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  • NSCDC wades into industrial crisis in Bayelsa

    The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC), Bayelsa State Command,  recently, organised a stakeholders’ meeting to resolve the protracted crisis among producers of table and sachet water in the state.

    Prior to the meeting, the was a dispute between producers of the product whose factories were located within the state and others who were bringing similar products from outside the state. The vans of persons bringing in the products were constantly ambushed and harassed by aggrieved youths raising security concerns especially in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    The meeting was attended by the Special Adviser to Bayelsa Governor on Security, Boma Sparo-Jack,  representatives of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and  executive members of  Association of Table  Water Producers of Nigeria(ATWAP) from Bayelsa,  Delta, Imo, and Rivers states, among others. ATWAP National President, Mr. Ubina Ubi also attended the programme.

    In fact, ATWAP,  Bayelsa State chapter, has been at loggerheads with their counterparts from the neighbouring states who bring packaged water into the state, a development that generated security concerns.

    To avert possible bloodshed, the State Commandant,  NSCDC, Mr. Desmond Agu, decided to call all the stakeholders to discuss their disagreements and find lasting solutions to the problems. Agu said the event was organised to avoid crisis in Bayelsa State.

    He said there were situations people blocked the supply of packaged water coming into the state from Delta,  Imo, Rivers and other places.

    He said such a development if not promptly tackled could lead to a breakdown of law and order in the state.

    He said: “To avoid such problems,  that is why we organised this stakeholders meeting for all ofnthem them to come for dialogue to resolve the problems. We are optimistic that today, we are going to iron out all the issues for a long lasting solution.

    “As you are all aware, the NSCDC by virtue of the Act 2003 as amended in 2007, section 3, subsection 1 (4) (6), the corps is saddled with the responsibility “to arrange,  mediate in settlement of disputes among willing members of the public’ which your association is part of.

    “In view of this, the corps has convened this stakeholders meeting to fashion,  harmonise all members of ATWAP doing business in Bayelsa and also to proffer a lasting solution to the lingering  crisis existing among you.”

    In his speech, Sparo-Jack eulogized Agu for being proactive in managing crisis in the state. He appealed to other security agencies to imitate the zeal and commitment of NCDC in nipping problems in the bud. He asked producers of water to put their acts together to grow the industry and contribute to peace in the state.

    The Chairman,  ATWAP, Bayelsa State,  Capt. C.K. Emiemokumo (retd.),  lamented the problems facing packaged water producers in Bayelsa over the years.

    He said that some of their counterparts from neighbouring states turned the state into a dumping ground for all sort of contaminated water.

    He commended the meeting, saying it would put a stop to the unbridled influx of all sorts of water into the state.

    He said suppliers of substandard water refused to register with ATWAP Bayelsa State so that their activities would continue without any check or control.

    He said: “ NAFDAC conducts annual recertification tests on all water producing companies every year. But regrettably,  we have no way of knowing which companies were tested or which were not since ATWAP has no record or control over the water that comes into Bayelsa.”

    He, therefore,  called on the state government  security agencies and all other stakeholders to cooperate with ATWAP in Bayelsa to be able to have control on the companies bringing water into the state.

  • NSCDC wades into industrial crisis in Bayelsa

    NSCDC wades into industrial crisis in Bayelsa

    The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC), Bayelsa State Command, Saturday, organised a stakeholders’ meeting to resolve the protracted crisis among producers of table and sachet water in the state.

    The meeting was attended by the Special Adviser to Bayelsa Governor on Security, Boma Sparo-Jack, representatives of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and executive members of Association of Table Water Producers of Nigeria(ATWAP) from Bayelsa, Delta, Imo, and Rivers states, among others.

    ATWAP, Bayelsa State chapter, has been at loggerheads with their counterparts from the neighbouring states who bring packaged water into the state, a development generated security concerns.

    The State Commandant, NSCDC, Mr. Desmond Agu, said the event was organised to avoid crisis in Bayelsa State.

    He said there were situations people blocked the supply of packaged water coming into the state from Delta, Imo, Rivers and other places.

    He said such a development if not promptly tackled could lead to a breakdown of law and order in the state.

    He said: “To avoid such problems, that is why we organised this stakeholders meeting for all ofnthem them to come for dialogue to resolve the problems. We are optimistic that today, we are going to iron out all the issues for a long lasting solution.

    “As you are all aware, the NSCDC by virtue of the Act 2003 as amended in 2007, section 3, subsection 1 (4) (6), the corps is saddled with the responsibility “to arrange, mediate in settlement of disputes among willing members of the public’ which your association is part of.

    “In view of this, the corps has convened this stakeholders meeting to fashion, harmonise all members of ATWAP doing business in Bayelsa and also to proffer a lasting solution to the lingering crisis existing among you.”

    The Chairman, ATWAP, Bayelsa State, Capt. C.K. Emiemokumo (retd.), lamented the problems facing packaged water producers in Bayelsa over the years.

    He said that some of their counterparts from neighbouring states turned the state into a dumping ground for all sort of contaminated water.

    He commended the meeting, saying it would put a stop to the unbridled influx of all sorts of water into the state.

    He said suppliers of substandard water refused to register with ATWAP Bayelsa State so that their activities would continue without any check or control.

    He said: ” NAFDAC conducts annual recertification tests on all water producing companies every year. But regrettably, we have no way of knowing which companies were tested or which were not since ATWAP has no record or control over the water that comes into Bayelsa.”

    He, therefore, called on the state government security agencies and all other stakeholders to cooperate with ATWAP in Bayelsa to be able to have control on the companies bringing water into the state.

  • NSCDC confirms attack on Agip pipeline

    The Bayelsa Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) on Friday confirmed attacks on crude oil pipelines belonging to Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in the state.

    The corps Commandant, Mr. Desmond Agu, said the Agip’s Ogboinbiri-Tebidaba and Clough Creek-Tebidaba Crude Oil pipelines in the state were attacked.

    He said: “The pipelines located within Agip’s oil fields were attacked. We got the reports that the pipeline was attacked when it has been shut down, so there is no loss of crude or leak.

    “We have dispatched our men and have intensified patrols in the area. We are working round the clock to protect critical infrastructure in Bayelsa.”

    A new militant group, Niger Delta Avengers claimed responsibility for the incident in a message from the group’s twitter handle on Thursday.

  • War in Bayelsa creeks as twin blasts hit pipelines

    War in Bayelsa creeks as twin blasts hit pipelines

    Armed militants and a crack team of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) battled in the creeks of Bayelsa State, Saturday, following twin blasts that ruptured pipelines belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and Aiteo.

    Aiteo, had in 2014 acquired the 100kn Nembe trunkline from Shell Production Development Company (SPDC) which Shell still depended on to convey crude to its Bonny Export Terminal.

    At about 2:15am, Saturday, militants carried out two attacks on the pipelines at two different locations in Nembe and Southern Ijaw local government areas of the state.

    It was gathered that the Nembe’s attack occurred at a creek opposite Orubiri community.

    The creek warlords, who were said to have accessed their targeted pipeline through speedboats, reportedly blew the oil facility up with the aide of a dynamite.

    A civil defence operative who spoke in confidence said another blast happened along a pipeline located at Legosgbene in Southern Ijaw.

    He said after the onslaught, the armed militants laid ambush around the area apparently to stop security operatives from accessing the crime scene.

    He said: “There are two blasts from Agip pipeline, one from Tebedeba to Brass. It happened opposite Orubiri community in Nembe. Then another blast happened in Legosgbene in Southern Ijaw.

    “As I am talking to you now, our team has advanced to the Legosgbene. The perpetrators are there laying ambush. We have been exchanging gunfire to be able to reach the site of the incident to see exactly what happened.

    “Our team is also advancing to Orubiri in Nembe with support from the army to ascertain the extant of the damage. Only the team from Nembe is being assisted by the army. For the Southern Ijaw, it is only the civil defence team that is advancing”.

    The state Commandant, NSCDC, Mr. Desmond Agu, confirmed the incident and said the militants were exchanging gunfire with his men at Southern Ijaw.

    He said: “We have deployed two teams to the two different locations where Agip pipelines were attacked in the state. Our team heading for the Southern Ijaw location discovered that the militants laid an ambush in the area. We will soon clear the area and ascertain the extent of damage done to the pipeline”.

    However, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) claimed responsibility for the attacks through its Twitter handle.

    It said: “At about 2:15am on Saturday, avengers blew up Nembe 1, 2, 3 Brass to Bonny Trunkline belonging to Agip and Shell”.

    But residents, yesterday, faulted the silence of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shiled, and its inability to halt the ongoing attacks on pipelines in the state.

    The JTF has maintained sealed lips since the avengers resumed destruction of oil installations in the region with many persons concluding that the activities of the new militant group had overwhelmed the army.

    The Coordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre (JMCC), Col. Isa Ado, has consistently failed to respond to enquiries on the violence in the region.

    There were, however, fears that the constant attacks on oil installation could worsen the economy of Bayelsa as it would further deplete the derivation from oil revenue accruing to the state.

    The state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has not been able to pay backlog of workers’ salaries because of drop in its earnings from oil.

    Th‎e Bayelsa government condemned yesterday’s attack on ‎two crude trunk lines operated by Aiteo and Agi‎p.

    The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, who confirmed the attack in an email on Saturday afternoon condemned the twin attacks and described it as one too many.

    Obuebite lamented the economic impact of destruction of the key oil facility and wondered why the militants would disregard the economy of the state to attack pipelines.

    He observed that despite the concerted efforts of the government to move against such atrocities, the militants were still unrepentant in their acts of vandalism.

    Obuebite urged the group to make their grievances known to appropriate authorities through dialogue embrace dialogue rather than resorting to violence.

    He noted that the activities of the group were adversely affecting Ijaw people whose only source of livelihood is the environment.

    The Commissioner also called on security agents to be at alert and devise other means to protect very important oil and gas facilities to forestall further destructions

    Obuebite also urged Bayelsa residents, especially persons residing in oil-bearing communities to be very vigilant and work closely with security agents to apprehend anyone or group attempting to undermine key national assets.

    But another security source who pleaded anonymity said intelligence at his disposal showed that the militant group was far ahead of the security agencies in the region.

    He said it was unfortunate that amid the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to crush the militant, the group was still carrying out successful attacks on oil installations at different parts of the region.

    The source who fumed at the rate of compromise within the security forces in the region accused some senior officers and operatives of collaborating with the group and its sponsors.

    He said intelligence gathering had unmasked the identity of the person behind the activities of the group but that the hands of some security agencies were too tied to go after them.

    Specifically, the source said a well-known former militant leader solely formed and armed the group.

    But the source claimed that some security operatives were already in the payroll of the ex-militant leader sponsoring the NDA adding that the sponsor has an armoury somewhere in the region.

    He said: “These compromised officers and operatives are the ones providing information about military strategies to these avengers. This is the reason why the group is ahead of the military in the region.

    “Apart from the issue of compromise, Nigeria is not prepared to deal with issues of sabotage in the Niger Delta region. The creeks and waterways are vast. The only way this can be tackled is to set up a Marine Corps like in the United States of America”.

  • NSCDC arrests couple for illegally dealing in petrol

    NSCDC arrests couple for illegally dealing in petrol

    The Ebonyi State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil defense Corps, NSCDC, Thursday arrested a couple (names withheld) who has been in the illegal business of diverting, hoarding and sales of petroleum products from their residence in Abakaliki.

    The State Commandant of the Corps, Shuayb Jibril stated this in Abakaliki, the state capital.

    According to him, the suspects  had been into such illegal business for about 6 years in the state.

    According to the Commandant, they were caught with 4 thousand litres of petroleum products as investigation into the matter were still on to ascertain other facts revolving around the crime.

    “Following intelligent gathering of the command, a woman and her husband were arrested in Abakaliki for diverting large quantities of petroleum products and sales to black marketers above the official pump price. The woman was caught at the scene and later the husband who is the proprietor of the business was arrest.”

    The Commandant condemned the hoarding of petroleum products at residential areas.

    He explained that such initiative had the tendency of causing uncontrollable fire outbreak in the state, which could lead to loss of lives and property of innocent citizens. Ends

    He thanked Governor David Umahi his contributions and initiatives which had promoted peace and unity in the state.

     

  • Three killed as militants, NSCDC men clash in Bayelsa

    Three suspected militants have been killed in a gun battle with operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the creeks of Bayelsa State.

    It was also gathered yesterday that two members of the corps were injured in incident, which occurred on the Snake Creek in Nembe, Nembe Local Government Area.

    The gunmen were said to have sighted the patrol boat of the NSCDC and opened fire on the operatives.

    But the operatives reportedly returned fire, which killed three of the hoodlums and forced others to flee into the creeks with gunshot wounds.

    Militants operating in the state have been attacking, killing security operatives and carting away their arms.

    In the past one month, over 10 soldiers and naval ratings have been killed in similar attacks.

    The State NSCDC Commandant, Desmond Agu, confirmed the attacks, saying the operatives were on patrol when they were attacked by the gunmen.

    Agu said: “NSCDC personnel, while on patrol on the Snake Creek within Nembe creeks, came under heavy attack from the criminals operating in that axis. After the ensuing gun battle, three of the assailants were killed while the rest escaped with gunshot injuries.

    “Two NSCDC personnel sustained minor gunshot injuries but have been treated and discharged from the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.”

    The NSCDC chief said his men and the other security agencies were clamping down on the militants responsible for series of attacks on pipelines in the region.

    He said: “The militants cannot take over the creeks because that’s not possible. The nation belongs to all of us. We are talking about protecting Nigeria’s critical assets. We will make sure that in collaboration with the other agencies, the pipelines and other assets are protected.

    “We are ensuring that this thing is minimised so that Nigeria will breathe. Nigeria depends largely on oil. On the destruction of pipelines, we are at red alert.”

    The commandant said the security outfit recently arrested a man identified as Tama Emmanuel and two others at Azuzuama for allegedly masterminding the destruction of an Agip pipeline at Ogbounbiri-Tebidaba.

    He said a coordinated massive operation at an illegal bunkering den at Otuegwe II in Ogbia forest also led to the destruction of the site and arrest of 15 vandals.

    Agu said: “Those determined to make sure we do not sleep, let them look for something else to do. Nothing is in the pipelines except destruction and pollution. Right now, there are no fish and there are no farms. They (militants) blow up pipelines and blame everybody else.

    “We would not be deterred by the activities of the militants because Nigeria is bigger than individuals.

    “The police, the Army, Navy and others are working together. Their attacks will not intimidate us. As a small child, it was illegal to possess arms, even Dane guns; now, you have sophisticated weapons everywhere.”

    The state commandant hailed the Federal Government for supporting NSCDC, requesting that it needed more logistics for the Bayelsa command.

    Agu listed the arrest of a suspect, identified simply as “General” Yere, who was wanted for allegedly vandalising oil facilities at Peregbene in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and the destruction of over 400 illegal refineries as some of the successes his command recently recorded.

  • NSCDC deploys 200 personnel to Boko Haram liberated towns

    The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has deployed 200 of its personnel to Boko Haram liberated towns in Borno.

    Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, the NSCDC Commandant in the state, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Maiduguri.

    “We have already deployed 100 to Dikwa and we are preparing 30 for Munguno, while 20 of our men were drafted to Nganzai Local Government Area.

    “Some of them are already in Chibok and Askira Uba local government areas.

    “The officers include special armed squad and counter terrorism squad.

    “Also officers in the Anti-riot Squad, Bomb Detection and Disposal Unit, Intelligence and Detective Unit as well as Rescue and Medical Team will also be deployed to all the liberated towns in the state,” Abdullahi said.

    The Commandant commended Borno government for its support which had enabled the corps serve the country better.

     

  • Fuel scarcity: NSCDC warns marketers against hiking pump price

    Fuel scarcity: NSCDC warns marketers against hiking pump price

    As efforts to ensure availability of petroleum products to Oyo State residents  the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. (NSCDC) has warned petroleum products marketers in the state against selling petrol above the stipulated N86.50 pump price to avoid being sanctioned.

    The Oyo State Commandant of the corps, John Adewoye gave this warning yesterday while addressing journalist on the activities of the command to ensure compliance and normalcy  in the state. He gave assurance that long queues will soon disappear from filling stations in the state.

    “Although it has been tedious to tackle this development because when price of things go up in Nigeria, it is always hard for people to reduce it again. But with the support of Petroleum Equity Fund (PEF) we have been able to enforce the law. When we get to PEF they give us their manifest on how many truck were loaded and when we get to the filling stations, we ensure that they sell according to the stipulated price.

    “Our patrol vans are sent out everyday to monitor the situation and the team is always led by a Deputy Commandant. Marketers caught diverting or hoarding products for profiteering shall be sanctioned with a fine in addition to having their operating license revoked and they could also be prosecuted for national economic sabotage,” Adewoye said.

    According to him, there is no reason for marketers to increase pump price as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has supplied millions of litres of petrol for distribution in the state. He urged the members of the public to report to the command any filling stations selling above pump price, promising that actions will be taking immediately.

    “My men are also on the field to protect pipe lines right from NNPC Mosinmi depot to Ibadan; and that is why for the past six months, there have not been any vandalization. This has even being confirmed by the NNPC,” he said.

  • Workers’ Day: NSCDC deploys 3,000 personnel

    Workers’ Day: NSCDC deploys 3,000 personnel

    The Lagos State Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said on Friday that it had deployed 3,000 personnel to provide security for Sunday’s Workers’ Day celebration in the state.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the command’s spokesperson in the state, Mr Mefor Chibuzor.

    The statement said that the measure was to ensure adequate security of lives and property within the state during this period, “taking cognisance the prevailing security situation that confronts the nation”.

    It said that the corps Commandant in the state, Mr Tajudeen Balogun, had assured people in Lagos that the celebration would be hitch-free.

    ”Towards achieving this, officers will be deployed in strategic locations to watch over critical infrastructure within the state during the period.

    ”Intelligence officers of the corps in plain clothes will be deployed to mount surveillance and gather intelligent information, especially from public recreation facilities and parks within the state.

    ”This we will do in collaboration with other security agencies in ensuring that the celebration is peaceful.

    ”I advise all Lagosians to be security conscious and avoid, as much as possible, being in overcrowded environment.

    ”I appeal to all members of the public to be law abiding and report any suspected movement or any gathering that pose a security threat to the corps or any security agency close by,” Balogun was quoted as saying.

     

  • Bayelsa NSCDC, DPR compel marketers to sell at regulated price

    Independent petroleum marketers in Bayelsa State were recently compelled by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to sell fuel at the regulated price of N86.50 per litre.

    The state Commandant, NSCDC, Mr. Desmond Agu and the Controller, DPR, Mr. Asuquo Antai, in a major monitoring operation, stormed the filling stations to check excesses of marketers.

    Apart from mega stations owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), other filling stations in Yenagoa, the state capital, were seen dispensing fuel to buyers at between N150 to N180 per litre.

    But Agu and Antai who were accompanied by armed NSCDC operatives and other officials of DPR forced the station owners to revert to the regulated pump price.

    Residents who were on queues to buy the product were seen jubilating and thanking the law-enforcement agents for their intervention.

    Such jubilation was witnessed at Unless God filling station when the DPR and NSCDC bosses insisted that the station should either sell at the regulated pump price or close for business.

    Residents who were initially buying the product at N150 per litre immediately increased their demands with some ceasing the opportunity to fill their fuel tanks.

    One of the residents, a chief from Nembe Kingdom, Nengi James, described the monitoring exercise as a welcome development and appealed to the law-enforcement agencies to sustain the operation.

    “We are happy that the government has not abandoned us to the profiteering tendencies of these marketers. We are still scared that if they leave now, the marketers will go back to their high prices. So, we are appealing to the NSCDC and the DPR to step up their monitoring”, he said.

    There was, however, a skirmish at a NNPC filling station in Tombia, between the two agents and a colonel of the Nigerian Army attached to the Joint Force (JF) Operation Pulo Shield (OPS).

    Agu and Antai discovered at the filling station that army operatives working for the colonel who drove a JTF Toyota Hilux with registration number OPPS 082 AHQ were bullying the fuel attendants and other people at the queue.

    The colonel who drove into the filling station through the wrong way were reportedly angry that the fuel attendants did not sell to him on time and allowed the army operatives to unleash violence on them.

    Agu and Antai who immediately intervened stopped the violence and engaged the colonel in a shouting match.

    Speaking on the exercise, Antai said some filling stations were compelled to sell fuel at the regulated price.

    He, however, added that Bayelsa needs daily supply of 825,000 liters of fuel to address the scarcity of the product in the state.

    He said the state currently receives between 150,000 to 300,000 liters describing the quantity as grossly inadequate.

    He said the DPR was against sharp practices such as hoarding, under-dispensing and overpricing adding that a filling station under investigation for product diversion would paid N6.5m fine if indicted.

    “We are appealing to the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) to increase their supply to Bayelsa. The product is not just used in Yenagoa, people at the hinterland rely on it to meet their energy needs. Of we can meet 50 per cent of our daily needs, we will go ahead and wet the state with fuel.

    “The government has emphasised times without number that all retail outlets should sell at N86.50. We have embarked on this operation to enforce government directive.

    “Most of the filling stations have not been selling at the appropriate price. We had a meeting with independent marketers on the issue. We have told them that henceforth, they should sell at the regulated price or face severe sanction.”

    Also speaking, Agu said the NSCDC was backing the DPR to ensure marketers complied with the regulated pump price.

    “My men are on 24-hour patrol of filling stations and persons cheating members of the public would be dealt with according to the law. We are also warning those who are selling the product in black market to desist because we will confiscate the product and arrest them.

    “Let me sound it loud and clear that diversion of petrol is prohibited. Anyone caught diverting products meant for Bayelsa to another places will be decisively dealt with. My men will be on 24 hour surveillance and patrol.

    “We are aware that some filling stations sell only at night to rip customers off. We have mandated our operatives to henceforth patrol in the midnight to fish out errant marketers. We are poised to ensure that fuel consumers do not suffer in Bayelsa.”

    But James, who is the Chairman of Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) in Bayelsa said. “It is not a one-off operation. If the relevant enforcement agencies carry out such operation continuously,  all the sharp practices going on at filling stations will be reduced to the barest minimum.

    “The PPMC should also ensure that the right quantities are brought into the state. By so doing,  enforcement will be easier and erring filling stations will have themselves to blame.”