Author: Naija Daily News

Supporters of reinstated Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday thronged the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, in anticipation of his arrival. Among those sighted at the airport were members of the Simplified Movement, the governor’s political structure which was earlier disbanded, including the sacked Mayor of Port Harcourt City, Ichemati Ezebunwo, popularly known as Sugar Mayor. Also present were members of Women Unite for SIM, a prayer support group, who gathered at the airport’s car park. Recall that hundreds of supporters had assembled at the gate of the Rivers State Government House to welcome the governor following the suspension…

J-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed social media reports claiming he recently suffered a heart attack and was flown to London for treatment. Speaking on Thursday at the flag-off of the Arterial Road from Wuye District to Ring Road II in Abuja, Woke described the claims as false, politically motivated, and the handiwork of those who wished him ill. “Before I knew it, I started hearing that I had a heart attack. God will help them to have their own heart attack. It is my prayer that very soon I will be the one signing…

By Deborah Nnamdi A General Court Martial sitting at Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, Jos, Plateau State, has sentenced Private Lukman Musa to death by hanging for the murder of a tricycle rider, Mr. Abdulrahman Isa, in Azare, Bauchi State. The judgment, delivered on Thursday, September 18, 2025, by Brigadier General Liafis Bello, President of the 3 Division Nigerian Army General Court Martial, also convicted Musa of unlawful possession of ammunition. According to the prosecution, Musa conspired with an accomplice, identified as Mr. Oba, to lure Isa into his residence under the pretext of helping him with personal belongings. The court heard…

By Deborah Nnamdi The Cross River State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Morrison Ogbonna, was found dead in his hotel room in Calabar in the early hours of Thursday. It was gathered that Ogbonna’s body was discovered by his officers, who had gone to pick him up for a scheduled assignment. A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the officers became worried after repeated knocks on his door went unanswered. They then alerted the hotel management, which opened the room and found him lifeless. The late commander was recently posted to Cross River in…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday re-arraigned a former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, before an FCT High Court sitting in Apo over his alleged involvement in a $6 billion contract fraud. Agunloye, who served as minister between 1999 and 2003 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is accused of illegally awarding a contract for the construction of the 3,960 megawatt Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited on a Build, Operate, and Transfer basis. The EFCC alleged that the contract was awarded without budgetary provision, approval, or cash backing, and in…

Thousands of supporters who thronged the Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday morning to welcome Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, left disappointed after waiting in vain for several hours. Many of the enthusiastic supporters, who arrived as early as 6 a.m. from different parts of the state, including rural areas, began dispersing between 12 noon and 1 p.m. when the governor failed to show up. Some of their leaders, including sacked local government chairmen loyal to Fubara, were seen making frantic phone calls as the governor’s whereabouts remained unclear as of 1 p.m. Among them were the immediate past…

Photo: Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule By Deborah Nnamdi The Rivers State House of Assembly on Thursday reconvened plenary following the expiration of the six-month Emergency Rule declared in the state by President Bola Tinubu on March 18, 2025. The sitting marked the Assembly’s first session since March 12, a week before the emergency proclamation. At Thursday’s plenary, lawmakers unanimously adopted a motion demanding an account of funds spent during the emergency period, as well as a new budget and list of commissioner nominees from Governor Siminialayi Fubara. The motion, sponsored by nine members led…

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a record N2.225 trillion as federation revenue among the Federal Government, states, and local government councils for August 2025. This marks the highest monthly allocation ever, and the second consecutive month FAAC disbursements have exceeded N2 trillion. In July, the committee distributed N2.01 trillion during its meeting in Abuja, supported by increases in Oil and Gas Royalty, Value Added Tax (VAT), and Common External Tariff (CET) levies. According to a communiqué issued at the end of its September meeting, the gross federation revenue for August stood at N3.635 trillion. From this, N124.839…

By Deborah Nnamdi Social media erupted on Wednesday with sharp reactions to recent developments surrounding the Rivers State emergency rule, with many Nigerians accusing political leaders of using the measure to settle scores and manipulate local power structures. On X (formerly Twitter), Haruna (@harunaibrahim) argued that the emergency had already fulfilled its purpose, writing:“officialABAT & @GovWike has succeeded in flipping Rivers State forcefully from PDP to APC therefore the aim of the emergency rule declaration has been achieved.” Similarly, Onbeds (@obnotobs) alleged that the move was intended to capture Rivers’ political machinery:“The whole purpose of the Emergency Rule in Rivers…

By Deborah Nnamdi President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has lifted the six-month state of emergency in Rivers State, announcing that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly will return to their offices from Thursday, September 18, 2025. In a statement released by the Presidency on Wednesday, Tinubu said the intervention, first declared on March 18, 2025, was necessary to halt what he described as a breakdown of governance in the state. “It therefore gives me great pleasure to declare that the emergency in Rivers State of Nigeria shall end with effect from…