As part of the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to people-oriented policing, the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) of the Rivers State Police Command has donated N1.15 million to 11 patients at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), Port Harcourt.

The gesture was part of activities to mark the official launch of the unit in Port Harcourt, at the weekend.

The VCRU team, led by its Commander, CSP Julian Wealth, visited the children’s and postnatal wards of RSUTH, last Thursday, where it provided financial assistance to patients to help offset their medical bills.

Wealth said the initiative was designed to demonstrate that the Police were concerned not only about fighting crime and apprehending suspects, but also with the welfare of members of the public.

He explained that the intervention was part of the unit’s efforts to strengthen public confidence in the Police and promote a relationship built on trust, compassion and mutual understanding.

According to him, the initiative aligns with the people-oriented policing philosophy of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, which seeks to foster a police force that enjoys the confidence and support of the people it serves.

Wealth said the donation was intended to reassure members of the public that police officers remained committed to supporting vulnerable people, particularly those facing difficult circumstances in hospitals.

He commended the IGP for providing the platform for officers to demonstrate compassion beyond their conventional security responsibilities, adding that the unit was determined to sustain the spirit of service to the community.

As part of the outreach, the VCRU team also visited the Compassionate Centre for Physically Handicapped Children in Trans-Amadi and the David Bassey Ikpeme Foundation and Homes for Children at Eagle Island, Port Harcourt.

The two children’s homes received food items and essential supplies, including three bags of rice, one bag of beans, a bag of garri, five cartons of noodles, packs of tissue paper, and five packs of soap and baby diapers.

A representative of the David Bassey Ikpeme Foundation and Homes for Children, Mrs Koko Bassey, thanked the police team for the donation and reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to caring for children rescued by the police and entrusted to its care.

Similarly, a representative of the Compassionate Centre for Physically Handicapped Children, Sister Mercy Akpan, appreciated the VCRU for the gesture and commended police officers for their sacrifices in protecting lives and property.

He noted that the outreach reflected the importance of strengthening relations between the police and the communities they serve.

 By: King Onunwor

Rivers State Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Odu, has expressed shock at the sudden death of a former Executive Chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Hon. Augustine Ahiamadu.?

?The deputy governor, in a  statement by the Head of Press, Office of the Deputy Governor, Owupele Benebo, last Friday, described the death of the former council chairman as a painful loss, saying his passing was a moment of profound sadness.

?Odu said she received the news of Ahiamadu’s demise with a heavy heart, saying the sad news  was particularly painful to those who knew him and appreciated his contributions to public life in the State.

She noted that death remains a painful reminder of the fragility of human life and the irreplaceable void it leaves in the lives of family members, friends and associates.

?She extended her heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, the people of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, and all those who shared in the life and public service of the deceased.

?The deputy governor urged the deceased’s family and loved ones to find strength and comfort in God at this difficult moment, while praying that the Almighty grants them the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable void and grants Ahiamadu’s soul eternal rest.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has rearrested an 83-year-old woman, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, with consignments of methamphetamine and Colorado, barely a year after she was convicted of drug-related offences.

The octogenarian was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, with the substances allegedly tied around her waist with a wrapper.

Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency disclosed this yesterday in a statement by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

According to the statement, the suspect’s arrest followed credible intelligence indicating that she operated a notorious drug joint allegedly harbouring criminal elements terrorising the community.

Babafemi said Uloma was first arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence.

He said operatives recovered 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol from them.

According to the statement, “Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each. They paid the fine and were released by the court.”

The NDLEA spokesman alleged that the elderly woman returned to the illicit drug trade after her release.

“Undeterred, the notorious old woman promptly returned to the criminal trade and escalated the scale by setting up a drug joint where she harbours dangerous characters,” the statement added.

In another operation, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 32.74 kilogrammes.

Babafemi said the drugs were concealed in two travelling bags.

He added that the suspect had travelled from Thailand through Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431.

According to the statement, “She confessed to having previously trafficked through other African countries, and was expanding her route to Port Harcourt when she was caught.”

Meanwhile, operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted a shipment of 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 307.20kg from Pakistan.

Babafemi said the consignment arrived aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight on September 29 and was placed under surveillance before a joint examination on Tuesday, October 6, uncovered the drugs in nine cartons.

In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA officers intercepted 70 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, weighing 75.90kg in six Ghana-Must-Go bags contained in a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom.

The statement said the shipment was monitored after arriving on September 29.

A clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was arrested on September 30, while an Uber driver, Taofiq Ajibola, 54, was apprehended while collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in Mafoluku, Oshodi.

The agency said Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader, were subsequently arrested when they came to collect the remaining five bags.

According to Babafemi, Ajibola said the drugs were sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu claimed his consignment came from another UK-based man identified as Yusuf.

In Cross River State, NDLEA operatives arrested 46-year-old Adama Inuwa at Iyala Nkun village, Ikom Local Government Area, on Sunday, October 4, following surveillance.

Babafemi said the operation led to the recovery of 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100kg and 17.15kg of cannabis seeds.

In Edo State, officers intercepted a black Toyota Camry conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83kg at Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area, on Monday, October 5.

The agency said Monday Orji, 52; Monday Lawal, 40; and Precious Uduegele, 20, were arrested in connection with the seizure.

In a separate raid at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, operatives arrested 26-year-old Ojugo Mercy with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.

In Ondo State, a 21-year-old suspect, Happy Endurance, was arrested at her hideout in the Shasha area of Akure on October 5, with 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290kg.

The statement added that a separate raid on an apartment at Oba-Ile, Akure, on the same day led to the arrest of 42-year-old Tunde Adebayo, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351kg.

In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village, Wukari Local Government Area, on Friday, October 9.

Babafemi said the suspects were found with 166,200 tablets of tramadol 225mg weighing 107kg.

In Kano State, a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road on October 9 led to the arrest of 32-year-old Yahaya Musa with 24,990 capsules of tramadol, 50,000 tablets of diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.

In Kaduna State, operatives on patrol along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested 29-year-old Mohammed Musa with 31 jumbo bags and 775 blocks of skunk weighing a combined 1,027kg.

The agency also arrested Musbau Balogun Adekunle in Orile, Lagos, on Tuesday, October 6, with 32.51kg of skunk and 52.65kg of cannabis seeds, bringing the total seizure to 85.16kg.

In Plateau State, NDLEA operatives raided the residence of 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju at Rukuba Road, Jos, on Thursday, October 8, recovering methamphetamine, firearms and ammunition.

According to the statement, the items seized included 47 grammes of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and one round of 9mm ammunition.

The agency said its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign also continued across the country, with lectures delivered to students and staff of schools in Oyo, Ebonyi, Niger, Kano, Lagos and Ogun states.

Among the institutions reached were Progressive Grammar School, Tede, Oyo State; Eghugo Technical College, Afikpo, Ebonyi State; Baptist High School, Lambata, Niger State; and Ipara Senior and Junior Community Secondary School, Badagry, Lagos State.

Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised personnel of the Lagos, MMIA, PHIA, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau Commands.

Babafemi said Marwa commended the officers “for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the various successful operations” and urged them “to continue with the current balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.”