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Tag: rivers

  • I have nothing against Islam – Wike

    I have nothing against Islam – Wike

    The Governor of Rivers, Nyesome Wike on Sunday says he has nothing against Islam or any faith.

    Wike made the remarks while showing the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi the site of the mosque he allegedly demolished in Port Harcourt.

    A statement issued by NGF’s Head of Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo in Abuja, said that Fayemi was in Port-Hacourt to verify the true situation about the issue.

    Wike claimed that there was no mosque at the site, but a sewage line.

    “I have nothing against Islam or any faith for that matter.

    ” As you can see there was never a mosque on this ground instead it is a sewage site which has been in contention between the state government and some groups because they want to develop on prohibited land.”

    Wike appreciated the NGF Chairman, who was accompanied by the Director General of the Forum, Mr Asishana Okauru, for taking time to visit and verify the truth about the situation.

    He also commended Fayemi’s leadership style which he described as exemplary, noting that he did not join those who rushed to judgement on the matter.

    According to the NGF statement, “those who yelled about the demolition were being plain mischievous.”

    It said “there was nothing there to show that a mosque ever existed on the site.”

    It recalled that the Sultan of Sokoto and President of the Jaamatul Nasir Islam, the umbrella body of all Muslims in Nigeria, Sa’ad Abubakar had earlier called for caution on the matter.

    Abubakar called for restraint by Muslims in their reaction to the alleged demolition of the mosque in the Transamadi area of Port Harcourt.

    Abubakar in a statement issued in Kaduna, said that caution and restraint was necessary to allow the leadership of the Muslim Ummah “find a lasting solution with wisdom” on the said demolition of the mosque.

    The Sultan had enjoined Muslims to be guided by the Qur’anic teaching of introspection and perseverance, truthfulness and sincerity.

  • Xenophobia: I’ll personally protect my constituents if FG fails to do anything meaningful by tomorrow – Rivers Rep

    Xenophobia: I’ll personally protect my constituents if FG fails to do anything meaningful by tomorrow – Rivers Rep

    .says NASS must intervene now to give Nigerians confidence

    A member representing Obio/ Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers, Hon Ogundu Kingsley Chinda has vowed to personally protect his constituents in South Africa if the Federal Government of Nigeria fails to do anything meaningful within the next 24hrs.

    Chinda who is apparently disturbed by the docility exhibited by the FG over the incessant killings of Nigerians resident in SA which has further led to protests in different parts of Nigeria wants the situation to be properly addressed or he would protect his constituents if there are any in the country.

    In a statement he personally signed and made available to TNG Chinda said:

    “The Government is doing almost nothing, nobody is saying anything serious to Nigerians.

    “This docile and irresponsive attitude of government is prompting self help posture of Nigerians.

    “A responsible Government should have taken clear steps and gain confidence of the people that their Government will or is protecting their interest.
    “NASS must intervene now to give some semblance of hope. If nothing positive happens in the next 24hours, I shall take difinite steps as the rep of Obio Akpor Federal Constituency to protect my constituents, if any in S.A.

    Recall that immediately the crisis started in SA, Chinda had issued a statement pleading with the leadership of NASS to reconvene the assembly to enable lamakets deliberate on ways and means to alleviate the problems engulfing Nigerians in SA.

    As at yesterday nothing has been heard about the possibility of NASS reconvening despite the promise made by the speaker Femi Gbajabiamila that the House may reconvene to take a stand in the highly disturbing SA situation.

    This slow to action has made Nigerians to take up the ugly task of destroying investments believed to be owned by SA concerns in Nigeria.

    MTN the telecommunication giant in Nigeria had to close their offices to avert the wrath of Nigerian protesters.

  • Rivers most violent state in Niger Delta – Report

    Rivers most violent state in Niger Delta – Report

    Three hundred and forty conflict-related deaths were recorded in nine Niger Delta states in June and July, Niger Delta Conflict Tracker report, released by PIND Foundation’s Niger Delta Link, has said.

    The report showed that criminality (128) and gang/cult related (109) killings accounted for 237 deaths (or 68.2 per cent) during the period.

    Confirming the report, PIND Foundation’s Afeno Super Odomovo said the document was part of the monthly release by NDLink. It covers June and July.

    The report showed that Rivers State recorded the highest number of conflict fatalities (120), accounting for more than a third of conflict-related deaths in the nine states of Niger Delta, including Abia, Imo and Ondo.

    The state topped the criminality-and gang/cult violence killings chart with 61 persons dying in cult/gang violence, and 53 crime-related deaths in June and July.

    Flashpoint areas include Obio/Akpor council, with 37 killed; cult violence (23); as well as robbery, kidnap and other crimes (14).

    The report noted that “conflict risk and lethal violence in Rivers State during this period were driven mainly by cult violence, kidnapping for ransom, violent protests, and Violence Affecting Women and Girls (VAWG).”

    Khana and Emuoha councils also stood out as hotbed for violence in Rivers by recording 34 and 17 deaths for June and July.

    Akwa Ibom is a distant second to Rivers, with 60 deaths. Cross border conflict resulted in 40 deaths, all in Mbo council, with communal conflicts in Itu council.

    Delta State, with 50 deaths, is third on the list. Fatalities resulted mainly from criminality (25), while communal clashes, including herdsmen versus farmers, and cult violence accounted for 11 deaths apiece.

    “Reported incidents during the month (in Delta) related mainly to communal conflict, and criminality, including kidnapping for ransom,” the report said.

    The lowest conflict-related deaths occurred in Abia State, where criminality and gang/cult violence claimed seven and two lives, of the nine deaths recorded.

    Other states where people died from conflicts are Ondo (31), Cross River (27), Edo (21), Bayelsa (20) and Imo (11).

    NDLink said on the report: “This monthly tracker is designed to update peace agents on patterns and trends in conflict, risk and violence in Niger Delta, as identified by PIND Foundation’s Integrated Peace and Development Unit’s (IPDU) early warning system, and to seek feedback and input for the response to mitigate areas of conflict.”

    It urged members to ensure trackers were comprehensive by contributing their knowledge and reporting any verified incident of conflict to the IPDU Early Warning System.

  • Reps set up committee to investigate pipeline explosion in Rivers

    Reps set up committee to investigate pipeline explosion in Rivers

    The House of Representative has resolved to investigate the incident of fire outbreak along the NNPC pipeline in Kom Kom and lzuoma communities of Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers.
    This was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion of Urgent National Importance by Rep. Chisom Dike (PDP-Rivers) at the plenary on Tuesday.
    The green chambers mandated an ad hoc committee to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion and it observed one-minute silence for the repose of souls lost to the inferno.
    The house urged the NNPC and the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) to quickly ensure thorough repairs of the pipeline.
    The legislators also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other relevant government agencies to quickly send relief materials to the affected individuals.
    Earlier, Dike said that in the early hours of Saturday, June 22, 2019 at about 8:25 am, there was an incident of fire outbreak in Kom Kom and lzuoma Communities of Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers.
    He said that the fire outbreak which occurred along the NNPC facility was as a result of pipeline explosion.
    The lawmaker alleged that the explosion occurred due to the negligence of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company [PPMC) and the NNPC.
    He said that the PPMC and the NNPC were unable to carryout maintenance work on the leakage of the facility several days after the leakage was reported.
    The Rep said that the PPMC and the NNPC also failed to ensure the deployment of the appropriate security personnel to guard the facility against the possibility of scooping petroleum products.
    Dike said that the casualties in the event were majorly people who rushed to the scene of pipeline leakage to scoop petroleum products as well as innocent people working on their farms early that morning.
    According to the parliamentarian, until now the number of lives lost are unconfirmed because majority of the casualties are burnt beyond recognition while many were fully and partially buried in the marshy area.
    He said that it was confirmed that scores of persons were recorded dead in the unfortunate incident.
    Dike said that farmlands, crops and other properties worth several millions of naira had been damaged as a result of oil spillage and wild fire accompanying the explosion.
    In his ruling, the Speaker of the house, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos) mandated the committee to report back to the house within four weeks.

  • Abducted monarch regains freedom in Rivers

    Eze Edison Omeodu of Omofe Rundele from Emohua local government area of Rivers who was abducted last week has regained freedom.
    The monarch was abducted with his driver on Friday, July 5 at the Emohua axis of East-West road by gunmen on his way back from Port Harcourt.
    The wife of the monarch, Dr. Nnenda Omeodu confirmed to our correspondent that her husband regained freedom last night.
    She also confirmed that a ransom was paid for the release of her husband but did not reveal the amount.
    The suspected kidnappers who are believed to be members of a cult group have been blamed for kidnappings in Ovekwu, Rumuji, Rumuodogo, Odegu and Ndegu. They allegedly vowed to deal with traditional chiefs who give out information to security agents.
    Governor Nyesom Wike had declared a zero tolerance for cultism and cult groups in the state. The governor threatened to withdraw official government recognition to any traditional ruler whose community is found to harbour cultists and criminals.

  • Wike puts residents on alert, insists no land for RUGA settlement in Rivers

    Wike puts residents on alert, insists no land for RUGA settlement in Rivers

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Wednesday said the state will not allow any Ruga Settlements for Fulani herdsmen.
    A statement issued by the Rivers State Government and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Paulinus Nsirim stated emphatically that the state had no land for the implementation of such a policy.
    The statement added that the second term of Governor Wike had prioritised commercial agriculture, and that all available arable land in the state would be needed to drive commercial agriculture across the state to create employment for Rivers youths.
    The State Government emphasised that it had not given any approval for the siting of Ruga settlements anywhere in Rivers State, stressing that no such approval would come from the Rivers State Government for the Ruga settlements.
    The statement reiterated that Wike would continue to defend the interest of Rivers people, who had overwhelmingly rejected Cattle Colonies, Ruga Settlements and any such policy.
    “Rivers indigenes are hereby advised to join the State Government to protect all arable lands by reporting any form of encroachment under whatever guise,” it said.

  • Gunmen in police uniform kidnap Rivers monarch

    Gunmen in police uniform kidnap Rivers monarch

    Unknown gunmen dressed in Police Uniform have abducted the Amanyanabo of Oporoama community, in Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, Tobotamuno Dick, from his Port Harcourt residence at about 7pm on Monday.
    Dick was once a Caretaker Committee Chairman of Asari-Toru local government Council in Rivers State.
    His younger brother, Tonye Dick, said Tubotamuno was abducted at about 7pm shortly after he returned from an event.
    Tonye said some of the abductors were dressed in Police uniforms.
    “I was just called by aides living with him in his house that some men, three on mufti and two in Police uniform, without declaring their identities whisked him out of the house into a waiting vehicle without any prior information and without disclosing their destination,” Tonye said.
    “As I speak to you, I am in his house without knowing his whereabouts. The royal highness of a community cannot be picked and whisked away as a common criminal. He was just whisked away just like that. Whoever took him away should please bring him back because of his aged mother and family,” he added.
    Tubotamuno, a lawyer, is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Asari-Toru Local Government Area in Rivers State.
    Prior to the general election, he had once been arrested by soldiers for an undisclosed offence but later released.
    At the time of filing this report, Police in Rivers State have not issued any statement whether their men arrested him or they were just kidnappers impersonating the Police.

  • [Graphic Photo] More corpses recovered from Rivers pipeline explosion site

    Three more dead bodies have been evacuated from the scene of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC, pipeline explosion last Saturday at the swamp of Komkom Community in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    This brings the death toll to 46 so far.

    The leader of the youths in the area, Ethel Nwokoria, told our Correspondent that more corpses were still trapped in the swamp, saying that the terrain was hampering the recoveries of more bodies.

    Nwokoria said the community had opened a register and directed the families of persons who were still missing since the explosion to indicate and also come to identify the bodies of their relations in the swamp.

    The youths of Komkom Community are appealing to both the relevant medical oriented agencies, the local, state and federal governments to come to the aid of the community in the area of medication to decontaminate the already polluted environment to avoid epidemic.

    Residents of the area have raised the alarm over the humanitarian disaster due to the fast decomposing bodies, stench and pollution of the swamp and the environment.

    A visit to the area showed that the number of human casualties grew because villagers were in the swamp scooping refined petroleum product suspected to Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, gushing out from the ruptured NNPC pipeline.

    Among those affected were a number of palm wine tappers, local brewers of Ethanol who were in the swamp to tap wine.

    The villagers have expressed shock that since the sad incident, there had not been any delegation from the state government to commiserate with them.

    Meanwhile, preliminary investigation carried out by the company contracted to manage the affected NNPC pipeline explosion showed that the pipeline was vandalised by suspected oil thieves.

    Executive Director of Operations of UTM Offshore limited, Port Harcourt to Enugu, Kennedy Azu Onoche, said: “This is clearly a case of sabotage. But samples will be taken.The spot will be opened to see if it was ruptured or there was a leakage due to system failure as as alleged or if was ruptured.”

    It was also observed at the spot that there were hose and other implements used by oil vandals to siphon petroleum products abandoned in the explosion.

    At the time of filing this report, no official figure has been released by the Police as the actual number of casualties.

  • 10 feared dead as pipeline explodes in Rivers

    10 feared dead as pipeline explodes in Rivers

    There was pandemonium on Saturday at the Oyibo Local Government Area of Rivers State following an explosion in a pipeline in the area. About ten persons were reported killed from the tragic accident.

    The incident reportedly occurred in Kom Kom community of the LGA, about midday yesterday. Sources close to the scene said the explosion sparked off fire which supposedly burnt the victims.

    The Police in the state confirmed the incident but could not ascertain the actual number of casualty as at the time of filing this report.

    Meanwhile President Muhammadu Buhari has asked for a thorough investigation to determine what is responsible for the gas pipeline tragedy in Oyibo Local Government Area of Rivers State in which several fatalities were reported.

    The President, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, is extremely pained by the losses of life in the incident and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Rivers State.

    Confirming the explosion, spokesman of the State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said, ‘It is true that there was pipeline explosion in Kom Kom area of Oyibo LGA, but we cannot ascertain the number of casualties now, but our men are there to calm the situation and do the necessity.”

    He said the State Police Command has commenced full scale investigation on the incident.

    Also, the Executive Chairman of the council, Gerald Oforji, confirmed the incident and put the number of lives lost at 10

    Oforji said the bodies of the victims were recovered from the scene after the fire was put out.

    He said that no house was destroyed when the explosion occurred.

    However, earlier reports said the affected pipeline belonged to SPDC. But the spokesman of Shell, Bamidele Oladosu, was reported to have denied any report of explosion on the company’s Oyigboland facility.

    A source in NNPC, who spoke in confidence yesterday evening, stated that the exploded pipeline was conveying Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from Port Harcourt to Aba, before vandals tampered with it to steal fuel, leading to the explosion.

    The top official of NNPC also insisted that the pipeline was not that of the Anglo/Dutch oil giant, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), as being insinuated.

  • Ayanruoh support Sagay’s comment on Supreme Court verdict on Rivers, Zamfara

    Mr. Felix Ayanruoh, a United States and Nigeria licensed attorney and recipient of the United States Congress, Congressional Recognition Award has put his weight behind Prof. Sagay’s comment on the apex courts recent decision on Rivers and Zamfara.

    In a recent telephone call from New York he said the purpose of democracy is to preserve and promote personal liberty including the right to vote, be voted for and the said vote count.

    Ayanruoh stated that he is aligning his constitutional philosophy with the learned SAN – he argued that the court should prioritize the protection of voting rights so that Nigerians themselves can decide at the ballot box who should lead them instead of judges or justices.

    In light of Prof Sagay’s mirroring critiques, what account for the staying power of democracy and justice? The answer I think is the fact that Nigeria from independence, excluding military regimes is built on representative democracy.

    Democracy also known as a Representative Government is an electoral system where citizens vote to elect people to represent their interests and concerns. Those elected meet to debate and make laws on behalf of the whole community or society, instead of the people voting directly on laws and other debates.

    The fact that the constitution central value is democratic participation is non sequitur – all of the words of our constitution are used to set the ground rules for democracy.

    The core of our system of government appears to consist of both the central value of our constitution as democratic and participatory and therefore in searching to the limits on how to interprete the open-ended provisions of the constitution and our electoral laws, judges should be guided by the principle of democratic principles and participation

    There is logical inconsistency between establishing a basically democratic system with substantial side constraints where constraints is to be found in guardians (judges) as against millions, but if overtime the guardians, pursuant to their ostensibly unlimited role of enforcing the side constraints, increasingly remove the most vital right from the domain of the voters and their representatives, then the point of the constitution’s democratic provisions will be lost and accordingly we ought to reject it at the outset an interpretation of the open ended provisions that authorize the guardians to proceed down that part

    The Supreme Court’s decision in Rivers and Zamfara are certainly interventionist decisions that must be reversed for democracy and justice to stay supreme.