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JTF Arrests Eight Suspected Oil Thieves

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12 years ago

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L-R: Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, Commander, Nigerian Army Band Corps, Abalti Barracks, Brig.-Gen. Lawson Amaechi and others at the inauguration of one of the sixty solar powered bore-holes by Rep. Gbajabiamila in Lagos, recently.

L-R: Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, Commander, Nigerian Army Band Corps, Abalti Barracks, Brig.-Gen. Lawson Amaechi and others at the inauguration of one of the sixty solar powered bore-holes by Rep. Gbajabiamila in Lagos, recently.

The Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta, Operation Pulo Shield, has said that it arrested eight suspected oil thieves and destroyed 17 illegal refineries in multiple raids.
A statement issued by  Media Coordination of JTF in Yenagoa, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, yesterday said the anti-oil theft raids were conducted from February 11 to February 18.
Nwachukwu said that several items were seized during the operations in Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Edo States.
He said that the JTF troops in Edo and Delta destroyed five illegal oil distillation sites and 40 boats and seized 300 metal tanks, 64 plastic storage tanks, 72 drums and 68 cooking ovens.
He added that four pumping machines and one Lister generator were seized at Warri South-West Local Government Area in Delta State.
The spokesman said the troops also intercepted a locally made tug boat conveying 30 drums of stolen petroleum at Ajide on Benin River in Edo.
He said that six suspects were arrested during the operation and moved to the Tactical Headquarters of the Battalions for preliminary investigation.
In another development, Nwachukwu said JTF personnel patrolling the waterways and creeks on Soku-Ofumakiri, Bolo, Oloma and Isaka in Rivers State, destroyed four illegal refineries.
He said 40 cooking ovens, 30 plastic storage tanks, 50 drums, one welding machine, two pumping machines and a 45 KVA generator were seized.
According to him, two suspects arrested in the operation were assisting investigators at the Sector 2 of the JTF in Port Harcourt.
“Our troops patrolling the waterways in Bayelsa have shutdown eight illegal crude oil distillation sites.
“The troops also destroyed six “cotonou” boats used by oil thieves in Tebidaba and Igbematoru communities of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa.
“The operatives also destroyed 69 metal drums and two pumping machines used by the oil thieves to operate their illegal refineries,” Nwachukwu said.
He said that the eight suspects would be handed over to relevant prosecuting agencies after preliminary investigations.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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5 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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5 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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