Metro

[UPDATED] Official Activities Paralysed As Students’ Govt, IYC Shut NPDC, Benin Office

Published

2 years ago

October 27, 2021

Mail gate of the NPDC office, Benin

Official activities at the the Benin office of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, were brought to a partial halt on Wednesday as Niger Delta Students’ Union Government in collaboration with Ijaw Youths Council, IYC, Western Zone shut down the office.

The students and IYC members who arrived the Benin office as early as 9:00am shut all entries to the office, thereby obstructing staff, contractors and visitors from going out or coming in.

The angry students and IYC members who waited at the entrance for several hours were later asked to present representives for a meeting of which they did and they were inside for the meeting which lasted for hours.

But coming out of the meeting, they all expressed disappointment as it shows all over their faces

Fielding questions from newsmen after the meeting, Comrade Romeo Emieye, coordinator, Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, workshop which was organised by the NPDC for the students, said there was an agreement reached as regards the the workshop but unfortunately what they met on ground was different from the agreement reached hence they came to express their displeasure.

He lamented that they were expecting to hold a meeting with the management team of the company but unfortunately the manager, security and other staff who do not have a say in the company came to attend to them.

Emieye who told journalists that they were told by those that attended to them in the meeting that top management staff of the company were all not around because but were out to join one of the management staff whose daughter is getting married tomorrow, further lamented, “this means they know what they are doing. Just to show us the blueprint of the workshop is an Issue. The Community Relations Department is currently running away from us.The manager, security is saying he is not aware of all the approval made.”

He continues, “At this point, we now understand that, the NPDC management is playing a game with the Niger Delta students. They are saying we should reconvene here tomorrow and that the management team will be on ground, of which we are not sure.
We will not accept a laptop bag that has no laptop but just a cord.”

The Coordinator vowed that they were going to reconvene at the office tomorrow morning, and that if they failed to yield to their demands they would shut NNPC office in Abuja and other subsidiary offices across the Niger Delta.

Also speaking, Olu-Derimon Omaghomi, secretary, Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Western Zone, said the meeting ended in a deadlock as nothing was achieved.

Omaghomi who corroborated Emieye’s claims that there were some agreement that were reached as regards transportation fee, feeding and daily stipends for all participants, called for the sack of the Managing Director, NPDC.

Omaghomi said, “These students from the nine Niger Delta states are stranded. The workshop is supposed to end today and the accommodations will expire today. The training is in two batches of 25 persons. The first batch are stranded and the last one is also stranded.

“We want the Managing Director, NPDC to be sacked. He is a northerner. We cannot be producing crude oil, and a northerner who doesn’t have oil in his state to head the company. We call on the Federal Government to sack the MD with immediate effect.”

Also speaking, Osemudiamen Ogbidi, one of the participants and spokesperson, Nigerian Students and Youth Association (NISAYA) said “We cannot benefit and boast as Niger Deltans. Over the years, we have had series of meetings amounting to neglect and marginalization from corporate organizations. I belong to the second batch list for the workshop, but we were given a laptop bag without laptop in it.”

Another participant who does not want his name in print noted, “They promised to organise a workshop with payment of stipend and a laptop to each participant. But on the day of the workshop, they came with laptops bag that had no laptop but only charger. And the stipend they promised to pay, they have been playing prank on us.”

Metro

Court Stops Rivers Govt From Withholding LG Allocations

Published

59 mins ago

April 26, 2024

Editor

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, stopped the Rivers State Government from withholding financial allocations of the 42 Local Government areas in the state, pending the determination of a suit that was brought before it.

The court, in a ruling Friday, ordered the local government Chairmen in the state and nine others, who had filed the suit to maintain status quo, pending the determination of the matter.

The ruling followed an ex-parte application in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/537/2024, argued by Mr. Aliyu Hussein, counsel to the plaintiffs.

Cited as plaintiffs in the matter are: Dr Chidi LLoyd, Chairman, Emohua Local Government, Hon Alwell Ihunda, Chairman, Port Harcourt Local Government, Dr Nwanosike Samuel, Ikwerre Local Government Area; Barrister George Ariolu, Chairman, Obio-Akpor Local Government; Dr Obbinna Anyawu, Chairman, Etchi Local Government Area; and Hon Chidorom Nwaiwu, Chairman, Omuma Local Government Area.

Others include Dr Hope Ikiriko, Chairman of Ahoada West Local Government Area; Barrister Benjamin Isreal Eke, Chairman of Ahoada East Local Government; and Dr Roland Sekibo, Chairman of Akuku-Toru LGA.

The presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, stopped the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Police Commissioner in Rivers, Director General, State Security Service, SSS and its Director, who were cited as defendants in the matter, from withdrawing the security personnel of the LG Chairmen, pending the final resolution of their motion on notice.

Justice Omotosho held that the Rivers State Government should not frustrate or prevent the LG Chairmen from discharging their duties and rendering services to their respective councils till the determination of the suit.

The plaintiffs approached the court, praying for an order of interim injunction to restrain the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Chairman, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Rivers State Government, Attorney General of Rivers and Commissioner for Finance, from withholding the revenue accrued to them.

They also sought an order from the court to restrain the IGP, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers, the SSS, its Director, and the AGF, from withdrawing the security personnel attached to them.

They equally prayed the court to prohibit the defendants from preventing the enforcement or implementation of the newly amended Rivers State Local Government Law N:5 of 2024 pending the determination of the motion.

In a 33-paragraph affidavit in support of the application deposed to by Dr Chidi LLoyd, Chairman of Emohua Local Government, the Chairmen claimed to have been duly elected in a democratically conducted election for a term of three years under the provisions of the Rivers State Local Government Law.

They asserted that they are autonomous and constitutionally recognised as one of the tiers of the government, adding that the Rivers State House of Assembly enacted the Rivers State Amended Law to guide their affairs and activities.

They claimed that the Rivers State Government, AG and Finance Commissioner, who are not happy with the amended law, have approached the IGP, CP, DG SSS and Director SSS, seeking the withdrawal of policing and other security services from them to frustrate the implementation of the amended law.

The Chairmen alleged that the Police Commissioner in the state, who has the responsibility to advise the IGP on the policing and security needs of Rivers State, is under substantial control of the Rivers State Government and would implement the directive of the state government.

They held that it would be impossible for them to carry out their respective functions and duties without the policing and security services of the IGP.

They prayed the court to restrain the defendants, especially the Rivers State Government, from taking the law into their hands.

In his ruling, Justice Omotoso ordered all parties in the suit to maintain the status quo pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for an interlocutory injunction.

The judge warned that no party should take any step that would make the motion on notice nugatory.

“The plaintiffs are hereby ordered to serve the motion on notice seeking an interlocutory injunction on the defendants to enable them to have the opportunity to respond to the same.

“That this matter is adjourned to the 2nd day of May 2024 for the hearing of the motion on notice,” the court held.

PUNCH

Metro

Two Fake Police Inspectors Arrested In Edo

Published

2 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Editor

Men of the Edo State Police Command have paraded two fake police inspectors arrested in connection with illicit drugs valued at N20 million in the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye, who disclosed this to newsmen in Benin City, said they were among the five-man criminal gang specialized in dealing in illicit drugs.

He gave the names of the two fake police officers as Alex Akaeze, 39, and Kadiri Hassan, 45.

He also listed other members of the gang including Ovie Samuel, 46; Stanley Itota, 45; and Felix Oputi, 46.

Adegboye explained that the suspects were arrested by operatives of the Command’s Intelligence and Rapid Response Squad at a guest house operated by ome Samuel at No 5, Colobus Street, off Upper Mission Extension Road, Benin City.

He added that the illicit drug called ‘ice’ weighed 1,080 kilograms with a street value of N20 million.

He said that investigation was ongoing and that the suspects would soon be charged to court.

When interrogated, one of the suspects, Akaeze, said he was enlisted into the Police Force in 2009.

Akaeze, who insisted he is a Police Inspectorz added that he was transferred to Zamfara State from AIG Zone 2, Lagos State.

According to him: “I am an Inspector of Police. I was enlisted in 2009, I started in Ketu, and from there to SARS. I was transferred to Zamfara, but I did not go.

“I worked myself back to Zone 2, and from there I was transferred to Lagos State Command, from where we were later transferred to Alagbon in September last year, but we were yet to report for duty there.

“These two officers [Command operatives] are our colleagues, we worked together in IRT, I have their phone numbers and I called them before I came down from Lagos and I told them that I had an urgent arrest to make and wanted them to follow us and they agreed.

“Although I told them that I still serve at Alagbon, I didn’t tell them the truth that we have not reported for duty there. We were with them in their office yesterday and they led us to make the arrest. We were however surprised that they suddenly changed it for us and arrested us with the drug dealers” he said

On his part, Kadiri Hassan, who also insisted he is a Police Inspector, added that he joined the Police Force in 2008.

He also disclosed that he was yet to report to duty at Alagbon when he was transferred in February this year.

Ovie Samuel, who procured the hard drug, denied knowledge of the trade.

“The people called me and said that they needed ice and I called my brother in Delta State to bring it for them, only for them to reveal their real identities that they are policemen” he stated

Metro

JUST IN: Oyo LG Polls: Hoodlums Attack Electoral Officials, Snatch Ballot Papers [PHOTO]

Published

9 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Editor

Hoodlums suspected to be political thugs have reportedly snatched ballot papers meant to be used for local government elections in Kajola Local Government Area of Oyo state.

DAILY POST gathered that the ballot papers were hijacked by the hoodlums in the early hours of Friday.

The ballot papers are to be used in the local government election slated for Saturday.

The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission, OYSIEC, is conducting the election in all the 33 local government areas in the state.

A source noted that the snatched ballot papers have been recovered from the suspects.

He added that about 14 suspects have been arrested.

The source who bagged not to be named, also revealed that the affected ballot papers have been taken back to Ibadan.

OYSIEC Chairman, Isiaka Olagunju, when contacted, confirmed the attack on electoral officials.

He, however, said that no ballot paper was snatched.

Olagunju, in a telephone conversation with DAILY POST on Friday, maintained that the Divisional Police Officer in the town has been mandated to arrest the suspects.

“That is not true. The fact is that there was an attack on our officials last night.

“Our officials were attacked at our office at Okeho. No ballot paper was snatched.

“In fact, the DPO of Okeho and other security agencies followed our EO to come back to Ibadan. They just went back to Okeho now. And we have directed the DPO of Okeho to arrest the suspects. That is what happened.”