Metro

Rivers: Oil Spill Causes Palpable Panic Amidst Environmental, Livelihoods Concerns

Published

11 months ago

December 20, 2024

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

Residents of communities in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State have been thrown into palpable panic following a recent oil spill that spread all over their shoreline.

Stakeholders who visited the affected areas along the Oyorokoto/Agbama/Imo River, were told by community sources that the spill was suspected to be from an SPDC facility in Bonny Island – “spreading to the Oyorokoto/Agbama/Imo River and thereby impacting communities.”

During the visit, stakeholders comprising representatives from Andoni Host and
Impacted Communities Bureau, the National Youth Council of Nigeria
Andoni, amongst others, were told by another source that Another source that the spill emanated from a pipeline rupture at a Shell loading terminal in Bonny.

They lamented their experience of the magnitude of
the spill, and the immediate impacts they witnessed.

They noted that the oil spill has damaged fishing nets, boats, and other equipment, rendering them unusable.

According to them, the oil spill has contaminated the
waterways, making it impossible for fishermen to engage in their daily
livelihood.

The oil spill has caused significant environmental damage,
including the destruction of mangroves, fish habitats, and other marine life,” they lamented.

They urged the polluting company to quickly contain the spill to avoid
further destruction.

The stakeholders also urged the company to carry out cleanup and remediation as well as provide adequate compensation to the impacted community people.

It was gathered that the spill was huge as its impact is already felt over 40km from the incident site, and there are indications that due to wave action, the
spill will spread to other communities along that coastline.

Reacting to the incident, Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director, Health of Mother Erath Foundation (HOMEF), lamented that “these frequent spills are the harsh realities of community
folks in the Niger Delta and in many cases, nothing is done as the
communities are left to suffer. “

“Most of the pipelines that crisscross
the Niger Delta are as old as when commercial export of crude oil
started in Nigeria and a lot of these spills are coming from these old
pipelines and in some other cases, equipment failure.

“We call on all relevant agencies to beam their search light on these oil
companies to ensure that justice is served,” he concluded.

Recall that a similar spill occurred in Shell’s Trans Niger Pipeline line III on May 11, 2024, in the Asarama community, the same Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State – polluting and contaminating the environment as well as fishing gear and destroying their means of livelihood.

Metro

Police Bust Kidnap Ring, Rescue 23 Foreigners, Arrest 14 Suspects Near Abuja

Published

6 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has dismantled a transnational kidnapping syndicate that demanded N230 million ransom from foreign nationals lured into Nigeria under the guise of lucrative job offers.

Operatives of the command’s Scorpion Squad launched the sting operation around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State, a border community near Abuja.

Fourteen suspected kidnappers were arrested and 23 foreign nationals rescued in the process.

According to police findings, the victims, all West African nationals, were deceived into travelling to Nigeria by a criminal network posing as employment recruiters.

Upon arrival, the victims were held captive, and the kidnappers demanded ransom from their families via WhatsApp and other online platforms.

FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said on Friday that investigations identified the ringleader as Abubakar Jigiba, a suspected notorious cross-border criminal with known residences in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria.

The syndicate, she explained, demanded four million CFA francs (about N10 million) per person, a total ransom demand of N230 million.

Adeh confirmed that efforts are ongoing to track down the principal suspect, Abubakar Jigiba, and his brother, Sougule Zoubere, both of whom remain at large.

She said: “In a major breakthrough against kidnapping and human trafficking, operatives of the FCT Police Command’s Scorpion Squad have successfully arrested fourteen (14) suspected kidnappers and rescued twenty-three (23) victims, all foreign nationals, from captivity.

“The intelligence-led operation took place at about 8 p.m. on Tuesday, 21st October 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

“The operation followed a report indicating that several foreign nationals had been lured into Nigeria under the pretext of lucrative job offers. Upon arrival, they were held hostage by their abductors, who demanded ransom payments from their families via WhatsApp and other online platforms.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the syndicate is coordinated by one Abubakar Jigiba, a transnational criminal kingpin with known residences in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria. His younger brother, Sougule Zoubere, handles the recruitment, kidnapping and smuggling of victims from Mali into Nigeria, where they are detained pending ransom payments. The group demanded four million CFA (N10,000,000) for each victim.

“Further investigations revealed that the victims were trafficked into the country through illegal border routes in a journey lasting about three days. They were subsequently confined in two fortified two-bedroom apartments under inhumane conditions.

“Acting on actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence, the Scorpion Squad traced the hideout to the above address, where a total of twenty-three (23) victims — fourteen (14) males, eight (8) females and one (1) child — were rescued unhurt, except one who sustained a minor ear injury and has been taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for treatment.”

Metro

Woman Begs Court Not To Grant Husband’s Prayer For Divorce

Published

6 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

A housewife, Fauziya Ibrahim, has begged an Area Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, not to grant her husband, Hamza Musbau’s prayer of divorce.

She told the court that she does not want her marriage dissolved.

“I have been married to my husband for 16 years and I want to remain in this marriage,” she told the court.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),Earlier, Hamza prayed for divorce on grounds of lack of love and affection.

The judge, Mr Toyin Aluko, said that on the strength of the provisions of the Holy Quran, Almighty Allah allows a wife to seek for settlement, just as divorce is allowed.

He, therefore, advised Fauziya to try her best to make peace and settle any misunderstanding between them.

Aluko adjourned the case.

Metro

Woman Seeks Divorce Over Alleged Abandonment, Abuse

Published

6 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

A married woman, Love Thomas, has dragged her husband, Joshua, before an upper Customary Court sitting in Kaduna, Kaduna State, over alleged abandonment and violence.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the complainant’s lawyer, Victoria Omajawu prayed the court to dissolve their marriage on the grounds of abandonment.

She also prayed the court to restrain the defendant from threatening and disturbing her client’s peace or tranquility.

The defendant was however not in court.

The judge, Mrs Patience Musa, adjourned the case.