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Oil Theft: Operation Pulo Shield Warns Commanders Against Sabotage

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10 years ago

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The Commander Operation Pulo Shield, Maj.-Gen. Alani Okunlola, has warned the sector and unit commanders under him to shun acts that may sabotage the ongoing efforts to tackle oil theft.
This is contained in a statement signed by Lt.-Col. Isa Ado, Spokesman of Operation Pulo Shield and made available to newsmen in Yenagoa recently.
The statement noted that Okunlola gave the warning during his familiarisation tour of formations under his command.
Operation Pulo Shield, formerly known as Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta is composed of representatives of different services of the armed forces and agencies relevant to the fight against oil theft.
Okunlola urged the officers to step up operations against oil theft for total eradication of oil related illegalities and other sundry crimes in the Niger Delta.
The statement quoted the Commander as saying that field Commanders will be held responsible for any act of compromise by the officers and men under their command.
It said that in another development, troops of sector 2 of Operation Pulo Shield deployed at LCC3, Onne, while on routine patrol sighted an SUV parked in nearby bush.
“The occupants of the vehicle fled on sighting the troops.
“The troops reportedly combed the area and discovered one pump action gun, one AK 47 rifle and a pistol with 64 cartridges and 10 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.
“The exhibits are in custody of the Sector,” the statement read.
Also, six suspected oil thieves were arrested with unspecified quantity of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) in Degema LGA of Rivers State.
The suspects are in custody of Operation Pulo Shield for preliminary investigations.
In a similar development, the Maritime component of the Operation Pulo Shield, deployed at Snake Creek along Buguma axis and Ke Community of the state, had discovered nine active illegal oil bunkering sites.
The statement noted that the troops discovered 10 storage tanks, a large metal barge and Cotonou boats filled with suspected stolen crude.
Other items recovered at the site were two welding machines and 10 pumping machines.
The statement said that the four suspects arrested on the sites were in custody of the base for preliminary investigation before handing them over to prosecuting agency.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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16 hours ago

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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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16 hours 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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16 hours 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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