News
‘Rivers LGAs Under Military Siege’

Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr Austin Tam-George (middle), in a group photograph with members and staff of Treasure FM in Port Harcourt, on Wednesday.
Ahead of the re-run National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections in designated Constituencies in Rivers State, three Local Government Areas in the state are under politically motivated vicious attacks which have left in their trail, tales of deaths, blood, destruction and open intimidation.
These joint military/police invasions have taken place in three LGAS of the state, namely; Gokana, Asari-Toru and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni(ONELGA). One recurring decimal in these three deadly invasions is the fact that one Major Mustapha features in all of them. Major Mustapha , a Pro-APC military officer, was the Rivers State APC star witness during the hearing of election petitions in Abuja.
In Asari-Toru LGA on 6th January, 2016, Major Mustapha and his team of dare-devil soldiers and mobile policemen invaded the residences of the Caretaker Council Chairman, Ambassador Sobomabo Jackrich, destroying his homes and valuables before killing about five youths. They also abducted 50 youths and women who were taken to Port Harcourt.
The same scenario played out in Bua Yeghe in Gokana LGA where Major Mustapha and his illegal politically motivated squad attacked the home of Chief Solomon Ndigbara, a former Niger Delta agitator. They burnt his home, before abducting his wife and 70 other youths. The Major Mustapha illegal squad also attacked the home of Chief Ndigbara in Port Harcourt, damaging the facility.
On 13th January, 2016, the soldiers and mobile policemen were in ONELGA were they unleashed mayhem on lives and property. The residents of the area are still counting their losses.
It is imperative to point out that in these three LGAs where Major Mustapha and other illegal security operatives struck, they were accompanied by known APC political thugs and militants who acted as identity operatives. These APC agents who were embedded in these illegal operations were kitted with security uniforms. Despite these security costumes, they were identified by locals.
This level of political desperation is unknown to the nation’s democratic history. No authority had in the past handed security platforms to political thugs and associates to unleash untold-mayhem and deaths on law-abiding citizens.
But one thing is clear, this resort to intimidation and destruction will not improve the lacklustre fortune of Rivers APC. If anything, it has further depleted the party’s miserable five percent. The immediate past governor of Rivers State and leader of Rivers State APC, Mr Chibuike Amaechi squandered N3trillion that accrued to the state under his watch leaving the people impoverished and angry. That unconscionable act will not be forgotten simply because APC has authorised Major Mustapha to kill innocent people .
Those who sent Major Mustapha must be told that there is no APC in Rivers State. The party thrives on falsehood and mismanagement of resources. The Rivers people are enjoying good governance and first class performance under Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. They have therefore committed themselves to the PDP.
Every well meaning Nigerian is invited to take note of this unprecedented violence being visited on innocent Rivers people by the military and the police under the ungodly guidance of the Rivers State APC. The National Human Rights Commission is also invited to play its role at this critical time. The affected local government areas have on their own conducted media tours of the invaded communities. The civil society is in the know of the illegal invasions of the unarmed communities.
Rivers State is PDP with Governor Wike as the people’s ordained leader with the magic wand of delivery being enjoyed by the state. No amount of military/Police intimidation can promote APC in the state.
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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