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Niger Delta

JTF Intensifies Offensive Against Oil Thieves

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12 years ago

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Operatives of the Joint
Military Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Pulo Shield, have arrested no fewer than eight suspected illegal oil criminals. Also, the operatives intercepted vessels and 32 barges loaded with suspected petroleum products at Onne Port, Rivers State.
During the operation, other accomplices were said to have escaped on sighting men of the task force.
Commander, JTF, headquartered in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, acting on a tip-off, had summoned a crack team of operatives as early as 7am on Tuesday for the port storm.The infantry general, with some of his operatives, set out for the operation. He had earlier sent a team of detectives from the outfit as advance party.
Atewe, however, changed the operational strategy in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, when he detailed his Chief of Staff, Col. Hillary Nzan, to lead the port’s operation, while he led other operatives elsewhere.
Nzan, who led some operatives in company with selected journalists, including our correspondent, stormed the Onne Port in a commando fashion, refusing entreaties of some naval personnel from NNS Pathfinder that they be allowed to handle the matter.
The ‘non-compromising’ Nzan, after telling the Naval operatives led by a lieutenant commander, that the matter was within the mandate of the JTF, hopped into a waiting JTF gunboat and moved to the theft scene.
The operation was successful as the Nzan-led task force was able to effect the arrest of eight suspects in a Cotonou (large wooden boat). Other suspects, however, escaped on sighting the task force men. The arrested suspects including those who escaped, were said to be the owners of the 32 barges suspected to be laden with illegal petroleum products.
Narrating the undercurrents to our correspondent, an informant, who declined to give his name, said the activities of oil thieves had become rampant at the Port. He said some persons including some security men threatened to “deal with him” for being loquacious.
The informant, who appealed to the relevant authorities to protect him, said he gave the information to the JTF because the oil criminals were plundering the nation’s economy as well as creating hazardous environment for people and fishes.
Speaking with journalists after the operation, Nzan said the JTF got a tip-off from good citizens. The JTF chief of staff said, “the operation we carried out was based on a tip-off from good citizens of this country. As we got the information, we swung into action. Luckily, we were able to arrest some Cotonou boats used for the illegal oil bunkering. We were able to arrest some persons in connection with the bunkering. Some of the barges were carrying products suspected to be petroleum products. We have taken the samples for laboratory analyses.
“However, when some of the suspects saw our task force men, then ran away. But we were able to apprehend eight persons.”
He said the JTF would carry out preliminary investigation into the matter to extract other germane information from the suspects.

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Niger Delta

Stakeholders In Delta Seek Stronger GBV Action, Women’s Leadership

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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Stakeholders in Delta State convened in Asaba for a leadership workshop organised by Otdel Health Heritage and Environmental Initiative (OHHEI), focusing on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and women’s participation in decision-making processes.
OHHEI Project Director, Mr. Peter Olayinka, represented by a consultant, Juliet Obiajulu, urged participants to contribute meaningfully toward advancing women’s leadership and combating GBV across communities in the state.
He said the workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to influence policies, challenge harmful cultural norms, and reinforce initiatives designed to prevent and respond to GBV.
Olayinka said women often faced bias even when they occupied leadership positions, and stressed that gender diversity improved the quality of decision-making and promoted innovation and accountability in governance structures.
Speaking, the Chairperson of the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Mr Eris Jewo-Ibi,  identified cultural norms, domestic responsibilities, political resistance, and grassroots barriers as constraints to women’s participation.
Delta State GBV Desk Officer, Mrs. Rosemary Okpuno, emphasised that effective decision-making required women’s perspectives, adding that inclusion remained critical to addressing persistent gender-based challenges.
Voke Angbagh of the Delta State Ministry of Justice outlined penalties for rape and called for the establishment of special courts to handle sexual offences cases.
Angbagh said frequent adjournments delayed justice for survivors, stressing that dedicated sexual offences courts would ensure timely trials and stronger protection for victims in Delta State.
The Tide’s source reports that facilitators identified cultural acceptance of violence, unequal power relations, discrimination, poverty, limited education, and low self-esteem as major drivers of GBV.
They emphasised that violence and exclusion resulted in social, physical and emotional harm, imposed economic costs, reinforced harmful stereotypes, and widened existing gender inequalities.
The source also reports that OHHEI, a local non-profit organisation, focuses on education, health, environment, and social justice, promoting sustainable development initiatives with gender equality at the centre of its interventions.
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Niger Delta

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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The Cross River State Government has suspended all taskforce activities connected to commercial transportation and ticketing across the state.
The State Governor, Bassey Otu, announced the suspension at an emergency stakeholders meeting on Friday in Calabar.
It would be recalled that commercial drivers in Calabar metropolis took to streets on Thursday to protest alleged multiple taxation and extortion by government agencies.
During the protest, the drivers alleged that taskforce groups claiming to represent the state government openly harassed and extorted them.
Represented at the meeting by Ekpenyong Akiba, his Special Adviser on General Duties, Otu said the suspension would subsist pending further review of the situation.
The Governor stated that the state government did not commission anyone to extort drivers in the name of task force.
He urged commercial drivers and other road users to remain law-abiding while government worked out a lasting solution.
On his part, the Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Calabar Metropolis, Mr. Sunday Dennis, expressed optimism that the dialogue would yield positive results.
He said the meeting had provided an opportunity for the aggrieved commercial drivers to present their concerns directly to the state government.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Unified Drivers Association, Mr. Nta Henshaw, described the harassment on drivers as worrisome, and urged the state government to be decisive in resolving the matter.
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Niger Delta

A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Nutrition and Food Security has called for more private sector investments in agriculture.
The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Moses Essien, made the call when the committee visited Aviclaire Farms, a private establishment in Usung Idem, Uruk Usoh in Abak Local Government Area.
Essien, who represents Ibiono Ibom in the Assembly, commended the Management of the farm for partnering an NGO, ECEWS, to promote private investment in agriculture.
He commended the partners for adopting climate-smart agriculture initiatives in their operations, adding that such move would promote food security.
“Your interest in using transformative intervention to promote food security is a veritable way of complementing the efforts of the state government,” he said.
The lawmaker continued that adopting practical climate-smart agriculture model would help to generate employment, improve nutrition outcomes, and strengthen food sufficiency.
He further said he was impressed with the strides recorded by the partners, saying, “your investment has created jobs for no fewer than 2,000 youths.
”You are an example of an environment-friendly investor. I urge Akwa Ibom residents to embrace environment-friendly and technology-driven agriculture models,” he said.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, ECEWS, Dr. Andy Eyo, who conducted the committee round the farm, said the collaboration was conceived to demonstrate the viability of climate-smart farming in ensuring food sufficiency.
Eyo said the farm, which commenced operations with four greenhouses, had expanded to 14 within two years, and currently supplying high-quality produce to major markets in Uyo and neighbouring communities.
He said ECEWS was exploring cooperative frameworks to enable rural farmers and women’s groups to adopt greenhouse technology for sustainable livelihoods.
In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Aviclaire Farms, Mrs. Victoria Eyo, said the controlled-environment ensured precision cultivation and consistent yields.
She further said the farm served as a capacity-building centre for students, interns, and agri-business trainees.
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