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Is Fabian Ihekweme truly on the run? By Ambrose Nwaogwugwu

Published

6 months ago

October 24, 2024

Ekwutos Blog

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Is Fabian Ihekweme truly on the run?

By Ambrose Nwaogwugwu, October 24, 2024

The answer is an unequivocal YES.

He is on the run because of alleged looting of Avutu Poultry Equipments that led to his sack as commissioner.

Following my last article that exposed Ihekweme’s use of reverse psychology to cloak his alleged criminal activities under a veil of activism, a reader raised a pertinent question: is this former commissioner actually facing charges?

The simple truth is that Ihekweme, who once held the lofty position of Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, is indeed evading justice.

And, contrary to his newfound claims of innocence and persecution, he is not only a fugitive, but one whose trial was delayed due to the interventions of notable figures like former Speaker Kennedy Ibeh, who stood as his surety when the law caught up with him.

The people of Imo State deserve better than this calculated dishonesty. If Fabian Ihekweme is not on the run as may claim, we challenge him to emerge from his hideout and face the truth like any man who has nothing to fear.

Stand before the people and answer the burning question: what happened to the equipment and machinery worth millions of naira from Avutu Poultry?

Where did they disappear to under your watch as commissioner, in the guise of securing foreign investors for the state?

Fabian’s silence speaks louder than any of his empty proclamations of activism.

If he truly had a defense, would he be hiding? If his conscience was clear, would he not face the people and explain why the equipments meant to revitalize the Avutu Poultry in Obowo mysteriously vanished during his tenure?

For someone who claims to be a champion of good governance and accountability, Ihekweme seems curiously allergic to the idea of answering for his own actions.

But before anyone can take him seriously as an activist or a “seer,” he must first prove that he is capable of being accountable.

In the court of public opinion, his credibility is in tatters, and no amount of loud rhetoric will change that.

Until Ihekweme steps forward and provides clear answers about his involvement in the alleged looting that led to his sacking, his words remain hollow, and his campaign for justice will continue to be seen for what it truly is—a smokescreen to cover his flight from the law.

We, as ndi Imo, are not deceived. A man who cannot account for his past actions, especially when those actions involve the looting of public property, cannot expect to lead any meaningful conversation on governance. If Fabian Ihekweme wants to be taken seriously, he must first submit himself to the authorities and face the criminal investigation that has been hanging over his head like a sword of Damocles.

In leadership, as in life, integrity is everything. It is time for Omu to stop running, face the truth, and be accountable to the very people he claims to represent. Only then can he begin to rebuild the trust he has shattered. Until then, his words—whether cloaked in activism or victimhood—will continue to ring hollow.

-Ambrose Nwaogwugwu,
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor.
(Electronic and Creative Media)

Columns

Montreal police arrested seven people who are believed to have ties to an Italian Mafia clan on Wednesday morning.

Published

19 hours ago

April 11, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

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Six men, ages 34 to 59, and a 44-year-old woman were arrested, said the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM). Around 40 officers were involved in the operation.

The arrests, which mark the final phase of the Americano Project, were made in the boroughs of LaSalle and Verdun, as well as in Brossard.

“It’s going to hurt traditional Italian organized crime in this area,” Francis Renaud, head of the SPVM’s organized crime unit, told reporters on Wednesday morning.

“We’re used to seeing traditional Italian organized crime in the Saint-Léonard area … but in LaSalle, it’s a well-hidden stronghold.”

Who are the suspects
The seven individuals, whom Renaud believes to be the “most influential people” in LaSalle, operated under the radar, he said. They were very well-known by the LaSalle community and some of them owned businesses.

Large-scale drug trafficking of cocaine was their specialty, said Renaud, and their team would sell drugs to resellers. Their clients were from all over the province.

Francis Renaud
Francis Renaud is the head of Montreal police’s organized crime unit. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)
Renaud added that the individuals collaborated with other known criminal organizations, groups that would’ve previously been considered “enemies.”

“In LaSalle, it’s pretty special,” said Renaud.

“The Italian organized crime [there] are not afraid to mix with other organized crime that we know, the bikers, the Irish, to make their business go on. And they’re getting along. That’s the special effect of LaSalle.”

Various charges
The suspects will appear at the Montreal courthouse by the end of the day.

Five of them are facing charges of committing an offence for the benefit of a criminal organization, drug trafficking and possession of substances for the purpose of trafficking, according to the SPVM.

Previous phases of the criminal investigation, which began in August 2023, led to the seizure in January and May 2024 of more than 32 kilograms of cocaine, over $2.2 million in cash, four kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 12 firearms and several other items of evidence, said the police.

Three individuals who were previously arrested as part of the investigation have already appeared in court and were released. Renaud said they will appear again in court “probably with slightly more severe charges” than the initial charges they were facing.He explained that Wednesday’s operation included wiretaps, video surveillance and investigators working day and night for two years.

Renaud said “of course” the organization will find replacements for those arrested, which will force his unit to launch another investigation.

“It’s our job to monitor the intel and to see [who] is coming in to take the place and do the exact same thing again, and see you guys in a year or two,” said Renaud with a smile.

Columns

Scores forced to leave US as Trump administration revokes student visas

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1 day ago

April 10, 2025

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The administration of President Donald Trump has revoked the visas of hundreds of international students, forcing many to exit the US within days.

Some students reportedly received unexpected texts or emails, while others discovered their cancellations through the Federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System.

Universities across states like California, Colorado, Ohio, and Florida reported cases, though many declined to share details due to student privacy.

According to immigration experts, the scale is unprecedented

“I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I’ve never seen 300 students lose their visas. It’s all political,” immigration attorney Len Saunders said.

Ekwutosblog reports that some visa cancellations appear linked to minor issues like traffic violations or roommate disputes, while others may be tied to participation in pro-Palestinian protests.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed responsibility for revoking no fewer than 300 visas, calling the students “lunatics” for their activism.

“Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas,” he said.

The students affected are not being detained but told to leave the country within seven days.

This development has sparked protests, including at the University of Arizona and Tufts University, where Turkish student Rumeysa Öztürk was detained despite holding a valid visa.

Colorado State University confirmed six student visa revocations, while the University of Massachusetts-Amherst said five students were affected.

Columns

Fubara’s chief of staff files N2bn suit against Ex-HoS Nweke, Channels TV

Published

1 day ago

April 10, 2025

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Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has filed a N2 billion defamation lawsuit against the immediate past Head of Service of the state, George Nweke, and Channels Television.

Ehie is urging the court, presided over by Justice Stephen Jumbo, to award the sum as damages in his favour.

This follows a televised interview of Nweke on Channels Television on March 29, which Ehie claims was baseless, malicious, and falsely published in a most wicked manner.

When the matter came up in court on Thursday, Ehie’s counsel, Tuduru Edeh, SAN, sought a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, whether by themselves, their agents, privies, servants, or any other representatives, from further publishing or disseminating the said defamatory content.

The plaintiff’s counsel also prayed the court to compel the defendants to immediately retract the publication and issue a public apology to Ehie.

The apology, he requested, should be broadcast on Channels Television, another national television network, and published in two widely read newspapers across Nigeria.

Justice Jumbo, in ruling on the application, granted the orders and directed all parties in the suit to refrain from making further public comments on the matter, pending the determination of the case.

The matter was adjourned to June 4, 2025, for mention and further proceedings.