…six bodies recovered, three still missing

A tragic gunboat mishap has claimed the lives of six personnel attached to the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, who had earlier defied heavy rains to deliver a free medical outreach in Okerenkoko, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

The unfortunate Navy boat mishap occurred on Thursday evening, shortly after the team had concluded the first day of a two-day humanitarian exercise in the riverside community.

Nigerian Tribune correspondent, who accompanied the naval medical team from Warri Naval Base on Thursday morning for the two-day free health rhapsody, gathered that at about 7:45 pm the same day, the naval gunboat—EPENAL Gunboat DE 24 — capsized at position LAT 05° 36.408’N / LONG 005° 11.982’E, directly in front of Chevron Nigeria Ltd (CNL).

The vessel was reportedly conveying 15 people — nine serving Navy personnel and six civilians, including NYSC members—from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Escravos to their hotel accommodation in Arunton community when it sank.

READ ALSO: Six Passengers Dead In Boat Mishap, Nine Rescued

It was gathered that the Nigerian Navy’s swift search and rescue team recovered 12 individuals from the waters, who were rushed to the CNL clinic.

Tragically, six, out of whom three are serving naval personnel and three are civilians, were confirmed dead by the attending Chief Medical Officer on duty.

As of Friday morning, divers had recovered the bodies of the following victims: Commander JO Eidangbe, Petty Officer Abolarinwa, Ordinary Seaman Tena, Miss Chinenye (National Youth Service Corps member), Miss Dorcas (NYSC member) and Master Destiny (boat driver).

Three persons: Lieutenant DK Nehemiah, Sub-Lieutenant Kwala, and Miss Uche (another corps member)—remained missing as of the time of filing this report, with rescue efforts still ongoing.

The Commander of the NNS, Delta, Commodore Abdulazeez Zubairu, has yet to issue an official statement on the tragedy.

READ ALSO:Navy Rescues 99 In Rivers Boat Mishap

The naval medical team had earlier, on Thursday, been received warmly at Okerenkoko community hall, Gbaramatu Kingdom, where the Commander of NNS Delta, Commodore Abdulazeez Zubairu (represented by Navy Captain Ayi Archibong, Executive Officer NNS Delta), had reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to national security and community engagement.

“The Nigerian Navy has the constitutional responsibility to ensure security across the country’s maritime environment. To fulfil this mandate, the Navy engages in Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) activities aimed at building strong and positive relationships with the public,” Commodore Zubairu had noted.

The free medical outreach—held in collaboration with EMT Foundation—was part of the Navy’s non-kinetic strategy under Operation Delta Sanity II, as directed by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla.

It aimed to deliver essential healthcare to remote communities in Delta’s creeks, many of whom are cut off from regular medical services.

READ ALSO: Seven Die, 23 Rescued In Greece Boat Accident

“The Medical Rhapsody brings healthcare closer to our host communities, which are critical allies in combating insecurity,” Zubairu stated.

Scores of residents from Okerenkoko and surrounding communities turned up in the rain to benefit from the exercise, which offered check-ups, treatments, prescriptions, and health counselling — all free of charge.

Pastor Christmas Ikare James, Assistant Secretary of the Okerenkoko community, had described the initiative as historic and timely.

“We’re deeply grateful to the Navy. At a time like this when basic healthcare is beyond the reach of many, this outreach means a lot to our people,” he said.

While the outreach was concluded on Friday in spite of the tragedy, the mood across the creek communities has turned sombre as the Navy and community mourn the loss of gallant officers and civilians who died in the line of service.

Details later…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted cocaine consignments cleverly concealed in lipsticks and property title documents, bound for the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia respectively.

A statement by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, said the drugs were recovered from cargo shipments being prepared at a courier company in Lagos by officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), attached to the logistics firm.

According to the statement, 420 grams of cocaine were discovered factory-fitted in 84 pieces of female lipsticks destined for the UK, while another 280 grams of the same drug were hidden inside a property title document (Certificate of Occupancy) meant for shipment to Saudi Arabia.

Babafemi also confirmed the arrest of a notorious drug kingpin, Ajetsibo Emami, popularly known as ‘Warri Kinsman,’ on 28th June in Lagos after a three-day operation led to the dismantling of his drug trafficking network and the arrest of three additional suspects.

READ ALSO:NDLEA Arrests Warri Chief, Ayirimi Emami’s Brother For Alleged Drug Smuggling

The operation uncovered 24 jumbo bags containing 681 pouches of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighing 414.2 kilograms, hidden at a location in Ikeja. Intelligence had revealed Emami’s plan to transport the consignment to Lekki for distribution across Lagos and beyond.

In another major bust, a businessman, Ajah Johnson Uchenna, his wife Rosemary Uchenna, and their daughters Stella and Ngozi, along with a family friend, Okoro Elijah, were taken into custody after it was uncovered that the family ran a major drug distribution network in Lagos.

The couple was initially arrested on 13th June by the Department of State Security (DSS) in Ojo and handed over to NDLEA with 277.5kg of skunk. While still in custody, further intelligence led to another raid at their home and storage facility on 1st July, where 231kg of the same substance was recovered.

Three more suspects — Ngozi Uchenna, Blessing Uchenna, and Okoro Elijah — were arrested during the raid, found to be operating the family business in the couple’s absence.

Meanwhile, on 2nd July, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos International Airport intercepted a frequent flyer, Aburemi Hysent, who specialises in conveying goods between Nigeria and Italy. He had concealed 7,660 pills of tramadol (225mg and 200mg) inside food items packed for export. He confessed he was promised €800 for successful delivery.

READ ALSO:NDLEA Arrests 650 Suspects, Seizes 6, 634 kg Illicit Drugs In Nasarawa

In another airport operation, 52 pieces of travellers’ cheques worth AU$17.7 million, concealed in children’s books and headed for Malaysia via Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight, were seized. A freight agent, Bolarinwa Saheed, was arrested in connection with the case. The suspect and the suspected counterfeit cheques will be transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.

At the Seme border in Badagry, operatives recovered 718 large balls of skunk weighing 359kg from a store in the Baba-Pupa area on Saturday. Along the Okene-Lokoja highway, another 10,000 pills of tramadol (225mg), co-codamol, and 1.050kg of Colorado (synthetic cannabis) were intercepted, leading to the arrest of Chinedu Odo, Samuel Ogbonna, and Kingsley Ugaji at Jabi Park, Abuja.

In Osun State, two suspects — Agunbiade Folusho and Suleiman Dasola — were arrested in Ajegunle, Osogbo, with 13,901 pills and ampoules of various opioids, while another suspect, Adebayo Adewale, was apprehended at a patent medicine shop in Ile-Ife with 48,205 pills.

A raid on a vulcaniser’s workshop at Akindeko junction, Alekuwodo, Osogbo, on 1st July led to the arrest of Wasiu Ajadi, Babatunde Jamiu Ojo, and Yusuf Sarafadeen, with 1,250 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 850 tramadol pills, and three bottles of codeine syrup.

In Oke-Ila forest, Osun State, NDLEA destroyed 24,175kg of skunk found on a 9.67-hectare cannabis farm. Seven suspects — Bunmi Adedapo, Adebisi Sodiq, Babatunde Gani, John Sunday, Israel Odabe, Solomon Odabe, and Prosper Odabe — were arrested during the 3rd July raid.

READ ALSO:NDLEA Seizes 91.768kg Of Cannabis Sativa, Psychotropic Substances In Ebonyi

In Borno State, 167kg of skunk was seized at Gamboru-Ngala. Another 452kg was recovered at Gadar Tamburawa along the Zaria-Kano road, with suspects Nasuru Saleh and Mustapha Muhammad arrested.

Along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, 11,000 tramadol pills (225mg) were recovered from Sule Ibrahim Sadiq on 3rd July, while in Sokoto, 62-year-old Joseph Onungene was arrested with 4,800 tramadol pills.

In Kebbi State, NDLEA operatives raided Bakin Kasuwa in Yauri, seizing 312kg of skunk and 10,000 diazepam tablets. In Taraba State, Chigbo Okolo and Ishaku Musa were arrested with 49,930 tramadol capsules in Mallum, Ardo-Kola LGA.

In Edo State, a raid in Ewere forest, Owan West LGA, led to the arrest of a wanted suspect, Alaba Monday, with 115kg of processed skunk. Three other suspects — Shamsu Abdullahi, Peter Egboko, and Justin John — were also arrested on another cannabis farm measuring 2.05 hectares.

In Cross River State, 78-year-old Mike Abeng was arrested with 14.49kg of skunk and tramadol in Ofudua, Obubra LGA. Others arrested during the same operation include Oyom Akam, Sylvester Odem, and Moses Ayo, all apprehended in Ovonum, Obubra LGA.

A commercial bus driver, his conductor, and six other passengers lost their lives in a fatal accident early Sunday in the Badagry area of Lagos State.

Eight other passengers in the 16-seater commercial bus, who were initially trapped in the mangled vehicle, were rescued by men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigerian Army.

The incident occurred after the Mazda 16-seater commercial bus had a head-on collision with a DAF truck at Atura bus stop in Badagry.

The spokesperson for LASTMA, Taofiq Adebayo, confirmed the early morning accident in a statement signed by him.

Adebayo, while confirming the death, said, “The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) profoundly regrets to announce a grievous and fatal road traffic collision which occurred today at Atura Bus Stop, inbound Badagry, involving a 16-seater commercial Mazda bus, registration number KJA 811 YF, and a DAF truck, marked T1 4636 LA.

READ ALSO:One Dies, 10 Injured In Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Accident Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

“The tragic accident instantly claimed the lives of eight passengers, including the driver of the ill-fated bus and his conductor, casting a somber pall over the Badagry axis and leaving the community in profound mourning and collective grief.”

The LASTMA image maker also continued that, “LASTMA operatives, in concert with personnel from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the Nigeria Police Force (Morogbo Division), and the 244 Battalion of the Nigerian Army (Ibereko Barracks), swiftly launched a coordinated rescue operation at the accident scene.

Their timely intervention led to the successful extraction of eight surviving passengers, all of whom sustained varying degrees of trauma.”

“These casualties were immediately evacuated to the General Hospital in Badagry via an FRSC vehicle for critical medical attention,” Nigerian Tribune quoted him.

READ ALSO:Police Raid Criminal Hideouts In Delta, Arrest Suspects, Seize Weapons

According to him, “Preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of the commercial bus lost control while navigating at a perilously high speed, leading to a catastrophic collision with a DAF truck.

“The resultant impact was described as cataclysmic, leaving little chance for evasion or survival for several occupants of the bus.”

The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, who visited the crash site to personally evaluate the situation, extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for divine fortitude to help them withstand the immeasurable and irreplaceable loss.

The LASTMA boss described the crash as a “heart-wrenching incident” and also said that it “is a painful reminder of the fragility of life and the urgent need for all road users to embrace caution.”

READ ALSO:Four Die In Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Crash

He solemnly stated that, “No journey should end in such tragedy. May the Almighty grant the deceased eternal rest and console those left behind.”

He further extended warm wishes for a swift and full recovery to the surviving victims still undergoing treatment.

Mr. Bakare-Oki issued a stern admonition to commercial and heavy-duty vehicle operators, urging them to eschew excessive speeding, adhere strictly to safety protocols, and ensure regular maintenance of their vehicles to avoid unnecessary fatalities.