Niger Delta

Four Bag 160Yrs Jail Term Over Ex-Commissioner’s Abduction

Published

2 years ago

July 8, 2024

Bayelsa State High Court sitting in Ogbia Town, headquarters of Ogbia Local Government Area of the state has sentenced four men who kidnapped a former Commissioner for Trade, Industry and Investment in the State, Mr Federal Otokito to 40years in-prisonment each.
Upon his kidnap in 2022, The Tide learnt the former Commissioner was taken to a forest in the Igbomotoru Community in the Southern-Ijaw Local Government Area of the state and demanded ransom payment.
Presided over by Justice S. W. Amaduobogha, the court while delivering judgment in the suit with registration number OHC/4c/2022, declared that Kingsley Obhesi 24yrs, Joshua Abi 32yrs, Gift Damene 38yrs, and Powell Inegite 36yrs are guilty as charged of conspiracy, kidnapping and unlawful possession of fire Arms.
The convicted persons were arrested by operatives of the Operation Puff Adder led by SP Chris Nwaogbo and believed to be boys working with a prominent ex-militant leader from Southern-Ijaw Local Government area of the State.
The Police Prosecuting Counsel, Stella Jerry-Friday Esq, while briefing the court, stated that the convicts, heavily armed with guns and sundry amunitions, took hostage of Mr. Federal Opaminola Otokito on the 20th day of January, 2022 at Otuokpoti Community, Ogbia Local Government Area of the state, and unlawfully took him away against his will to Igbomotoru bush in the Southern Ijaw Area of the state with the intent to demand ransom or any other unlawful consideration and thereby committed an offence punishable under the laws of Nigeria.
Justice S.W. Amaduobogha, after hearing from the Police prosecution counsel and the defence counsels, declared that the investigative and prosecution team have done due diligence and proved beyond reasonable doubt the case of conspiracy, kidnapping and unlawful possession of fire-arms against the convicts.
Meanwhile, a cross-section of members of the Otuokpoti Community, home town of the former Commissioner, have hailed the state Police Command for their diligent investigation and prosecution.
It would be recalled that Otokito was abducted in 2022 while still serving as a member of the State Executive Council when armed gunmen invaded his neighbourhood, shooting randomly into the air to frighten the locals.
Similarly, the Brass Judicial Divisional State High Court sitting in Yenagoa, the state capital has also sentenced two persins to five years in jail for conspiracy, unlawful possession of fire-arms and armed robbery.
The Tide gathered that the convicted persons, Believe Leisure (m) 36yrs, and Jacob Doukumo (m) 42 years, in the suit with registration number BYHC/BHC/CR/1/2023, were arrested by the men of the Operation Puff Adder of the Bayelsa State Police Command on the 24th of December, 2022 along Sangana creek in Brass Local Government Area of the State.
According to the Police Counsel, Stella Jerry-Friday Esq, the convicts were arrested on the charge of conspiracy to commit felony and armed robbery which is an offence punishable under Section 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and firearms (special provision) Act.CAP R11, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
He said the convicts, Believe Leisure, Jacob Doukumo and three others at large on the 24th day of December, 2022 at about 600hours at Sangana, Akassa in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State, while armed with a one single barrel gun and two machetes, attacked one Johnbull Newyear and one Jackson (surname), yet known, and robbed them of 30 horsepower Suzuki outboard engine valued at N600,000 only.
The prosecution counsel also informed the court that after diligent investigation by the operatives of the Operation Puff Adder led by SP Chris Nwaogbo, the duo were arrested and later remanded in custody.
According to him while Jacob Doukumo was present in court for sentencing, Believe Leisure died in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre in Okaka, Yenagoa while awaiting trial.
The Presiding Judge, Justice T.Y Abasi, found the accused guilty on the three count charges and sentenced them to five years imprisonment each.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,
Yenagoa

Niger Delta

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

Published

4 hours 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

4 hours 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

4 hours 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.