Metro
Rage In Imo As Erosion Kills, Swallows Houses

Succour may be on the way for the people and residents of Ideato South and Ideato North local government areas of Imo State, as the Senate has called on the relevant Federal Government, FG, agencies to embark on immediate remedial works on several erosion sites in the area.
This move by the upper chamber of the National Assembly, NASS, became necessary as the people are now, more than ever, faced with existential threats posed by multiple gullies ravaging every nook and cranny of the area.
The Senate noted that the total collapse of erosion sites has led to the loss of human lives, and property worth over N4 billion as well as inflicted severe injuries on many people.
In Imo, the sites of gully erosions are commonplace. However, Ideato is believed to be the most erosion-prone area in the state with over 200 erosion sites across the federal constituency. The entire Ideato nation is gasping and in shambles as a result of ecological problems.
READ ALSO: Imo Guber: Opposition Parties To Pay N54m Before Campaign
As the rains pound harder, the gullies are expanding daily. These days, buildings cave in even when there’s no rain, it is more like landslides. The people are frustrated and hapless and unhappy with the government’s slow pace in managing active erosion sites in the two council areas.
According to Sunday Vanguard findings, no fewer than 30 residential homes have been swept and over 15 people have lost their lives in the monstrous menace. Among the victims, we gathered, are two elderly siblings, Mr. Benedict Agughasi and Festa Agughasi of Obiohia community.
Communities mostly affected include Umuchima, Obiohia, Ogboko, Ugbelle, Amanator, Umueshi, Urualla, UmumaIsiaku, Obodoukwu, Isiokpo, Akpulu, Isiekeneisii, Umuobom, Akokwa and Ntueke.
Loss of homes, farmlands
While many have lost their homes and farmlands, others have abandoned theirs and have been forcefully separated from their kiths and kin. Although there are no verified independent sources to ascertain the monetary/economic value of damages done by the gullies in Ideato, it is estimated to run into billions of Naira, including loss of critical infrastructures such as roads, power and telephone installations, cables and pipes.
In the last two years, a major road that connects Imo to Anambra and many other states in the country, the Orlu-Obiohia-Akokwa-Uga federal road, has been cut off at Urasi River, leaving in its trail, destructions, wailing and crying.
READ ALSO: 170 Buildings Set Ablaze, 50 Persons Killed In Imo – Igbo Youth Leader Laments
Those who spoke to our reporter said the erosion along the federal road was long identified but nothing serious was done to check the advancing gully until the highway bowed to the superior force of flood, leaving motorists and other road users stranded and at the mercy of hoodlums.
SOS
While appealing to relevant authorities to save the people from extinction, the President-General of Umuchima community, Mr. Chibueze Emelu, said: “Erosion has swept off houses and farmlands forcing people to flee their ancestral homes. Our people are on the verge of being cut off. The economic and social life is threatened by gully erosions. We are calling on the Federal Government to come to our aid. they must act now as communities in this area no longer have access to anywhere.”
Looming Catastrophe
A former member of the Ideato South LGA Caretaker Committee, Hon. Ifeanyi Duru, had expressed worries that the situation has assumed catastrophic proportions. According to him, not many “have the faintest idea of the magnitude of this environmental disaster looming.
“Recently, I took out time and went around all the erosion sites in my community, Obiohia with a photographer to get a pictorial view of the situation. What I found out that very day really shook me to the marrow.
“From the road connecting Obiohia/Umueshi, through the Ozuomba Mbadiwe University northernmost gate, to the erosion that runs through Umuezee, and finally, the monstrous endless abyss around Umuezee/Agbala axis, that has become a potentially existential threat to us as a community.
“Though the pictures and report from that exercise were submitted to the current government in power by myself, I still believe that the community needs to rise to the challenges and threats posed to her environment by this ugly development.”
READ ALSO: Gunmen Abduct Imo Catholic Priest Returning From Funeral
Imo govt’s efforts
The Imo State government has said that the ecological problem in Ideato is way beyond it. Governor Hope Uzodimma through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Oguwike Nwachukwu, said he was not only worried about the situation in the area but anywhere erosion is posing a threat to lives and property in Imo.
“For Ideato, the governor is very much in touch with the Federal Government’s Ecological Funds Office, EFO, through the Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government. Recently, a team from the EFO visited the erosion sites to evaluate the situation on the intervention of the governor”, Nwachukwu said.
Not our responsibility
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Works, Mr. Raph Nwosu, has declared that the affected Orlu-Mgbee-Obiohia-Akokwa road was not the responsibility of the state government.
“The road in question is a federal road, therefore, it’s not our responsibility to do it. We are only trying to intervene. However, when we came, we saw that the ecological problem is huge and requires proper studying because if you build a bridge there it will collapse if it’s not properly studied.
“So people are studying it and after the study, we will go ahead and award the project. Initially, we thought it was a small problem but when we got there, it was larger than we thought. Therefore, we needed proper studying before awarding the contract. So we are only doing the FG a favour for it’s their responsibility”, Nwosu stated.
Legislative intervention
Worried by the magnitude of the devastation, the Senator representing Imo West (Orlu zone) senatorial district, Mr. Osita Izunaso, a fortnight ago, moved a motion of “Urgent Need to Carry-Out Remedial Work on Obodoukwu, Urualla, Akokwa, Umumaisiaku, Umuchima and Umueshi Gully Erosion Sites in Ideato North and Ideato South LGAs, Imo State”
READ ALSO: Five Things To Know About Simon Ekpa, Pro-Biafra Agitator
Presenting the motion, Izunaso noted the economic impact of the continuous loss of lives, businesses, and properties of individuals, NGOs, and the government as floods are burying them under debris day after day.
Concerned that the gullies and floodwaters are now beyond the Imo state government, the lawmaker stressed the need for FG’s presence and urgency to undertake immediate remedial work to mitigate the risks and prevent further loss of lives, properties, and environmental degradation in the affected areas.
The Senate, in its resolutions, urged the EFO and the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA. to jointly and urgently engage relevant experts, including geologists, hydrologists, and environmental engineers, to conduct the assessment and implement measures such as slope stabilization, gabion installations, terracing, re-vegetation, and construction of retaining walls to prevent further losses and minimize the risks to nearby infrastructure, communities, LGAs, and states.
It also urged the emergency agency to urgently implement a community resettlement plan, where necessary, to relocate residents from high-risk areas, providing them with adequate housing, livelihood support, and necessary amenities;
The lawmakers further asked NEMA and EFO to establish community-based initiatives to enhance resilience, such as emergency response teams, evacuation plans, and the formation of local task forces focused on disaster management; outlining the achieved milestones, challenges encountered, and plans for future actions every four weeks.
Metro
18-year-old Hangs Self, Police Launch Investigation

The Benue State Police Command has confirmed the death of an 18-year-old identified as Tersoo Veregh, who allegedly took his own life in Makurdi, the state capital.
According to Zagazola Makama, the deceased’s father, Mr. Veregh Nathaniel, of Iorkyaako Street, High Level area of Makurdi, made the tragic discovery around 2:00 a.m. on October 4, when he stepped out of his room to ease himself and found his son hanging from the ceiling.
READ ALSO:How Becoming Bank Manager At 27 Changed My Life, Tony Elumelu Urges Trust In Africa’s Youths
Following the report, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of ‘B’ Division, Makurdi, led a team of detectives to the scene. The body was photographed and later taken to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital mortuary.
Police authorities said an investigation has commenced to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Metro
Police Intercept Illicit Drugs, Recover Pistols In Delta

The Delta State Police Command has intercepted a truck loaded with large quantities of suspected illicit drugs.
The truck, with registration number 3BGT 18LG, driven by one Dennis Uruma, a 52-year-old man from Igalamela Local Government Area of Kogi State, was intercepted by a patrol team of the Eagle Net Special Squad, Asaba, led by Commander SP Danyaya Yunusa.
The operation was conducted in synergy with the Office of the Executive Assistant to the Delta State Governor on Illicit Drugs and Human Trafficking.
READ ALSO:NDLEA Intercepts 174 Parcels Of Cocaine Hidden In Body Cream Containers
The driver was arrested after the search, while the counting and measurement of the exhibits are ongoing.
In another development, on October 3, 2025, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, led by Commander CSP Nosa Alex, acting on credible intelligence, conducted a targeted raid on a suspected criminal hideout around the Basket Market area of Asaba.
During the operation, three suspects, Rabbi Godwin, 25, Lucky Nanakumo, 20, and David Igwe, 19, were arrested.
A search of the location yielded one fabricated Beretta pistol, which was recovered and secured as evidence.
READ ALSO:Ogoni Women Protest Resumption Of Oil Production, Demand Accountability In $1Bn Cleanup Funds
Again, on October 1, 2025, the DPO ‘B’ Division, Asaba, CSP Edewor Akponegware, led his surveillance team in a swift response to a distress report about a robbery incident around the BONSAAC axis of Asaba, where a female victim was dispossessed of her phone and other valuables at gunpoint by two male suspects.
Working with local vigilantes, the team established a discreet cordon and began a methodical sweep of adjoining streets.
The coordinated push paid off when officers intercepted one suspect, Amara Nwako, 21, a male indigene of Oko, while his accomplice fled into an uncompleted building.
A locally made pistol was recovered during a search of the immediate vicinity. Preliminary findings revealed a possible cult affiliation linking the suspect to a certain Arobaga secret cult.
According to Bright Edafe, the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, all the suspects remain in custody, while a manhunt is underway for the fleeing accomplice.
(DAILY POST)
Metro
NDLEA Intercepts 174 Parcels Of Cocaine Hidden In Body Cream Containers

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted 174 parcels of cocaine concealed in body cream containers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
This operation, which was part of its efforts to dismantle two major drug cartels, led to six separate cocaine shipments destined for the UK. On September 16, NDLEA operatives seized 13.4 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden in cocoa butter containers.
A cargo agent was arrested, directing investigators to 56-year-old Hammed Taofeek Ode, identified as the syndicate leader.
READ ALSO:My Husband Wants To Take A New Wife, Threatens To Kill Me If I Refuse To Leave, Woman Tells Court
After weeks of intelligence gathering, the NDLEA coordinated with police to apprehend Ode, who had spent over 27 years in various European countries before returning to Nigeria in 2024.
“During his preliminary interview, Alhaji Hammed Ode admitted ownership of the consignment, which he claimed he bought at over N150 million. He described himself as a businessman and real estate developer, ” the statement reads.
READ ALSO:NDLEA Busts Cartel, Recovers ₦6.4bn Drugs From Kingpins
In another development, five attempts by a different cartel to export cocaine to the UK were thwarted between September 26 and October 2. On September 26, the NDLEA intercepted 2.1 kg of cocaine hidden in hair cream containers at MMIA, leading to the arrest of Smith David Korede. An additional 1.4 kg of cocaine was recovered from his location.
On October 2, two more suspects, Ogunbiyi Oluseye Taiwo and Popoola Francis Olumuyiwa, were arrested after two UK-bound shipments were seized. In other states, including Kwara, Kaduna, Ogun, Osun, Edo, and Kogi, several suspects were also arrested with varying amounts of tramadol and cannabis.
- Headline5 days ago
Church Scaffold Collapse Kills 36
- News3 days ago
JUST IN: Court Bars Police From Enforcing Tinted Glass Regulation
- News5 days ago
Nigeria’s 65th Independence: Tinubu’s Full Speech
- News5 days ago
Killings: 130 Pan-Yoruba Groups Petition UN Secretary-general, Warn Of ‘Looming Genocide’
- Metro5 days ago
Edo Police Kill Two Suspected Kidnappers In Gun Duel
- News5 days ago
NAFDAC Orders Removal Of 101 Products, Warns against Sale, Use
- Metro5 days ago
20 Feared Dead In Kogi Boat Mishap
- News4 days ago
JUST IN: NSCDC Commandant, Slumps, Dies In Edo
- News5 days ago
Nigeria @65: A Long Walk To Freedom
- News5 days ago
FG, Nigerian Army Intensify Forces To Combat Proliferation Of small Arms, Light Weapons