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Militants Are Pirates, JTF Tells Court

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The former Sector III Commander of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in Rivers State, Col Mutia Adeyemi Yekini, has told a Port Harcourt High Court presided over by Justice Boma Diepiri that the 57 militant suspects standing trial before the court were responsible for various criminal activities on the Bonny waterways.

Col Yekini made the revelations while testifying before the court last Friday in Port Harcourt.

Col Yekini disclosed that prior to the arrest of the accused persons in November 2010, intelligence report reaching the security outfit revealed that the group led by one Otonyeme Kuna, alias Obese” was responsible for criminal activities off the Bonny coast.

The JTF sector commander stated that an order was given by the headquarters to dislodge  the gang, adding that during one of the  reconnaissance exercise conducted by JTF, the hideout of the accused was located at Borokiri.

The Borokiri camp, according to him, was located 21 nautical miles off the coast of Bonny and 1.5 kilometres from Ke community.

Col Yekini stated that after 14 reconnaissance operations by the security outfit, the gang was dislodged on November 18, 2010 as about 63 members of the gang were arrested.

Though he did not give figures of casualties, the army officer disclosed that during the operations, members of the taskforce carried out under ground fire from the camp, resulting in an exchange of gunfire for three days.

Col Yekini further stated that after the camp was overran in the early morning hours of 18 November, 19 hostages being held by the accused persons were released including eight foreigners and 11 Nigerians.

Besides, he told the court that huge cache of arms and live ammunition including other military kits and equipment were equally recovered from the Borokiri militant camp.

But during a cross examination by the accused counsel, Barrister Ogbuawa argued that the witness did not arrest any of his clients with arms neither were the ammunition recovered from Borokiri camp.

Barrister Oguawa submitted that there were no marks to show that the accused were the owners of the arms.

Another defence counsel, Barrister Fortune Amachree argued that against the claims made by Col Yekini, casualties would have arisen from the JTF operation, adding that if there were no casualty, then all the witness claims were false.

Barr Ken Asuete represented by Barrister T.G.Wokoma in the defence  was of the view that the said camp was a fishing settlement in Kalabari land and had no links with militant activities.

State counsel,, Barrister Otoyetari Okoye pleaded the court to admit the photographs taken by the JTF commander during the operation, after admitting the photograph based on their relevance to the matter, Justice Boma Diepiri adjourned further cross examination to 8th of July.

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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