Port Harcourt

By Uzair Adam 

The Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking has arrested a suspected gang leader, Ishaq Lawan Ibrahim, popularly known as Malam Keya, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The 27-year-old suspect was allegedly responsible for orchestrating violent clashes among rival gangs in several communities in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State.

The Daily Reality gathered that Ibrahim, a native of the Yelwa area of Dala, fled Kano for Port Harcourt after the task force intensified its crackdown on street gangs following repeated incidents of violence in the area.

He was allegedly involved in gang-related activities in Jakara, Madigawa, Yalwa, Sanka, Kul Kul, Dogon Nama, Kuka Bulukiya, Dala, Shatsari and Dandalin Turawa, among other communities across Kano metropolis.

In a statement, the task force said it tracked and arrested the suspect in Port Harcourt following credible intelligence.

The operation was coordinated by the task force’s Head of Operations, CSP Bashir Gwadabe, who led the team responsible for the arrest and subsequent transfer of the suspect to Kano.

Confirming the development, the task force chairman, Muhuyi Magaji Rimin-Gado, said Ibrahim remained in custody and would undergo further investigation before being charged to court.

Rimin-Gado described the arrest as a demonstration of the agency’s determination to track down wanted suspects regardless of where they might be hiding.

He warned individuals allegedly sponsoring violence and criminal activities in Kano against believing they could escape arrest by relocating outside the state.

“Let me assure you that those who bankroll violence should know that no distance and no hiding place will protect them. This arrest is only the beginning. We will not rest until peace is fully restored,” he said.

The chairman further assured residents that the task force would sustain its operations within the confines of the law, ensuring that all suspects were subjected to due process.

He said the agency was committed to dismantling criminal gangs, identifying their sponsors and disrupting drug supply networks allegedly fuelling violence across the state.

Rimin-Gado also called on residents, community and religious leaders, parents and young people to support the campaign against thuggery and drug abuse by reporting suspicious activities to security agencies.

He urged parents to closely monitor their children and remain vigilant about activities within their neighbourhoods.

“You should also refuse to be used by anyone to disturb the peace of our dear state. Safety of Kano is a shared responsibility, and together we will reclaim our streets and secure the future of our state,” he said.

The task force acknowledged support from the Kano and Rivers State police commands, along with other law enforcement agencies, in facilitating the operation.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Leaders of the Hausa community in Rivers State have alleged that four of their members lost their lives during last weekend’s protest said to be directed at northerners at Oil Mill Market, located in the Rumuokwurusi axis of Port Harcourt.

The Chairman of the Hausa Community in the state, Mr. Musa Saidu, made the disclosure on Tuesday. He spoke after leading a delegation of northern leaders to the market to evaluate the level of damage recorded during the unrest.

He explained that many business premises owned by northern traders were attacked. Several shops were looted, while others were destroyed.

While addressing journalists, Saidu appealed to northerners residing in the state to remain calm despite the tension. He stressed that northern residents are peaceful people who conduct legitimate businesses like other Nigerians living in Rivers State.

“About four northern traders were killed during the protest at Oil Mill Market. I visited the area today with some journalists. We went round the shops of those affected and saw that many had been looted,” he said.

The protest was linked to the killing of an indigene identified as Nchelem Samuel Festus. He was allegedly killed by a northern commercial motorcyclist in Igwuruta, within Ikwerre Local Government Area.

Festus had been accused of stealing a motorcycle from a shop owned by northerners. Trouble started when an effort was made to recover the motorcycle. An argument broke out in the process. The motorcyclist allegedly stabbed Festus, who later died from the injuries he sustained.

The incident, which occurred on February 10, triggered protests in the area. Demonstrators accused northern commercial motorcycle operators of responsibility for Festus’ death. They also alleged that some riders were involved in crimes such as rape and kidnapping.

Protesters blocked the Port Harcourt International Airport Road. They demanded an immediate prohibition of commercial motorcycle activities by northern riders.

Fresh tension surfaced on Saturday after another violent incident at the same market. A wheelbarrow pusher, Zakara Afaaruwu, allegedly stabbed a trader from Benue State, Higightor Wenem, during a disagreement over trading space. Wenem died from the attack.

The development led to renewed assaults on northern traders. More shops and businesses were vandalised and looted in the process.

Police authorities confirmed that Afaaruwu had been arrested. They added that he remains in custody as investigations continue, with prosecution likely to follow.

However, the Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers State, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, dismissed claims that four northern traders were killed.

“I’m not aware of any killing. I have already stated what happened during the protest,” she said.

By Uzair Adam

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has announced that the Port Harcourt Refinery in Rivers State has finally commenced crude oil processing.

This development was disclosed by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPCL, Femi Soneye, who described it as a significant achievement for the nation.

“Today marks a monumental achievement for Nigeria as the Port Harcourt Refinery officially commences crude oil processing.

This groundbreaking milestone signifies a new era of energy independence and economic growth for our nation,” Soneye said on Tuesday.

He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the NNPCL Board, and Group Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari for their dedication to the project.

Truck loading operations are set to begin today, with the NNPCL also working on restoring operations at the Warri Refinery, Soneye added.

However, this milestone comes after the refinery missed several deadlines for resuming operations, including those set in March, August, and September 2024.

The Port Harcourt Refinery’s return to production is expected to ease Nigeria’s reliance on imported petroleum products while boosting the local economy.

Details later……..

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

Seven private depots were closed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for selling gasoline above the N148 per litre permitted by the federal government.

Independent petroleum marketers had complained in recent months that they were purchasing the product from private depots for more than N200 per litre, making it impossible for them to sell the commodity at the government-approved price.

The Authority’s Chief Executive, Engr. Farouk Ahmed, said the depots would be closed until a decision was made on how to proceed while speaking to journalists on New Year’s Eve in Abuja.

Among the companies, he identified were Ardova, Rainoil, TCL, Bluefin, and NEPAL.

According to Engr. Ahmed, two of the depots are in Lagos, two are in Warri, one is each in Oghara, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.

He reassured customers that the closure would not affect the availability of petrol around the nation, stating that there would be enough fuel for about 30 days.

He said that in an effort to lessen fuel shortages, the authority had many discussions with marketers on how to address supply issues that operators were having.

He also noted that certain privately operated depots were found to continue loading the commodity above the government-approved price, despite having obtained the cargo under favourable circumstances.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Four brothels along Azikiwe Street, Mile 2 Diobu in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State have been ordered to be sealed down by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

After the federal government sued Cool Breeze Hotel and Royale Hotel, who were named as defendants, the court issued the order.

In order to execute the court order, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons was in Azikiwe Street on Friday with assistance from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps and court representatives.

Before the brothels were sealed off, their residents were evicted.

While granting an ex parte application from NAPTIP, the court also ordered that the brothels stay closed for 30 days while NAPTIP’s investigation is still ongoing.

The case was postponed until December 5, 2022, to allow for the investigative report.

On October 29, 2022, a team from the Nigerian Navy, NSCDC, and NAPTIP raided the Cool Breeze and Royale brothels. During the raid, some girls were rescued, including young girls who had been “forced” into prostitution. Suspected traffickers were also detained.

Nwamaka Ikediashi, the NAPTIP Commander in Rivers State, promised that after the investigation was finished, the accused would be brought before a judge.

By Muhammad Aminu

A lecturer with Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Zoe Solomon Tamunotonye, has become a commercial bus conductor to feed his family.

Tamunotonye’s video surfaced on social media platforms earlier today, where he was busy in his newfound endeavour. He’s seen beckoning passengers to enter a commercial bus along Ikwerre Road in Port Harcourt.

He was suspended by the Management of the Polytechnic after a committee of inquiry indicted him for randy behaviour with a female student of the institution.

The academic was also accused of influencing the female student’s detention at the Sani Abacha Road Police Station in Port Harcourt.

The Polytechnic Management stopped his salary in January 2022, which reportedly made his life unbearable.

He was said to have turned around to accuse the female student of diverting the sum of N250,000 he gave her for her personnel business and holding on to his office key and other property.

It can be recalled that before Tamunotonye’s incident, the University of Abuja and Obafemi Awolowo University expelled academic staff that had sexually abused female students of their respective institutions.

Ibrahim Nasidi Saal

Operatives of the Port Harcourt’s Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, have commenced an investigation of 13 suspected oil thieves handed over to it by the Nigerian Navy.

The suspects were handed over Wednesday, May 4, 2022, by the Nigerian Naval Ship, NNS Pathfinder, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for allegedly dealing in petroleum products without appropriate licences.

The suspects are Goodnews Wilfred, Gabriel Awadis, Monday Anja, Sylvanus Benson, Timothy Rufus, Appolos Awajis, Tombari Lede, Ebirene Ebirene, Friday Aaron, Ataije Ebirene, Ibrahiim Attah, Shuaibu Magaji and Odeon Emmanuel.