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NDDC moves to curb vandalism of projects in Niger Delta communities

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The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has intensified efforts to curb the vandalisation of critical infrastructure projects executed across communities in the Niger Delta region.

The commission also expressed concern over the destruction of several completed and ongoing projects, describing the trend as discouraging and detrimental to development in the region.

As part of its response, the commission on Monday organised a one-day capacity-building programme for stakeholders in Rivers State on community ownership and protection of NDDC projects. The event, held in Port Harcourt, was organised by the Corporate Affairs Directorate of the NDDC and facilitated by Peace and Development Projects in collaboration with Bitood Nigeria Limited.

Speaking at the event, the Director of Rivers Operations at the commission, Okezie Ule, said the training was designed to equip participants with the knowledge required to safeguard projects executed in their communities.

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Ule, who represented the Managing Director of the commission, Samuel Ogbuku, said the initiative had become necessary given the scale of projects currently being implemented across the region by the commission’s management.

According to him, the NDDC remains committed to executing people-oriented projects while also taking steps to protect completed and ongoing facilities.

“We have seen with dismay how many of our projects, even those strongly requested by the communities, are left to deteriorate. Vandals have targeted some of these projects, including valuable assets such as solar streetlights that illuminate many of our communities,” Ule said.

He cited instances where newly completed projects were vandalised shortly after commissioning, describing the development as a major setback to the commission’s development efforts.

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“It is discouraging that funds are invested in critical infrastructure, particularly assets such as pathways and lighting systems, only for them to be vandalised,” he added.

Ule also warned individuals involved in vandalism to stay away from NDDC projects and urged community members to take responsibility for protecting facilities located within their areas.

Also speaking, the Rivers State representative on the commission’s board, Tony Okocha, described the training as essential for ensuring that projects executed by the NDDC are properly safeguarded.

Represented by his Special Assistant on Technical Matters, Chibuzor Kwelle, Okocha commended communities that have already taken steps to protect development projects in their areas.

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He noted that several NDDC initiatives, particularly solar streetlight projects, have helped to reduce criminal activities in many communities.

Meanwhile, the Project Coordinator of Peace and Development Projects, Francis Abayomi, said the capacity-building programme was aimed at encouraging communities to take ownership of development projects provided for them.

He stressed that community participation in protecting infrastructure was essential to ensuring the sustainability and long-term impact of development efforts in the Niger Delta.

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Unleashing unusual loyalty: Edo APC chairman, Tenebe, reportedly threatens to ‘kpai’ critics over FB post on Gov Okpebholo

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The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Jarrett Tenebe, has displayed an unusual loyalty by threatening to kill a critic following a social media report alleging that Governor Monday Okpebholo travelled to Abuja to protest his exclusion from the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

The controversy started with a Facebook post by Samuel Iyobosa, who claimed that Okpebholo had travelled to Abuja to protest his alleged exclusion from the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

Tenebe reacted to Iyobosa’s post by threatening him, stating, “Bastard stop lying and if you continue you die.”

The threat subsequently triggered further exchanges between Tenebe and other social media users who commented on the development.

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One of the users, Baron Mike, wrote, “Nehizena Ogunrobo see as party chairman dey react. Brainless man.”

In response, Tenebe allegedly wrote, “Baron Mike talk nonsense you die because you are talking rubbish.”

Tenebe also directed another comment at Baron Mike, stating, “Baron Mike Baron Mike come to Nigeria and talk.”

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CCTV Captures Armed Robbery at Benin City Hair Shop, Luxury Wigs Worth Millions Stolen

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CCTV has captured the moment a hair vendor in Benin City, Edo State, was allegedly robbed by armed individuals who made away with luxury wigs reportedly worth millions of naira.

The incident occurred on Saturday at a hair shop located on Tony Anenih Road, off Ebenezer School Road, Ihama, GRA, Benin City.

According to the shop owner, who operates the Instagram account @official.pricelessstrands, the suspects had visited the shop a day earlier pretending to make enquiries about getting a customer’s hair done.

She said they returned a few hours later and carried out the robbery after another man, allegedly armed with a gun, arrived at the premises.

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Sharing clearer CCTV footage of the incident on Instagram, the vendor alleged that the suspects initially sat in the waiting area, pretending they were waiting for a third person to make payment for a braiding session.

She wrote that as soon as the man arrived with a gun, the group began the operation.

According to her account, the robbers forced the two staff members on duty into an inner office where the shop’s more expensive luxury hair products were stored. They then packed several bags containing wigs and other hair products before locking the employees inside the office and fleeing the scene.

The business owner said one of the suspects was captured clearly on the CCTV footage, while another suspect, described as a woman wearing a black top with a noticeable facial scar, had also visited the shop the previous day under the guise of making enquiries.

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She appealed to members of the public to help identify the suspects by sharing the CCTV footage widely on social media.

«”This is the face of one of the armed robbers who just robbed my office. Himself and the scar-faced lady on black top came yesterday in the guise of making enquiries about making her hair, only for them to return today to rob the office and loot hairs worth millions in several bags,” she said.»

The hair vendor called on security agencies and residents of Benin City to assist in identifying and apprehending those responsible for the robbery.

As of the time of filing this report, there was no official statement from the Edo State Police Command regarding the incident or whether any arrests had been made.

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The CCTV footage has since been circulated online as the shop owner seeks public assistance in bringing the suspects to justice.

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Tears flow in Borgu as terrorists unleash deadly attack , k!ill 40, kidn*ap over 100 in Niger State after Friday prayers

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Tears flow as gunmen in military-styled uniforms invaded four villages in Niger State’s remote Borgu Local Government Area moments after Friday prayers, leaving more than 40 people dead and over 100 abducted in what residents are calling the deadliest attack in the area this year.

The rampage tore through Dekara, Gidan Zana, Sabon Gida, and Masaka — communities tucked along the border with Kebbi, Kwara, and the Republic of Benin.

Witnesses told the BBC the attackers rode into Dekara right after worshippers left the mosque.

“They gathered people in the open, picked out men, women and children, and marched them into the forest,” a resident said. From there, the gunmen fanned out to neighbouring villages, shooting, burning, and abducting.

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Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the toll: “More than 40 people were killed. Over 100 were abducted. We suspect these are bandits, but the pattern is getting worse.”

Local lawmaker Jafar Muhammad Shetiman Borgu also confirmed the attacks, warning that the scale and audacity point to something darker.

—Fear Of Recruitment, Jihadist Link—

Officials say Borgu has become a corridor for armed groups — bandit gangs, jihadists, and cross-border fighters — who exploit vast forests and weak security presence.

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Shetiman raised a chilling alarm: “There are fears that some of these gunmen are now trying to recruit young people in the communities they attack.”

In recent months, residents say jihadist fighters have entered villages and imposed religious restrictions. The area’s proximity to Benin makes it a safe haven for groups fleeing military pressure in the North West.

—A Cycle Of Horror—

This is not Borgu’s first tragedy.

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Earlier this month, 145 people were rescued from kidnappers in Konkoso, Kasuwan-Daji, Tungan-Makeri and Shafachi. Authorities said they were part of 308 people rescued nationwide, including over 160 from neighbouring Kwara.

Last week alone, more than 20 people*l were killed in Borgu.

And in November 2025, gunmen abducted over 200 pupils from a school in Papiri. They were freed about a month later after negotiations.

Despite repeated military and police operations, large swaths of Niger State remain inaccessible. Armed groups operate from forested hideouts, striking isolated communities and vanishing before reinforcements arrive.

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—“The Forests Have Become Their Barracks”—

The latest massacre underscores the collapsing security architecture in North Central Nigeria.

From kidnapping for ransom, to looting, to alleged ideological recruitment, the Borgu attacks show how criminal gangs and jihadist elements are merging into one deadly force.

Governor Umar Bago has yet to make a public statement on the latest killings. Residents say they are living in fear, with many now fleeing to bigger towns.

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“The forests have become their barracks. Our villages have become their hunting ground,” a community leader in Dekara said.

As burial preparations begin and families wait for news of the abducted, one question echoes across Borgu: Who will stop the next attack?

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