Niger Delta
Tech, Gadget Dealers Protest Incessant Burglary In Calabar
Tech and Gadget resellers in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, have protested alleged incessant burglary attacks on their business premises within the last three months .
The Tide’s source reports that the dealers who were armed with placards of various inscriptions described the robberies as an attack on their businesses and source of livelihood.
They said within the last three months they have loss about N700 million due to the attacks on their shops and business premises.
They appealed to the State Government and relevant security agencies to save them from the incessant attacks, saying about seven shops have been attacked in the last three months.
According to the Spokesman of the dealers, Mr Paschal Obi, “we no longer feel safe. In three months about seven of our shops have been bugled and we have lost not less than N700 million collectively.
”These monies largely come from bank loans. So, government should come to our aid by providing security. We pay all manner of taxes and levies and should be protected by the government.”
Also speaking, the CEO of George Gadgets, George Nwosu, said his shop was burgled twice in 2024.
He said the matter was reported to the Police Command in the state, but nothing had come out of it yet.
He decried the poor level of insecurity in the metropolis and called for the State Government’s intervention.
In the same vein, Okoro Benjamin, another victim, said two of his shops were burgled last December 10 and 11 and that goods worth more than N400 million were lost.
He joined his colleagues to plead for security, saying that most of them were now running out of business.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Irene Ugbo, said the Command was investigating the robberies and would surely get the robbers.
She also disclosed that as a temporary measure, the Command would put an eye along that axis of the metropolis and put in a place a stationary patrol team along the area for improved security.
The Tide’s source reports that some of the placards carried by the protesters had inscription such as ‘’businesses cannot function in an unsafe environment”.
Others had “my prince, our gadget shops are shutting down”, “Phones and gadget shops are shutting down”, “There are no patrol teams in the city of Calabar from 12 am to 6 am, so criminals have an easy ride on us”.
Continue Reading
Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has ordered an immediate review of environmental sanitation operations in Calabar metropolis.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Linus Obogo, on Friday, the Governor said the sanitary situation of the city had become a cause for concern.
He said the review became necessary because Calabar should continue to maintain its status as the cleanest city in the country.
“The city is now littered with wastes, the cleanliness status of Calabar is almost gone, we cannot just fold our arms and watch,” he said.
The Governor continued that every resident of the city had roles to play towards restoring the sanitary status of the city.
“Every resident should live up to their responsibilities. Our reputation in sanitation was not earned overnight, we worked for it.
“It is the product of discipline, policy consistency, and civic responsibility. We cannot allow negligence to take away this reputation,” he said.
He further directed that henceforth, sanitation exercise should be supervised by the office of his Special Adviser on General Duties.
“This intervention is intended to ensure stricter coordination among contractors and government agencies that are responsible for waste management,
“Environmental sanitation is not a peripheral concern of government. It is central to public health, urban dignity, and the overall quality of life of the citizens”, he said.
Otu expressed displeasure at lapses arising from the attitude of some refuse contractors in the state.
He said breakdown of mechanical tools could not be a reasonable excuse for non-evacuation of refuse.
“Operational setbacks should never translate into visible environmental neglect. Preparedness, contingency planning and prompt response are the hallmarks of responsible service providers.” he said.
A Bayelsa-based lawyer, and candidate for the position of National Assistant Secretary in the suspended National Executive Council (NEC) elections of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organization, the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Barr. Abraham Marshall, has said the court order, which restrained the conduct of the March 7th, 2026 polls, was a setback to stakeholders of the INC.
He expressed his worries about the plights of delegates who travelled from various parts of Ijaw land to come for the elections in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, only to be disappointed by the court order.
While thanking other candidates for maintaining orderliness and brotherliness all through the campaign processes, Marshall said the court injunction has devasted candidates vying for various positions.
He described the cost of what has already been spent on campaigns and sundry arrangements for the elections as huge.
Marshall noted that already he was a leading candidate for the position of National Assistant Secretary as he was optimistic of victory.
“First of all I’ve great confidence in the ability of the Electoral Committee headed by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, HRM, Justice F.F Tabai, which was eager to conduct a seamless election.
“Some of us have campaigned through the three zones and clans of the INC. Some of us went to the Western Zone, Eastern and Central Zones to meet delegates.
“That is how it happenes atimes when there are contest, some persons who are aggrieved, rather than take laws into their hands, go to court to seek judicial redress. So, I want to commend all candidates for maintaining decorum throughout the entire process.
“I like to also call on stakeholders to quickly seek for ways through internal mechanisms of the INC to end this problem so that the elections can be conducted because as candidates we’ve incured lots of expenses leading to the process”, he stated.
Meanwhile, in a bid to proffer solutions to the issues bedeviling the smooth conduct of polls, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on Friday met with stakeholders of the INC and its six Presidential candidates, as well as other major stakeholders of the Niger Delta region in Government House, Yenagoa.
In his remarks, the Governor commended individuals and institutions, including the presidential candidates and the Conference of Ijaw Traditional Rulers and Elders (CITRE), for their efforts towards actualising a peaceful and seamless transition of leadership in the Ijaw National Congress (INC).
The Tide gathered that at the meeting, the presidential candidates agreed to withdraw all subsisting litigations concerning the election.
Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, Diri also expressed gratitude to the Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ambassador Godknows Bolade Igali, the Chairman and members of the INC National Electoral Committee, and other stakeholders who contributed to the resolution reached at the meeting.
Drawing an analogy from the scriptures, particularly 1 Kings Chapter 3, he likened the unanimous agreement of the candidates to withdraw all pending court cases to the decision of the true mother of the disputed baby who pleaded with King Solomon not to cut the child into two.
According to the Bayelsa helmsman, the resolution reflects the enthusiasm, love and patriotic fervour in all the presidential candidates to move Ijaw nation forward.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the meeting, the candidates, including High Chief MacDonald Igbadiwe, who secured the injunction from a Port Harcourt High Court stopping the INC Elections billed for last weekend, confirmed the agreement and pledged commitment towards the peaceful emergence of the next President of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organization.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State has rescued seven victims and detained four suspects linked to human trafficking along Ikot Ekpene–Aba Road.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, disclosed this in a statement issued to journalists in Uyo on Saturday.
John said police operatives dismantled a human trafficking syndicate operating within the state, rescuing seven victims and arresting four suspects involved in the network.
She said acting on credible intelligence, operatives swiftly mobilised a patrol team for a coordinated stop-and-search operation along Ikot Ekpene–Aba Road on Friday.
The operation, conducted at about 8 a.m. on Friday, targeted vehicles suspected of transporting victims of human trafficking.
“During the operation, the suspected vehicle was intercepted and four victims were immediately rescued, while the suspect conveying them was arrested and taken into custody.
“Following reports that a vehicle was conveying young persons suspected to be victims of human trafficking, our operatives quickly moved to intercept it,” John said.
She said interrogation of the suspect led to the expansion of the operation to Itam and Ibaka in Oron Local Government Area.
John said three additional victims were rescued and three more suspects apprehended during the follow-up operation.
This brought the total number of rescued victims to seven and suspects arrested to four.
According to her, preliminary investigations revealed that the trafficking syndicate specialised in recruiting and transporting young persons across borders for exploitation.
“Intelligence gathered further disclosed that one of the ringleaders earlier escaped through waterways from Ibaka in Oron to Cameroon and Gabon with some victims”, she said.
John said investigations were ongoing and the suspects would be charged in court upon completion of the probe.
The police spokesperson reiterated the Command’s commitment to combating human trafficking and other organised crimes in the state.
She assured the public that efforts were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate.
John urged residents to remain vigilant and provide timely information to the police to help protect vulnerable persons and strengthen community safety.
-
News2 days agoNavy Destroys Illegal Refinery In Rivers, Intercepts Stolen Fuel In C’ River
-
News2 days agoYou’re The Backbone Of Our Society, Fubara Salutes Mothers On Mothering Sunday
-
Rivers1 day agoCounty Grammar School Old Boys Elect New Executive
-
Environment1 day agoIllegal Buildings On Embassies’ Land Will Be Demolished – Wike
-
Politics1 day agoHUNDREDS OF LATE BAYELSA DEP GOV’S KINSMEN DUMP PDP FOR APC
-
Politics1 day agoA’Court Voids Rep’s Sack Over Defection To APC
-
Rivers1 day agoElele Alimini Monarch Seeks Government Support … As NGO Trains Leadership Organs In Peace Building, Others
-
News2 days agoODU PLEDGES PARTNERSHIP WITH WACCIMA TO ADVANCE WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT