Author: Emmanuel Obe

…771 to Graduate in Nigeria in 2025 Nine beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) foreign postgraduate scholarship scheme have successfully completed their master’s degree programmes at universities in the United Kingdom. The graduates are the first set of scholars deployed to UK institutions under the leadership of PAP Administrator, Dr. Dennis Otuaro, for the 2024–2025 academic session. A statement issued by Mr. Igoniko Oduma, the Special Assistant on Media to the Administrator,Presidential Amnesty Programmeon Thursday , said the beneficiaries earned advanced degrees in fields such as cybersecurity, data science and engineering, law, construction and civil engineering management, project management,…

…Civil society groups demand accountability, condemn ‘digital slap’ culture The Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has announced the resolution of the case involving the alleged assault on Mrs. Juliet Enabulele Asein, a reporter with the Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS). NUJ Chairman, Comrade Festus Alenkhe, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing at the NUJ Press Centre in Benin City. He said the matter had been “amicably settled” following the intervention of stakeholders who engaged all parties to restore peace. Alenkhe expressed appreciation to members of the Union for their solidarity throughout the incident, describing…

…Rivers gets N50m, 250 beneficiaries enrolled in free healthcare Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has rolled out a nationwide empowerment programme for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and disabled veterans, disbursing N1.9 billion under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Social Investment Programme. The Rivers State phase of the programme took place on Wednesday at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Port Harcourt, as part of activities marking the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities, themed “Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress.” Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, wife of the Rivers State governor, represented Senator Tinubu and presented business grants…

The Rivers State Police Command has rescued five persons abducted by suspected cultists in Emuoha Local Government Area. The victims, Prince London, Azubuike Kelechukwu, Elizabeth Aniete, Onyebuchi Precious and London Sampson, were freed unhurt during a midnight operation carried out around 1:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 4, 2025. According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the victims were kidnapped from their isolated residences by yet-to-be-identified cultists before police tactical units, working with sister security agencies and members of Rumudogo 2 community, carried out the successful rescue. The five victims have since been taken…

Elem-Kalabari community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State has raised an alarm over what it described as a worsening environmental disaster caused by persistent pollution and two major oil spills linked to NNPC Eighteen Limited’s operations in OML-18, Cawthorne Channel. In a strongly petition dated December 4, 2025, and addressed to the Director-General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), community leaders said the spills traced to Well 41 and Well 43 have devastated waterways, destroyed livelihoods, and endangered public health across several Kalabari settlements. According to the petitioners, the spill from Well 41 has…

The Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty Prof. Epiphany Chigbogu Azinge, SAN, has announced sweeping measures to tackle rising insecurity in the Delta State capital, including an immediate ban on iron condemn (scrap metal) vendors and evacuation of all dump sites. The decisions followed an emergency Asagba-in-Council meeting held on Saturday at the Ogwa-Uku Ahaba, where the monarch also prohibited trucks from parking overnight on Asaba soil. The Asaba Community Vigilante (ACV) and relevant quarters were directed to enforce the new rules. HRM Azinge raised concerns over recent criminal incidents in Asaba, including attacks around the Koka and Abraka axes…

Rivers State Police Command has recorded a major breakthrough in its investigation into the November 12 attack on police personnel at Tonninno Filling Station, Elioparanwo Road, Port Harcourt, with the arrest of four suspects and the recovery of two stolen rifles. In a statement on Tuesday, Police Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, had ordered the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (AKU) to take over the case and ensure the swift arrest of the perpetrators and recovery of the stolen arms. Acting on the directive, AKU operatives deployed intelligence-led policing and technical support to track…

…commends traditional rulers for helping resolve political ten Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to expanding employment opportunities, noting that the much-anticipated recruitment of 10,000 workers and other openings will be driven strictly by state needs. Governor Fubara, who made the pledge on Monday while declaring open the 123rd/124th combined quarterly meeting of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers in Port Harcourt, assured that the exercise will be transparent and free from political interference. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to rebuilding the state’s education sector, declaring that education will receive the highest allocation in the…

The Chairman of Andoni Local Government, Hon. Prince Lucky Promise Otuo, has launched the 2026 Andoni Carnival alongside a broad development blueprint tagged, “Rediscover Andoni,” aimed at boosting investment, strengthening security, and accelerating infrastructure renewal across the area. The initiative was unveiled at Ngo, where the Chairman described it as “a bold step to reposition Andoni, unlock its economic treasures, and restore confidence for investors, tourists, and development partners.” Hon. Otuo explained that the new agenda is anchored on three major pillars designed to reposition Andoni as a rising tourism and economic hub in Rivers State. The first pillar is…

A human rights lawyer and public interest advocate, Chief Malcolm E. Omirhobo, has strongly criticised a recent suggestion by the Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Bashir Dalhatu, that the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme should serve as a model for addressing banditry in Northern Nigeria. In a public statement issued on Thursday, Omirhobo described the comparison as “deeply flawed, intellectually dishonest, and utterly insulting to the Nigerian people.” Dalhatu had reportedly argued that the Federal Government could adopt a similar amnesty framework for bandits in the North, a proposal that has sparked widespread debate. But Omirhobo insisted that equating…