Niger Delta

Nov 11 Poll: I Won’t Spill Blood To Retain Governorship Seat – Diri …Provides Relief Materials For Displaced Bassambiri Indigenes

Published

3 years ago

August 28, 2023

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has vowed that he will not spill blood to retain his office ahead of the November 11 governorship election in the state.
Governor Diri made the vow at Ogbolomabiri after assessing the security situation in neighbouring Bassambiri in Nembe Local Government Area of the state last Saturday.
Men of the police Strategic Weapons and Tactical (SWAT) team and some non-state actors in military camouflage on August 12 invaded Bassambiri community on the orders of the Acting Inspector General of Police.
Some persons suffered gunshot injuries as a result of the invasion while many others were displaced.
Addressing the displaced Bassambiri indigenes at the King Koko Square at Ogbolomabiri, the governor said anyone who sacrifices the lives of the people in order to gain political power does not deserve to lead the state.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, on Sunday, Diri expressed concern over the health and welfare of the displaced people, noting that every life in Bassambiri or Ogbolomabiri was important to him. He reassured them that his administration will do everything humanly possible to restore peace and order in the Nembe communities.
The Bayelsa helmsman urged leadership of the Nembe-Se Congress to do more in uniting the people, stressing that every Nembe man or woman was one and the same irrespective of lineage.
He emphasised that the absence of peace was a recipe for underdevelopment and encouraged the people to live peaceably with one another.
He said: “I will not spill one life to retain my office because every life is important to me. Anyone who wants to be governor should not sacrifice any of you to become governor.
“Bassambiri issues are either political, chieftaincy or economic. Anybody who wants oil company benefits should not sacrifice others to get payment.
“You cannot kill yourselves whether you are from Bassambiri, Ogbolomabiri, Brass, or Odioma. You are all Nembe people. You are all Ijaw people. So, I call on the Nembe-Se Congress to do more in uniting the people of Nembe. As a government, we will continue to do what we are doing to unite the people and to develop the area. That is why your government started the very big Nembe-Brass road project, which is a federal government road.”
Diri directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to immediately provide more relief materials for the displaced Bassambiri people.
He added that his administration’s approach to the wellbeing of the people is to provide empowerment and skills acquisition and not to equip the youths with guns in order to kill.
At Bassambiri, Governor Diri met with the leader of the SWAT team. He advised the police squad against any form of intimidation and discriminatory show of force in the community.
He also urged the team to restrict itself to protecting lives and maintaining law and order and not to delve into the politics of the area.
He equally asked the team to avoid issues bordering on chieftaincy and political squabbles in the community as well as cautioned against selective arrests.
The governor was accompanied on the visit by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, immediate past deputy governor of the state, retired Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John-Jonah, service commanders from the Army, Navy, Air Force, the military joint task force (Operation Delta Safe), the Commissioner of Police and the Director, State Security Services as well as state legislators and other top government functionaries.

Niger Delta

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

Published

2 days 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

2 days 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

2 days 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.