Monday, March 24, 2008
MISSING PLANE A NATIONAL EMBARASSMENT – BAYELSA AC
The Action Congress, Bayelsa State chapter, has described the inability of relevant agencies to locate the missing plane with three crew members since March 15, as very shameful, embarrassing and annoying.
The Bayelsa Secretary of the AC, Mr. Ebikibina Miriki, in Yenagoa on Sunday, said that those responsible for the negligence should be shown the way out of the aviation industry, to serve as a deterrent to others.
He said this was not the time for buck passing, but for the plane to be discovered, for the apprehensive members of the families of those on board, to know the situation of things.
Miriki wondered if those in authority were ignorant of the grieved immediate family members and relations of the crew members.
To convince Nigerians and others that the airspace was safe, the AC secretary admonished the Federal Government to ensure, without further delay, the location of the missing aircraft.
Miriki, who is also the immediate past Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, Bayelsa chapter, further urged the FG to provide the nation’s airports with the required equipment to put an end to the waste of innocent lives.
He added that the right things must be done at all times, rather than giving flimsy excuses.
The light aircraft, a turbo-propelled Beechcraft 1900D, with registration number 5N-JAH, belonging to Wings Aviation Limited, a local airliner, left the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, in March 15 for Bebi Airstrip, near Obudu Tourist Resort in Cross River State.
The 19-seater aircraft, registered with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority as a charter aircraft, was to move top officials of the Cross River state government, including the Governor, Mr. Liyel Imoke, to Abuja.
Following the inability to locate the aircraft and in view of conflicting reports on the fate of the plane, the Presidency, over the weekend summoned the chief executives of parastatals under the Ministry of Air Transportation.
President Umaru Yar’Adua also gave a marching order to his aides, that the missing plane must be found this week.
The Bayelsa Secretary of the AC, Mr. Ebikibina Miriki, in Yenagoa on Sunday, said that those responsible for the negligence should be shown the way out of the aviation industry, to serve as a deterrent to others.
He said this was not the time for buck passing, but for the plane to be discovered, for the apprehensive members of the families of those on board, to know the situation of things.
Miriki wondered if those in authority were ignorant of the grieved immediate family members and relations of the crew members.
To convince Nigerians and others that the airspace was safe, the AC secretary admonished the Federal Government to ensure, without further delay, the location of the missing aircraft.
Miriki, who is also the immediate past Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, Bayelsa chapter, further urged the FG to provide the nation’s airports with the required equipment to put an end to the waste of innocent lives.
He added that the right things must be done at all times, rather than giving flimsy excuses.
The light aircraft, a turbo-propelled Beechcraft 1900D, with registration number 5N-JAH, belonging to Wings Aviation Limited, a local airliner, left the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, in March 15 for Bebi Airstrip, near Obudu Tourist Resort in Cross River State.
The 19-seater aircraft, registered with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority as a charter aircraft, was to move top officials of the Cross River state government, including the Governor, Mr. Liyel Imoke, to Abuja.
Following the inability to locate the aircraft and in view of conflicting reports on the fate of the plane, the Presidency, over the weekend summoned the chief executives of parastatals under the Ministry of Air Transportation.
President Umaru Yar’Adua also gave a marching order to his aides, that the missing plane must be found this week.
ARMY RAIDS EFFURUN, WARRI FOR ARMS
THE Joint Task Force (JT, codenamed Operation Restore Hope on the Niger-Delta, carried out night raids in Effurun, Delta State, last night, forcing hoodlums who were jittery about their incursions in the past one week to start relocating from their abodes in Warri and Effurun.
It could not be ascertained whether there was arms haul and the number of arrests made by the JTF men who took over the notorious Jakpa Junction, Effurun, yesterday morning, forcing residents to move with their hands raised above their heads.
Commander of the JTF, Brigadier-General Nanven Rimtip, revealed that the operation was to install confidence in the people and restrain armed bandits and other criminals from making Warri uncomfortable for the citizens
The battle-ready soldiers marched from one street to the other in Effurun, but, some residents, spoken to, hinted that most of the bad boys had fled the town since they got to know that soldiers, and not police, were the ones now patrolling Warri and Effurun. “They don’t want to be arrested by these JTF people because they are tougher to handle than the police”, one of them added. The operation started about a week ago but, besides some dane guns and pump action guns, the troops had not recovered the kind of weapons, Rimtip said they were looking for.
We learnt there was intelligence information, that some miscreants moved in to Warri and Effurun lately with some sophisticated weapons with which they planned to unleash mayhem in the cities but the intervention of the JTF seemed to have affected their plans for the Easter period. JTF operatives have also raided the dens of some criminals in Effurun and Warri, particularly after one or two soldiers were alleged to have been killed by rampaging bandits.
Just last week, the minister of special duties, Elder Godsday Orubebe’s brother, who drove in his new sports utility vehicle, SUV, to a plot of land where he is putting up a structure was accosted by armed men, who snatched the vehicle at gunpoint.
Orubebe informed that it was by luck that they were able to track the car in Benin City. He said that virtually no day passes, without robbers snatching vehicles and killing people in Warri in the past few weeks. The minister added, however, that it was not peculiar to Warri and Niger-Delta and that armed robbers were operating in other parts of the country.
The JTF commander said it was not his intention that the operation should inconvenience residents of Warri and Effurun, as his men were under instructions to quit the areas as from 6.00 a.m..
“If their operation inconveniences the people, then, it is wrong because that is not my purpose. My purpose is to give them more confidence, not to make them go through hell”, he explained.
Up till about 9.00 a.m. yesterday, the soldiers made citizens to raise their hands up before passing them at the Jakpa Junction but as soon as the situation was brought to the attention of Nimtip, he ordered them back to base, saying that he had no intention of inconveniencing the people the JTF was in the area to protect.
It could not be ascertained whether there was arms haul and the number of arrests made by the JTF men who took over the notorious Jakpa Junction, Effurun, yesterday morning, forcing residents to move with their hands raised above their heads.
Commander of the JTF, Brigadier-General Nanven Rimtip, revealed that the operation was to install confidence in the people and restrain armed bandits and other criminals from making Warri uncomfortable for the citizens
The battle-ready soldiers marched from one street to the other in Effurun, but, some residents, spoken to, hinted that most of the bad boys had fled the town since they got to know that soldiers, and not police, were the ones now patrolling Warri and Effurun. “They don’t want to be arrested by these JTF people because they are tougher to handle than the police”, one of them added. The operation started about a week ago but, besides some dane guns and pump action guns, the troops had not recovered the kind of weapons, Rimtip said they were looking for.
We learnt there was intelligence information, that some miscreants moved in to Warri and Effurun lately with some sophisticated weapons with which they planned to unleash mayhem in the cities but the intervention of the JTF seemed to have affected their plans for the Easter period. JTF operatives have also raided the dens of some criminals in Effurun and Warri, particularly after one or two soldiers were alleged to have been killed by rampaging bandits.
Just last week, the minister of special duties, Elder Godsday Orubebe’s brother, who drove in his new sports utility vehicle, SUV, to a plot of land where he is putting up a structure was accosted by armed men, who snatched the vehicle at gunpoint.
Orubebe informed that it was by luck that they were able to track the car in Benin City. He said that virtually no day passes, without robbers snatching vehicles and killing people in Warri in the past few weeks. The minister added, however, that it was not peculiar to Warri and Niger-Delta and that armed robbers were operating in other parts of the country.
The JTF commander said it was not his intention that the operation should inconvenience residents of Warri and Effurun, as his men were under instructions to quit the areas as from 6.00 a.m..
“If their operation inconveniences the people, then, it is wrong because that is not my purpose. My purpose is to give them more confidence, not to make them go through hell”, he explained.
Up till about 9.00 a.m. yesterday, the soldiers made citizens to raise their hands up before passing them at the Jakpa Junction but as soon as the situation was brought to the attention of Nimtip, he ordered them back to base, saying that he had no intention of inconveniencing the people the JTF was in the area to protect.
IJAW CONDEMN FG OVER MISSING AIRCRAFT
The Ijaw of Niger Delta has described the attitude of the Federal Government over the missing aircraft as shameful and an attempt to deliberately waste the lives involved.
In statement signed by Comrade Joseph Evah on behalf of Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG), the body said it was “unacceptable and senseless that one week after the incident, agencies responsible for ensuring that all aircraft operating in the country are checked and certified okay by its inspectors before every flight and those on search and rescue are trading accusation against one another.”
“It has come to our notice that one of the co-pilots is an Ijaw indigene from Kiagbodo, Delta State and so the Ijaw nation is interested in this matter.”
They said “based on government nonchalant approach to matters concerning Ijaws, we believe that the Federal Government became reluctant to trace the aircraft when they realised that one of the co-pilots was an Ijaw indigene.”
“We condemn this hatred and reckless waste of human lives by a government that is supposed to protect its citizens. This is the first time in the aviation history of Nigeria an aircraft is missing and no sign of commitment by government.”
The Ijaws urged the United Nations to investigate the missing aircraft, adding that petitions would be sent to relevant international organisations to investigate the missing plane saga.
In statement signed by Comrade Joseph Evah on behalf of Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG), the body said it was “unacceptable and senseless that one week after the incident, agencies responsible for ensuring that all aircraft operating in the country are checked and certified okay by its inspectors before every flight and those on search and rescue are trading accusation against one another.”
“It has come to our notice that one of the co-pilots is an Ijaw indigene from Kiagbodo, Delta State and so the Ijaw nation is interested in this matter.”
They said “based on government nonchalant approach to matters concerning Ijaws, we believe that the Federal Government became reluctant to trace the aircraft when they realised that one of the co-pilots was an Ijaw indigene.”
“We condemn this hatred and reckless waste of human lives by a government that is supposed to protect its citizens. This is the first time in the aviation history of Nigeria an aircraft is missing and no sign of commitment by government.”
The Ijaws urged the United Nations to investigate the missing aircraft, adding that petitions would be sent to relevant international organisations to investigate the missing plane saga.
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