News
Task Force Issues Quit Notice To Illegal Occupants Of RSG’s Properties
The Rivers State Task Force on the Recovery of Government Properties has advised those illegally occupying government quarters to voluntarily vacate or risk being forced out.
Addressing journalists after an operation of the task force to recover government quarters inhabited by unauthorised persons, last Friday, the Chairman of Rivers State Task Force on the Recovery of Government Properties and Head of Service, Barrister Rufus Godwins, stated that quit notices have been pasted on government houses to prevail on the illegal occupants to vacate.
Godwins said: “We have accordingly also posted notices and addressed to the illegal occupants to vacate immediately. This is going to be a continuous exercise, members of the task force are all here, and we will continue to give opportunity to those who have complains to make to reach us through the numbers which we have already exhibited on the notices.
“So, what we are doing is to allow people to follow due process. Come to us, we have served notices to people, some have vacated the properties, we expect that everyone should take a cue from those ones, and voluntarily vacate so that they will not be forced out, unless they make it absolutely necessary to be forced out”.
He said that the task force was working to identify illegally occupied government properties for immediate recovery.
“As the Rivers State Government Special Task Force on the Recovery of Government Properties, we will trace, identify and locate government properties being occupied by unauthorized persons either as non-civil servants or civil servants who have retired but have stayed in possession.
“This exercise is taking us through the entire stretch of Tombia Street and the adjoining Opobo Crescent, and a number of government properties have been identified which have fallen into the hands of people who are not authorized to occupy such properties.”
The task force urged members of the public to supply it with information to enable it recover properties that have been illegally occupied.
“Members of the public are also encouraged to give useful information because these are government properties. They are part of our most priced assets as a people and as a government. And so, we shall have interest in these properties.
“It is sad that people will watch and see government properties being taken over brazenly by unofficial means, and in most cases, quite strangely by even people who are not from the state and not part of the country. And you begin to ask, how come? It’s a long winding story of how the property was given to someone and how it came to the person that is now in occupation, and government has no such record”, he said.
He added: “So, we thank members of the public, especially those along this axis that we have been interacting with since morning, and our lines are open. Give us information of intruders to some of these government properties.
“For those that are serving civil servants, the only reason that they may be affected is that either the apartment has fallen into disrepair and needs to be repaired; and in that regard, His Excellency, has directed that we relocate some persons in such quarters so that they do not endanger the lives of the occupants. Those ones, it is in their own interest to quickly and promptly abide by relocating”, he argued.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million pills of tramadol concealed in two long trailers heading for Kano as it intensified efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor.
The agency also arrested an 80-year-old suspected drug dealer in Rivers State, a businesswoman linked to cannabis shipments from Canada, a Chadian woman, a couple and other suspects in coordinated operations across Lagos, Edo, Kogi and Rivers states.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday.
According to the statement, the latest intelligence-led operation came barely one week after NDLEA operatives recovered 558,900 pills of tramadol concealed in the false-bottom compartment of a truck that entered Lagos through the Togo-Benin Republic route.
Babafemi said, “Ongoing efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo, through Benin Republic into Nigeria have yielded another success with the interception of two long trailers used to move One Million Six Hundred and Thirty (1,630,000) pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in fabricated compartments of the trucks across multiple borders into Lagos.”
He added that one of the two trailers was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where operatives recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor.
Babafemi said, “One of the two trucks already heading to Kano was tracked and located on 2nd July 2026 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where NDLEA officers recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the trailer and arrested the 22-year-old driver Jabir Kabiru.”
He further disclosed that another trailer was intercepted two days later on the same route.
“Two days later, 4th July, NDLEA operatives acting on processed intelligence successfully tracked and recovered the second trailer from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while heading to Kano. A total of 777,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the truck were evacuated and the 22-year-old driver Muhammed Nuhu arrested,” the statement read.
According to Babafemi, investigations established a link between the three intercepted consignments.
He said, “Investigations revealed that all three trucks and consignments intercepted on 21st June, 2nd July and 4th July belong to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.”
The agency also intercepted 4.70 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Babafemi said, “Two consignments of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 4.70 kilograms have been intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The cargoes, which arrived the Lagos airport from Canada in cartons with ‘Odugwu’ boldly written on them, came aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on 24th June and 3rd July respectively.”
He said two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, were initially arrested in connection with the shipments, while another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was apprehended after arriving at a logistics company to take delivery of the consignments.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has denied claims that it has commenced registration for a purported ?50,000 National Support Allowance.
The ministry, in a public notice posted on its official X handle, yesterday, described messages, links and websites advertising the alleged programme as fraudulent.
It urged Nigerians to disregard such claims and verify information only through official government channels.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has NOT commenced registration for any ?50,000 National Support Allowance,” the ministry said.
It added, “Disregard fraudulent messages, links and websites claiming otherwise. Verify any info only through official govt channels.”
The alert is in response to a circulating scam flyer that falsely claims the program is ongoing under President Bola Tinubu’s directives.
The fake advertisement, which includes text in Hausa and English, directs victims to a suspicious website (kluspz.com) for applications.
The ministry’s warning comes amid heightened concerns over digital fraud targeting vulnerable populations seeking social support.
Similar scams have previously surfaced around programs like N-Power, prompting questions from citizens in replies to the official post.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its preparedness for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, hinted at this while making his remarks at the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.
Ajaero said it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
He advised workers and pensioners to get prepared for the ideological and economic battles that lie ahead.
According to the NLC president, “The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) is one of the proud affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Therefore, your struggle is our struggle, and your welfare remains a priority for the organised labour movement.
“We are currently in the preparatory stages for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
“However, let me state unequivocally that it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not only push for a new national minimum wage but will also demand the establishment of a national minimum pension. It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement.”
Ajaero noted that the cost of living has risen astronomically as food, healthcare and transportation have become increasingly unaffordable.
“We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation,” he said.
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He said the completion of the project should serve as a clarion call to all workers and lovers of the masses.
“We must not only build physical structures but also build a strong movement capable of compelling government to honour its commitments,” he said.
Ajaero further stated: “We will continue to demand the immediate payment of all outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension regime that guarantees every retiree a life of dignity and security.
“Together, we shall continue to fight until every Nigerian worker and pensioner receives the justice, respect and welfare they deserve.”
-
News2 days agoFamily Seeks Police Help As Woman Goes Missing After Fleeing Female Circumcision Threat
-
News2 days agoNigeria Hosts World Public Relations Forum Sept …As Experts Seek Inclusion Of PR In Decision Making
-
News1 day agoNDLEA Intercepts 1.63m Tramadol Pills, Arrests 80-Year-Old Suspect
-
News2 days agoUphold Principles Of Dev, Rivers SSG Charges Tertiary Institutions
-
News2 days agoTinubu, Fubara Condole Amaechi Over Mother’s Death
-
News2 days agoSpain Are World Champions ….. End Argentina, Messi’s Dreams
-
Oil & Energy1 day agoRivers Senator Faults NNPCL Over Repeated Absence From Crude Theft Probe
-
News2 days agoRivers NUJ Seeks Recruitment Into State Media Houses …Urges Govt To Reposition Public Service