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Niger Delta

Prostitute Loses Eyes To Ritualists, Boy Saved

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A young lady believed to be
a sex-worker is now battling with blindness following the gouging out of her two eyes by suspected ritualists. The incident happened around the Bayelsa Palm road, while the lady is lying at the emergency ward of the Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa
The victim whose name was not immediately known was said to have been  invited along with two other prostitute by persons driving in a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) for a rendezvous at a community outside Yenagoa with a promise of N30,000  negotiated price.
But while other girls refused to go with them, the victim said to have hailed from Akwa Ibom State went alone with them.
The men were said to have stopped at a bush path, and after raping her, plucked out her eyes.
Her cry of anguish by the roadside later attracted sympathisers who took her to the police station. The police after preliminary investigations sent her to the FMC for medical attention.
But a consultant at the centre who pleaded anonymity said that the case has been handed to the state directorate of social welfare as the lady is yet to have visits from any of her relations.
She is said to be a resident prostitute of the notorious Yenagoa red light district called Good-Evening Street in Hospital Road, Yenagoa
Also, policemen of the State Special Security outfit, Operation Door Akpo have thwarted attempt by an angry mob to set ablaze a suspected ritualist over alleged abduction of a six years old boy along the Azikoro Village area of Yenagoa Local Council Area of the state.
The victim, it was gathered is a scavanger who is popularly called Aboki.
Eyewitness told The Tide that  “Aboki” had asked the victim to get him a sachet of water and when the boy came with the water, the suspect gagged him and put him inside a sack.
“He fixed cotton wool inside the boy’s nose and tied up the sack and it dropped inside the truck he was pushing while pretended to continue his business of hitting the truck and calling on residents interested in selling unused iron materials.”
Luck however ran out on him when another boy he sent on errand to buy biscuit saw him putting the boy in the sack and he reported what he witnessed to some mansons working in a nearby building.
Contacted on the development, the spokesman for the Bayelsa State Police Command, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, said though the detail on the two incidents were not available, “the command is doing everything to ensure security of lives and property in the state.

Hon Levi Gogo Charles, (left) Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning disscussing with Mr Kelicous Amos, Project Cordinator  SEEFOR  project at an orientation programme  for youths engaged in public works (road  maintenace) at the Ministry of Justice conference hall recently. Photo: Prince Dele Obinna

Hon Levi Gogo Charles, (left) Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning disscussing with Mr Kelicous Amos, Project Cordinator SEEFOR project at an orientation programme for youths engaged in public works (road maintenace) at the Ministry of Justice conference hall recently. Photo: Prince Dele Obinna

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Niger Delta

Stakeholders In Delta Seek Stronger GBV Action, Women’s Leadership

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Stakeholders in Delta State convened in Asaba for a leadership workshop organised by Otdel Health Heritage and Environmental Initiative (OHHEI), focusing on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and women’s participation in decision-making processes.
OHHEI Project Director, Mr. Peter Olayinka, represented by a consultant, Juliet Obiajulu, urged participants to contribute meaningfully toward advancing women’s leadership and combating GBV across communities in the state.
He said the workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to influence policies, challenge harmful cultural norms, and reinforce initiatives designed to prevent and respond to GBV.
Olayinka said women often faced bias even when they occupied leadership positions, and stressed that gender diversity improved the quality of decision-making and promoted innovation and accountability in governance structures.
Speaking, the Chairperson of the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Mr Eris Jewo-Ibi,  identified cultural norms, domestic responsibilities, political resistance, and grassroots barriers as constraints to women’s participation.
Delta State GBV Desk Officer, Mrs. Rosemary Okpuno, emphasised that effective decision-making required women’s perspectives, adding that inclusion remained critical to addressing persistent gender-based challenges.
Voke Angbagh of the Delta State Ministry of Justice outlined penalties for rape and called for the establishment of special courts to handle sexual offences cases.
Angbagh said frequent adjournments delayed justice for survivors, stressing that dedicated sexual offences courts would ensure timely trials and stronger protection for victims in Delta State.
The Tide’s source reports that facilitators identified cultural acceptance of violence, unequal power relations, discrimination, poverty, limited education, and low self-esteem as major drivers of GBV.
They emphasised that violence and exclusion resulted in social, physical and emotional harm, imposed economic costs, reinforced harmful stereotypes, and widened existing gender inequalities.
The source also reports that OHHEI, a local non-profit organisation, focuses on education, health, environment, and social justice, promoting sustainable development initiatives with gender equality at the centre of its interventions.
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Niger Delta

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

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The Cross River State Government has suspended all taskforce activities connected to commercial transportation and ticketing across the state.
The State Governor, Bassey Otu, announced the suspension at an emergency stakeholders meeting on Friday in Calabar.
It would be recalled that commercial drivers in Calabar metropolis took to streets on Thursday to protest alleged multiple taxation and extortion by government agencies.
During the protest, the drivers alleged that taskforce groups claiming to represent the state government openly harassed and extorted them.
Represented at the meeting by Ekpenyong Akiba, his Special Adviser on General Duties, Otu said the suspension would subsist pending further review of the situation.
The Governor stated that the state government did not commission anyone to extort drivers in the name of task force.
He urged commercial drivers and other road users to remain law-abiding while government worked out a lasting solution.
On his part, the Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Calabar Metropolis, Mr. Sunday Dennis, expressed optimism that the dialogue would yield positive results.
He said the meeting had provided an opportunity for the aggrieved commercial drivers to present their concerns directly to the state government.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Unified Drivers Association, Mr. Nta Henshaw, described the harassment on drivers as worrisome, and urged the state government to be decisive in resolving the matter.
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A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

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The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Nutrition and Food Security has called for more private sector investments in agriculture.
The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Moses Essien, made the call when the committee visited Aviclaire Farms, a private establishment in Usung Idem, Uruk Usoh in Abak Local Government Area.
Essien, who represents Ibiono Ibom in the Assembly, commended the Management of the farm for partnering an NGO, ECEWS, to promote private investment in agriculture.
He commended the partners for adopting climate-smart agriculture initiatives in their operations, adding that such move would promote food security.
“Your interest in using transformative intervention to promote food security is a veritable way of complementing the efforts of the state government,” he said.
The lawmaker continued that adopting practical climate-smart agriculture model would help to generate employment, improve nutrition outcomes, and strengthen food sufficiency.
He further said he was impressed with the strides recorded by the partners, saying, “your investment has created jobs for no fewer than 2,000 youths.
”You are an example of an environment-friendly investor. I urge Akwa Ibom residents to embrace environment-friendly and technology-driven agriculture models,” he said.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, ECEWS, Dr. Andy Eyo, who conducted the committee round the farm, said the collaboration was conceived to demonstrate the viability of climate-smart farming in ensuring food sufficiency.
Eyo said the farm, which commenced operations with four greenhouses, had expanded to 14 within two years, and currently supplying high-quality produce to major markets in Uyo and neighbouring communities.
He said ECEWS was exploring cooperative frameworks to enable rural farmers and women’s groups to adopt greenhouse technology for sustainable livelihoods.
In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Aviclaire Farms, Mrs. Victoria Eyo, said the controlled-environment ensured precision cultivation and consistent yields.
She further said the farm served as a capacity-building centre for students, interns, and agri-business trainees.
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