Bayelsa Directorate for Project Monitoring and Evaluation has expressed satisfaction with the pace of work on major road projects in the state.
Directorate chairman, Ebiye Tarabina, yesterday during inspection of the roads said that some of the projects had reached over 80 percent completion.
Tarabin said the Igbedi Road project had reached 80 percent completion, while the AIT-Igbobogene Outer Ring Road up to Okaki Junction had reached the asphalt stage.
The chairman urged contractors handling the projects to keep to specification, saying the state government would not tolerate any compromise in standards.
He said the era when contractors cut corners and build sub-standard projects was over, adding that the government would not hesitate to sanction erring companies.
Tarabina said the government was committed to the state’s infrastructure development and solicited the cooperation of contractors working the state towards achieving the target.
He added that the projects were significant to the development of the state and that it had become imperative for contractors to abide by the contractual terms of the agreement.
At the Igbedi road project site, the chairman lauded the company handling the project, PAACIE Construction Limited, for the quality and pace of work, urging it to sustain the tempo.
The General Manager of the company, Mr. Sarkis Abichmount, said over 80 percent of the job had been done and pledged to complete the project on schedule.
At the Sagbama Ekeremor road project, Tarabina also lauded the contractor for the job done so far and called for the speedy completion of the project.
Other projects inspected included the concrete pavement at Ayamasa, ongoing Glory Drive Road, Opolo-AIT Road, Elebele Bridge, and rehabilitation work on Imiringi Road.
Youths lynch scrap collectors for beating a young man to death in A’Ibom
Two Hausa scrap collectors have reportedly been attacked and killed by some irate youths in Afaha Oku, Ikpa community, in Uyo local government area of Akwa Ibom State.
It was gathered that the scrap metal dealers were lynched in retaliation after they allegedly killed an indigene identified as Anietie Ekpanya.
The report allegedly happened on Sunday at about 9:00 am when many residents of the area had gone to church for service.
A resident of the area who simply identified himself as Mr. Wisdom said that Anietie, who was allegedly beaten to coma by the Hausa boys, was being rushed to the hospital immediately, but unfortunately died on the way.
“What happened is that that youth the two Hausa scrap metal collectors killed is an indigene of this Afaha Oku village,” he said.
According to the eyewitness, Anietie had gone to collect his clothes from the laundry that Sunday morning, but while returning to his compound, he sighted the two Hausa scrap, metal collectors, with some items they removed.
“I learnt that he accosted them and asked them what they were doing in his compound; that who gave them permission to remove things from the compound, so they two Hausa boys beat him and he collapsed. When Anietie’s brother who was inside the house saw what happened, he raised the alarm.
“People now came out and caught the two scrap metal collectors. I learned that the boy died on the way while he was being rushed to the hospital. So, it was the news of his death that now got the youths angry. They now descended on those two Hausa boys, threw them inside the gutter, and burnt them to death.
“That was how those three people died in this area on Sunday. Security Agencies, the Army, and Police arrived at the scene of the incident immediately because around 10 am that I saw both the police and Army loaded in their trucks and patrolling the whole area.”
Confirming the tragic incident, the spokesman of the state police command, Mr Odiko MacDon, regretted that the deaths would have been averted if the youths of the area and scrap collectors had not taken the law into their own hands.
MacDon said police preliminary investigation revealed that within the hours when people have left for church, the two scrap metal dealers entered Anietie’s house and stole certain items.
“Unfortunately for them, the man just came back and met them in the act. So, when he accosted them, a fight ensued. Unfortunately, the man went into a coma, which he never recovered from. He passed on while being rushed to the hospital.
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“The angry youths also attacked the two people responsible for his death and lynched them. They were burnt. But the police moved in immediately to restore normalcy, evacuated the remains, and also contacted the community leaders of both sides, as well as the youths, and urged them to maintain peace.
“In fact the Hausa community leader said he had severally given a warning to those boys, the scrap metal dealers, to desist from going out on Sundays, except they wanted to steal.
“And the Commissioner of Police has ordered that a very thorough investigation be conducted, while he still maintains the stance that jungle justice has no place in our laws,” MacDon explained.
The PPRO reiterated that the proper thing people should always do is to hand over whoever was caught in the act of committing a crime to the police for discreet investigation and prosecution, in order to maintain law and order in the society.
He, therefore, warned that jungle justice would not be tolerated in the state in 2022, adding “However, the CP condoles with families of both parties, while the investigation is ongoing.”
