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My Support For Peterside, Total – Abe …As APC Flays Arrest Of Chieftains
Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, Chairman Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) and Rivers South East Senatorial candidate on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC has said that his support for Dr. Dakuku Peterside, governorship candidate of the APC is total.
Abe who insists that Peterside remains the best governorship candidate for this election made the declaration during APC rally Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
“In Rivers State, we have made up our mind; our next governor is Dr. Dakuku Peterside. My name is Magnus Ngei Abe and I am supporting Dr. Dakuku Peterside one hundred per cent. That matter is settled and I have my reasons why I am supporting him.
“The first reason is that I know him. With Dr. Peterside, Rivers State is safe; the state will be in safe and competent hands. We have a governor we can talk to and he will listen to us because he is our friend and brother. Therefore, the issue of governorship in Rivers State is settled.
“Then there is also the issue of equity. We cannot have Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as governor for eight years and then another Ikwerre man for another eight years. The name of this state is Rivers State; it belongs to all of us. “Power must move round. If it does not move round, it will not get to other people. We are going to use our votes to move power away from Ikwerre”.
“The third reason is that with Dr Peterside we are sure he will consolidate on the achievements of Gov. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Other persons who are in this race will destroy all we have laboured to build these years because of ego, pride and selfishness”, he added.
Meanwhile, The Greater Together Campaign Organisation has condemned in strong terms the indiscriminate arrest and detention of members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State.
The organisation, which is campaigning for the governorship of Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, noted the resort to undemocratic style in an election period by the Nigeria Police Force, a Federal security agency, that should be non-partisan.
In a statement in Port Harcourt the organizations Director of Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said the arrests and detention, were masterminded by the Peoples Democratic Party, to provoke members of APC into retaliatory actions under which the police would launch a broader clampdown.
“What is happening is part of a ploy not only to intimidate APC members, but to also provoke them into retaliatory measures for which more clampdown will be launched by the already biased police”, the statement released in Port Harcourt read in part.
While it reiterated APC’s commitment to fair and issue-based campaign, the Greater Together Campaign Organisation berated PDP for being shy in selling its programs and manifesto to Rivers people.
“This attitude of PDP stems from the fact that it has nothing other than violence to propagate. We are worried that PDP is synonymous with violence and unfortunately, that it achieves in connivance with the police, a national institution serviced with the taxpayers’ money”, she said.
“The electorate in Rivers State is familiar with the hate sermons often preached by the PDP at its campaigns and rallies. Its style is alien to politics where a political party canvasses for votes by selling its unique product”, she added.
“In all of those, we find the police culpable as having compromised their apolitical role. We are, indeed concerned that rather than strengthen this national institution, PDP has compromised the Force placing it at its beck and call. At several fora, PDP members had threatened the peace of Rivers State, and had indeed, performed violent acts against APC supporters. Surprisingly, such PDP ‘untouchables’ walk the streets as free men. An example in hand is that of a former Chairman of Obio/Akpor local government who recently, accompanied by thugs, attacked an APC assembly inflicting deep machete cuts on members. Both the ex-Chairman and the attackers still walk freely, and may even be planning worse attacks on APC members. We are not aware the police invited them for questioning”, the APC Spokesperson said.
According to her, “In the face of these unpleasant moments in Rivers State, our stand is that the police should revert to their constitutional role of maintenance of law and order in an impartial manner. Their support for PDP aggravates the spate of attacks on APC members and supporters.
We hold this view that would this Force take its stand to serve all, the attacks will seize and ongoing campaigns in the state will be hitch-free”.
The Party urge the Inspector-General of Police to call his officers and men in Rivers State to order as their partisanship is creating worse violent situation which is at variance with democracy.
United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle (middle) addressing key governorship candidates in Rivers State at the signing of non-violence pact in Port Harcourt, yesterday. He is flanked by religious leaders: Catholic Bishop of Port Harcourt, Dr Camillus Etokudo (left), Bishop Winston Iwoh of Grace Covenant Ministries (2nd left), state INEC Commissioner, Gesila Khan (2nd right) and Archbishop Ignatius Kattey of Niger Delta Anglican Communion
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled attempts by drug trafficking syndicates to smuggle illicit substances concealed in carton walls, winter jackets, and body cream containers through Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a Lagos-based courier firm.
The agency said two consignments bound for Italy were intercepted at the Lagos airport, leading to the arrest of suspects linked to the shipments.
In a statement released yesterday, the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said one of the suspects, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was intercepted on Friday, March 20, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome, Italy.
The statement partly read, “Two of the consignments heading to Italy were to be moved through the Lagos airport where two suspects linked to the shipments were promptly arrested.
“One of them, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was going to Rome, Italy on Friday, March 20, 2026, when he was intercepted while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight with 2,698 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in containers of skin-lightening body cream, all packed in the suspect’s luggage.
“In his statement, Ehianuka, who is a resident of Milan, confirmed that he was to be paid a negotiated fee in Euros if he had succeeded in trafficking the consignment to Italy.”
In another operation on Wednesday, March 18, Babafemi said NDLEA officers at the departure hall intercepted another passenger, Christian Agbonhese, attempting to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan.
A search of his luggage uncovered 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg, 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg, and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg concealed in two large winter jackets.
“No fewer than 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg; 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg; and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg, all concealed in two large winter jackets, bringing the total number of opioids recovered from him to 28,470 pills. The 38-year-old Agbonhese is also a resident of Milan,” the statement added.
In a separate operation at a courier firm in Lagos, Babafemi said NDLEA officers on Monday, March 16, intercepted two parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 1kg, hidden in a carton shipped from the United States.
“Also thwarted was an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the walls of a carton to New Zealand,” he said.
In Kano State, operatives arrested Abdulkadir Mamuda, 35, with 102.5kg of skunk at Dan-Tsalle, while another suspect, Uche Johnson Festus, 47, was nabbed at Naibawa Gabas with 95.5kg of the same substance.
Babafemi said the agency also recovered 21,737 bottles of codeine-based syrup during a raid at Otto, Ijora area of Lagos on Wednesday, March 18, adding that two suspects, Chidiebere Anigbogu and Paul Nwagbara, were arrested the same day on the Third Mainland Bridge while conveying 8,380 bottles of the syrup.
In Edo State, operatives recovered 97.5kg of skunk from the residence of Akeem Idde, 37, in Ojah, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area on March 16.
In the FCT, officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Gwagwalada Expressway on March 18, recovering 91,840 pills of tramadol hidden in body compartments of the vehicle. The driver, Aminu Ali, 27, was arrested.
In Oyo State, a suspect, Bankole Bari, was on Tuesday, March 17, arrested at Oke-Oyan, Ibarapa LGA, with 71.2kg of skunk, which he smuggled into Nigeria from Benin Republic through the Oyan River.
In a similar development, “Not less than 586,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 were recovered by NDLEA operatives from Lawal Anas, 28, along Kaduna-Zaria Highway, Kaduna, on Tuesday, March 17, while 7,290 tablets of tramadol 225mg were seized from Musa Shuaibu, 22, at the same location on Friday, March 20,” Babafemi said.
In Taraba State, officers intercepted Aliyu Adamu, 26, along the Takum-Jalingo Highway with 77,660 capsules of tramadol, while in Adamawa State, six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 82.8kg of tramadol in a truck in Yola.
The suspects include Ramatu Aliyu, Jungudo Abdullahi, Najid Abdullahi, Musa Mohammed, Usman Abdulrahim, and Musa Mohammed.
The agency said its commands across the country also intensified War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, and communities during the week.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the MMIA, DOGI, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, FCT, Taraba, and Adamawa commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain the balanced approach to drug control efforts.
News
RSG Applauds FRSC, NDLEA For Enhancing Security In Rivers …As NDLEA Pushes For Drug Tests In Schools, NYSC Camps
The Rivers State Government has commended the dedication and collaboration of federal government agencies in sustaining security in the State.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the State Commander of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), CN Bature Dawa, in Port Harcourt, last week, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Dagogo Wokoma, said Governor Siminalayi Fubara appreciates the strong synergy between the agencies in promoting his administration’s vision of peace, prosperity and progress in the State.
Wokoma urged residents to remain law-abiding, noting that respect for the law is essential for good governance and sustainable development in all parts of the state.
He stated that the governor has remained committed to initiatives that promote peace and social order, stressing that the administration will continue to support programmes of federal agencies aimed at strengthening security and public safety.
“Our governor is committed to peace, progress and prosperity in Rivers State. I therefore encourage all residents, especially young people who are often targeted by those involved in drug abuse, to stay away from drugs, crime and reckless driving,” he said.
In his remarks, the State NDLEA boss, Dawa, disclosed that the agency has arrested 39 suspects in the state from December 2025 to date, including 16 new cases currently under investigation.
He explained that the NDLEA, through its Drug Demand Reduction and Drug Supply Control Units, has intensified efforts to curb the spread of illicit drugs and ensure offenders are brought to justice.
Dawa also called on parents and guardians to closely monitor their children, while urging hotel owners and managers to remain vigilant and prevent their facilities from being used for drug-related activities.
He further advocated the introduction of drug integrity tests in schools and within the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme as part of measures to discourage drug abuse among young people.
In a related development, Dr Wokoma received the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), CC Inyang Umoh, during a courtesy visit, and urged residents to abide by road safety laws and drive in consideration of other road users.
In his remarks, the FRSC boss expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for the continuous support to the Corps.
Muslims in Rivers State have commended Governor Siminialayi Fubara for his dedication and commitment to the development of the state.
They also lauded the governor for promoting peaceful co-existence among various religious groups in the state.
Vice President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs ,Alhaji Nasil Awhelegbe Uhor, gave the commendation last Friday during the Eid-el Fitri prayer to mark the end of Ramadan fasting period, at the Port Harcourt Central Mosque, Niger Street, Port Harcourt.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the prayer, Alhaji Uhor said Governor Fubara has shown exemplary leadership in the affairs of the state.
Uhor who is the leader of the South South Muslim Ummah of Nigeria, called on Muslims to remain committed to the ideal of peace and fear of the Almighty Allah.
According to the Rivers State Islamic leader, the message is for Muslims to imbibe and allow the lessons of Ramadan to sink into their lives and shape their ways of doing things.
He urged Muslims to imbibe the culture of love and respect for one another.
“My message is that all Muslims should imbibe and allow the lessons of Ramadan to sink with them,” he advised.
Uhor stressed the need for Muslims and all Nigerians to remain patriotic, while avoiding all forms of anti-social behaviours.
He also called on the political leaders to put the country first, stressing that there is no need for Nigerians to continue to wallow in abject poverty when the country is so rich with natural resources.
Also speaking, the Chief Imam of Rivers State, Alhaji Ibrahim S Yalo, urged Muslims to fear God, and speak the truth always.
According to him, time has come for Nigerians to cultivate the habit of peaceful coexistence, speak the truth and be each others keeper.
“Nigerians own a duty to ensure peace, live together in fear of God and speak the truth always,” he said.
By: John Bibor
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