Rivers
Reactions Trail Death Of Over 30 At Illegal Refinery In Ibaa
Reactions are trailing the death of over 30 persons at an illegal oil bunkering site in Ibaa Community in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Tide learnt that the incident occurred as a result of attempt to setup an illegal refinery at a bunkering site earlier closed down in Ibaa.
Paramount Ruler of Ibaa Community, Eze Wobodo Jonah, expressed surprise over the incident despite intense sensitisation against illegal oil bunkering in the area.
Chairman of Emohua Local Government Council, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, who spoke to newsmen at the site of the incident, said he was shocked over the incident.
He urged traditional rulers in the area to expose criminals in their neighbourhood and alleged that illegal oil bunkering is going on at Obele, Rumuji, Ndele, and Ibaa Communities.
He advised the youths against short cut to wealth, saying, “it does not pay”.
Recall that two pregnant women and others were said to have been burnt to death at an illegal oil bunkering site in Ibaa Community.
A community source also informed newsmen that 26 Support Engineer Regiment (SER – Nigerian Army Engineers) in collaboration with PINL, which is a joint security architecture in charge of pipeline surveillance in the area, along the RoW and its corridor , had embarked on massive clampdown and destruction of illegal refineries in the area.
It was gathered from an indigene who pleaded anonymity that the fire incident occurred as a result of attempt to set up illegal refinery at the said location after the GSA and PINL had previously destroyed the illegal refinery at the same location about two weeks ago.
He further stated that the accident could be linked to fear of a clamp down or arrest as PINL and GSA maintain presence all round the clock especially at night.
Representative of PINL, who spoke to journalists at the scene of the incident said the feedback from some community members revealed that the victims were burnt due to the illegal refining at the location as the illicit business was hurriedly been carried out for fear of the Private Security Contractor (PINL) and GSA.
PINL and GSA from 26 Support Engineer Regiment (SER-Nigerian Army Engineers) has intensified destruction of illegal refinery over the last six months.
PINL representatives who led his team along with some stakeholders to the scene expressed worry despite engaging hundreds of youths in Ibaa community in public enlightenment and on the dangers of illegal refining, they still engaged themselves in the illicit business of crude oil theft and illegal refining.
He further said PINL will not relent in its synergy with stakeholders in the community and relevant security agencies towards sensitising the youths to shun all forms of illegal crude oil refining in the area and also keep the TNP safe.
Speaking, Chief Security Officer of Ibaa Community, Rufus Welekwe, while expressing sadness over the incident, appealed to the youths of the community to stay away from illegal crude oil refining and ensure they engage themselves in legitimate businesses.
Meanwhile, some family members of the affected victims that were burnt to death have expressed sadness over the loss of their loved ones.
Speaking with newsmen, an elder brother to one of the victims, Pastor Henry Iyenatebo, from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, said his relation is a victim of the incident.
“My relation is lying there as well. I don’t know what happened, because these are not the things I accommodate as a pastor.
“I schooled every person to keep themselves away from such situations but coming to hear that this happened to my own person, I was surprised”, he said.
He said he was in church when calls came that his relative was involved in the incident.
“I was in the church before I got a call that I should come to this community that something was going on.
“I asked what was going on and they said my younger one was lying there helplessly. I asked what happened, they said he went for Kpo fire business.
“He should be between 30-32 years old. Eric Isaac-Okoro is his name. I didn’t have a clue that he was into this kind of business because if I knew, I would have stopped him on time. I’m surprised to see this because that is not how he was brought up. We were trying to train him on welding.
“I have been able to identify him, and the family will do what they can to bury him within available resources”, he said.
A relative of another victim, Mfata Prince, said, “I don’t even know how she came to be part of this. I was just called this morning from Port Harcourt.
“It’s a very sad news. I never knew she was involved in this kind of business. She left our community and moved down to Ibaa to live with her boyfriend from Ibaa. We have been begging her to come back home but she refused.
“This is my first time of coming here. We are yet to identify the body, but according to the boyfriend, she left in the night to come here. That’s how we knew she is one of the victims”.
Speaking further, the CSO of Ibaa Community, Chief Welekwe, lamented that the leadership of the community has been preaching against illegal oil bunkering activities in the community.
“The community chief has been shouting for everybody to stop this because the Federal Government does not want it and we don’t want it in our community.
“Now, it has happened, they have seen the result of what that man is saying. They said some are from Ogbodo Community, some from Rumuji Community, some from Odogha and I can’t exactly know”.
Meanwhile, there are plans to hand over the corpses to their relatives to avoid epidemic in the community.
By: John Bibor
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
