News
Agip Shuts Oil Operations In Bayelsa: Anambra, Kogi Clash Over Oil Wells …Claims Seven Lives, 52 Houses
An Italian oil firm, Eni, has shut down its activities in the swampy oil fields located in Bayelsa State over theft.
The firm, in a statement in Yenagoa, last Monday, attributed the frequent spills to oil theft by vandals and said that it had decided to shut down operations to prevent further damages to the environment.
Eni, which operates in Nigeria as Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), said it authorised the suspension of operations on March 22 and subsequently declared ‘Force Majeure’ on its oil output from the facility on March 23.
“Eni confirms that during the night between 21 and 22 March, the company has declared force majeure and ordered the closure of its onshore activities in the Swamp Area, located in Bayelsa State in Nigeria.
“The decision was made due to the intensified bunkering , consisting in the sabotage of pipeline and the theft of crude oil, which has recently reached unsustainable levels regarding both personal safety and damage to the environment. Sustainability is for Eni a priority in Nigeria, as in all the countries in which it operates, the statement said.
According to the statement, the firm produced about 40,000 barrels of crude oil equivalent daily from the shut facilities.
It expressed regret that about 7,000 barrels of its daily crude production was lost to oil thieves in Bayelsa, a development the firm described as unsustainable and compelled it to shut down.
Meanwhile, the boundary dispute between the Enugu-Otu Aguleri and their Ashonwo/Odeke neighbors in Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State has escalated as about seven persons are said to have been killed and over 52 houses burnt, yesterday.
Since the commissioning of the Orient Petroleum Resources facilities in Aguleri-Otu late last year by President Goodluck Jonathan for exploitation of the oil wells in that area, the Ibaji people have been laying claim that the area belongs to them.
However, when contacted over the latest attack, the image maker of the Anambra State Police Command, Emeka Chukwuemeka said though the command is aware of the dispute between the communities, he however, was not aware of any casualty.
But a community leader in Enugu-Otu Aguleri, who gave his name as Anekwe Arinze, said the people of Ashonwo/Odeke invaded their community at about 1:30am yesterday while they were asleep and started shooting sporadically in their area and set some of their houses ablaze.
He said, “We were sleeping suddenly we started hearing gunshot everywhere and when some of us came out to know what was happening we saw our houses in fire. Our children and women who tried to escape were shot and many were wounded.
“We heard them saying the land belong to us, you cannot take it. That was when we knew it was Kogi people. Some of our men who summoned the courage to pursue them away could not get them because when they noticed our prompt response they ran away. Already, we have counted seven corpses.
“They kidnapped three of our men. But we cannot fold our hands while they kill them. They must release them to us hale and hearty”, he maintained.
Similarly, Governor Wada Idris of Kogi State has expressed concern over deteriorating security situation in oil bearing communities in border areas between Kogi and Anambra states.
Wada expressed the view in Lokoja yesterday while reacting to the alleged killing of four people and abduction of two others in attacks on Odeke and Echeno communities in Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi by unidentified persons.
He said the situation in the border communities required urgent attention of the affected states and the Federal Government.
He said the situation must be brought under control immediately.
The two communities have been at loggerheads with communities in Anambra over the location of four oil wells now being refined by Orient Oil.
The governor appealed to leaders of the two communities who came to his office to protest the attacks to remain calm and promised to get in touch with his Anambra counterpart to find a lasting solution to the problem.
He also promised to ensure that the two men abducted by the attackers regained their freedom as soon as possible.
He directed the deputy governor to immediately take up the matter with the appropriate quarters.
Wada promised to ensure immediate supply of food, water and other basic items to the people displaced from their homes by the attackers.
He said all necessary support would be given to the police for the maintenance of law and order in the communities.
The Spokesman for the communities, Mr Daniel Omatola, told the governor that four of their people were killed in series of attacks recently launched by some persons suspected to be from Anambra.
He also said that two other persons from the communities were abducted by the attackers whom he said had also destroyed homes and farmlands, thereby displacing hundreds of people from their homes.
Omatola called for urgent intervention of the state government, saying that his people were finding it increasingly difficult to stand the unwarranted attacks and killings of their kinsmen.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million pills of tramadol concealed in two long trailers heading for Kano as it intensified efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor.
The agency also arrested an 80-year-old suspected drug dealer in Rivers State, a businesswoman linked to cannabis shipments from Canada, a Chadian woman, a couple and other suspects in coordinated operations across Lagos, Edo, Kogi and Rivers states.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday.
According to the statement, the latest intelligence-led operation came barely one week after NDLEA operatives recovered 558,900 pills of tramadol concealed in the false-bottom compartment of a truck that entered Lagos through the Togo-Benin Republic route.
Babafemi said, “Ongoing efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo, through Benin Republic into Nigeria have yielded another success with the interception of two long trailers used to move One Million Six Hundred and Thirty (1,630,000) pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in fabricated compartments of the trucks across multiple borders into Lagos.”
He added that one of the two trailers was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where operatives recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor.
Babafemi said, “One of the two trucks already heading to Kano was tracked and located on 2nd July 2026 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where NDLEA officers recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the trailer and arrested the 22-year-old driver Jabir Kabiru.”
He further disclosed that another trailer was intercepted two days later on the same route.
“Two days later, 4th July, NDLEA operatives acting on processed intelligence successfully tracked and recovered the second trailer from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while heading to Kano. A total of 777,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the truck were evacuated and the 22-year-old driver Muhammed Nuhu arrested,” the statement read.
According to Babafemi, investigations established a link between the three intercepted consignments.
He said, “Investigations revealed that all three trucks and consignments intercepted on 21st June, 2nd July and 4th July belong to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.”
The agency also intercepted 4.70 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Babafemi said, “Two consignments of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 4.70 kilograms have been intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The cargoes, which arrived the Lagos airport from Canada in cartons with ‘Odugwu’ boldly written on them, came aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on 24th June and 3rd July respectively.”
He said two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, were initially arrested in connection with the shipments, while another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was apprehended after arriving at a logistics company to take delivery of the consignments.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has denied claims that it has commenced registration for a purported ?50,000 National Support Allowance.
The ministry, in a public notice posted on its official X handle, yesterday, described messages, links and websites advertising the alleged programme as fraudulent.
It urged Nigerians to disregard such claims and verify information only through official government channels.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has NOT commenced registration for any ?50,000 National Support Allowance,” the ministry said.
It added, “Disregard fraudulent messages, links and websites claiming otherwise. Verify any info only through official govt channels.”
The alert is in response to a circulating scam flyer that falsely claims the program is ongoing under President Bola Tinubu’s directives.
The fake advertisement, which includes text in Hausa and English, directs victims to a suspicious website (kluspz.com) for applications.
The ministry’s warning comes amid heightened concerns over digital fraud targeting vulnerable populations seeking social support.
Similar scams have previously surfaced around programs like N-Power, prompting questions from citizens in replies to the official post.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed its preparedness for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, hinted at this while making his remarks at the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.
Ajaero said it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
He advised workers and pensioners to get prepared for the ideological and economic battles that lie ahead.
According to the NLC president, “The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) is one of the proud affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Therefore, your struggle is our struggle, and your welfare remains a priority for the organised labour movement.
“We are currently in the preparatory stages for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
“However, let me state unequivocally that it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not only push for a new national minimum wage but will also demand the establishment of a national minimum pension. It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement.”
Ajaero noted that the cost of living has risen astronomically as food, healthcare and transportation have become increasingly unaffordable.
“We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation,” he said.
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He said the completion of the project should serve as a clarion call to all workers and lovers of the masses.
“We must not only build physical structures but also build a strong movement capable of compelling government to honour its commitments,” he said.
Ajaero further stated: “We will continue to demand the immediate payment of all outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension regime that guarantees every retiree a life of dignity and security.
“Together, we shall continue to fight until every Nigerian worker and pensioner receives the justice, respect and welfare they deserve.”
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