Maritime

Sea Pirates Attack Boats, Strip Passengers Naked

Published

11 years ago

September 5, 2014

Three Port Harcourt bound
commercial speed boats with over 40 passengers on board were last Tuesday attacked by suspected sea pirates.
The hoodlums during the attack along Ekulama two at Kula River in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State also stripped naked all the occupants of the boats and ordered them to jump down into the mangrove forest.
The Tide correspondent gathered that both men and women were ordered to pull –off all their wears, load all their belongings into two of the passenger boats and drove off with two of the boats belonging to the commercial boat drivers.
According to my source, the sea armed robbers diverted the three boats into a creek before they carried out their nefarious activities.
One of the drivers of the all fated boats, Mr Ebimila Oputa, who narrated his ordeal with the pirates said it was like a nightmare, as the bad boys numbering five armed with guns and machete attacked them at about 7,20 am on that fateful day, while on their way to Port Harcourt and dispossessed them of everything on them.
Oputa said his boat, MV Pere Z-Z with 75 Horse-Power and 13 passengers was also snatched away by the pirates, leaving all the passengers at the mercy of God in the creek.
According to him, their savior was that one of the passengers still had his handset on him which they used to call their base at Nembe waterfront, Port Harcourt, that quickly came to their rescue.
He said although there was no casualty but the trauma they went through was unprecedented.
In his reaction, the chairman, Nembe Waterfront Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Comrade David Teke, reiterated his call on government to provide gunboats with security personnel at strategic locations of the waterways, adding that a special taskforce should be set up with some civilian volunteers to assist the Joint Taskforce (JTF) at difference checkpoints to checkmate the activities of the sea armed robbers.
Teke expressed dismay that the government had not given priority attention to the security of the people at the riverine communities in the state.
The incident had been reported to the Marine Police Division at Abonnema Wharf, Port Harcourt, he said.

Maritime

Customs Kaduna Command Generates ?5b Revenue In Oct

Published

2 weeks ago

November 10, 2025

The Tide

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kaduna Area Command, has achieved a new revenue milestone, generating ?5.16 billion in October 2025

The Area Command said the feat was the highest monthly revenue ever recorded.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSC Ridwan Yusuf, revealed this in a Statement made available to Journalists

The figure, Yusuf said, represent 96 per cent increase above the monthly target and a 196 per cent target performance.

Yusuf said that the command collected ?39.79 billion between January and October 2025, compared with ?24.06 billion generated during the same period in 2024 reflecting a substantial year,on year growth.

the Area Controller, Comptroller Saad Hassan, attributed the record performance to the dedication and professionalism of officers and stakeholders, in line with the modernisation agenda of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi.

He identified improved stakeholders’ engagement, digitalisation of excise operations, and enhanced officers’ motivation as key factors driving the Command’s success.

“The Command’s performance demonstrates the effectiveness of our current operational strategies and our unwavering commitment to national economic stability,” Hassan said.

He assured that the command would continue to sustain the momentum by facilitating legitimate trade and improving revenue collection mechanisms.

The Command also reaffirmed its resolve to uphold professionalism and integrity in line with the service’s overall mission of trade facilitation and economic growth.

By; Chinedu Wosu

Maritime

Shipper’s Council Advocates Sensitization Of Staff On NSITF Scheme

Published

2 weeks ago

November 10, 2025

The Tide

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has called for proper Sensitization of staff on the proposed insurance scheme by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, NSC, Akutah Pius, made the call while playing host to a courtesy visit by NSITF officials to his office, in Lagos.

Represented by Director of Human Resources Management, Alhaji Mustapha Zubairu, Akutah emphasized the Nigeria Shipper’s Council commitment to prioritizing staff insurance and health, citing existing policies with positive impacts on employees’ lives.

He requested NSITF to strengthen its legal framework to enable the NSC to fully benefit from the scheme.

Earlier, the Team Head, NSITF’ Adegbite Oludotun said that the organization provides compensation for insured government employees in case of injury, disability, or death during active service.

While commending the NSC for registering with the scheme, Oludotun assured adequate compensation for employee claims and safety.

By: Chinedu Wosu

Maritime

Navy Rescues Six Male, Five Female Passengers From Drowning In Rivers

Published

2 weeks ago

November 10, 2025

The Tide

The Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (FOB) of Nigerian Navy Service NNS has rescued six male and five female passengers from a sinking speedboat along Bonny waterways in Rivers state

This is contained in a Statement by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Ayiwuyor Adams-Aliu, and made available to newsmen, in Abuja.

Adams-Aliu said the rescue operation was carried out by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (FOB), Bonny, along the Bonny River.

According to the statement, the boat, which departed Nembe Waterside Jetty in Port Harcourt for Coal Beach Jetty in Bonny Island, developed engine failure midstream and began taking in water near the Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne, Rivers State.

He said the swift response of the Naval patrol team under heavy rainfall prevented a major tragedy as all 11 passengers comprising six males and five females, were safely evacuated and taken to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Jetty for medical checks.

“The rescued victims were later handed over to the Marine Police for onward reunification with their families,”

The Naval spokesman said the Navy, in another Operation last wednesday, intensified crackdown on crude oil theft with the deactivation of multiple illegal refining sites in the Niger Delta.

He said personnel of FOB Escravos dismantled two sites at Obodo Omadino Community in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta.

“Similarly, the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER patrol team uncovered and deactivated another site with cooking ovens, reservoirs, sacks, jerrycans, and dugout pits filled with stolen crude and illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil around Bakana and Isaka areas of Rivers.

“Also, personnel of FOB Bonny dismantled a refining site at Eyamba Community in Bonny Local Government Area, while NNS DELTA patrol team deactivated another at Opumani Creek in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta,”

Adams-Aliu said the operations reflect the Navy’s renewed commitment under the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, to ensure maritime safety, protect national assets, and promote lawful economic activities.

The statement reaffirmed that the Nigerian Navy would sustain the momentum in its fight against crude oil theft and all forms of illegality within the nation’s maritime domain.

By: Chinedu Wosu