News
JTF Warns Oil Thieves, Pirates In N’Delta …Says, We‘ve Curtailed Boko Haram
The Commander of the Joint Task Force, in the Niger Delta, Major-Gen Beita Debiro has vowed to bring illegal bunkering to an end as he appealed to youths and oil companies to cooperate and support the outfit.
Maj Gen Debiro who made the appeal during an inspection tour of Bonny area of Rivers State, said the task force was determined to rid the area of all criminals sabotaging the pipelines and other oil facilities, warning that government was against these activities.
The Joint Task Force boss called on all Nigerians to come together to fight the scourge, as he promised to make life unbearable for those who are making life difficult for the people of the country.
According to him, ‘’the Government and all Nigerians are against these crimes and all Nigerians should come together and fight the scourge called illegal oil bunkering and piracy” he appealed.
Beita assured that men of the task force will consistently make life difficult for the perpetrators of the crime in the region while also maintaining high level of professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
During the tour, there were revelations that 17 vessels and boats have been arrested by the Sub Sector 5 of the JTF (which consists of Bonny, Andoni and Gokana areas of Rivers State) between April 2012 and July 2013.
The Tide learnt that the 146 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, and all the other components of the JTF on the Island have destroyed eight boats and vessels between April 12 and August 30, 2012, while they have arrested nine other vessels, which have all been detained at the Bonny Anchorage, Oyorokoto Jetty, Peterside, Coal Beach, Cawthorne Channel and Oloma House boat around the Bonny Island.
At the NPA Jetty, four vessels including EFCC 224, EFCC 116, Rockfish and one other were impounded, and are being guarded by men of the Joint Task Force while the crew have been taken to the Sector 2 Headquarters, Port Harcourt for further interrogation and investigations.
During the inspection, a super vessel, VLIE LAND, with a storage capacity of about 1,300 metric tons and about 100.9 metres long(the size of a football pitch) was seen grounded at the Bonny Island Beach, and guarded by men of the JTF.
According to the JTF command, the crew of the vessel are now under detention at its Port Harcourt offices for further investigations.
Speaking with journalists after the exhaustive inspection of all the formations of his outfit, JTF commander, Major General Beita Debiro, who was satisfied with the level of performance of his men, said he has not been at the area for a while, adding that his visit was necessitated by information of an upsurge in Illegal bunkering and piracy in the area.
He added that he also undertook the inspection to encourage officers of the outfit, noting that the impressive performance of the task force in the area can be seen.
‘’I have not been here for a long time, but I had to come because of certain information concerning an upsurge in Illegal bunkering and piracy in the area. You can see the efforts of the men here, we have made a lot of arrests and their performance is impressive.
I also came to encourage the men to continue to improve on their performances and to raise the morale of the officers,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the Commander of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in Yobe State, Col. Ibrahim Ali, yesterday said that activities of Boko Haram insurgents had been curtailed, following the declaration of state of emergency in the state.
Ali told newsmen in Damaturu that attacks by the insurgents, especially in the volatile areas of Damaturu and Potiskum had reduced, after security forces pushed the insurgents out of their enclaves.
“We have not had any major encounter except on June 16 when they attacked a school in Damaturu. We have pushed them out of town.’’
The commander said that the JTF had discovered, particularly in Potiskum, that armed robbers had seized the opportunity to rob people under the guise of insurgency.
Ali said the situation in Yobe had remained “relatively stable’’, noting that the JTF was doing everything possible to contain the situation permanently.
He said that the task force had been having a good working relationship with members of the public, whom he said, had continued to provide vital information on the insurgents.
Ali urged the populace to continue to cooperate with security agents, saying that the JTF was aware of the inconveniences and challenges the public was facing because of the declaration of state of emergency in the state.
On allegations of long detention of suspects, the commander said that the JTF was being meticulous to ensure that only those found to have participated in criminal activities were held.
He said that suspects were made to go through careful and meticulous documentation and interrogation by a special team, made up of personnel from the police, SSS, army and the NDLEA.
Ali said that all suspects were being treated well, adding: “they eat the same food being served to my soldiers.
In another development, the Yobe State Government has appealed to the Federal Government to float an intervention fund to cushion the effects of the Boko Haram insurgency on affected states.
The Special Adviser to the State Governor on Media and Information, Alhaji Abdullahi Bego, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Damaturu yesterday.
Bego said that while the Yobe Government was totally in support of the declaration of emergency in the state, it would also like the Federal Government to set up a fund to assist people affected by the insurgency.
He said that the state government had been cooperating and providing logistics to the Joint Task Force (JTF), tackling the security problems.
“We have provided more than 200 vehicles to the JTF in addition to paying allowances to the operatives.’’
He said that the state had spent about N4 billion a since the insurgency started, describing the insurgency as a big drain on the meagre resources of the state.
The special adviser also appealed to the Federal Government to provide modern equipment to the security agencies, praising the troops for sticking to rules of engagement.
Bego said that the state government had also disbursed about N197 million to victims of the insurgency as relief for their losses and also rehabilitated 300 classrooms destroyed by the insurgents.
The Rivers State Chief judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi has granted pardon to six inmates standing awaiting trial at the Port Harcourt maximum correctional center.
The six lucky inmates granted pardon on Tuesday by the state Chief Judge included Nwekeala Chizoba, Samuel Emmanuel, Aniete Kelvin, Ebube Fubara and Goddey Okpara who were on awaiting trial as murder suspects and have all spent between 10 years to seven years in the custody without a proper information filed against them in the court.
Justice Amadi during a special gaol delivery exercise last Tuesday at the Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre opined that the special gaol delivery was part of activities lined up to commomerate the 2024/2025 legal year in the State and restated the commitment of the state judiciary in decongesting the correctional centre and ensuring that those inmates who are not supposed to be there are removed from the custody.
The state chief judge stressed the need for all stakeholders to work together to build a society that supports rehabilitation and gives a second chance to anyone or group of people who have fallen short of the expectation of the law and have been punished accordingly.
He stressed that the National Judicial Council(NJC) encourages judges to pay more attention to criminal matters to enable them to decongests the correctional facilities, noting that since his assumption into office, his administration has been able to reduce the number of inmates in Nigerian Correctional Centres and the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre in particular, to less than 2,000 as against the over 4,000 inmates previously in the faculty.
According to him, “as they release the deserving inmates, they affirm their commitment to justice, compassion and rule of law but that they must not forget the fundamental principles of justice delivery system which is truth and fairness, integrity and equality before the law.”
I encourage you all the released inmates to return to your families and become better citizens. You must not engage in action that will return you all back to prison. Let me say that while the judges show empathy to you all, it does not absolved individuals from being held accountable for actions against individuals, corporate organisations and state which the law frowns at, ”he stated
The Chief Judge thereafter stood down the exercise to enable the DPP to intervene to case files following the fact that majority of the persons listed to benefit from the exercise are facing murder charges and adjourned to a date that will come before December.
Earlier in his goodwill message, the outgoing state Comptroller of Nigerian Correctional Centre, Port Harcourt, Felix Lawrence, who was recently promoted to the rank of Assistant Controller General, commended the state judiciary led by Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi for their continuous effort aimed at ensuring justice and decongesting the facilities.
Other activities lined up for the event included special church service at St Paul’s Cathedral , Anglican Communion, Rebisi Port Harcourt, inspection of guard of honour by the state Chief Judge mounted by officers of the Nigerian police and a special court session held at the ceremonial court hall.
By: AkujobiAmadi
The Director General of Rivers State Bureau on Public Procurement (RBoPP), Dr. Ine Briggs, has explained that the Sir Siminalayi Fubara administration plans to enforce transparency in governance through public procurement.
Speaking at a one-day Public Procurement Enlightenment workshop organised in collaboration with the State Local Government Service Commission for newly elected chairmen, vice chairmen, secretaries and leaders of legislative assemblies, Dr. Briggs said it is key for grassroot development.
She stated that the Sir. Fubara administration plans to reduce wastage and at same time infuse efficiency in public expenditure.
The RSoPP DG said the local government political office holders remain key drivers in the new vision hence the workshop is to arm them with knowledge on how to execute projects in tandem with needs of the people.
“ Your role in the prudent management of public resources is, therefore, not just administrative it’s the cornerstone of delivering the dividends of democracy. Every procurement decision you make must reflect a commitment to fairness, transparency and accountability” Dr. Briggs submitted.
One of the key goals of the administration she further reminded the participants was to use their offices to foster economic growth through public procurement.
She warned that the law establishing the agency empowers it to penalise defaulters, but that what is more important is voluntary compliance to the laws.
In addition to that, she said urged the local government council leaders that champion the practice and implementation of public procurement law.
On his part, Acting Chairman of Local Government Service Commission, Pastor GoodLife Ben Iduoku averred that the aim of the workshop is to arm key stakeholders in the local government system to generate new ideas, innovation and strategies in tandem with government policies and programmes.
The workshop dealt on various topics on procurement planning, methods, Understanding Bid Process, including types of Construction Contracts and law.
Some participants were awarded excellence and meritorious awards as part of the programme.
By: Kevin Nengia
The 19th anniversary of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Rivers State Chapter, recently ended in Port Harcourt in grand style, with participants from various schools including proprietors, the academia, civil society groups and top government functionaries charting the way forward for educational improvement.
The 19th NAPPS anniversary christened, ‘Innovation and Adaptation: Transforming Challenges Into Opportunities’ was held at Casoni Hotels, Port Harcourt.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Rivers State Chapter of the association, Dr. Jaja Adafe Sunday expressed gratitude to the members and executives for their untiring efforts towards the achievements of the body.
He sought the intervention of government on the lingering crisis on the economy as it is affecting the running of schools.
He decried high cost of things including fuel and raw materials which has adversely affected the running of schools and payment of teachers.
Dr. Sunday hinted that the current economic situation in the nation is biting hard on the operations of schools, saying inflation, removal of fuel subsidy, fuel scarcity, poor electricity supply, tariffs and lack of government grants are some of the challenges faced by schools, and urged the members to brace up to the challenges, as it is the panacea to building a brighter future.
Guest speakers from the health sector and the academia thrilled the gathering on the essence of basic education which they said is the key to national development.
Former Dean of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Professor Azuru and the Chief Medical Director of Meridian Hospitals, Dr. Odo Iyke were some notable guest speakers who delivered lectures at the occasion.
Some distinguished proprietors also got special recognitions and awards.
The 19th anniversary cake was cut by the Rivers State NAPPS Chairman with representatives of the state government assisting.