Niger Delta

Bakassi Returnees Seek Permanent Resettlement

Published

11 years ago

July 15, 2015

Former Deputy Governor Rivers State, PDG G.T.G Toby (right) with PDG. Charles .F. Lawani, during the installation of DG. Ijeoma Pearl Okoro as Governor, Rotary District 9140 and Aztech Arcum, Stadium Road Port Harcourt 11, July 2015 Photo: Egberi .A. Sampson

Bakassi returnees in Cross
River have called for permanent resettlement and intervention to improve their welfare.
The leaders of the returnees expressed their wishes in interviews with newsmen in Akpabuyo, Cross River.
The leaders are Mr Etim Ene, Mr Okon Etim Effiom and Mrs Immaculata Effiom.
The returnees are currently in two camps in Efut Obot Ikot and Akwa Ikot Eyo Edem in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River.
They asked for agricultural inputs to enable them to cultivate land recently acquired for them by UN Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
The returnees also asked for permanent possession of the 200 acres of UNHCR farmland at Ikpa Nkanya, Akwa Ikot Eyo Edem in Akpabuyo Local Government Area.
Ene said the host community had agreed to give the land permanently to them if UNHCR could pay N600 million and offer specific assistance to them.
He said that no fewer than 439 widows were currently living in the refugee camps at St. Mark’s Primary/Secondary school at Akwa Ikot Eyo Edem.
He said that they were grateful for efforts by relevant agencies, the host community, Cross River Government and the Federal Government to remedy their plight.
Ene further asked for engine boats and fish processing facilities for the returnees to resettle at Dayspring Island.
They also expressed appreciation to those God had used to “cushion the effect of our difficulties and suffering for the sake of peace between our fatherland, Nigeria, and Cameroon’’.
The refugees said the Cross River Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) had helped “in ensuring that our children are back to school as well as providing basic health care for us in camp’’.
They commended UNHCR for sponsoring the farm project at Ikpa Nkanya and training the youth in different vocations through Rhema Care, a Non-Governmental Organisation.
They said that the Department of International Development and Cooperation assisted in facilitating safe delivery of relief items and training programmes for them.
They also commended the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for its efforts.
In an interview with our correspondent in Calabar, Mr Vincent Aquah, Director-General, SEMA, said the returnees were camped in Akpabuyo on March 7, 2013.
Aquah said there were 2,940 refugees, comprising 870 men, 780 women and 1,290 children in the two camps at Akwa Ikot Eyo Edem.
He said conditions in the camps at the time they were established were conducive to community life.
Aquah said there were currently 47,180 Internally Displaced Persons in different locations in Cross River with 9,960 men,14,028 women and 23, 245 children.
He appealed to relevant agencies and the Federal Government to approve a special grant for states with displacement crises.
Aquah also appealed to state governments to set up structures for effective management of displacement in strict adherence to UN rules.
Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River during the campaign for his election promised to build a housing estate for the returnees at Akpabuyo.
Ayade said his administration would build a fabrication academy to train the youth and transform the community.

Niger Delta

850-bed UCTH overstretched, services 5m patients – CMD

Published

9 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme, has said the 850-bed hospital is overstretched, as it currently serves over five million patients.

He disclosed this on Friday during a media tour of the facility to showcase ongoing renovations and facelift in the hospital.

The CMD noted that, aside being the only tertiary healthcare facility servicing the state, UCTH also serviced neighbouring states of Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi.

He said the hospital also received referrals from neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic.

According to him, the 850-bed hospital faced persistent space constraints because of increasing patients inflow and expanding healthcare demands.

“This hospital currently operates 62 clinical and non-clinical departments as well as between 30 and 38 wards covering medical, surgical, paediatric, orthopaedic and specialised services.

“Most wards have undergone facelift, remodelling, or complete renovation to improve patient care and working conditions for healthcare professionals”, he said.

He disclosed that the hospital was constructing a new 106-bed emergency medicine facility to address the rising demand for healthcare services.

According to him, the facility will include trauma bays, intensive care units, neonatal wards, and three fully equipped trauma theatres.

Speaking on the remodeled wards, Ikpeme explained that they followed modern nursing principles, allowing one nurse to attend to a maximum of 10 patients.

He said relatives would be restricted to designated waiting areas to reduce interference with medical procedures and improve emergency response efficiency.

The CMD noted that the hospital had strengthened specialist services in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, obstetrics, radiology, and minimally invasive surgery.

“UCTH now performs hip and knee replacements, arthroscopy, sports medicine, and complex brain tumour surgeries.

“Our surgeons also conduct keyhole procedures for appendectomy, hysterectomy and other conditions with faster patient recovery periods,” he said

In power, the CMD said the hospital relied on solar power from a seven-megawatt plant, constructed by the Federal Government at the University of Calabar, as well as public power supply, and generators to sustain its operations.

He appealed to governments, organisations, and philanthropists to support infrastructure expansion, equipment procurement, and specialised healthcare projects.

The CMD said the hospital required additional incubators, ward expansions, and a stand-alone amenity facility for private healthcare services.

He used the opportunity to dismiss allegations of ethnic discrimination, insisting that the hospital does not reject workers or patients based on tribe or origin.

According to him, the institution recently honoured an Igbo pioneer physician by naming a ward after him in recognition of decades of service.

The CMD said the hospital maintained strict disciplinary procedures to address negligence, poor attitude, and unethical conduct among staff.

The Tide’s source reports that some of the units visited include, intensive care unit, Department of Radiology, Urology Clinic, and Opthalmology Clinic.

Niger Delta

Police Burst Child Trafficking Syndicate In A’Ibom … Nab 3 Suspects

Published

9 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State says it has busted a child trafficking syndicate and arrested three suspects for conspiracy and unlawful sale of a newborn baby in the State.

The State’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfom John, who disclosed this in a statement in Uyo on Friday, said the three female suspects were arrested on Wednesday at about 1900hrs.

She said a complainant reported that his wife gave birth to a baby boy on May 7 and shockingly, shortly after delivery sold the newborn child to one of the suspects for N145, 000.

“Upon receipt of the report, operatives immediately swung into action, leading to the arrest of the suspects and the successful recovery of the baby boy.

“The suspects reportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation, while investigation has been expanded to identify and apprehend all individuals connected to the trafficking syndicate”, John said.

She said the State’s Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, reiterated the Command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive intelligence-led policing in the state.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Launches Operation Crack Down Scrap Dealers

Published

9 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa-Ibom State Government has launched a statewide crackdown on unregistered scrap dealers and scavengers, shutting down illegal operations and arresting operators accused of violating environmental and public safety regulations.

The enforcement operation, led by the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA), followed the implementation of the state’s Waste Metal Scrap Law 2026, officials said.

AKSEPWMA Chairman, Obong Prince Ikim, said the exercise was aimed at regulating the scrap sector, protect the environment, and prevent criminal groups from operating under the guise of waste collection and metal trading.

“If you want to do scrap business, you must register,” Mr. Ikim said during the operation in Uyo, the state capital.

“Many people now hide under scrap trading to perpetrate nefarious activities”, he said.

According to him, dump site operators and scrap dealers who failed to register with the government risked closure and prosecution.

Authorities accused some operators of involvement in vandalism of public infrastructure and indiscriminate waste disposal, adding that investigations had uncovered criminal activities linked to several dump sites across the state.

“Some people vandalise government facilities in the name of scrap business and encourage indiscriminate dumping of refuse,” Mr. Ikim said.

He added that the state government and security agencies would continue efforts to enforce compliance and maintain public order.

“The Commissioner of Police has zero tolerance for criminality, and the Governor wants Akwa Ibom people to sleep with their eyes closed. We will fish out every defaulter”, he said.

Police officials involved in the operation said investigations showed that some criminal suspects used scrap yards and refuse dump sites as cover for illegal activities.

CSP Okwuzulike Vincent of the Itam Police Station said some suspects pretended to be mentally unstable while hiding ammunition and other suspicious items in makeshift shelters around dump locations.

The police officer praised the environmental agency for what he described as proactive efforts to sanitise the sector and pledged continued cooperation between law enforcement and the agency.

Officials said some first-time offenders arrested during the operation were released after profiling and signing undertakings, while repeat offenders would face prosecution.