Niger Delta

NDLEA Arrests 374 Suspected Drug Traffickers

Published

4 years ago

July 1, 2022

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Edo State Command, says it arrested 374 suspected drug traffickers for illicit drugs peddling between June 2021 till date.
Disclosing this on Monday in Benin, at the grand finale of the 2022 UN Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking, the State Commander of the agency, Mr Buba Wakawa, said the figure comprised 281 males and 93 females.
He also disclosed that the Command within the period, seized 26,960.593 kilo grammes of suspected psychotropic substances.
He explained that cannabis sativa constituted the bulk of the seizure, adding that 48 suspected cannabis sativa farms with cumulative measurement of 63.8 hectares were also destroyed.
The Commander further said the Command also successfully counseled and rehabilitated 257 drug-dependent clients and reunited them with their families.
“We also secured 58 convictions within the period, while 76 cases are still pending in court”, he said.
Wakawa said the theme for the year “Addressing Drug Challenges in Health and Humanitarian Crisis”, was apt.
“From this year’s theme, it is obvious to decipher the damaging consequences of drug, and drug-related abuse and trafficking in illicit substances in families, society and the world at large.
“There is no gain saying the fact, as witnessed in human crises in the world today, that it is a result of drug use and trafficking.
“It is from this year’s theme’s background that I stand tall and bold to spread the gospel to you to collectively push for the sensitisation, awareness creation, and campaign to dissuade our teeming youths from reckless use of substances of abuse”, he said.
He stated that the audacity of youths and other criminal-minded elements to perpetrate their unwholesome evil on the society after taking substances of abuse, could not be underestimated.
“The story of their escapedes abound everywhere in this country and in the world.
“The NDLEA, as an institution, has a mandate to curb drug abuse and illicit trafficking in the land.
“So, with this mandate as our weapon, we can truly beat our chest as we have and still making incursions and huge progress in addressing the multi-faceted drug problems.
“This is in a bid to visibly checkmate the trend and bring drug use and crime to its knees,” the Commander stated.
Earlier, the Chairman, Edo State Drug Control Committee (EDCSS), Prof. Obehi Akoria, said the 2022 theme was informed by the need to look at the drug problem through the lens of public health.
Akoria, represented by the Secretary of the Committee, Mrs Edith Sede, said this was with a view to tackling it as a broader social problem, rather than through the conventional, narrow, criminal matter approach .
She noted that drug trafficking was an international illegal trade that involved the production, cultivation, dissemination and sale of prohibited substances.
According to her, drug and substance abuse had become a major public health challenge confronting youths and the entire world.
“The menace of this social vice is far reaching and millions are being dragged into the black hole, unknown to them.
“This is aside the obvious damage it had done to thousands of families in our immediate society”, she noted.
Similarly, the Edo State Government says it is ready to partner with stakeholders to check the menace of drug abuse, to have a drug free State.
Acting Governor of the State, Phillip Shaibu, represented by Mrs Otaniyenwa Obarisiagbon, Executive Secretary, Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, said this in his goodwill message at the event.

Niger Delta

Otu Orders Sanitation Operations Review In Calabar

Published

3 days ago

March 16, 2026

The Tide

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.

Niger Delta

Lawyer X-rays Consequences Of Court Injuction Suspending INC Polls … As Diri Intervenes

Published

3 days ago

March 16, 2026

The Tide

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

Niger Delta

Police Rescue 7 Trafficked Victims In A’Ibom

Published

3 days ago

March 16, 2026

The Tide

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.