News
Rivers Legislators Seek Extension Of Pipeline Surveillance Contract
Some members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have called on the Federal Government to extend the surveillance contract of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Ltd (PINL) beyond the current three months.
The lawmakers include Rt. Hon. Dumle Maol; Hon. John Dominic Iderema; and Hon. Sokari Goodboy Sokari; representing Gokana, Abua/Odual and Ahoada West constituencies, respectively,
This is as the lawmakers have rated the company high on its performance on the pipeline surveillance contract across affected Niger Delta states.
PINL is one of the contractors engaged by the Federal Government to implement its security surveillance policy of oil industry assets, especially pipelines, in the Niger Delta.
The contract, which has just lasted nearly a year, has PINL covering hundreds of communities in four states of Abia, Bayelsa, Imo and Rivers, hosting pipelines and other crude oil assets.
But following the ravaging effects of oil theft, pipeline vandalism and illegal refining, the Federal Government resorted to the policy of pipeline surveillance with PINL being one of the contractors.
Records show that gross terminal recovery factors have moved from 3% in 2022 to over 97% as at May 30, 2023, attributable to PINL strategic deployment and operations in the Eastern corridor.
Recently, the contract was renewed by the Federal Government by another three months with expiration date set for sometime in October, 2023.
Speaking to journalists on the performance of the contractors, the three lawmakers, whose constituencies are oil facility hosts, expressed joy with PINL for its high quality performance, stating that the company has reduced oil theft through pipeline vandalism and illegal refining of petroleum products by over 90 percent in its short period of engagement.
They attributed the success of the company to its far-reaching community engagement strategy through which they touched base with all host community stakeholders of pipeline and other facilities, saying it gave everyone a sense of belonging and made them active participants in the fight against the menace of illegal oil bunkering.
The lawmakers, therefore, urged the Federal Government to extend the surveillance contract, saying that the three months extension recently granted the company was not long enough.
They warned that if the contract was not further renewed, the oil thieves might return at the end of the extended three months.
In his statement, the lawmaker representing Gokana State Constituency and Deputy Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Dumle Maol, acknowledged that the presence of PINL in his area has saved the people from the multi-dimensional challenges of oil thieves and illegal bunkering.
Maol, who represents a part of Ogoniland with several kilometers of pipeline, said; “I hear that they were told to be on site for another three months, meaning that in days to come, their contract will elapse.
“Question is, if you don’t ask them to continue, what will happen to the place? It will be vulnerable for these crude oil thieves to come back and do what they used to do before, and we don’t intend to go back to the dark days.
“I believe that asking them to come back will mean that they need to double their efforts and bring new innovations that will make them improve and do better than what they are doing now.
“Before now, it had been an eye sore. In my community, B-Dere, it used to be horrible, when you see individuals just wake up one morning and go to destroy pipelines all in the guise of getting crude oil for illegal refining.
“So, I urge the Federal Government to quickly do the needful by extending the contract in a sustainable term, not three months, not one month but a long term award that will make them relax and think of what to do to sustain what they are already doing”, the lawmaker added.
Also speaking, Hon. Iderema said, “If tremendous progress has not been made, I don’t think Mr President would have extended it by three months. For him to have extended the contract by three months, it means he’s satisfied with PINL activities in the Niger Delta.
“Now, for me, the three months period is too short because once they know that PINL is leaving in three months’ time, they too will be prepared. That very day that the company pulls out, they will move in and start their illegal activities again.
“I’m proposing for the Federal Government to give them, at least, one year period of probation again. Whoever the Federal Government wants to monitor PINL, they should bring the person to monitor them for a period of one year, at least. Three months is too short.
“For me, going by what we had before they came in, I don’t think anybody would want to change a football team that’s winning, they would want to sustain such football team. So, I believe that the Federal Government will want to strengthen this PINL so they can achieve greater heights”, Iderema stated.
“Before 2022, pipeline vandalism was a real menace to the two local government areas” of Abua/Odual and Ahoada East.
“It was terrible, it was a big problem for the state and the society. People died, it was becoming unbearable. The soot alone, you can’t fetch water and leave it open for 5 minutes. You know, in these localities, we have open bathroom.
“So, by the time you fetch water from the tap or from the mono pump, by the time you finish bathing, you will notice oil with particles, which we learnt contains benzine and it can cause cancer.
“You can’t have natural air to breathe, you can’t open your windows because by the time you open your windows and touch your plates or cutlery, you see black soot. Then, it became a permanent stain on the soles of our feet. That was hazardous, it was a big problem, but with the contract in place, things have changed for the better”, Iderema noted.
On his part, Hon. Sokari said; “Honestly speaking, vandalism or oil bunkering has affected us so much as a people. The activities of these illegal bunkerers and refiners have affected our land. It has disrupted the ecosystem and negatively impacted on agriculture which is the main occupation of my people.
“Before now, we don’t know if there was any arrangement between the government and the private sector on how to safeguard these facilities, but lately, we have seen some changes; and that move has drastically reduced illegal refining activities that we see around our area”.
Sokari said; “Initially, when they came, we felt it was going to be a kind of recurring decimal. We didn’t know that it will work. PINL moved straight to wherever they were and life became unbearable for them and they had to leave.
“If I’m to score them between 1 and 100, I will give them 90 percent and above. For PINL to have made the youths of these communities engaged, they are happy. They are gainfully employed; they get salary every month. So, that also is a plus for PINL”.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled attempts by drug trafficking syndicates to smuggle illicit substances concealed in carton walls, winter jackets, and body cream containers through Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a Lagos-based courier firm.
The agency said two consignments bound for Italy were intercepted at the Lagos airport, leading to the arrest of suspects linked to the shipments.
In a statement released yesterday, the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said one of the suspects, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was intercepted on Friday, March 20, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome, Italy.
The statement partly read, “Two of the consignments heading to Italy were to be moved through the Lagos airport where two suspects linked to the shipments were promptly arrested.
“One of them, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was going to Rome, Italy on Friday, March 20, 2026, when he was intercepted while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight with 2,698 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in containers of skin-lightening body cream, all packed in the suspect’s luggage.
“In his statement, Ehianuka, who is a resident of Milan, confirmed that he was to be paid a negotiated fee in Euros if he had succeeded in trafficking the consignment to Italy.”
In another operation on Wednesday, March 18, Babafemi said NDLEA officers at the departure hall intercepted another passenger, Christian Agbonhese, attempting to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan.
A search of his luggage uncovered 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg, 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg, and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg concealed in two large winter jackets.
“No fewer than 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg; 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg; and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg, all concealed in two large winter jackets, bringing the total number of opioids recovered from him to 28,470 pills. The 38-year-old Agbonhese is also a resident of Milan,” the statement added.
In a separate operation at a courier firm in Lagos, Babafemi said NDLEA officers on Monday, March 16, intercepted two parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 1kg, hidden in a carton shipped from the United States.
“Also thwarted was an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the walls of a carton to New Zealand,” he said.
In Kano State, operatives arrested Abdulkadir Mamuda, 35, with 102.5kg of skunk at Dan-Tsalle, while another suspect, Uche Johnson Festus, 47, was nabbed at Naibawa Gabas with 95.5kg of the same substance.
Babafemi said the agency also recovered 21,737 bottles of codeine-based syrup during a raid at Otto, Ijora area of Lagos on Wednesday, March 18, adding that two suspects, Chidiebere Anigbogu and Paul Nwagbara, were arrested the same day on the Third Mainland Bridge while conveying 8,380 bottles of the syrup.
In Edo State, operatives recovered 97.5kg of skunk from the residence of Akeem Idde, 37, in Ojah, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area on March 16.
In the FCT, officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Gwagwalada Expressway on March 18, recovering 91,840 pills of tramadol hidden in body compartments of the vehicle. The driver, Aminu Ali, 27, was arrested.
In Oyo State, a suspect, Bankole Bari, was on Tuesday, March 17, arrested at Oke-Oyan, Ibarapa LGA, with 71.2kg of skunk, which he smuggled into Nigeria from Benin Republic through the Oyan River.
In a similar development, “Not less than 586,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 were recovered by NDLEA operatives from Lawal Anas, 28, along Kaduna-Zaria Highway, Kaduna, on Tuesday, March 17, while 7,290 tablets of tramadol 225mg were seized from Musa Shuaibu, 22, at the same location on Friday, March 20,” Babafemi said.
In Taraba State, officers intercepted Aliyu Adamu, 26, along the Takum-Jalingo Highway with 77,660 capsules of tramadol, while in Adamawa State, six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 82.8kg of tramadol in a truck in Yola.
The suspects include Ramatu Aliyu, Jungudo Abdullahi, Najid Abdullahi, Musa Mohammed, Usman Abdulrahim, and Musa Mohammed.
The agency said its commands across the country also intensified War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, and communities during the week.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the MMIA, DOGI, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, FCT, Taraba, and Adamawa commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain the balanced approach to drug control efforts.
News
RSG Applauds FRSC, NDLEA For Enhancing Security In Rivers …As NDLEA Pushes For Drug Tests In Schools, NYSC Camps
The Rivers State Government has commended the dedication and collaboration of federal government agencies in sustaining security in the State.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the State Commander of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), CN Bature Dawa, in Port Harcourt, last week, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Dagogo Wokoma, said Governor Siminalayi Fubara appreciates the strong synergy between the agencies in promoting his administration’s vision of peace, prosperity and progress in the State.
Wokoma urged residents to remain law-abiding, noting that respect for the law is essential for good governance and sustainable development in all parts of the state.
He stated that the governor has remained committed to initiatives that promote peace and social order, stressing that the administration will continue to support programmes of federal agencies aimed at strengthening security and public safety.
“Our governor is committed to peace, progress and prosperity in Rivers State. I therefore encourage all residents, especially young people who are often targeted by those involved in drug abuse, to stay away from drugs, crime and reckless driving,” he said.
In his remarks, the State NDLEA boss, Dawa, disclosed that the agency has arrested 39 suspects in the state from December 2025 to date, including 16 new cases currently under investigation.
He explained that the NDLEA, through its Drug Demand Reduction and Drug Supply Control Units, has intensified efforts to curb the spread of illicit drugs and ensure offenders are brought to justice.
Dawa also called on parents and guardians to closely monitor their children, while urging hotel owners and managers to remain vigilant and prevent their facilities from being used for drug-related activities.
He further advocated the introduction of drug integrity tests in schools and within the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme as part of measures to discourage drug abuse among young people.
In a related development, Dr Wokoma received the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), CC Inyang Umoh, during a courtesy visit, and urged residents to abide by road safety laws and drive in consideration of other road users.
In his remarks, the FRSC boss expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for the continuous support to the Corps.
Muslims in Rivers State have commended Governor Siminialayi Fubara for his dedication and commitment to the development of the state.
They also lauded the governor for promoting peaceful co-existence among various religious groups in the state.
Vice President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs ,Alhaji Nasil Awhelegbe Uhor, gave the commendation last Friday during the Eid-el Fitri prayer to mark the end of Ramadan fasting period, at the Port Harcourt Central Mosque, Niger Street, Port Harcourt.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the prayer, Alhaji Uhor said Governor Fubara has shown exemplary leadership in the affairs of the state.
Uhor who is the leader of the South South Muslim Ummah of Nigeria, called on Muslims to remain committed to the ideal of peace and fear of the Almighty Allah.
According to the Rivers State Islamic leader, the message is for Muslims to imbibe and allow the lessons of Ramadan to sink into their lives and shape their ways of doing things.
He urged Muslims to imbibe the culture of love and respect for one another.
“My message is that all Muslims should imbibe and allow the lessons of Ramadan to sink with them,” he advised.
Uhor stressed the need for Muslims and all Nigerians to remain patriotic, while avoiding all forms of anti-social behaviours.
He also called on the political leaders to put the country first, stressing that there is no need for Nigerians to continue to wallow in abject poverty when the country is so rich with natural resources.
Also speaking, the Chief Imam of Rivers State, Alhaji Ibrahim S Yalo, urged Muslims to fear God, and speak the truth always.
According to him, time has come for Nigerians to cultivate the habit of peaceful coexistence, speak the truth and be each others keeper.
“Nigerians own a duty to ensure peace, live together in fear of God and speak the truth always,” he said.
By: John Bibor
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