News
Fubara camp opposes emergency rule as three killed in Rivers Crisis
The crisis in Rivers State snowballed into violence on Monday leading to the killing of a brother to Edison Ehie, Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s Chief of Staff, the father of a newly elected councillor, and about three others.
Also, three local government secretariats were torched by suspected thugs shortly after the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, withdrew the policemen guarding the council premises.
Suspected political thugs torched Ikwere Local Government while an explosion rocked the Eleme council secretariat.
Rival groups also attempted to take over Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni councils.
The development disrupted the planned resumption of the 23 newly elected local government chairmen and the swearing-in of 314 councillors.
Emohua Local Government Area was reportedly taken over by members of the Peoples Democratic Party opposed to the council poll which was held on Saturday.
The PDP and the All Progressives Congress had on Sunday rejected the conduct and outcome of the local government election, stating that no election was held in Rivers State on Saturday.
The Rivers State 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.
Despite the opposition to the poll, Fubara swore in the newly elected council chairmen at the Executive Council Chamber of the Government House in Port Harcourt, on Sunday.
The council election was won by Fubara’s allies in the Action Peoples Party which secured 22 out of 23 chairmanship positions, while the Action Alliance candidate won one seat.
The APP also won 314 out of the 319 councillorship seats in the 23 LGAs in the state.
The new Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Bala Mustapha, who withdrew the policemen guarding the secretariats on Monday, explained that it was in compliance with the IG’s directives.
The police had sealed the 23 LGA headquarters in July following the crisis that greeted the attempted tenure elongation of the former LGA chairmen in the state.
The command said the decision was in line with the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure neutrality and the smooth functioning of democratic institutions.
The police in a statement said, “In view of the recent political developments in Rivers State, the newly deployed Commissioner of Police, CP Bala Mustapha hereby convey the directives of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, for the immediate withdrawal of all police personnel previously deployed to seal and safeguard the Local Government Secretariats in the state.
“This decision is in line with the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure neutrality and the smooth functioning of democratic institutions.
“Consequently, the IGP has ordered the unsealing of the Local Government Secretariats, which were earlier secured by police personnel.
“The police will only be redeployed to these locations in the event of any crisis or breakdown of law and order, in which case emergency measures will be swiftly implemented to restore normalcy.’’
But a few hours after the elected LG chairmen attempted to enter the secretariats to swear in their councillors, gunshots and violence broke out in some areas.
In Ahoada East Local Government Area, as the chairman and his councillors tried to access the secretariat, loud gunshots rent the air.
As a violent protest erupted in front of the council, a detachment of policemen was deployed to quell the situation which later got out of hand.
The policemen were forced to fire several gunshots into the air to disperse the crowd, and soldiers arrived at the scene and allegedly took over the secretariat.
During the melee, a relative of the Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, Edison Ehie, was reportedly shot dead.
The state Secretary of the Inter-State Party Advisory Council, Benjamin Ogbobula, confirmed the incident.
He condemned the torching of several council secretariats in the state.
Ogbobula, who spoke on a news programme aired Nigeria Info, Port Harcourt, monitored by our correspondent on Monday, called on security agencies in the state and the National Security Adviser to take urgent action to contain the political situation before it gets out of hand.
He stated, “What I know about Ahoada East, is they shot the junior brother to the Chief of Staff, Government House. I condemn the dastardly act in its entirety.
‘’They don’t have the right to take life and the burning of the local government is not a welcome development. They are taking us back. We must forge ahead.
Ogbobula, who is also the Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party in the state, said Fubara was right to have sworn in the elected LG chairmen.
At the Obio/Akpor council secretariat, scores of youths were spotted wielding machetes, bottles and sticks.
The youths later clashed with another group at the council secretariat while gunshots rang out shortly after the Chairman of the local government, Chijioke Ihunwo, inaugurated the newly elected councillors.
It was also gathered that friends and well-wishers who came to grace the inauguration ran for their lives.
Some scaled the fence of the secretariat for safety, while others ran for their lives through the back gate.
In Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, a similar protest took place as some youths blocked the entrance of the council headquarters in an attempt to stop the new local government chairman from entering the premises.
One of the protesters cited the amendment of the Local Government Law by the Martin Amaewhule-led state House of Assembly which extended the tenure of the former LG chairman by six months due to the alleged failure of Fubara to conduct the council elections then.
The unidentified man said, “When the governor was unable to constitute or empower RSIEC to conduct local government election, the House of Assembly considered it that a vacuum cannot exist and thereby extended the tenure of the local government chairmen by six months. The six months is still running, and the governor woke up from his slumber to do a Kangaroo election.”
Online videos showed some youths destroying plastic chairs outside the secretariat even as they afterwards forced their way into the premises after unlocking the gate.
In Eleme LGA, a section of the council secretariat was set ablaze with substances suspected to be dynamites.
This occurred before the local government chairman, Brian Gokpa, arrived at the secretariat with his councillors and supporters.
It was gathered that some properties were looted before the hoodlums torched the building but the fire was extinguished by the chairman’s supporters before the officials of the fire service arrived.
However, offices, windows, doors, and stationery were destroyed by the fire.
Gokpa assured that the incident would not affect the discharge of his constitutional duties to the people of the area.
He stated, “On reaching here this morning we found the secretariat being torched by hoodlums who don’t mean well for Eleme people. This act was carried out around 8am-8:30am.
“It was looted first before it was set ablaze. If you go around now you won’t find anything. The furniture, fridge, air conditioners, everything in the offices were looted.
‘’We are going to start from scratch. It is a very difficult situation. However, since we are ready for leadership we will ensure that we start on a new note.”
In Khana Local Government Area, a man said to be the father of one of the newly elected councilors, was hit by a bullet fired by some hoodlums who shot sporadically near the Rectors’ Lodge where the swearing-in of the councillors was about to take place in Bori, the council headquarters.
Meanwhile, the River governor’s camp has warned against the declaration of emergency rule in the state.
The Special Assistant on Electronic Media to the Rivers State Governor, Jerry Omatsogunwa, condemned the violence that erupted in the state, even as he described as wicked those calling for the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers.
Omatsogunwa stated, “Is that not witchcraft? That is pure witchcraft. I think four states held an election on Saturday, the same time as the Rivers State election and those people have been sworn in, nobody has called for a state of emergency in those states.
‘’So far, out of the 26 states that were running caretaker before the Supreme Court came and gave that window of three months, nobody has called for a declaration of state of emergency in those states. That is so wicked, that is so barbaric and it’s not fit for modern-day society. The wickedness of the highest order.’’
Speaking further, the media aide asked President Bola Tinubu to ignore those suggesting an emergency rule in the state.
He noted, “We have problems in some Northern states where other things are happening, yet nobody has called for a state of emergency. They gave a window for election, the state high court has said go ahead with the election, what the Federal high court did is okay, police aren’t involved in the election.’’
He further said, “You (journalists) went round to cover the election, did you see any police anywhere? And this is the most peaceful election. I can tell you the police were interlopers; they were looting and carting away materials to cause a crisis.”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army’s structure from eight to twelve divisions—a landmark move to enhance the country’s security architecture and improve the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Army.
In a statement, Special Adviser to the President on (Information & Strategy) Bayo Onanuga says, “this approval underscores the President’s unwavering commitment to equipping the Armed Forces to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges effectively and to strengthen national defence capabilities further.”According to the statement, “the expansion builds on the Administration’s sustained investments in the Armed Forces, including approval for the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel, acquisition of critical military platforms and equipment, improvements in troop welfare, and ongoing support for operational readiness and force modernisation.”Under the new structure, the Nigerian Army will operate twelve divisions, strategically positioned across the country as follows:1. 1 Division Headquarters – Kaduna (Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States)2. 2 Division Headquarters – Ibadan (Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States)3. 3 Division Headquarters – Jos (Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe States)4. 5 Division Headquarters – Makurdi (Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi States)5. 6 Division Headquarters – Port Harcourt (Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States)6. 7 Division Headquarters – Maiduguri (Borno and Yobe States)7. 8 Division Headquarters – Sokoto (Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States)8. 9 Division Headquarters – Ilorin (Kwara and Niger States)9. 10 Division Headquarters – Jalingo (Taraba and Adamawa States)10. 81 Division Headquarters – Lagos (Lagos and Ogun States)11. 82 Division Headquarters – Enugu (Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo States)12. 83 Division Headquarters – Benin City (Edo, Delta and Bayelsa States).The establishment of the new Divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City will significantly improve command and control, decentralise operational decision-making, strengthen border security, enhance the protection of critical national infrastructure, improve counter-insurgency and internal security operations, and ensure faster military response to emerging threats nationwide.Implementation of the new force structure will be done in two phases.
The Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF) worldwide, a pan-Igbo socioeconomic pressure group, has urged the Federal Government to direct the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) to supply Dangote Petroleum Refinery adequate crude.
The Chairman of NUF, Chief Augustine Chukwudum, made the call on Wednesday in Enugu while reacting to Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s move to start direct sales of refined Petroleum products in dollars.
It would be recalled that a top management official of the Dangote Group said that its refinery was receiving just four million barrels of crude oil monthly under the arrangement, instead of about 13 million barrels envisaged after President Bola Tinubu’s 2024 directive.
The refinery had attributed its decision to switch from naira-denominated fuel sales domestically to dollar transactions to the crude supply shortfall, saying it would also increase exports of refined petroleum products to earn foreign exchange.
Chukwudum called on the Federal Government to intervene urgently before things get out of hand and Nigerians suffer the more.
According to him, fuel price remains major determinant of prices of other commodities and services in the country as transport cost depends on.
“Things are bound to get worst if the Federal Government neglect to take immediate and decisive actions meant to better the life of the citizens.
“NUF is rasing this alarm because this administration is behaving as if they are not answerable to the people their are supposed to be serving.
“The Federal Government should direct NNPCL to supply all the crude oil needed by Dangote Refinery since the company has the capacity to meet local or domestic petroleum needs of the country.
“The government must stop all forms of fuel importation because that money been used for importation is a waste and put a pressure on our fragile foreign reserve as a nation,” he said.
The NUF boss noted that the refinery company must be allowed to pay in naira with this move, suffering of citizens would be curtailed.
Chukwudum also reiterated the call of the group for the Federal Government to set up judicial panel of inquiry to look into the account of NNPCL for some years now.
A commotion reportedly erupted at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Onitsha South Local Government Area of Anambra State after some officials were accused of demanding ₦2,000 from applicants before processing voter registration and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
The allegation surfaced in a video circulating on social media, which showed what appeared to be a heated confrontation between applicants and officials at the electoral commission’s office.
According to a resident who narrated the incident in the video, some INEC officials allegedly insisted that applicants pay ₦2,000 before their voter registration or PVC processing could be completed.
The situation reportedly escalated when one of the applicants challenged the alleged demand, insisting that voter registration and PVC-related services are free and should not attract any payment.
The applicant was said to have confronted the officials and attempted to record the exchange with a mobile phone, triggering a heated argument that attracted other applicants and bystanders.
Although raised voices and a commotion could be heard in the footage, the circumstances surrounding the incident could not be independently verified.
The video has since sparked reactions on social media, with many Nigerians condemning the alleged extortion and calling on INEC to investigate the incident and sanction anyone found culpable.
INEC has consistently maintained that voter registration services are free of charge. These include fresh registration, collection of PVCs, transfer of voter information, correction of personal details, and replacement of lost or damaged PVCs.
The commission has also repeatedly urged members of the public to report any cases of extortion, bribery or illegal charges involving its permanent or ad hoc staff during voter registration and PVC distribution.
As of the time of filing this report, INEC had not issued an official statement specifically addressing the allegations involving its Onitsha South Local Government Area office.
The incident comes as the electoral commission continues its nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC has also introduced an online self-service platform to enable prospective voters and existing registrants to complete several registration-related processes conveniently, while reiterating that voter registration services remain free of charge.
MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited (MEDL) has restored power supply to parts of Enugu metropolis, which witnessed darkness.
Some parts of Enugu metropolis, under the Band A tariff regime, during the weekend witnessed three consecutive days of blackout.
The Head, Communications of MainPower, Mr Emeka Ezeh, disclosed this in a statement he issued on Tuesday in Enugu.
According to him, MainPower wishes to inform its esteemed customers that power supply to the Gariki Injection Substation was successfully restored on Monday, July 20, at about 8:30p.m.
“This is following the successful resolution of a major fault involving the indoor 11kV breaker at the station.
“The fault, which occurred on Friday, July 17, affected electricity supply to customers served by the Army and Gariki 11kV feeders.
“Consequently, normal electricity supply has now been restored to all affected areas,” he said.
Ezeh appreciated residents and customers for their patience, understanding and cooperation throughout the outage.
He noted that the company remained committed to delivering safe, reliable, and improved electricity services to its customers and residents of the state.
It would be recalled that MainPower, which is a subsidiary of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), is in-charge of electricity distribution in Enugu State.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Four herders and several cattle were killed on Tuesday when suspected gunmen attacked a cattle camp in Ifite Awka Community, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The incident has sparked concern in Awka, the state capital, as the attackers reportedly invaded the settlement and opened fire on the herders before fleeing the scene.
The attack has also prompted the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) to appeal for calm among its members, expressing confidence that the perpetrators would be apprehended and brought to justice.
In a statement, the National Deputy Director-General of MACBAN, Gidado Siddiki, said the four deceased herders were members of the same family.
According to him, the incident occurred at the cattle camp of Alhaji Aminu Mohammed on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
He said, “According to reports, unknown armed assailants invaded the cattle camp while the herders were peacefully engaged in their legitimate cattle-rearing activities.
“The attackers opened fire sporadically, resulting in the deaths of four herders, namely Mohammed Bujumi, Hassan Bujumi, Abubakar Bujumi and Sani Bujumi.
“Several cattle were also killed during the attack, while the assailants reportedly fled with some of the cattle carcasses towards the nearby Mgbakwu Community.”
Siddiki added that another herder, identified as Usman Iliyasu, narrowly escaped the attack.
MACBAN condemned the incident as “heinous and senseless,” calling on security agencies to immediately investigate the attack, apprehend those responsible and prosecute them.
The association also urged the Anambra State Government to take urgent steps to strengthen security and protect the lives and property of residents.
While appreciating the prompt intervention of the Joint Task Force and the state government in recovering the bodies of the victims, Siddiki appealed to MACBAN members to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their own hands.
“We urge everyone to cooperate fully with the security agencies and allow the government to carry out the necessary investigations and take appropriate action to ensure justice is served,” he said.
Confirming the attack, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said a police-led joint security team responded to the scene following a distress call.
He said the operatives discovered the bodies of four male victims who had suffered fatal injuries.
“Preliminary observations revealed that the victims had their hands tied and sustained multiple injuries, including machete cuts and blunt force trauma. Also, two residential huts within the settlement were set ablaze during the attack,” Ikenga said.
The police spokesperson further disclosed that four dead cows were found within the vicinity, while two other cattle had been slaughtered, with portions of their meat removed.
He added that security operatives recovered sacks containing abandoned chunks of meat a short distance from the scene.
According to Ikenga, preliminary findings indicated that the attackers were armed with sophisticated weapons, including AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, double-barrel guns and machetes.
He said one survivor escaped unharmed and was assisting the police-led joint security team with useful information that could aid the investigation.
The Anambra State Police Command urged members of the public to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible and timely information that could assist the ongoing investigation.
The Command said further developments would be communicated as the investigation progresses.
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