Niger Delta

Navy Warns Vessels Without Valid Papers

Published

13 years ago

August 19, 2013

Any vessel caught without valid papers or laden with stolen oil will be siezed, the Flag Officer, in charge of Naval Central Command, Yenagoa, Rear Admiral Sidi-Ali Usman has warned.

Admiral Usman gave the warning while clearing circumstances surrounding the controversial Vessel grounded at Odioma Water way in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

According to the Flag Officer the grounded vessel, MV LILA and tug ,MV? St. VICTORIA have been impounded? by a Naval gun boat ,NNS BOMADI? at Odioama along St. Nicholas river in Brass local government of the state saying that six persons who tried to remove its contents were arrested.

Speaking to journalists last Wednesday, Usman affirmed that? operatives of the Forward Operation Base FORMOSO were? making relentless efforts to ensure the barge was salvaged from its present position.

“On August 10, at about 18.25,a Naval team on routine patrol was attracted to a suspected barge movement from Odioama to St.St. Nicholas river. On approaching the self-propelled barge ,it was discovered to have gone aground.The barge was identified as MV LILA.”It would recalled that the Chief of Naval Staff ,Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba has repeatedly affirmed his zero tolerance for oil theft and related criminalities in the maritime domain,”he said.

Usman revealed that five vessels linked with illegal oil bunkering in the state have been impounded in the past two months ,stressing that more arrests would be effected by the Navy.

He said:”This would prevent the likelihood of oil spill and consequential damage to the environment .Similarly ,investigations into the source of the suspected stolen product in the barge has since commenced.

“That barge must gone aground when they were making efforts to get it,but they were not aware that part of our strategy is also to contain this illicit activities from the seaward end.So when we noticed this ,we tasked the unit over there to contain the activity and on the process we found this barge abandoned.As I speak some of our men are mounting surveillance there.It is in the course of the surveillance that we arrested this tug.The tug actually came to retrieve the grounded barge over there,”Usman explained.

Continuing:”Somebody must have contracted the tug ,the owner who uses his tug to come and retrieve his property.It would have been a different game if we were not able to lay hand on anybody.We were not deceived even with the abandonment we quickly instructed that they should be within the area ,that it was not a ghost that brought the barge there .”

Usman warned that illegal oil vessels without valid documents plying the waterways of the state would be Impounded? when they are sighted by Naval operatives patrolling the area.

His words:”We are using this opportunity to sound as a note of warning to illegal oil bunkerers ,they are not supposed to be there.The required papers for them to be there,we will arrest any of those vessels so sighted .Even as I speak now we have arrested? some vessels 5 while investigations continue.More arrests is still coming ,we are unrelenting .

“Our strategy is of three fold ,we will go after them in the creeks,also the areas where they carry out illegal refineries.If they are sighted we will destroy them,we patrol at the seaward end of the creeks.Any vessel of opportunities? that is sighted there would be impounded.Any vessel without clearance papers will be seized.I hope vessels coming this way will comply.There is no room for illegalities in the sea ,we can’t tolerate it any further ,”he noted.

Niger Delta

CSOs, Bille Community Urge Solution To Persistent Underwater Gas Eruption

Published

10 hours ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the people of Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State have called for government’s urgent intervention to end the suspected underwater gas eruption in the community.

The groups, under the aegis of the Environmental Rights Action and Social Action, made the call during their advocacy visit to the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), in Port Harcourt.

The Programme Manager of Environmental Rights Action, Mr. Kentebe Ebiaridor, said the visit was to seek clarity on the response efforts of the regulators to the development in the community.

Ebiaridor expressed concern over what he described as “inadequate response from regulatory agencies and the government concerning the incident”.

He said discussions with some officials revealed that there was still no clear timeline for action to address the situation.

According to him, in the absence of clear ownership of the facility linked to the incident, companies operating within Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 should be held accountable.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had in a statement issued on March 20 by its Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the commission had commenced an investigation into a gas bubbling incident in Bille Community.

Eyesan said the commission expressed concern over the development and assured residents of its ongoing efforts to address the situation.

Also, the Resource Justice Manager of Social Action, Dr. Prince Edegbuo, warned that the situation could escalate into a public health emergency, if urgent steps were not taken.

Edegbuo called on relevant authorities to release the results of the tests reportedly conducted in the area, stressing that residents had the right to know the condition of their environment.

He also said CSOs were prepared to intensify advocacy on the matter, urging the development of emergency response measures, including possible evacuation plans.

A legal practitioner and community stakeholder, Mr. Commission Deinbo, had, on March 20, said residents had continued to witness unusual signs on the waterways in the area.

Deinbo said the signs included boiling and bubbling from the ground and river, sometimes within residential areas, as well as fire outbreaks, which the residents had always managed to contain.

He appealed to relevant authorities to come to their aid and find a lasting solution to the problem.

In a response, the Port Harcourt Zonal Head of NOSDRA, Mr. Bello Augustin, assured the community that he would relate its concerns to the appropriate quarters.

Augustin also commended the CSOs for their advocacy and concerns to community development in the state.

By: Wokoma Emmanuel & Theresa Frederick

Niger Delta

Police Detain 7, Recover Arms In A’Ibom

Published

15 hours ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State has detained seven suspects and recovered firearms after raiding a criminal hideout in Ndiya Mfia, Ikono Local Government Area.of the State.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, made the disclosure in a statement in Uyo on Wednesday.

John said that the breakthrough which occurred at about 6.00a.m on Wednesday, followed credible intelligence from members of the public.

“We reliably gathered that criminal suspects were hibernating in a compound disguised as worshippers.

“In a decisive operation, our personnel conducted a thorough search of the premises which led to the detention and recovery of arms,” she said.

According to her, the operation was in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police to decisively combat crime in the country.

The police spokesman further said that two locally made double-barrel guns, five expended cartridges, four motorcycles and three generators were recovered during the operation.

She also listed 10 mobile phones, one police crest, four jungle boots, one peak cap, saw blade, spanner, number plates, machetes, a special force vest as other items recovered.

“We also found bottles of suspected spiritual oil and one enlarged photograph linked to an ongoing investigation,” she said.

John said that preliminary investigation suggested that the location was being used as cover for criminal operations.

She said the State’s Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Azare, has directed a comprehensive investigation on the matter in order to apprehend the principal suspect.

John expressed the commitment of the Command to rid the state of crime, and urged members of the public to always support the police with timely and credible information.

Niger Delta

Otu Launches Grassroot Security Network In C’River

Published

15 hours ago

April 10, 2026

The Tide

Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has launched a grassroots security intelligence network, named, ”Homeland Safety and Security Agency,” to strengthen community-based surveillance and enhance safety across the state.

Otu, who inaugurated the agency’s office in the Southern Senatorial District of the state on Monday, in Calabar, said similar offices were being inaugurated in the Central and Northern Senatorial Districts.

The Governor, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Emmanuel Ironbar, said the officials of the agency would serve as first point of call before matters would be escalated to main security architecture in the state.

He described Homeland Security as an intelligence-driven structure focused on neighbourhood monitoring and early threat detection through coordinated local efforts.

He said the initiative constituted the directors and field operatives, tasked with gathering and forwarding intelligence to relevant security agencies for prompt action.

Otu noted that the network would serve as a first point of contact before intervention by conventional security agencies.

“It is important that we enhance monitoring of movements across our communities, border areas, and riverine zones to identify suspicious activities and enhance security response.

“The state government will provide necessary gadgets and communication tools to improve efficiency and real-time intelligence sharing,” he said.

Otu called for public cooperation, stressing that ‘’security is a collective responsibility requiring timely information from residents.’’

He said, ‘’to ensure that the security outfit works like a model unit, proper screening would be conducted on the volunteers to weed out undesirable elements from the system.’’

The Tide’s source reports that the Governor handed over 14 motor bikes to the agency’s southern Senatorial district office to enhance their efficiency.

On his part, the Director-General, South of the agency, Mr. Michael Nsan, said the volunteers had played key roles in reducing crime through coordinated patrols and intelligence sharing.

Nsan said over 1,300 volunteers currently supported the operations with additional informants providing critical information across communities.

“Crime rates dropped significantly during the last festive period due to our collaboration with law enforcement agencies in the state,” he said.

The Director-General said volunteers would undergo training and screening, with plans underway for formal recruitment through a government employment portal.

According to him, communication tools, including walkie-talkies, and patrol motorcycles had improved rapid response to security incidents.

He commended the governor’s commitment, noting that the initiative would further strengthen security architecture and community safety across the state.

The source reports that some of the dignitaries who graced the occasion were traditional rulers and government officials.