The administration of Uvwie Local Government Area in Delta State entered a decisive phase of urban renewal, public safety enforcement, and infrastructural preservation on Friday, July 3, 2026. In a coordinated, large-scale field operation, the Executive Chairman of the Uvwie Local Government Council, Hon. Chief Anthony Onoriode Ofoni JP, personally mobilized and led a comprehensive task force to dislodge hundreds of informal traders, unauthorized commercial tricycle riders, and suspected criminal vagrants who had illegally occupied the under-bridge section of the newly constructed Enerhen Flyover. The multi-agency enforcement exercise, officially designated by the local administration as "Operation Restore Sanity to Enerhen Flyover," was designed to break a persistent bottleneck of traffic congestion at the strategic Enerhen Junction, reclaim the hijacked public space, and protect the structural and aesthetic integrity of the multi-billion-naira state project.
Ofoni also led a major enforcement operation across parts of Uvwie Local Government Area aimed at dismantling illegal structures and eradicating drug abuse, drug trafficking, and cartel activities within Enerhen.
The operation, carried out in collaboration with security agencies, targeted illegal shanties, unapproved structures, and known hideouts used by drug dealers and buyers in Enerhen.
Accompanying the Chairman on the exercise was the Divisional Police Officer of Enerhen Division, CSP Nnamdi Okeke, along with a combined team of police officers and council personnels.
During the operation, several illegal structures used as drug joints, sales points, and cartel hideouts were identified and dismantled.
Speaking after the exercise, Hon. Chief Ofoni (JP) reaffirmed the Council’s zero-tolerance stance on drug abuse and all forms of criminal activity in Uvwie.
“Uvwie will not be a safe haven for drug dealers, cartels, and those who profit from destroying our youths. Today’s exercise is a clear message that we are serious about restoring law, order, and dignity to our communities. We will continue to dismantle every illegal structure being used to perpetrate crime,” the Chairman stated.
He further commended the DPO of Enerhen, CSP Nnamdi Okeke, and his officers for their professionalism and support in ensuring the operation was carried out peacefully and effectively.
The Council Chairman urged residents to support the administration by reporting suspicious activities and to shun drug abuse and all forms of social vices. He assured that similar enforcement operations will be sustained to keep Uvwie safe for residents and businesses.
The Uvwie Local Government Council remains committed to creating a healthy, secure, and drug-free environment for all.
For several months following the near-completion of the Enerhen Flyover infrastructure, the expansive concrete underbelly of the bridge had increasingly degenerated into a chaotic, unregulated marketplace and a magnet for anti-social behavior. Informal merchants, roadside vendors, and commercial tricycle operators, universally known across Nigeria as Keke riders, had gradually established an expansive, unauthorized operational base directly beneath the structure. This unregulated occupation resulted in severe consequences for the local metropolitan ecosystem. The disorganized display of retail goods, combined with the chaotic parking patterns of hundreds of tricycles and commercial motorcycles along the active carriage ways, effectively choked the traffic lanes feeding into Enerhen Junction. This ongoing obstruction caused immense frustration, economic loss, and hours of daily delays for commuters traveling through the vital transportation artery linking the twin metropolitan hubs of Effurun and Warri.
Beyond the severe transport logistical gridlock, the Uvwie Local Government Council reported that the rapid accumulation of wooden shanties, makeshift retail stalls, and arbitrarily parked tricycles had severely defaced the area. The architectural value, structural finish, and modern aesthetic design that the flyover was engineered to bequeath to the local urban landscape had been completely obscured behind a wall of commercial clutter. Local authorities grew increasingly concerned that the state government’s significant capital investment in modern transport infrastructure was being structurally degraded and systematically transformed into an eyesore before it could even be officially commissioned for public use.
The physical execution of Friday’s sweeping operation saw the Council Chairman flanked by the unified personnel of the Uvwie Council Environmental Task Force, under the direct operational command of its chairman, Hon. Collins Ighrakpata. Supported by a robust contingent of administrative appointees, law enforcement personnel, and municipal clean-up crews, the operation systematically dismantled the illegal wooden frameworks, cleared roadside obstructions, and pushed both motorcycle and tricycle operators completely away from the immediate perimeter of the flyover. The sudden presence of the high-level enforcement team ensured that the extensive dislodgement exercise was executed efficiently and without any major civil resistance, immediately transforming the physical look and environmental ambiance of the entire junction.
While the public-facing objective of "Operation Restore Sanity" focused heavily on environmental aesthetics and traffic management, Chief Anthony Onoriode Ofoni disclosed that deeper, more sinister security concerns served as a primary catalyst for the council's rapid intervention. Intelligence briefs presented to the local government administration revealed that the chaotic, unlit under-bridge environment had become a highly effective cover for specialized criminal operations. Security personnel noted that a significant number of prowlers, criminal lookouts, and pickpockets had begun masquerading as homeless vagrants or informal night-traders under the flyover, using the dense crowd cover to stalk unsuspecting targets, target vulnerable business owners, and rob commuters during the chaotic evening rush hours.
Furthermore, the local government chief emphasized that the unchecked under-bridge settlement had rapidly evolved into a major distribution hub and sanctuary for illicit drug dealers and substance abusers. This development ran completely counter to a major policy directive previously issued by the Ofoni administration, which had explicitly declared the entire Uvwie Local Government Area a zero-tolerance "no-go" zone for narcotics traffickers, substance abusers, and their corporate financial sponsors. The local government calculated that allowing a major, unregulated enclave to expand under a state monument would completely undermine its wider social campaign to stamp out drug addiction and protect the physical and mental well-being of the local youth population.
During an extensive press briefing held on-site amidst the ongoing enforcement operations, Chairman Ofoni provided a detailed explanation of the administrative rationale guiding his administration's direct intervention, stating that the presence of prowlers who masquerade themselves as vagrants under the Enerhen flyover portends grave danger for residents, local business owners, and regular passersby, especially at night. The decision to dislodge them from what they mistakenly regarded as a safe haven will not only assure residents, business owners, and passersby of their fundamental safety, it will permanently correct the unprintable attributions and negative reputations previously linked to activities in the Enerhen flyover and its immediate environs. Right now, the council has successfully acquired and prepared a dedicated, alternative location for the Keke riders and the traders. Dislodged Keke riders and merchants are expected to relocate there immediately instead of parking haphazardly along the main road and causing unbearable traffic gridlock. Then, for those individuals who have resorted to sleeping under the bridge, the administration wants to put a definitive end to that practice today. This vital infrastructure project that His Excellency gave to Uvwie has not even been officially commissioned yet, but they are already turning it into something entirely different, so the council simply had to step in and remedy the situation immediately.
Demonstrating a commitment to balanced governance, the Uvwie Local Government Council ensured that the enforcement drive did not collapse the economic livelihoods of the legitimate, law-abiding traders and transport operators caught up in the eviction. To cushion the immediate economic shock of the displacement, Chairman Ofoni unveiled a pre-planned, structured relocation strategy. Rather than simply driving the merchants into neighboring streets, the Council successfully established a newly developed, dedicated alternative commercial space designated as the New Enerhen Market Space.
This new commercial enclave was meticulously chosen and prepared by the council to serve as a highly secure, spacious, and organized environment specifically optimized for retail and micro-commercial enterprises. Unlike the dangerous and cramped conditions under the active flyover lanes, the new market site features an open layout that allows for the orderly, structured display of consumer goods without the risk of vehicular accidents or administrative harassment. Local planners designed the venue to operate as a centralized commercial hub, offering proper security oversight and stable infrastructure that is expected to ultimately stimulate a sustained business boom for the relocated shopkeepers.
The initial public reaction from local residents, commuters, and the affected business community regarding the sudden relocation has been highly positive and cooperative. Members of the public expressed relief at the immediate elimination of the bottleneck at Enerhen Junction, noting that the clearance would save valuable time and lower vehicle operating costs. In interviews conducted at the new market site, stakeholders voiced optimism about the long-term benefits of the council's spatial reorganization plan. Local citizens observed that the establishment of the centralized market space would significantly improve consumer convenience. Instead of forcing shoppers to navigate dangerous traffic and search for scattered vendors around the concrete pillars of the bridge, the new layout provides rapid, safe, and concentrated access to a wide variety of goods and services within a single perimeter.
Merchants operating from the newly assigned stalls acknowledged the initial friction of the move but welcomed the long-term security. One relocated vendor admitted that while moving away from the high-traffic bridge initially disrupted their personal comfort zone, they were confident that consumer habits would adjust quickly. She noted that once the general public becomes fully aware of the highly coordinated, safe market environment, the site will naturally attract regular patronage, impulse buyers, and returning customers who prefer a relaxed shopping experience over the chaos of a crowded roadside.
Recognizing that the long-term success of any urban renewal project depends entirely on continuous, unyielding enforcement, Chairman Ofoni put in place several institutional safeguards to prevent any future re-occupation of the Enerhen Flyover. The council chief announced the formation of a dedicated Market Committee, which has been explicitly tasked with overseeing the daily administrative welfare, security, and operational logistics of the new market site. This committee will act as a direct liaison between the informal merchants and the local government authority, ensuring that the needs of the business community are met within a lawful framework.
Furthermore, in a strategic move to leverage local community leadership, Chief Ofoni officially issued a direct administrative mandate to the Agaga-Erugba youth president, Mr. Monday Umukoro Ajuitsy. The youth leader was charged with the responsibility of maintaining absolute, sustained orderliness across both target zones. Mr. Ajuitsy and his local youth executive team are expected to work in close coordination with municipal law enforcement to ensure that traders do not creep back under the concrete spans of the flyover and that the new market site remains organized and safe.
The successful execution of "Operation Restore Sanity" has drawn widespread praise from various civil society organizations, community leaders, and independent eyewitnesses who observed the clean-up operation on Friday. Many noted that the Chairman’s decisive actions reflect a broader effort to complement the developmental vision of the Delta State Governor, the Right Honorable Sheriff Oborevwori. By acting firmly to protect public infrastructure, eliminate traffic delays, and systematically dismantle criminal hideouts, the Uvwie Local Government Council has demonstrated how local administrations can effectively bridge the gap between infrastructural development and active municipal management, ensuring that public investments deliver their full socio-economic value to the citizens of Delta State.
