Author: Alade Adisa

Rivers State, on Monday morning, witnessed widespread violence, involving shootings, arson, and protests by suspected political thugs in attempts to prevent the newly-elected local governments’ chairmen from taking over the council secretariats. About five persons were feared killed following gunfire at four local government council secretariats. Four of the LG secretariats were also set ablaze. Also, some of the just-inaugurated council chairmen were chased out of their offices by the hoodlums. The violence started a few hours after the Rivers State Police Command announced its withdrawal from the secretariats that it had sealed up since early July on the orders…

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has appealed to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, to give up on his quest to control the state’s political affairs in the interest of peace. Speaking on Channels Television on Monday, the governor said the minister must understand that he cannot win all fights. He said Wike must give up the fight because of his love for Rivers, adding that there is no need to burn down the state. Fubara said, “I will tell him (Wike) that there is going to be a point that he needs to…

Prominent human rights activist and lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has declared that he has never demanded “a kobo to write a letter of pardon for anybody” in his 42 years of legal practice. Speaking in an interview with Sahara TV, Falana disclosed that he and his family members had received threats to life over the controversy surrounding claims by a social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, on the prison term of crossdresser, Okuneye Idris, A.K.A Bobrisky. VeryDarkMan had alleged in a recent video that Falana attempted to secure Bobrisky’s release from prison following the crossdresser’s conviction…

Seoul’s Defence Chief, Kim Yong-hyun, said Tuesday that six North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine. According to AFP, media in Ukraine reported over the weekend that six North Korean military officers were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk on October 3. Kim Yong-hyun, told lawmakers Tuesday that it was “highly likely, considering various circumstances” that the report was true. He said, “We assess that the occurrence of casualties among North Korean officers and soldiers in Ukraine is highly likely, considering various circumstances,” adding that North Korea is expected to…

To halt the growing incidence of power outages and other tragic occurrences across the nation, the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) on Monday, directed electricity distribution companies (DisCos) in the country to replace weak distribution networks in their franchise areas within seven days. The agency stated that the latest warning comes after a two-month notice earlier issued to the DISCOs to implement the necessary changes. Speaking to journalists on Monday at the 2024 Customer Service Week in Abuja, NEMSA Managing Director and Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation, Tukur Aliyu, explained that following the discovery that most of the…

Following reports of arson and vandalism of public facilities in Rivers State after last Saturday’s local government elections, President Bola Tinubu on Monday, urged the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, political leaders and their supporters in Rivers State to exercise restraint and uphold the rule of law. In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President urged the political actors and their supporters to settle their differences in court, saying, “Self-help has no place in a democratic system.” According to the statement, which is titled, ‘President Tinubu decries violence in Rivers, directs police to…

In a worrying development, suspected thugs have set fire to two local government area secretariats in Rivers State following the swearing-in of new council chairmen by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Another one was also attacked with explosives believed to be dynamite. According to reports, a group of armed hoodlums suspected to be political thugs stormed some local government secretariats, vandalizing property and setting buildings ablaze. Eleme Local Government Area was the first hit in the attacks that began around 11 a.m. on Monday. The thugs set parts of the secretariat on fire, vowing to prevent the newly sworn-in chairman from accessing…

Social media influencer, Martins Otse, a.k.a. VeryDarkMan, on Monday, October 7, released a voice note in which controversial cross-dresser, Idris Olanrewaju Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky claimed to have paid N5 million to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) to secure a Federal Government pardon for the money laundering charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In a newly released audio, Bobrisky claimed the SAN demanded N10 million but noted that he was unable to raise the full amount as his account had been frozen by the EFCC. VeryDarkMan said the call recording was made…

Almost 24 hours after the newly-elected chairmen in Saturday’s local government election in Rivers State were sworn into office, the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress factions on Sunday rejected the conduct and outcome of the polls. Insisting that no election was held in the state on Saturday, the Rivers PDP loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, described the poll as an exercise in futility, vowing to challenge it in court. According to PUNCH, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kenneth Yowika, said the party would challenge…

The Borno State government has resettled 424 households affected by insurgency in the newly- constructed 500 housing units in Konduga town. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the resettled persons were from the Towuri, Modu Amsamiri, Goniri, Mairamiri, Lawanti Grema Gogobe, Bula Bowuri, Zarmari, Amusari, Bula Bakaraye and Furi communities displaced by the Boko Haram insurgents. The state governor, Babagana Zulum said at the handover of the houses on Sunday in Konduga town, that the resettlement marked the beginning of the closure of IDP camps in Konduga LGA. The resettlement houses have public facilities such as schools, a…