News
RSG Beefs Up Security In ONELGA: Warns Kidnappers …Uncovers 8,000 Ghost Workers
The Rivers State Government, says it has beefed up security in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) to stem the incessant kidnap cases that have rocked the area in recent times.
Permanent Secretary, Government House, Mr Fortune Oguru gave the indication on Monday when protesting lecturers and students of the Federal College of Education Technical, Omoku marched down to Government House over the frequent abduction of lecturers in the school.
Mr Oguru while assuring the protesters of government’s prompt action, said government was on top of the situation since the state valued security of its citizens above everything.
The Permanent Secretary further assured, ‘ what you are going through, we know, but give us sometimes, and we would act.
He lauded the protesting students and lecturers for their peaceful conduct during the protest, while urging them to go back and support the security agents in fishing out the hoodlums in the area.
Mr Oguru submitted that so far, the state government had spent huge sums in strengthening the security of the state in the acquisition of equipment and training of policemen, and therefore assured them that their plight would be forwarded to the appropriate authorities for quick action.
Earlier, leader of the protesters and chairman of the college’s chapter of Academic Staff Union, Comrade Chima Geofrey decried the incessant abduction of lecturers of the institution.
“Just Tuesday last week, one of our senior colleagues, Director of Degree Programme, was also kidnapped but was released yesterday”, Comrade Geofrey lamented.
So far, he stated that no fewer than nine lecturers were abducted by the kidnappers, while the whereabouts of one Dr Ihua Maduenyi kidnapped last year was yet to be unravelled.
The Academic Staff Union chairman lamented that “we are only left to our fate. The local government and security outfits cannot do anything to check the menace”.
Comrade Geofrey, therefore, demanded that the security outfit of the area be overhauled, while calling on the governor to draft more security personnel to the area.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Hon Raymond Nwokocha has called for calm over the incessant kidnapping in the area.
Hon Nwokocha while responding to allegations made by protesting staffers of Federal College of Education Technical, Omoku at Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday, explained that the council authorities had not rested on their oars over the security threat.
Said Nwokocha, ‘ we are not relenting in tackling the situation… the DPO and other security personnel have been tackling and arresting these hoodlums on a daily basis”.
The ONELGA chairman, while expressing sadness over the development, called on the residents of the area to support government’s efforts to check the malaise, stressing, ‘no human being has the right to tamper with the life of another human being”.
Meanwhile, the former Head of Service (HOS) in Rivers State, Mrs Esther Anucha, says the state government discovers 8,000 ghost workers in its service.
Anucha disclosed this in Port Harcourt on Monday at a send-forth ceremony organised in her honour by Etche indigenes in the state civil service.
She said she fought the ghost worker syndrome in the state civil service and reduced the work force from 54,000 to 46,000.
Anucha, who was the first female head of service in the state, said her administration was characterised by industrial peace and harmony.
She said she served the state wholeheartedly and meritoriously, saying “selfless service pays”.
Anucha said that she spare headed the building of the Public Service Institute (PSI) at Chokocho, in Etche Local Government Area of the state and also introduced inter-ministerial sports competitions.
According to her, she retired a fulfilled woman having laid a solid foundation for a vibrant state civil service, and advised Etche indigenes in the service to be good ambassadors of their community.
In his address, chairman of the organising committee, Mr Innocent Anyanwu said Anucha’s administration had brought many Etche indigenes into the state civil service.
Anyanwu said Anucha’s administration had also trained and retrained civil servants, and noted that training and retraining were very essential for success in every human endeavour.
He said that the retired Head of Service had worked hard and left a legacy of harmonious, robust and success-driven civil service and rewarded hard work in the state.
Anyanwu said that many Etche indigenes employed as cleaners, gardeners, security guards and messengers had retired on the same designation after serving for 35 years.
He said such development should be corrected in the state civil service.
Our correspondent reports that Anucha retired in September, 2012.
Nigerians were among more than 140 residents injured after Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at the United Arab Emirates, at the weekend.
This raised fresh fears for thousands of Nigerians living and working in the Gulf nation.
The UAE Ministry of Defence disclosed last Saturday that its air defence systems intercepted several missiles and drones fired from Iran, describing the attack as a major escalation in the ongoing regional tensions.
In a statement posted on its official X handle, the ministry said its air defence units engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones during the latest assault on March 14.
It added that the attacks left six people dead and 141 others injured, including foreign nationals.
“The UAE air defence systems on March 14 engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 UAVs launched from Iran,” the ministry stated.
“Since the onset of this blatant Iranian aggression, UAE air defences have engaged 294 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,600 UAVs launched from Iran,” UAE added.
According to the ministry, those killed in the attacks included citizens of the UAE as well as foreign nationals from Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
“Although the authorities did not specify the exact locations where the casualties occurred, the ministry said the injured victims were from several countries, including Nigeria.
Others affected include residents from Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The list also included Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Comoros, Türkiye, Iraq, Nepal, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Ghana, Indonesia and Sweden.
The Tide reports that this development has sparked concern among Nigerian communities in the UAE, where thousands of citizens live and work in sectors such as construction, hospitality, logistics and trade.
Data from Nigeria’s diaspora commission shows that the UAE remains one of the largest destinations for Nigerian migrants in the Middle East, particularly in the emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
The Nigerian government had in recent years raised concerns over the safety and welfare of its citizens in the country following diplomatic tensions and visa restrictions affecting Nigerians.
Saturday’s attacks have now heightened anxieties within the diaspora community, especially as the Gulf region faces growing military confrontations.
In its statement, the UAE Ministry of Defence said the country remained fully prepared to confront any threats to its security.
“The Ministry of Defence remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine state security in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguards its national interests and capabilities,” the ministry said.
In a separate update, the ministry noted that its defence systems were still actively intercepting missiles and drones.
“UAE air defences are dealing with Iranian ballistic and cruise missiles and drones,” it said.
Regional media reports indicate that the attacks form part of a wider escalation of hostilities between Iran and Western-backed forces in the Middle East.
According to Al Jazeera, Iran has continued sustained missile and drone strikes across the Gulf despite protests from neighbouring states.
The strikes were said to be in retaliation for military operations launched by the United States and Israel against Iranian positions in the region.
Tehran targeted several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, late on Friday and into Saturday.
The attacks also caused infrastructural damage in parts of the UAE.
Meanwhile, Iran’s elite military wing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned that US interests in the UAE would remain legitimate targets.
Iranian state media reported that the group issued the warning after US forces attacked Iranian-controlled islands.
The IRGC specifically mentioned ports, docks and military installations linked to the United States as potential targets.
It also urged residents in the UAE to evacuate areas around ports and military facilities to avoid civilian casualties.
Security analysts say the growing exchange of threats and strike across the Gulf could destabilise the region’s economic and aviation activities if the conflict escalates further.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the five new commissioners sworn-in last Wednesday to put in their best for the development of the State.
Fubara gave the charge during the swearing-in of the commissioners at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House, Port Harcourt, last Wednesday.
This followed the successful screening of the five commissioners by the Rivers State House of Assembly, last Tuesday.
The five commissioners are Tonye Bellgam, Prof. Temple Nwofor, Dr. Peters Nwagor, Mr. Lekue Kenneth, and Sir Amairigha Edward Hart.
The Tide reports that the governor had sent nine commissioner-nominees to the Assembly for screening, but the Assembly confirmed only five nominees and rejected the nomination of four over various allegations.
Those rejected by the Assembly are Prof. Dantonye Alasia, Mrs. Charity Demua, Mr. Tamuno Williams, and Otonye Amachree.
The governor congratulated the new commissioners on their appointment, noting that their thorough screening by the Rivers State House of Assembly was a proof of their capabilities.
He urged them to deploy their wealth of experience in various fields and put the State on a fast lane of development.
“Ordinarily, I am supposed to charge you on your responsibilities and how to operate. But that has been taken care of by the screening at the Assembly.
“I believe that going through one of the most rigorous screenings, it is enough to say that for those of you who succeeded, you are fit and ready to deliver to our dear State.
“So there is no further charge. The screening was the charge, so I wish you the best as I don’t expect anything less than the best from you,” Fubara said.
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, destroying a reactivated illegal refinery site in Rivers State and intercepting suspected stolen petroleum products in Calabar, Cross River State.
The Director of Naval Information, Capt Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement released in Abuja, yesterday.
Folorunsho said personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship SOROH, operating under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, destroyed a reactivated illegal refinery site at Okolomade Community in Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He said the action followed credible intelligence that a previously dismantled illegal refining site had resumed operations.
According to him, an Anti–Crude Oil Theft team deployed to the location discovered that the dismantled refining oven had been reconstructed.
“Further exploitation of the area led to the discovery of additional refining equipment and storage facilities containing about 3,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO),” he said.
Folorunsho added that the illegal refining infrastructure, including ovens, storage tanks, hoses, connected pipes and newly acquired metal components used for illegal refining, was destroyed in line with operational procedures.
He said personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship Victory, in another operation, intercepted about 3,950 litres of suspected stolen petroleum products at the Nigerian Ports Authority area in Calabar, Cross River State.
He said the interception was based on credible intelligence on suspected siphoning of petroleum products from vessels berthed at the port.
The naval patrol team, according to him, swiftly deployed to the area and traced the illegally siphoned products to a trailer park within the port facility.
“On sighting the naval patrol team, the suspected perpetrators fled the scene, after which the area was cordoned off and the illegally siphoned products secured,” he said.
Folorunsho said further inspection led to the recovery of about 3,950 litres of Automotive Gas Oil stored in drums and jerrycans, which had been evacuated to the naval base for further necessary action in line with extant regulations.
He noted that the successes aligned with the directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, to intensify operations against crude oil theft and other maritime crimes across Nigeria’s maritime domain.
Folorunsho reiterated the Navy’s commitment to sustaining the operational tempo of Operation DELTA SENTINEL through intensified surveillance, patrols and intelligence-driven operations aimed at combating crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other forms of economic sabotage.