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Electric Cable Thief Meets Waterloo In Akwa Ibom, Electrocuted

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An electric cable thief in Ikot Ekpene, Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State ran out of luck on Wednesday as he was electrocuted while trying to thief cable belonging to Port Harcourt Electricity Distributing Company (PHED).

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Eye witness account has it that the vandal met his waterloo in the early hours of today, Wednesday while trying to disconnect light from the high tension wire along old Itu Road in Ikot Ekpene, Ikot Ekpene local government area of the state.

The culprit, whose lifeless body after being trapped, was seen early in the morning by the residents of the area was alleged to be one the syndicates whose stalk in trade is to vandalize public utility cables (electrical installations) and sell to their ready buyers.

READ ALSO: Mysterious Fire Guts Secondary School In Akwa Ibom, Proprietor Cries For Help

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Their activities, an eyewitness said have been one of the reasons of frequent power outage in the area, inspite of the state government efforts to ensure power for all.

Narrating the problem the area was made to go through as a result of the activities of these electrical installation vandals, one Ime Samuel, a resident of the area said, “Our light has not been stable, and each time we took complaints to them, they would blame cable thieves and asked us to contribute money for it to be fixed”.

“Nine days for the thief and one day for the owner. Good for the man on his way to hell”, Aniefiok Sunday, a beer pub owner exclaimed, lamenting that “sometimes for months there won’t be light and, and because there is power to chill our drinks, patronage is always low. People would prefer to go to the nearby Ikot Ekpene town to enjoy their cash”.

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It was learnt that the syndicates from the neighbouring Aba, Abia State, work in collaboration with Akwa Ibom collaborators, to commit the crime.

“The always come from Aba in Abia state, using our local collaborators here to vandalize underground cables and other electricity installations. Because of this, we made efforts to form vigilante group, but we discovered the vandalization continues due to some informants among them”, Enobong Ekanem, a member of the local youths’ group recalled.

Though was yet to come up with official statement on the incident as at the time of filing this report, it was learnt that the lifeless body the thief has been taken away by the police from Ikot Ekpene Area Command.

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READ ALSO: Just In: Six Feared Killed As Gunmen Attack Akwa Ibom Police Station

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Tragedy As Erosion Sweeps Away Motorcyclist In Edo

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Photo: file copy

Tragedy struck Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State, as a motorcyclist, popularly known as Okada, was swept away by erosion.

The tragic incident which reportedly happened after a heavy downpour on Tuesday evening, has sparked renewed concern over the worsening case of erosion in most parts of Edo State.

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The incident was captured in a viral video that is circulating widely across social media platforms.

In the video, an individual was heard narrating that the incident occurred at Uwenlenbo Road, near Zekor Hotel in Ekpoma.

The narrator in the video
described the scene as horrifying, adding that the powerful rush of water overwhelmed the rider.

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READ ALSO: Scientists Find Proof That Breast Cancer Recurrence Can Be Eliminated

According to the voice, the rider was carrying a female passenger, before he was swept away by the furious erosion, which had a free day due to lack of proper water channel in most parts of the state.

Another voice was heard in the video asking people to assist the bike rider who was struggling with the wave of water until he was swept away.

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The victim’s bike plate number was thereafter displayed by sympathizers who begged those who know him to come up to identify him.

the sympathisers in the video called for urgent intervention by both state and federal government agencies, lamenting that erosion continues to threaten lives and property in the state.

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Customs Unveil E-clearance Platform To Decongest Apapa Port

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The Nigeria Customs Service has launched Overtime E-Clearance System, an automated platform aimed at improving cargo management and reducing port congestion at Apapa Port.

According to the Service, the platform, unveiled on Monday, will address a staggering 15-year backlog of abandoned cargo and tackle corruption in the system.

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Customs announced this in a statement on its X handle on Tuesday.

Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, officially introduced the system during a sensitisation exercise in Lagos.

READ ALSO:10 Things Candidates Should Know About Customs Recruitment CBT Exams

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He said the platform will enable consignees to submit and track applications remotely, cutting repeated visits to Customs offices and limiting manual interference.

The system builds on an earlier policy that extended cargo dwelling periods from 30 to 120 days to give stakeholders more flexibility. The focus is transparency, integrity and adherence to the law. We urge stakeholders to test the system and provide feedback ahead of full deployment,” Adeniyi said.

NCos boss warned against attempts to abuse the process, citing a 15-year-old overtime cargo case still under investigation as an example of why loopholes must be closed.

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READ ALSO: Customs Appoint New Controller For Ondo/Ekiti Command

He added that deliberate abandonment of cargo to evade duties would attract tougher sanctions, with intelligence units monitoring misuse.

Under the rollout plan, Customs will hold further sensitisation sessions this week with terminal operators, shipping companies and other stakeholders before expanding engagement to additional commands.

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Deployment will follow once feedback is reviewed and legal queries addressed, the statement added.

According to The PUNCH, this development comes shortly after Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, directed Customs to suspend the implementation of the 4% Free on Board levy on imported goods.

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DSS Sues Sowore, X, Meta Over Anti-Tinubu Post

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The Department of State Services has filed a five-count charge against former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, alongside social media platforms X Corp and Meta Incorporation, over posts critical of President Bola Tinubu.

The suit dated 16th September,2025, was lodged at the Federal High Court in Abuja after Sowore allegedly refused to delete certain posts about the President.

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The charges were brought on behalf of the DSS and the Federal Government by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, alongside four other counsel to the DSS –M.E. Ernest, U.B. Bulla, Dr. C.S. Eze, and E.G. Orubor.

Confirming the development in a Facebook post on Tuesday , Sowore wrote, “The State Security Service, alias @OfficialDSSNG today filed a 5-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against ‘X’ (formerly Twitter Facebook, and myself. They claimed that because I called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu a criminal, I have somehow committed a set of ‘novel’ offences they invented and spread across five counts.

READ ALSO:Rivers: 70 CSOs Ask NASS To Summon Ibas To Give Account

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It’s hard to believe there’s anyone sensible left in these offices that should be making Nigeria work. Regardless, I will be present whenever this case is assigned for trial. #RevolutionNow.”

The human rights activist and African Action Congress candidate in the 2023 election had vowed not to delete the controversial tweet, despite a request from the DSS to X demanding its removal.

Restating his stance, Sowore wrote, “This morning, X (formerly Twitter) officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the lawless DSS over my Tweet on Tinubu. One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you, @X.”

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He also published the message sent to him by X, which confirmed that the platform had received a legal request from the DSS concerning his post.

READ ALSO:Alleged Infidelity: Soludo’s Wife Issues Senator Ekwunife Ultimatum To Apologize

The message from X read, “Hello @YeleSowore. In the interest of transparency, we are writing to inform you that X has received a request from the Department of State Services regarding your X account, @YeleSowore, that claims the following content violates the law(s) of Nigeria. @YeleSowore, we have not taken any action on the reported content at this time as a result of this request.

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“As X strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users, it is our policy to notify our users if we receive a legal request from an authorised entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account. We provide notice whether or not the user lives in the country where the request originated. This page provides more information

“We understand that receiving this type of notice can be an unsettling experience. While X is not able to provide legal advice, we want you to have an opportunity to evaluate the request and, if you wish, take appropriate action to protect your interests.

READ ALSO:DSS Gives X Ultimatum To Pull Down Sowore’s Tweet

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“This may include seeking legal counsel and challenging the request in court, contacting relevant civil society organisations, voluntarily deleting the content (if applicable), or finding some other resolution.

“For more information on legal requests X receives from governments worldwide, please refer to this article on our Help Centre and our biannual Transparency Report.”

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