Tag Archives: Biafran

Ex-Biafran Policemen to get pension, gratuities 46 yrs after civil war

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The 450 ex-Biafran policemen, who were pardoned in 2000 by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, would soon get their pension and gratuities.


The former Biafran policemen will get pension 46 years after the civil war ended in January 1970.

The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) which begins pensioners’ verification in northeast on Monday, would pay the pension and gratuities after the verification of the ex-policemen.

PTAD said it had enrolled about 220,000 pensioners and uncovered 9,000 ghost payees, its Executive Secretary Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor, said on Sunday.

She however said three former employees of PTAD were sacked because of pension fraud and might be prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Two other seconded employees have been referred to the Office of Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, for disciplinary action, she added. Pension payment would henceforth be effected by the 15th day of every month, she said.

“I think we have about 220,000 pensioners nationwide on the payroll. She said that PTAD had entered into partnership with ICPC and established an Anti-Corruption Unit (ACTU) to fight fraud in the system.

“Also, what we are doing now is that we don’t make pension payment into any account without BVN. With this policy, we have dropped about 9,000 pensioners because they don’t have BVN.

“Without BVN presupposes that they are ghost because we inherited a lot of data that we cannot really verify.’’ She said PTAD would begin verification of pensioners in the north east from Nov. 28.

Ikeazor said the first phase of the civil service pensioners’ verification would start from the north east region comprising Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba and Gombe states “The first place to start the verification must be the north east so that we can key into the Federal Government’s efforts at rebuilding the northeast.

“We can’t forget the north, insurgency or no insurgency; we are going in there to verify the pensioners so that we can put them on the pay roll,’’ she said.

Ikeazor also said there were four of such pension departments to be involved namely the Police Pension, the Civil Service, Custom and Immigration as well as the parastatals. She said while PTAD would start with the civil service, the other departments would foll soon.

The PTAD executive secretary said efforts would be made to determine the state with the highest number of pensioners through the nominal roll.

She said Adamawa, with a little over 2,000 pensioners, “will take like a week to verify”.

IGP Orders Disarmament Of Biafran Protesters

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The Inspector General of Police Mr ?Solomon Arase has ordered the immediate disarmament of members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Arase’s order followed the killing some police officers in Asaba, Delta state, by a mob of Biafra campaigners on Monday.

He gave the order to the heads of the police formations in the southeast, saying that IPOB had crossed the line.

“Following the manifestation of the disposition of the armed Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) activists to undertake premeditated attacks on Police officers engage in operations aimed at restoring public order in states in the south-east and south-south geopolitical zone of the country, the inspector-general of police,IGP Solomon E. Arase has directed the assistant inspectors general of police and the commissioners of police in the affected area to disarm members of the group operating firearms immediately,” a statement issued by Olabisi Kolawole, police spokesperson, on Tuesday, read.

“The IGP noted that the targeted attacks on Police personnel, who have been performing their statutory functions in the most professional and civil manner since the latest resurgence disorder, portrays the IPOB activists who are orchestrating the insurrection as having crossed the threshold in their misguided attempt to test the common will of the nation.

“IGP Arase, while condemning the killing by members of IPOB, also directed the arrest of any member of the group found in possession of firearm and bring him/her to deserved justice, while all IPOB activists arrested in connection with the killing of the Policemen should be charged to court for murder.”

The police say that they “will continue to diligently work towards eliminating any threat to internal security and assure Nigerians of their commitment to their safety and security.”

Credit: Sun

Most Biafran Agitators Did Not See Civil War– Ezeemo

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A frontline industrialist, Mr Godwin Ezeemo, has called on the pro-Biafra protesters to have a re-think of their actions and consider its consequences on the generality of the Igbo residing in different parts of the country and tread with caution.

He said grounding businesses in the South East, destroying properties of their brothers, and preventing women from fending for their families, among other negative implications of violent protests, do not give credibility to their call, rather dialogue and diplomacy must be employed in resolving any issue of interest, not war or confrontational principle.

Ezeemo said that 99.9 per cent of the people parading themselves today as pro- Biafra crusaders and going about their agitation in a violent manner did not see or experience the 1967- 1970 Nigerian civil war and as such do not know the consequences of their action.

He called on the protesters to go home and ask their parents, uncles, war veterans in their various localities what it means to incite war and its benefits. “There is nothing good that will come out of conflict, confusion, crisis, not to talk of war where every where will be in comatose…”

Credit: NationalMirror