Author: Helen Okechukwu

The Rivers State Police Command has ordered a full investigation into a tragic shooting incident in Port Harcourt that led to the death of a serving Police Inspector and left another injured. The incident occurred on Sunday, 18 January, 2026, at a commercial facility in the Trans-Amadi area of the state, where police officers were deployed on joint security duty alongside military personnel. The Force spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko on Monday confirmed that Inspector Ibrahim Sani, attached to 14 Police Mobile Force (PMF), Yola, lost his life after he was allegedly shot by a fellow officer, Inspector Victor Okus, who is…

Following the fresh political rift that began in January 2026 in Rivers State, the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara has once again been confronted with an impeachment plot after his reinstatement, alongside his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, and 27 lawmakers. Recall that President Bola Tinubu halted the suspension levelled against Fubara, his deputy, and the lawmakers after a declaration on 18 March 2025. The six-month emergency rule was eventually called off on 18 September 2025, following the governance paralysis witnessed in the state. Earlier, the Rivers State House of Assembly had asked the Rivers Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, to…

The Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP) has described the health insurance initiative of Governor Siminalayi Fubara as a life-saving intervention that is steadily transforming access to healthcare across the state. This position was made known on Wednesday, January 14, 2025, when the management of RIVCHPP, led by its Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Vetty Agala, paid a courtesy visit to the Head of Service of Rivers State, Dr. (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, at the State Secretariat Complex in Port Harcourt. Dr. Agala said the operationalisation of the state health insurance scheme has eased the financial burden of…

The Rivers State Police Command has recorded a significant success in its fight against kidnapping and other violent crimes with the arrest of an armed suspect believed to be a key player in several abduction operations across the state. The suspect, identified as Mohammed Ibrahim, a 30-year-old native of Numan Local Government Area of Adamawa State, was arrested on 10 January, 2026, at about 7:46pm by operatives of the Anti-Cultism Unit (ACU), Emohua Annex, following actionable intelligence. Police sources disclosed that Ibrahim had allegedly been terrorising commuters and residents along the Port Harcourt International Airport Road, Omagwa axis. He was…

Emergency medical care in Ogoniland received a significant lift on Tuesday as the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) rolled out five newly acquired ambulances to strengthen frontline health response across the region. Ogoni is an ethnic group located in Niger Delta and South-South region. They are known for their vast oil production in the South-East senatorial district of  Rivers State. In a post shared on the agency Facebook page on Wednesday, it indicated that he vehicles were handed over to Bori Zonal Hospital, Terabor General Hospital, Eleme General Hospital, Bodo General Hospital and Kpite Primary Health Care Centre at a…

The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the death of six persons from the same family following a tragic incident in Ogale, Eleme Local Government Area (LGA) of the state. The incident, which occurred on 11 January, 2026, was brought to the attention of the police after a distress call was received from a resident, Godwin Ogosu, who reported that his elder brother, his wife and their children had failed to wake up despite repeated attempts to reach them. According to the Force spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko on Monday, the family had retired to bed the previous night with their room…

Tragedy struck in Rivers State following the kidnapping and killing of a 25-year-old woman, Rita Eleonu, despite her family paying a ransom in an attempt to secure her release. Findings by the Rivers State Police Command revealed that Rita, an indigene of Rumuekini Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, was enticed on 13 December, 2025, by acquaintances to Rumuakunde Community in Emohua LGA. She was subsequently abducted and taken to a secluded forest area along the East–West Road, where her captors later ended her life. The case was reported to the police on 29 December, 2025, after the victim’s family…

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the death of nine passengers following a tragic road accident along the Jama’are–Azare stretch of the Kano–Maiduguri Expressway in Bauchi State. The crash, which occurred at about 6:20 am on Friday, involved a commercial vehicle travelling from Gombe to Kano with 19 passengers on board. Ten other occupants sustained various degrees of injuries. Bauchi State Sector Commander of the FRSC, CC Apaji Boyi, disclosed the incident while addressing journalists, noting that preliminary investigations linked the crash to excessive speed, driver fatigue and loss of control. According to him, FRSC rescue teams responded…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have thrown their weight behind Edo State’s planned measles and rubella vaccination campaign, describing it as a critical step towards protecting children from preventable diseases. According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Edo State Government is set to immunise about 2.2 million children between the ages of zero months and 14 years during the statewide exercise scheduled for January 20 to January 30, 2026. Speaking in Benin on Friday, the Director of Disease Control and Immunisation at the Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Eseigbe Efeomon,…

The Kaduna State Government has commenced the closure of illegal Colleges of Health Sciences operating across the state, as part of measures to safeguard public health and ensure that only properly trained professionals are allowed into the healthcare system. The exercise is being carried out by the Kaduna State Committee on Private Health Establishments to enforce compliance with existing regulations guiding the operation of private health training institutions. Officials said the move became necessary following the discovery of several unapproved and unaccredited colleges misleading prospective students and operating outside the law. According to the state government, the activities of such…