mimiko, The Ijebu-Igbo meeting is convened by of Senator Buruji Kashamu (Ogun East) and Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose who is supporting the return of Senator Modu Sheriff as the party’s chairman.

Governor Mimiko on his part is leading party elements opposed to the zoning of the national chairmanship to the North and moves by the chairman, Senator Modu Sheriff, to extend his tenure beyond the May 21 convention.

In other news, The Guardian reports that Nigeria has lost estimated $10 billion (N1.7 trillion) fresh investments to the non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

This was disclosed by Bank Anthony Okoroafor, the chairman of Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), at the on-going Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas in the United States (U.S.).

According to him, Nigeria lost a huge opportunity by not passing the bill when the oil price was high.

READ ALSO: Panic as herdsmen kill traditional ruler

But he lauded the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for supporting the operations of indigenous companies even in the midst of cash crunch.

His words: “We lost a very big opportunity by not passing the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) when oil price was above $100 per barrel. If we had passed the PIB when the price of oil was high, a lot of companies would have sealed more than $10 billion investment into the country.” Okoroafor argued that the non-passage of the bill presented a confused system that had no direction.

Meanwhile, mayhem has been reported in Edo state House of Assembly, following the impeachment of the speaker of the house, Victor Edoror and his deputy, Bright Osayande.

Edoror did not, however, go down without putting up a fight, as suspected thugs allegedly loyal to him invaded the Assembly chamber and shot sporadically. Six persons were injured in the melee that ensued.

Law enforcement personnel led by the state Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, had a hectic time securing the Assembly. They had to fire canisters of teargas to disperse the suspected thugs.

Catch all the details on the pages of The Sun this morning.

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