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“We Cannot Remain Associated With an Institution Facing Such Grave Allegations” — Stanel Group Cuts Ties With Jofin Orphanage, Demands Urgent Probe

Published

7 months ago

November 19, 2025

vicky

The Stanel Group and the Stanley Uzochukwu Foundation have announced their immediate and total disassociation from Jofin Orphanage Home in Rukuba, Jos, following reports of alleged child abuse involving the orphanage’s operators.

The announcement was made during an emergency press briefing on Wednesday by the Group Legal Officer, Bar. Chukwuemeka Okeke, who addressed journalists alongside the General Manager of Stanel Group Jos, Dr. Kevin Akwarandu, and Operations Manager, Mrs. Precious Ibekwe.

“We cannot, in good conscience, remain associated with an institution facing such grave allegations,” Okeke declared. He said the directive to pull out came from the CEO of Stanel Group and patron of the Foundation, Dr. Stanley Uzochukwu.

Okeke explained that the Foundation’s engagement with the orphanage—including a major humanitarian intervention on July 31, 2025—was strictly geared toward improving the children’s welfare. The intervention included a feeding program, educational assistance, significant renovations, and the installation of ICT and security infrastructure.

However, he said, recent disturbing reports from concerned individuals prompted the group to withdraw all support and call for government authorities to investigate the home.

“The calls we received were very touching,” he noted when asked whether the organization’s decision was premature. “We don’t have full details of the allegations, but as a responsible group, we have reported to the authorities and stepped aside to allow proper investigation. If there are no issues, nothing stops us from working with them in the future.”

Okeke stressed that the Foundation is not the owner, operator, or manager of Jofin Orphanage Home and “vehemently debunks any rumors suggesting otherwise.”

He confirmed that the group has officially written to the Plateau State Police Command, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, and the Plateau State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, urging them to launch a full-scale probe into the orphanage’s operations.

Despite the withdrawal, he emphasized that the children remain their primary concern.

“Our hearts go out to the smart and promising children at the orphanage,” he said. “Their well-being and future are what matter most.”

The Stanel Group reaffirmed its commitment to defending the rights of children across Nigeria, insisting that there can be no compromise in the fight against abuse and exploitation.

Related Topics:child abuse Jofin Orphanage Stanel Group

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News

2027: Clan insists governorship seat remains in Ebonyi North

Published

42 minutes ago

June 25, 2026

Preport

A socio-cultural organization in Ebonyi State, Ezza Ezekuna Development Association, EEDA, has declared that the governorship seat in the state must remain in Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone till the 2031 general election, for justice, fairness, equity and political stability.

EEDA dismissed the recent communique issued by a group describing itself as the Umuekumenyi Leaders’ Council, in support of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Ifeanychukwuma Odii, from the Ebonyi South Senatorial Zone.

It declared that the Umuekumenyi Leaders’ Council has no legal existence as it is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, and has no constitutional foundation within the constituent clans of Umuekumenyi.

Briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abakaliki, National President of the association, Chief Kingsley Akam, Secretary, Comrade Uchechukwu Edeh, and a member of the association, Professor Chike Emmanuel Onwe, said EEDA aligns itself with the established zoning arrangement governing political succession in the state.

It insisted that Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone must be allowed to complete its own two tenures of the governorship seat as done by other two senatorial zones in the state.

“The Ezza Ezekuna Development Association believes firmly in justice, fairness, equity and political stability. These are not abstract values to be invoked in ceremony and abandoned in practice.

“They are the operative principles upon which durable inter-communal harmony is built, and they have contributed significantly to the peace and progress enjoyed across Ebonyi State since its creation.

“We align ourselves fully with the established zoning arrangement governing political succession in Ebonyi State, and we do so not as a new or recent conversion but as an expression of a position that the leaders and people of Ezza Ezekuna have previously declared and consistently maintained.

“That position has never changed, and it shall not change. The governorship of Ebonyi State remains, in accordance with the prevailing zoning understanding, in Ebonyi North until 2031. No reasonable Ezza person, properly informed of the history of our state and properly committed to the collective stability of Ebonyi, would oppose this arrangement. Those who do so act neither on behalf of Ezza people nor in the interest of the peace that all our communities depend upon.

“The so-called Umuekumenyi Leaders’ Council has no legal existence. It is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. It has no constitutional foundation within the traditions or governance structures of any of the constituent clans of Umuekumenyi.

“It is, in plain terms, a contraption — assembled hurriedly and without mandate by individuals pursuing personal political agendas under the cover of a name designed to create the illusion of collective authority. The public, the media and all relevant institutions are advised to treat it as such,” Akam said.