PH Mundial – Port Harcourt Online Newspaper News Across The Region
Related Articles
The Nyenweali and paramount ruler of Alakahia community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze Daniel Ogbonna Dodo, has appealed to the managements of the University of Port Harcourt and the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) to partner with the community in the provision of adequate security in its immediate environs.
He also appealed to the state and federal governments to consider building a pedestrian bridge across the busy Alakahia axis of the East/West road for use by school children, students and other road users, since zebra crossings and bumps are not allowed on federal highways. The relevant authorities should also mount road signs to warn reckless drivers on the road, he said.
The monarch who made the appeal on Monday while speaking to our correspondent in an exclusive chat in his palace at Alakahia, a suburb of the state capital, pointed out that it had become imperative for the tertiary institution and hospital to partner with the host community in the area of security because many of their staff and students reside in the community.
Eze Dodo spoke on the heels of the incidents that befell the community over the weekend in which one person died and 13 school children were hospitalized.
Last Friday, about 13 school children from the community primary school were nearly crushed to death when a reckless driver disobeyed the security man helping the children to cross the road, despite the fact that others had complied, hitting them in the process.
Although, the accident, which occurred at the close of school hours, recorded no death, 13 children sustained minor injuries, fractures and bruises and were immediately rushed to the Teaching hospital.
As if that was not enough worries for the day, twelve hours later and during the wee hours, between 1 and 2am of Saturday morning, unknown gunmen stormed the community and killed a prominent son, a PDP chairman in the community, in the presence of his wife and children.
Our correspondent gathered that the gunmen had earlier killed another politician, of the APC, identified as a friend of the deceased, by 11pm Friday night before proceeding to Alakahia community.
“We don’t know the deceased as a cultist. But we know that he is a politician. He is the PDP party chairman of their own chapter in my community,” the Eze stated.
The state Police spokesman, DSP Nnamdi Omoni confirmed the two killings over the weekend and added that the Police was investigating the matter. He did not say if any suspect had been arrested.
Eze Dodo however said: “You know, when you work as a team or in synergy, you’ll make meaningful progress and achievements. We’ve appealed to them because we have the lecturers, we have the doctors, we have the workers that are the staff of UPTH and the University of Port Harcourt. We have the students living right here with us. So, we should be able to work with them. They can provide vehicles and other items to assist us.”
