Rivers

Philanthropist Donates Police Station To Rivers Command

Published

5 years ago

January 22, 2021

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, a private citizen, Michael Amadi-oru has built a police station and handed over to the Police to operate.
Receiving the police station built at Mbodo Aluu, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, CP Joseph Mukan said the command was excited over such gesture as this is the first time a private citizen would build a police station to such standards and hand over to police.
He called on other eminent personalities in the state to emulate such gestures, noting that security is everybody’ business.
The Donor, Michael Amadi-oru explained that the police station he built and donated to the Rivers State Police Command was to encourage the police to boost the security architecture of the area.
He said he had been investing in other states but decided to invest in his home state with a bigger project to encourage other investors to come back home to Rivers State and invest their funds which he said was safer at home.
Also speaking at the police station hand over event, the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area, Samuel Nwanosike said the police station would enhance the security operations of the local government and appealed to the Commissioner of Police to deploy tactical team to the Mbodo Aluu station to help in curtailing any form of security breach in that area and to attract other investors.
The Tide gathered that amenities at the police station include standby generator, water, eight rooms’ office space and cell unit for male and female.

Rivers

PINL Empowers 3,000 Host Community Women In N’Delta

Published

8 seconds ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), the private security company responsible for the protection of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) and Eastern Gas Network (EGN), has doled out empowerment scheme for 3,000 women from its 216 communities cutting across Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo and Abia States.

The women were given cheques ranging from N250,000 to N1,000,000 through the empowerment scheme intended to boost their various businesses and their financial income.

Speaking shortly after presenting cheques to the beneficiaries at the PINL monthly stakeholders engagement in Port Harcourt, General Manager, Community and Stakeholders Relations of the company, Dr. Akpos Mezeh, said the gesture was another way by which the company appreciates members of host communities for their continued support for their operations.

He said the empowerment resonates with the company’s core values that the communities comes first in her operations.

He also used the avenue to counsel youths of its host communities to shun vandalism and other vices and take advantage of the many opportunities provided by the company to better their lives.

“Today is yet another day for us to reward our communities. They have supported us unreservedly in the fight against pipeline vandalism and it’s clear that we are succeeding in that direction.

“So, today’s exercise was another way of saying thank you to the communities. I want to use this opportunity to urge our community youths to continue to support us in the fight against pipeline vandalism.

“They should shun any kind of vices and ensure that the communities are peaceful, ensure that production continue to increase for the benefit of the country and the communities”, Mezeh said.

He said the company was determined to see that the beneficiaries succeed in their respective businesses, noting that a monitoring mechanism has been put in place to check the progress of beneficiaries.

Mezeh informed the stakeholders that the company was winning the war against pipeline vandalism as it recorded zero infractions on the TNP and EGN in their areas of operations in the outgoing month.

“We are having zero infraction on the pipeline in our area of operation. There will be no incident and that shows that we are winning the fight against pipeline vandalism.

“We want to attribute this success to the communities who have been cooperating with us”, he added.

Meanwhile, stakeholders at the meeting, lauded the company for the women empowerment initiatives.

King of Emohua Kingdom in Rivers State, HRM, Eze Seargent Awuse, recalled that the company had last month, rolled out empowerment for youths, and expressed deep satisfaction with the company’s operations.

“Last sitting you rolled out scholarship for our youths and today you have rolled out women empowerment. We owe you thanks also for securing the infrastructure feeding this nation. Your company has in very significant way made it possible for more oil to flow with less vandalisation”, he said.

On her part, the Ada Ekpeye-Logbo, Dr. Patricia Ogbonnaya, thanked the company for listening to the appeal of the women to include them in their empowerment packages.

She said: “PINL has made us benefit from the oil on our land. We thank you for this empowerment and I want to put it on record and to the Federal Government that PINL is doing more than their assignment.”

She also noted PINL’s impact on the environment, saying that some species of fishes which had earlier disappeared from their rivers due to pollution are now coming back.

Beneficiaries of the empowerment scheme, Mrs. Mercy Edward from Rumuekpe Community in Emohua, and Mrs. Rose Michael from Eneka Community in Obio/Akpor, assured the company of maximum utilisation of the resources made available to them by the company.

By: Kiadum Edookor

Niger Delta

Fubara Charges Graduands On Discipline, Professionalism … As IAUE Holds 44th Convoc

Published

5 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged graduands of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Port Harcourt, to be disciplined and professional wherever they find themselves in the society, as ambassadors of the university and Nigeria.

The Governor, who gave the charge, weekend, during the 44th Convocation ceremony of the university, urged the graduands to use whatever they have studied in the university as a tool for societal advancement.

Fubara, who was represented at the occasion by his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Mma Odu, said, “success is not measured only by words or status, but by the positive impact you make in the lives of others.

“Wherever you find yourselves, uphold the values of honesty, humility, professionalism, and service. Let the education you have received here become a tool for peace building, national unity, and societal advancement.”

The Governor further charged the graduands to be good ambassadors as alumni of the IAUE.

“Great universities all over the world get bigger and mightier by the imputes from their graduands. Today, you are great alumni of this university.

“Don’t forget the university, come back. As you increase the quality of the university, your certificates and degrees will also have higher values wherever you present them”, the Governor urged.

He also used the fora to commend staff of the university, both academic and non-academic, for their sacrifices and contributions towards the attainment of the current status of the university.

“Your labours have not been in vain, and they have been well noted. The task of building a world class institution requires commitment, discipline, team work, and visionary leadership.

“I, therefore, urge all of you to continue to work harder with a new dedication to ensure that the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education becomes one of the best universities, not only in Nigeria, but across Africa”, he said.

The state’s Chief Executive, who is the Visitor to the university, continued that as educators and administrators, the staff occupy a strategic position in moulding future generations.

He said their “commitment to quality teaching, impactful research, mentorship, innovation, and character formation remains essential to the success of this great institution.”

He, therefore, encouraged them to “continue to uphold professionalism, promote academic integrity, and foster an environment that supports excellence and creativity”, while assuring the state government’s partnership with the institution.

“The Government of Rivers State remains willing to partner with institutions that are committed to progress, innovation, and human development.

“Together, we will build an educational system that will equip our young people with the skills and knowledge needed to compete globally and contribute meaningfully to national development”, the Governor concluded.

In his address, the Acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku, highlighted developments the institution has achieved in about five years of his leadership.

Such developments, which cuts across virtually all facets of the university, include: increase in academic programmes, accreditation and resource verification; increased infrastructural development; human capital development; better staff/students’ welfare; and information and communication technology upgrades.

All of these, he said, were achieved with the support of such interventionist agencies as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

He used the opportunity to urge the State Government to address what he described as the “urgent needs of the university.”

These needs, he said, are: a befitting Senate building; Vice Chancellor’s lodge; a multi-purpose convocation arena; more classrooms and staff offices; accommodation for staff and students; road network at the new development area; power infrastructure, especially at the Ndele Campus of the university; and recruitment of more staff, particularly the non-teaching.

Also speaking, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the 13th Governing Council of the university, Dr. Chinyere Igwe, noted the Council’s achievements since its inauguration.

They include: introduction of stakeholder engagement and holding the first ever meeting of Governing Council with host communities; conduction of facility visits to all three campuses to get first hand information on challenges in order to profer solutions; holding of first ever meetings with Senate, committees of Deans and Directors, all categories of staff and students; strategisation on ways to debunk the negative narratives on the institution’s academic quality in order to correct same; and making deliberate efforts to activate resource mobilisation to safeguard the institution’s autonomy and standards.

Others are: setting up a committee to tackle malfeasance; adoption of measures to enhance the right image for the university; and intensification of efforts to gain international collaboration.

The 44th Convocation, themed, “The Story of Academic and Administrative Progress: The Case of IAUE”, produced a total of 5,325 graduands.

A breakdown of this number shows that the undergraduate level produced 3,510 graduands comprising 13 First Class, 532 Second Class Upper, 2,639 Seconds Class Lower, and 326 Third Class graduates.

The graduate level, which produced 1,815 graduands, comprised 423 Post Graduate Diplomas (PGDs), 774 Masters, and 618 PhDs.

Rivers

Kidney Transplant Patient Alleges Rights Abuse By Police

Published

5 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

A kidney transplant recipient, Chief Ugochukwu Lucky Ibekwe, has raised alarm over his continued detention by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Product Theft and Sundry Energy Crimes in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, despite being granted bail by courts of competent jurisdiction.

This was part of a petition by the ailing detainee, through his counsel, Damian O. Okoro, SAN, in Port Harcourt.

The petition accused the Head of Investigation of the Task Force, CSP Omar John Sini, of subjecting the detainee to prolonged and unlawful incarceration spanning over 65 days.

Ibekwe, who was first arrested on February 14, 2026, in connection with alleged illegal bunkering activities, stated that the offence remains unproven, stressing that his continued detention violates his constitutional right to presumption of innocence as enshrined under Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

In the petition, which was addressed to the Inspector-General of Police and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, the detainee alleged that the investigation process was fraught with malice and deliberate attempts to frustrate his release.

He further claimed that the initial administrative bail conditions imposed by the Task Force were excessively stringent, describing them as punitive and calculated to ensure his indefinite detention rather than guarantee his presence for investigation or prosecution.

According to him, following the harsh bail conditions, his legal team approached the Federal High Court, Umuahia Judicial Division, which granted him bail on liberal terms in line with constitutional provisions.

However, he alleged that upon meeting the bail conditions and securing his release on April 2, 2026, he was immediately re-arrested at the gate of the detention facility by operatives of the same Task Force on fresh allegations of money laundering.

The suspect in the petition lamented that since his re-arrest, he has neither been formally charged to court on the new allegations, nor given the opportunity to defend himself, describing the development as a calculated attempt to perpetuate his detention.

The petitioner disclosed that his lawyers subsequently approached a High Court sitting in Oyigbo, presided over by Justice F.A. Fiberesima, which on April 21, 2026, again granted him bail on what he described as realistic and attainable terms.

The suspect, however, alleged that the Task Force has refused to comply with the subsisting court order, describing the action as a blatant disregard for judicial authority and a threat to constitutional democracy.

The petition, which was also copied to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Senate President, accused the police operatives of systemic abuse of power and contempt of court.

The detainee also expressed grave concern over his deteriorating health, noting that he is a kidney transplant patient suffering from acute hypertension, a condition he said has worsened significantly due to the prolonged detention and lack of adequate medical care.

He warned that the continued disobedience to court orders by law enforcement agents undermines the rule of law and could erode public confidence in the justice system.

The petitioner therefore called for his immediate and unconditional release in compliance with the court orders, as well as a thorough disciplinary investigation into the conduct of CSP Omar John Sini.

The suspect, through the lawyers, demanded that the officer be sanctioned in accordance with the provisions of the Police Act for alleged abuse of power and actions capable of bringing the Nigeria Police Force into disrepute.

“We urge authorities to ensure he receives urgent medical attention and insist that he should be formally charged to court if there is any credible evidence against him, rather than being subjected to indefinite detention”, it said.

When contacted, CSP Omar John Sini confirmed receipt of the court orders directing the suspect’s release but stated that he declined to comply with the second order based on legal advice indicating an intention to appeal.

The police officer also alleged that threats to his life purportedly issued by the suspect informed his decision not to enforce the court directive.

The development has sparked concerns among legal observers and rights advocates, who warn that disregard for court orders by enforcement agencies poses serious implications for the rule of law and democratic governance in the country.

King Onunwor