Over twelve shallow graves have been uncovered in the compound of Mr. Uduak Akpan, the suspected killer of one Miss Iniubong Umoren, a graduate of philosophy in the guise of offering her a job in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The suspect who is now cooling his feet at the police station in Ikot akpanabia, Uyo was alleged to have lured late Umoren to his place at Nnung Ikono Obio in Uruan Local Government Area of the State, raped, killed, and eventually buried her in a shallow grave in his father’s compound.

The youths of the community enraged with the news stormed the compound, and vandalised the building, using pebbles after setting ablaze the security house of the one storey building.

It was gathered that the vandalization started since on Tuesday night and its still ongoing as at press time even as it was alleged that the youths carted away property in the compound and handed the boy’s father(whom they accused of being an accomplice) to the police.

When some correspondents visited the scene, Wednesday evening, about twelve(12) shallow graves were seen in the large compound and a skeletal bone suspected to be that of a child lying on the floor was also seen. Also old sag bags were seen scattered near the graves as the youths who conducted journalists round the compound claimed that they were used for packing human parts they buried.

The youths said the suspect and his family are strangers living in the community as their real community is Nnung Ikono Ufok in Uruan LGA.

One of the youths identified as Akpan Shadrach James told journalists that the family of the suspect erected the building about four years ago and do not live there permanently but only come occasionally since they have another building in Uyo town and nobody actually knew what they do inside the compound.

“People thought that they were living here, they don’t, they only come and go. They are from the next community. They don’t have friends in this community as their gate is always closed and they wrote the notice, ‘beware of dogs’ on their wall. We didn’t know that such a thing was happening here.

“We want government to investigate this matter and bring justice to that slain orphan. We are grieved with this incident and we don’t want this matter swept under the carpet.”

Also speaking, the youths President of the community, Etubom Sunday Essien said the youths were disappointed over the act, adding that such offence is not condoned in the community.

He said, “there is nothing happening apart from the one you have already heard. It’s not good for the boy to kill his fellow human being. We don’t know that, that is what he has been doing. We, the youths will never allow such things to be happening in our community. That is the reason we took this action.

He, however, exonerated the chairman of the LGA, Mr. Iniobong Ekpenyong saying he played the role of a Chief security officer of council by calling on the police to arrest the culprit.

The Chairman of the local government had earlier issued a press release, distancing himself from insinuations of being party to the incident, stressing that he only did his job as the chief security officer of the local government by fishing out the suspect and handing him over to the police.

An alleged member of IPOB's Eastern Security Network has confessed to breaking into Imo police and freeing inmates.

Andy

 

A man alleged to be an operative of the Eastern Security Network has confessed to breaking into a police station and freeing inmates.

 

ESN is the security arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

 

The man identified as Andy narrated how he and other members broke into the Imo State Police Command and the Imo State Correctional facility in Owerri, the state capital.

 

SaharaReporters learnt that the suspect, who gave his name only as Andy, alias Japan, was arrested in the Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State, and confessed to have participated in the April 5 invasion of the two government buildings in the state capital.

 

In a video recording of his confession, Andy said he and others were conveyed in a bus before dawn as they invaded the correctional centre. He noted that he and others broke the windows of the correctional facility as the inmates ran out.

 

He said, “My name is Andy alias Japan. I come from Orsu LGA. I joined the ESN about three years ago. I participated in the attack on the police headquarters and prison.

 

“I followed. We did it because of some of our members who were in the prison. We went to rescue them. I don’t know anyone of the inmates. I was not armed; I was only carrying a big stick. I entered the prison. I broke the windows and glasses. I joined the ESN because they were freedom fighters. We are looking for freedom.

 

“Our bus was the one which first passed. I only heard that they killed soldiers. I was in a small bus; we picked another guy on the road. As I am now, I know I have offended, but the government should free me. I have been living in Igweocha (Rivers State). I am married and I have children. They (ESN) don’t pay me one naira. They don’t pay anything. When Biafra comes, they will take care of us and our children.”

 

SaharaReporters had on Tuesday, April 20, reported that security personnel stormed some Imo State communities to carry out raids, discreet searches and arrests of youths and residents who are suspected to be linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra and its military arm, the Eastern Security Network.

 

Multiple sources had told SaharaReporters that the military personnel, suspected to be led by the 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, since Sunday had been arresting male residents and youths particularly in Oguta and Ohaji communities and clamping them into vans.

 

Imo State has been a hotbed of violence and killings which got to a head on April 5, when the notorious gunmen attacked the state police command headquarters, and freed no fewer than 2,000 inmates at the headquarters of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Owerri.

 

The gunmen had also attacked the office of the State Criminal Investigation Department of the state police command, freeing suspects there.

 

The attackers had burnt all the vehicles parked at the command headquarters and freed all the suspects in almost all the cells at the SCID. 

 

SaharaReporters had reported that the gunmen operated in over 10 vehicles, and also attacked soldiers stationed at Umuorji along Owerri–Onitsha Expressway.

 

Earlier, four police divisional headquarters had been attacked since February. They include Obowo, Aboh Mbaise and Ihitte/Uboma, divisions.

 

Unknown gunmen on March 20 also razed the Isiala Mbano Police Divisional Headquarters located at Umuelemai in Imo State.

 

The gunmen had invaded the divisional headquarters armoury and freed suspects in the detention facility and carted away arms.

 

While some had fingered the IPOB and ESN as the culprits, the state government had said the gunmen were being used by aggrieved politicians, while the IPOB has also denied its involvement in the attacks.

Nigeria’s foremost Emeritus Professor of Law, David Adedayo Ijalaye, has passed away.

Ijalaye died on Thursday, 11 March 2021.

Although he publicly celebrated 90 in 2019, it is believed that the deceased, born in Owo, Ondo State, will clock 89 on 8 April.

The demise of the legal titan comes barely one year after his wife, Lady (Chief) Eunice Adejoke, with whom he had a son and three daughters, passed away.

Described by many as a rare gem, unforgettable icon and a father of legal academia, his demise sent shockwaves to the legal community in Nigeria and globally.

During Ijalaye’s recent birthday, President Muhammadu Buhari hailed his “consistency in ensuring competitive standards by supervising post-graduate thesis”.

The president said the “legal luminary has left his footprints indelibly in the sands of jurisprudence in the country, and generations to come will continue to extol his virtues”.

As Emeritus Professor, Ijalaye’s dedication and discipline to delivery of best results attracted many awards and enviable positions within and outside the academia like Dean, Faculty of Law; Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chairman, Board of Postgraduate Studies of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (FNIALS) and Fellow of the Nigerian Society of International Law (FNSIL).

The Nigerian Bar Association, National Judicial Council and the academia have variously celebrated Emeritus Professor Ijalaye for his contributions to the teaching and practice of law in Nigeria for more than 34 years before his retirement in 1998, and his consistency in ensuring competitive standards by supervising post-graduate thesis even after retirement.

The celebrated legal luminary left his footprints indelibly in the sands of jurisprudence in the country, and generations to come will continue to extol his virtues.

According to one of his former students at the Law Faculty, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Adewole Adebayo, Esq: “Ijalaye was an embodiment of jurisprudence and personification of erudition to the point where the man and law merged into a juristic and philosophical singularity. His type would never be seen again. That era would not be reenacted in the annals of legal scholarship where a conclave of academics assembled themselves for whole lifetimes of undivided and unalloyed commitment to research and teaching for the sake of the unfathomably pure joy of scholarship. In our days as his students, every utterance from Ijalaye’s mouth was a legal principle of profound fecundity”.

He added that “He was not only our teacher. He was retrospectively and simultaneously the teacher of our teachers, and in some cases, the teachers of the. teachers of our teachers. Ijalaye will forever be missed but he would never be missing.”

Ijalaye’s entire career was devoted to the law. He earned the degrees of LL.B., LL.M. J.S.D;  and became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Ijalaye was educated at Swedenbcrs Memorial School Owo (1938-45); Government School Owo (1945-46); Imade College, Owo, (1946-52); Hull University, England, (1960-63); Nigerian Law School, Lagos, (1963-64); the London University, (1964-65); Columbia University, New York (1969-70). He was called to the English and Nigerian Bar in 1963 and 1964 respectively. He then became a member of the Senate, Obafemi Awolowo University between 1967 and 1968 and later again in 1974. He was Prof. Law, Obafemi Awolowo University in 1974. Ijalaye had two different spells on the Council of Legal Education. First between 1974-78 and later in 1984-87. He was a member of the Owo Local Government Council (197 77) and Dean. Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, (1974-78). He was Chairman, Committee of Deans, Obafemi Awolowo University. Ile-Ife (1975-78).

The deceased was chairman, Ondo State Scholarship Board, (1976-79andmd later Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University. The Ife (1978-80); mm, Council, University of Ife, 1978-80. He also served as Chairman, Board of Post-Graduate Studies, University of Ife, (1978-80).

Ijalaye was a visiting prof at the University of Ibadan between 1983 and 1984.

In the political world, Ijalaye held the position of Chairman, Establishment Committee of O’dua Investment Company Limited between 1984 and 87 and served as Attorney-General/ Commissioner for Justice in Ondo State from 1984 to 1987.

In the legal profession, Ijalaye worked as a member of the Disciplinary Committee, Nigerian Bar Association, (1984-87) and moved to the Nigerian Body of Benchers, (1984-87).  He also served as Chairman of the  Obafemi Awolowo University Consultancy Services, Ile-Member 1987.  Ijalaye was a member of the Constitution Review Committee, (1987- 88), American Society of International Law; Member, International Council on Environmental Law; Legal Adviser to the Lome Peace Accord b/w Sierra-Leone and the Revolutionary United Front(RUF), May-June, 1999.

He served as Chairman, Federal Government Visitation Panel to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Aug. 1999 to Oct 1999 and chairman of the Federal Government University Autonomy and Related Matters Committee March 2001- June 2001. He returned as chairman of Ondo State Scholarship Board in 2000 until 2019.

Ijalaye was a recipient of many awards including International Who’s Who in Education; Illustrated Plaque Award for distinguished services in education, Cambridge, England and Extension of Corporate Personality in International Law, 1978.

In 1978, he delivered the inaugural lecture of the University of Ife entitled “Nigeria and International Law: Today and Tomorrow”. He also delivered the 1981 Hague Lectures entitled: “Multinational Corporation and Indigenisation Measures in Africa”.

Despite his avid devotion to the law and his hectic work ethic, Ijalaye was an athlete and socialite known for his hobbies of table tennis and dancing.

A prodigious researcher and writer, some of his seminal academic and intellectual works include: The extension of corporate personality in international law by D. A Ijalaye( Book)
12 editions published between 1974 and 1978 in English and held by 298 WorldCat member libraries worldwide;

Indigenization measures and multinational corporations in Africa by D. A Ijalaye
1 edition published in 2008 in English and held by 20 WorldCat member libraries worldwide;

Indigenization measures and multinational corporations in Africa by D. A Ijalaye
5 editions published between 1981 and 1982 in English and held by 14 WorldCat member libraries worldwide;

Nigeria and international law: today and tomorrow: inafledgelingcture by D A Ijalaye (Book)
1 edition published in 1978 in English and held by 14 WorldCat member libraries worldwide;

The imperatives of federal/state relations in a fledgeling democracy: implications for Nigeria by D. A Ijalaye(Book)
3 editions published in 2001 in English and held by 13 WorldCat member libraries worldwide;

Faculty lectures by Kayode Eso(Book ) 4 editions published between 1989 and 1990 in English and held by 11 WorldCat member libraries worldwide;

Nigeria and international law: today and tomorrow by D. A Ijalaye( Book )
3 editions published in 1978 in English and held by 7 WorldCat member libraries worldwide;

Indigenization measures and multinational corporations in Africa by D. A Ijalaye published in 1992 in English and held by 3 WorldCat member libraries worldwide;

The Nigerian Extradition Decree 1966 by D. A Ijalaye;
1 edition published in 1970 in English and held by 2 WorldCat member libraries worldwide;

Recueil des Cours: Collected Courses of the Hague Academy of International
1 edition published in 1982 in English and held by 1 WorldCat member library worldwide

Concessional Admission of Underprivileged Students by D. A Ijalaye in Undetermined and held by 1 WorldCat member library worldwide;

Corruption in the public service of Nigeria: a nation’s albatross; 3rd Fellows’ Lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies by D. A Ijalaye(Book)
1 edition published in 2008 in English and held by 1 WorldCat member library worldwide;

Nigeria and international law by D. A Ijalaye(Book)
1 edition published in 1978 in English and help Italy WorldCat member library worldwide

3 editions published between 1981 and 1982 in English and held by 4 WorldCat member libraries worldwide;

T.O. Elias and the law by D. A Italy
2 editions published in 1992 in English and held by 3 WorldCat member libraries worldwide;

Justice administered by the Nigerian courts by D. A Ijalaye( Book)
1 edition published in 1992 in English and held by 3 WorldCat member libraries worldwide.

So far, I’ve participated in 11 virtual events to discuss my new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, with a few more to come. At each one, I’ve talked about how the world needs to transform its entire physical economy so we can stop emitting greenhouse gases by 2050, and at nearly every event, I’ve been asked some version of this question: “What about the people who will lose jobs in this transition?”

It’s a great question. People are right to be concerned about it. Unfortunately, the way we talk about this issue can be polarizing, and the arguments end up falling into one of two extreme camps.

For those who are worried about climate change, it’s easy to dismiss anyone who calls out lost jobs in the fossil-fuel industry as a climate denier. And for those who are worried about losing jobs, it’s easy to conclude that environmentalists don’t understand the impact this transition will have on workers, their families, and their communities.

The truth is, everyone has legitimate concerns here. The world does need to transition to a zero-carbon economy over the next 30 years. Yet it’s also true that many communities rely on an economic engine—like oil refineries—that’s powered by fossil fuels. If the only job you’ve ever had relies on fossil fuels, it must be gut-wrenching to imagine it going away. Knowing that the transition is necessary to avoid a climate disaster doesn’t make it any easier.

So I want to share some thoughts about how to strike the right balance.

Four ways to help those who might lose out in the green economy

To begin with, it’s crucial to recognize that this transition will happen in an economy that is already incredibly dynamic. The demand for workers can shift quickly from one sector to another, and from one geographic area to another. And these changes aren’t just driven by clean energy—other factors like automation and robotics play an essential role too.

By and large, this dynamism is good for the economy. I think that’s going to be true in the clean-energy transition too, because it will create so many new opportunities for workers. In some cases, their skills will transfer directly. For example, if green hydrogen fuels turn out to be a big business, we’ll still need pipelines and trucks to move them around—just as we move around oil and gas today. Mining skills could also be useful in sourcing minerals, like lithium and copper, that are used in the production of clean technologies and will be in increasingly high demand.

There will also be jobs involved in constructing and running all the infrastructure for the green economy: wind and solar farms, modernized power grids, battery factories, refineries for sustainable fuels, facilities for long-duration storage of electricity, direct-air capture facilities, and more.

But you don’t have to be a climate skeptic to see the challenges with all this. These new, clean solutions may not use the same workforce or be located in the same regions as their conventional counterparts. (Most of America’s wind power is in the middle of the continent, not in coal country.) Some new jobs may not be as good as the ones that are lost. And some new technologies may need fewer workers than the ones they’re replacing.

For example, electric vehicles need less maintenance because they have fewer moving parts than cars with internal combustion engines. In a future with lots of EVs on the road, fewer people will be needed to repair them and to work at gas stations. Whether the shift to EVs ends up being good or bad for America’s automotive industry will depend on whether governments act now to encourage manufacturing—in existing and new plants alike—throughout the entire supply chain, from parts to assembly.

Over time, dozens of industries will go through their own evolutions as they reduce and eliminate their emissions. Workers and communities across the country will be affected: coal miners in West Virginia, factory workers in Ohio and North Carolina, automakers in Detroit, cement makers in Seattle. And it’s not just in the United States—the same changes will affect workers around the world.

What can be done about it?

Unfortunately, there’s no single solution that will work in every industry or every community. The federal government can provide guidance and funding, help connect regions that are facing common challenges, and create incentives to make good clean-energy jobs accessible to everyone. But in the end, it’s really state and local leaders—from the public and private sectors, labor groups, and community groups—who will be crucial.

There are four principles that should guide the transition:

Think big and start now

The sooner this transition starts, the better off everyone will be. New technologies like clean cement and sustainable aviation fuel will need manufacturing facilities, supply chains, and distribution networks—all of which will employ many people in construction and operations. Whoever builds the first of these will have a leg up on building the next ones, and whoever figures out the operations side first will able to scale faster than their competitors. Each of these pieces of infrastructure should be thought of as large construction projects requiring a significant amount of labor. They’ll also be long-term investments—these plants and refineries will remain in these communities for decades.The deadly power outages in Texas are a painful reminder that unpredictable weather is going to be more common, and there’ll be times when it affects the ability of entire regions of the country to function effectively. Governments should invest now in upgrades to make the power grid and all U.S. infrastructure more resilient. That process is an example of how this transition can make the country better prepared to prevent a climate disaster while significantly increasing opportunities for good jobs.

There’s also tremendous economic opportunity in research and development funding. R&D money creates immediate jobs in the communities where it’s spent, and it also gives them a head start on growth—since the places where that money is invested are often the places where new companies take root. Meanwhile, the federal government can adopt policies that encourage innovators to demonstrate and deploy their new ideas in the communities where they discover them.

In choosing where to make these investments, equity needs to be a driving factor. Polluting industries are disproportionately located in communities of color, to the detriment of their health and well-being. And these communities tend to be more economically vulnerable and have fewer safeguards, so they will often be hit harder than others. In the transition to clean energy, people in disadvantaged communities deserve opportunities for good jobs that won’t put their health or the environment at risk.

Learn from promising examples

Toledo, Ohio, has been a hub for the glass-making industry for so long that its nickname is “the Glass City.” After its manufacturing base hit hard times, local leaders identified a new area where the city’s glass roots were especially relevant: making solar panels. This work has become a key part of the local economy.

In Pueblo, Colorado, business and government leaders are transforming a historic iron mill—once the only steel-making company west of the Mississippi—into the world’s first electric arc furnace powered primarily by solar energy. That project will ensure that at least 1,000 steelworkers keep their jobs and create hundreds of construction jobs.

And in New York state, all offshore wind projects are now required to pay prevailing wages to the workers who are installing wind turbines. Local unions played a crucial role in pushing for the agreement.

Commit the resources to make it work

Making sure the transition is just and fair won’t be cheap. Germany, for example, is planning to spend more on this than on research and development into clean-energy innovation.

But it’s not simply about spending more. If it wants to compete with Europe and China in the green economy, the U.S. will need a generation of engineers and scientists who focus on these new areas—so the energy transition is another compelling argument for improving America’s education system. Even relatively small improvements in schools would help graduates be more adaptable as they move from one job or career to another.

Innovators at universities also need to be connected with entrepreneurs and investors so their ideas can get from the lab into the market—which will spark the creation of new companies that create jobs and opportunity. The University of Toledo, for example, has been an important partner in the transition that city has undergone.

Stay on track

Nearly every political party in Europe is committed to avoiding a climate disaster. So when they make 10- or 20-year commitments to funding innovation or building infrastructure, the private sector can take them seriously. But in the U.S., when there’s a change in leadership in Congress or the White House, it can mean that priorities and policies change too—which makes it hard for companies to raise the capital for, say, retooling steel and cement factories. A serious long-term commitment to fighting climate change by all leaders would make a big difference.

Moving to a green economy is the biggest challenge the world has ever faced. I’m optimistic we can do it, for all the reasons I explain in my book. But it needs to benefit everyone—including those workers and communities who depend on the fossil fuels that we need to get rid of.

This article originally appeared on gatesnotes.com.