THE Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, has ordered the ban of all illegal vigilante groups operating under whatever guise in the State. The governor also suspended the Commander of the Edo State Security Corps, CP Friday Ibadin (Rtd.). According to a statement signed by the Secretary to the Edo State government, Umar Musa Ikhilor, the action of the governor follows information of the General Public that after a review of the preliminary report of the unfortunate incident at Uromi in Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State on Thursday involving the gruesome killing of 16 northern travellers.…
Author: Eileen Peters
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AN EXPLOSION has rocked the Trans-Niger pipeline in the Bodo community, Gokana Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State. A resident of Bodo, who spoke to Channels Television, said that the blast took place on the onshore pipeline near the starting point of the Bodo-Bonny road. It reportedly occurred on Monday night along the pipeline that transports crude to the Bonny Export Terminal in Rivers State. In viral videos of the explosion spotted by Channels Television, thick black smoke billowed into the sky as the fire surged into the mangrove. Rivers is a map oil-producing state in Nigeria. While the…
THE Rivers State House of Assembly has issued a notice accusing the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, of alleged misconduct. Twenty-six members of the assembly made the misconduct allegation against Fubara in a notice sent to the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, on Monday. According to the lawmakers, their action follows “Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and other existing laws.” They accused Fubara of several offences including reckless and unconstitutional spending of public funds, ans obstructing the Assembly’s activities among others. See all the allegations filed against Fubara by…
THE Rivers State House of Assembly has served a notice of alleged misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu, marking the process to impeach them. Twenty-six members of the Rivers Assembly raised the allegation in a notice sent to the speaker Martin Amaewhule and obtained by News Point Nigeria. They said the action was “in compliance with Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and other extant laws”. The lawmakers accused Fubara among other things of reckless and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds, hindering or obstructing the Rivers State…
ANGRY Ijaw women of Kalabari extraction on Saturday vandalised giant billboards bearing the pictures of Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike. The billboards which were erected at the junction leading to Abalama was in honour of Wike who is being hosted to a grand reception by the Ijaw stakeholders under the platform of NEW Associates. The reception comes amid protest from traditional rulers and people of Kalabari over a scheduled IYC Eastern zone meeting at the same venue. Hundreds of women decked in black attire with white scarf had in the early hours of Saturday barricaded the road…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the updated register of voters in Rivers State, along with the list of registered political parties in Nigeria, ahead of the forthcoming Local Government Council elections. In a letter dated March 13, 2025, and signed by the Administrative Secretary, Odor Napoleon Emezuiruke, INEC formally notified the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) of the release. The letter, addressed to the RSIEC Chairman, confirmed that a soft copy of the voters’ register had been provided in response to the commission’s request. READ ALSO: Fubara Writes Rivers Assembly Again, Proposes Wednesday For 2025 Budget…
GOVERNOR Monday Okpebholo of Edo has lifted the suspension of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Samson Osagie, with immediate effect. This newspaper reports that the governor had in February suspended Osagie alongside the chairman of the state Local Government Commission, Damian Lawani over alleged financial infractions. His recall is contained in a letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Ikhilor, dated March 12, and made public Wednesday night. The letter reads: “Having considered the report of the Investigative panel set up by the government to investigate financial infractions against you, which has exonerated…
A DRAMA ensued at the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex on Wednesday when Governor Siminalayi Fubara arrived at the quarters but the entrance gate locked. Our correspondents observed that the security personnel at the complex locked the gates when the governor’s convoy arrived at the complex. The action of the security personnel was hinged on the position that there was no official communication between the governor and the Assembly. However, Fubara said he communicated his coming to Speaker Martins Amaewhule through a letter and tried to call him on the phone since Tuesday. Fubara had said he would fully…
THE Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, Tony Okocha has called on the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara to resign or face impeachment. Okocha made the call while describing the invitation of the 27 lawmakers to a meeting by Fubara as a Greek gift. Okocha at a news briefing in Port Harcourt on Monday morning said by every standard the governor has disrespected President Bola Tinubu and abused the rule of law. Okocha recalled how much the Governor has disrespected President Ahmed Tinubu after his intervention when the crisis started in 2023 and even abused court judgements with…
SUSPECTED gunmen have kidnapped Loveday Akari, a Senior Special Assistant to the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in Ayakoro Community, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The abduction, which occurred on March 7, 2025, Zagazola Makama, security analyst. According to reports, the assailants fled the scene in a boat, which was later found abandoned not far from the site of the incident. In response, security agencies have launched a coordinated operation to track down the kidnappers and ensure Akari’s safe return. Strategic checkpoints have been set up to restrict the movement of the perpetrators, while…
THE Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, has scheduled 9 August 2025 for fresh Local Government Council Elections in the state. RSIEC chairman, retired Justice Adolphus Enebeli, announced the date during a stakeholders’ meeting and the official unveiling of the 2025 Local Government Elections timetable and guidelines at the commission’s headquarters on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday. Addressing stakeholders, Justice Enebeli reaffirmed RSIEC’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible, and impartial election, urging political parties to adhere to the rules. On Sunday, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, assured the people of the oil-rich state that his administration will…
THE Rivers State Government says it is yet to receive the resolutions of the State House of Assembly regarding the Supreme Court’s judgment delivered on February 28, 2025. On Monday, the Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led assembly had during its sitting issued Governor Siminalayi Fubara a 48-hour ultimatum to present the 2025 budget of the State before it. In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, the government clarified that as of close of work on March 4, neither the governor’s office, the deputy Governor, nor the…
THE Rivers State House of Assembly has given Governor Siminalayi Fubara 48 hours to present the 2025 budget to the lawmakers. They made this known during plenary in Port Harcourt on Monday with the motion moved by the deputy speaker Dumle Maol. “That pursuant to the order of the Supreme Court in Suit no.: SC/CV/1174/2024 for the stoppage of Statutory Federal allocations to the Rivers State Government and halting of spending from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Rivers State pending the passage of an Appropriation Bill, you are requested to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the House in line…
RIVERS State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has assured the people of the oil-rich state that his administration will implement the Supreme Court’s verdict after carefully reviewing its Certified True Copy (CTC). This followed the Friday judgment of the apex court, which declared the LG election conducted in the state on October 5, 2024, as invalid. In a state broadcast on Sunday, Fubara revealed that he has met with his legal team, who expect to obtain the CTC by Friday, March 7, 2025. He emphasised that his government is committed to upholding constitutional principles and will act in accordance with the law.…
THE local government election conducted on the 5th of October 2024 by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission has been declared invalid by the Supreme Court. In a judgment delivered by Justice Jamilu Tukur, the court declared the election invalid for grossly violating the Electoral Act. Reading the judgement, Justice Tukur said the action of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission is declared void for lack of substantial compliance to the Electoral Act and guidelines as the electoral body continued voter registration even after announcing an election date. The court held that processes leading to the conduct of a local…
SEVEN persons have been killed and six others injured in a communal clash in Edo State. The Edo State Police Command disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. According to the Command’s spokesman, Moses Yamu, police received a distress call on February 21 of an ongoing clash between Gbelemonti and Maidoti Communities of Ovia North-East Local Government Area of the state. He said upon receipt of the information, operatives of the Iguobazuwa Police Division, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army and the Vigilantes, were promptly deployed to the area. “The team evacuated some casualties to the hospital where seven (7)…
TWO flow stations reportedly belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPCL), located around the Cawthorne Channel area on Western Bonny Local Government Area in Rivers State, went up in flames on Wednesday. This newspaper gathered that an unknown number of crew members working on the flow stations before the explosion occurred were yet to be seen. The cause of the inferno is suspected to be failure to adhere to safety protocols and global best practices in managing oil and gas facilities lately in the Niger Delta region. This is coming a few weeks after a fire outbreak was…
THE Edo State House of Assembly has passed a bill amending the Kidnapping Prohibition Amendment Law of 2013 and addressing related matters during its second reading. The bill prescribes the death penalty for kidnappers and mandates the confiscation and demolition of properties used in the commission of kidnapping. It was approved following the review by the Committee of the Whole. The Majority Leader, Hon. Charity Aiguobarueghian, emphasised the necessity of the bill, noting that kidnapping has escalated into a significant issue. He urged his colleagues to support the passage of the executive bill, describing kidnapping as a heinous act that…
THE leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Edwin Clark, is dead. Clark, 97, died on Monday. The death of the former Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South leader’s death was confirmed in a statement by a representative of the family, Prof. C. C. Clark, on Tuesday. According to a statement, Clark died on Monday night. It reads: “The Clark-Fuludu Bekederemo family of Kiagbodo Town, Delta State, wishes to announce the passing of Chief (Dr.) Sen. Edwin Kiagbodo Clark OFR, CON on Monday 17th February , 2025.’’ “Born in Kiagbodo, in the Ijaw area of what is now Delta…
NIGERIA’s former Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, Ambassador Nne Furo Kurubo, has passed away at the age of 84. The announcement of her passing was made known to the public in a press statement. The distinguished diplomat and public servant breathed her last on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, in Lagos, according to the statement from her family. The late ambassador hailed from the esteemed families of Late Brigadier General George T. Kurubo of the Grand Bonny Kingdom in Rivers State and Late Eze Sir Daniel Okereke of Okpala, Ngor Okpala Autonomous Community in Imo State. Her passing has been met…