Rivers
CP Gives Parting Gifts To Rivers With Arrest Of Criminal Elements
The outgoing Rivers State Commissoner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, has presented a parting gift to the State as the police operatives in a sting operation across the State arrested fake employment raceteering and a notorious dreaded criminal gang leader, ChukwumelaImela, known as Boy Satan as well as recovering of various assualt riffles and ammunition.
This appeared a major breakthrough in the ongoing assault against banditary and criminal activities in the State under the watch of the immediate past Commissioner of Police.
Briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt at the police command recently, CP Disu said the operatives of the State command arrested a gang of online employment racketeering syndicates that specialises in obtaining money by pretence from unsuspected members of the public with intent to secure fake job employment opportunities in an oil and gas company in the State collecting from them the sum of N450,000 to N850,000 each.
According to him ,the operatives of octopus strike force of the state command ,on August 29, 2024, at about 3 pm, acting on a credible piece of information about a possible hostage situation in a compound at Igwuruta, swung into action and arrested one of the suspects, Chukwudi Okoli ‘m’, who posed as a staff of a company, Qjoseansel International Global Limited , adding that during the operation, Amiye Joseph and 15 other victims comprising 13 males and two females (2) were rescued and led to the station.
He said preliminary investigations revealed that the unsuspecting victims had each paid monetary sums ranging from N 650,000 to N 850,000.00 each to the phoney company with vain assurance that they would be given jobs within the oil and gas sector and receive payment in US Dollars.
“The fraudsters operated in such a way that they would call their unsuspecting victims over the phone after a random selection of phone numbers. They would then introduce them to job opportunities and invite them to Port Harcourt where they would undergo fake interview processes.
“The victims are extorted huge sums of money and held in a facility where they would be keenly monitored. After this is achieved, the victims will be subjected to training where they will be taught to convince potential victims about the job opportunities with a pay of USD 450 per week.”
“New entrants were tasked to pay USD 25 to facilitate a registration process.
The suspects designed an online platform that generated a username and password for registrants upon completion of registration.
Throughout the process, the victims are instructed to alienate themselves from other people.”
CP Disu further sophisticated gadgets and items revealed that were recovered from the operational office of the suspect including phones, laptops, television sets, generators, industrial fans and office furniture, stressing that the suspect and the exhibits are in police custody while the investigation is ongoing.
“We have intensified efforts to apprehend other members of the syndicate.”he stated.
Again, the state Commissoner of Police said that operatives also arrested a five-man notorious criminal gang said to have been responsible for car snatching and burglary in the Ada-George, Iwofe and Ogbogoro areas of Port Harcourt as well as Egbelu, Diobu, D-line, GRA II and Borikiri.
The gang has been responsible for snatching, at gunpoint, over 10 cars in the past 3 months and responsible in terrorising residents of the state seeking to enjoy their comforts and thrills of nightlife in the GRA II axis of Port Harcourt.
The state Commissioner of Police, disclosed this while parading the suspected twelve suspects at the command headquarters in Port Harcourt , Tuesday that were allegedly arrested by the operatives of the command in various operations across the State.
Disu disclosed that the gang was led by a recidivist, one ChukwumelaImela, aka Boy Satan, who had been to prison on four occasions for various crimes, ranging from cultism to raping and armed robbery along side with his childhood friend and companion, Precious Adiele, he joined the Iceland cult group in 2009.
He averred that the duo iare famed for being merciless in killing both rivals and allies, thus, earning him the moniker, ‘Boy Satan’.
“In 2022, he disagreed with the Iceland cult group over loot sharing from a robbery and angrily moved to join a rival group, ‘La Mendians Bobos’. To celebrate his defection, he decided to make a bold statement by accosting his friend, Precious Adiele and macheting him to death in his residence. After killing his friend, he boasted that he was not afraid to hurt even his family to prove a point.
Akujobi Amadi
The Rivers State Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi, says the state judiciary has a total of 23,870 cases pending in various courts in the State.
This figure includes all cases pending in Magistrate, High, and Customary Courts, as well as Customary Court of Appeal in the State.
Justice Amadi stated this while presiding over a special court session held to mark the comencement of the 2024/2025 new legal year held at the auditorium of the High Court in Port Harcourt, Thursday.
The State Chief Judge, while giving the breakdown of performances by the Judiciary in the last year ended, revealed that the stastics of the cases brought before the courts from October 30, 2023 to 30th September 2024 is 31,886, while cases filed stood at 14,791 and cases disposed in the period under review is 22,725.
He further disclosed that the State Judiciary and the customary courts generated a total of #525,322,478,83 as revenue in the last judiciary year under review.
He described the special court session as an annual ritual of the judiciary marked to herald the beginning of a new legal year, stressing that it affords the judiciary and all stakeholders the needed opportunity to take stock of the activities of the judiciary in the past one year in order to improve, with a view to strengthening the justice administration.
The number one state judiciary officer stated that the judiciary had undertaken a lot of capital infrastructure in the year ended to ensure the comfortablility of the workers and judicial officers, and announced that additional high courts would be constructed at Okehi and Degema to ease the challenges of numerous cases coming from such jurisdictions.
Justice Amadi further disclosed that the state judiciary has a total of 51 judges, 57 magistrates, 30 Chairmen of customary courts, and 60 presiding members, adding that the state judiciary has 12 judicial Divisions, 37 magisterial Districts, and 30 customary courts.
“We lost seven judiciary staff, Port Harcourt NBA lost 16, Okehi branch 1, Bori branch 2, and Ahoada branch 2 . Creation of a judicial Division is based on cases filed from such area and we recommend for approval of such and not for politically based”, he stated.
The State Chief Judge used the opportunity to thank the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, for the support given to the judiciary in the state, noting that the success recorded by the judiciary in the state was attributed to the huge support from the State Governor.
He also appreciated the efforts of the security agencies and the media for their various cooperation and support and urged them to sustain such in this legal year .
In their various speeches at the event, the State Attorney General and Commissoner of Justice, Dagogo Isreal-Ibroma, SAN; the Leader of the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Rivers State, OCJ Okocha, SAN; and the Chairman of NBA, Port Harcourt Branch, Mrs. Eke Cordelia, commended the achievements recorded by the state judiciary and urged that more measures be put in place to enhance speedy dispensation of justice.
The special court session was preceded by a church service.
By: Akujobi Amadi
A religious body in Rivers State, the House of Jesus Christ Ministries, has appealed to the warring politicians in the State to stop the orgy of violence over leadership supremacy and embrace genuine dialogue.
This is contained in a recent statement by the Parish Church Council (PCC) meeting of the church.
The statement, which was signed by the General Overseer, Apostle Joseph Emmanuel; Secretary, Evangelist ThankGod Akpanowoh; Parish Women Leader, Mrs. Promise Aniebet William; and Parish Evangelist, Elder Aniefiok Benneth, noted that the spate of violence witnessed across the state has taken unimaginable dimensions with the recent killings, wanton destruction of properties, and the burning down of Council Secretariats.
It said if care is not taken, the crisis could extend to homes, and therefore called on the warring parties to stop and gove room for a lasting solution.
Blaming the Federal Government under the watch of President Bola Tinubu, who it said had been seemingly passive in handling the political difference between the former Governor of the State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“The kind of crisis we are seeing cannot be rationalised. Whether in Rivers or Lagos, whether we are talking of state violence of political upheavals rocking the state, we plead as a church with the contending politicians to pull back their hatchets of indifference for the sake of peace, unity, stability and progress, and allow the possibility of genuine dialogue to begin, and lasting peace restored”, the church said.
Noting that the xurrent wind of democracy blowing in the state is one of the legacies of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and others who preach peace, love and development in the state, the Church cautioned against further crises “in the once peaceful state for posterity”.
It urged the current politicians in the country to emulate the peaceful disposition and virtues of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, which is instrumental to the prevailing peace in the state, in the face of continued provocations.
By: Bethel Toby
Rivers State has topped the performance chart in the implementation of the Nigerian Community Action Resilience And Economic stimulus (NG -CARES) programme in the South-South and Nigeria.
This was contained in a report released at the just-concluded two-day peer learning and experience sharing event in Port Harcourt.
According to the report, Rivers State performed excellently in all aspects of the programme implementation.
The state was followed by Delta State, which emerged second both in the South-South and the country at large.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has approved an additional $500million for the extension of the programme for the next three years.
World Bank Task Team leader, Dr.Lire Ersado, said at the event that the programme has lived up to expectations as it has gone along way to alleviate the sufferings of millions of poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
Ersado, who was represented by Professor Folorusho Okumadewa, said NG CARES has gotten the right strategies and approach in making sure that poor and vulnerable Nigerians can smile.
He said the programme, which was initially setup to address suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is even more relevant today with a view to addressing the plights of Nigerians affected by flood and other natural disasters.
Ersado said the Port Harcourt meeting, which is the sixth in the series of meetings held across the country, will provide opportunity for all states in the country to cross check their performances with each, as well as learn from the successes and failures of each other.
Also speaking, Rivers State Commissioner for Commerce And Industry, Barrister John Otamiri, said the programme was in line with the State Government programme of alleviating the sufferings of the people.
He also said the government is ready to partner with NG CARES to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Otamiri said also assures that Rivers State is safe for investment.
While reeling out its performances, National Coordinator, NG CARES, Dr. Abdulkarim Obaje, said the world Bank is passionate about the programme , adding that the bank has graciously extended the programme for another three years with an additional $500 million.
He said within the last three years $750 million was disbursed to the 36 states and FCT in 160 delivery platforms.
Obaje added that 9.2 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians also benefited from the programme across the country in the last three years.
Earlier, Rivers State Coordinator, RiV CARES, Mrs. Ephraim George Imaonyani, commended the delegates for choosing Rivers State for the South-South meeting.
By; John Bibor