Author: nationalpoint

The Rivers State Police Command has taken swift action in response to a distressing online video, circulating on social media, depicting the dehumanization of minors within a Church setting, where the presiding Pastor, Ifediorah Onyeibor Joseph, 41, has been arrested in connection with the incident. According to a press statement issued by the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Grace Iringe-Koko, preliminary investigations revealed that Pastor Ifediorah allegedly organized a 3-day programme for children in his church, purportedly for “spiritual cleaning,” claiming to have been inspired by the Holy Spirit. Upon receiving this information, Operatives from the Rivers State…

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Prof Idia Nibukun Ize-Iyamu as the new Chief Medical Director of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). Her tenure takes effect from August 18, 2025, succeeding Prof Darlington Obaseki, whose term has ended. Prof. Ize-Iyamu has served at UBTH for over 27 years. She joined in 1997 as a Junior Registrar, became an Honorary Consultant in 2005, and spent more than a decade as Head of Department, earning a reputation for integrity, deep institutional knowledge, and impactful leadership. A Commonwealth Fellow and Craniofacial Orthodontist, she trained at the Oxford University Teaching…

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has strongly condemned the closure of Badeggi Radio by Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, describing the action as a blatant attack on press freedom and democracy. In a statement issued and signed by NGE President, Eze Anaba, and General Secretary, Onuoha Ukeh, the Guild said the shutdown of the station “undermines the fundamental principles of a democratic society, where a free press is essential for holding those in power accountable.” Citing Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights—both of which…

Bayelsa Police Command Dismiss Sergeant Obrientele Ebiarede Over His Involvement Of The Kidnap State High Court Judge, Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro, Arrest Eight SuspectsKelly Gilor AvatarKelly GilorAugust 6, 2025 Bayelsa Police Dismiss Sgt. Ebiarede Over Involvement In Kidnap Justice Omukoro, Arrest 8 Suspects The Authorities of the Bayelsa State Police Command has announced the dismissal of Sergeant Obrientele Ebiarede over his alleged involvement in the recent abduction of a State High Court Judge, Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro. Sergeant Obrientele Ebiarede is an Indigene of Foutorugbene Community in Ekeremor Local Government area of the State. The Police Command, through the directive of the…

Just two weeks ago the local media came abuzz with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) celebrating its silver jubilee. The organisation has scored a string of successes despite the problems that have dogged its steps especially since the present crop of executives led by Dr Sam Ogbuku. NDDC operates in nine states with a laundry list of development issues begging for attention . But abrupt and quick changes in leadership make it impossible for consistent conclusive effort at execution, said Sam Ogbuku at last month’s luncheon in Port Harcourt. The other issue with past officials, it has been observed,…

A troubling trend is unfolding in Lagos State. In the aftermath of the recent local government elections, some newly elected officials have embarked on a reckless spree of renaming streets particularly those bearing Igbo names or named after prominent non-indigenes. This is not coincidental; it is a calculated political maneuver rooted in resentment, identity politics, and shortsighted leadership. It’s true that some individuals within the Igbo community, in asserting cultural pride, have crossed into political overreach not just in Nigeria but abroad. A recent example is an Igbo man in Ghana who purchased large tracts of land and declared himself…

Still deep in the controversies surrounding its appointment and inauguration, the board of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC) on Monday, July 28th, 2025 unveiled what it called a revised timetable for the 2025 local government council elections in Rivers State. In it, RISIEC fixed the election of council chairmen and councilors for the 30th of August, 2025. In doing so, it cancelled the previous date of the election, August 9th, that was fixed by the dissolved board headed by Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli (Rtd.) Expectedly, the new timetable has attracted wide rejection by the people, lawyers, civil society and…

Port Harcourt, July 31, 2025 — The Rivers State branch of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has rejected the recently announced timetable for the 2025 Local Government Council Elections, describing it as unconstitutional, illegal, and a misuse of public resources. The revised timetable, released by the newly reconstituted Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC) on Monday, July 28, fixes the elections for Saturday, August 30, 2025. This move effectively overrides an earlier schedule set by the previous RISIEC under the leadership of Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli, which had slated the polls for August 9, 2025. In a strongly worded statement…

Suspects in the abduction of Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro have narrated how they committed the crime. Eight of the suspects, which included six males and two females, were on Thursday paraded by security agencies led by the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Francis Idu, and the State Director of the Department of State Services, Mr. Adedapo Amao, in Yenagoa. The suspects were said to be in the custody of the DSS, which coordinated the rescue of the victim and arrest of the abductors. The Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, on Wednesday, during the state executive council meeting, disclosed…

A frontline human rights organization in Port Harcourt, PILEX Center has warned Rivers People off the planned local government elections scheduled for the state by the sole administrator,    Ibaas in August.Speaking through a press release dated July 21, 2025, Courage Nsirimovu, Pilex Center Excutive Director described the proposed election as illegal, unconstitutional and billed to be a waste of Rivers human and financial resources. Urging Nigerians and Rivers people to revisit the recent utterances of the Vice President of the Federation, Shettimma, who spoke up at a book launch in veiled condemnation of President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of…