Politics
Security Issues Take Centre Stage As Wike Warns Trouble Makers
Security attentions dominated activities in the Brick House last week as Governor Nyesom Wike made a state wide broadcast, Friday in response to the violent activities of the agitating Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in the state, particularly Oyigbo Local Government Area which led to loss of lives and destruction of property.
Governor Wike who condemned the attacks in the broadcast said the state fully subscribes to Nigeria’s corporate existence and its indivisibility, hence, its resolve to support the unity of the nation and commitment towards actualising the collective aspirations for a just, inclusive and progressive nation.
He warned trouble makers, especially those bent on causing violence on others to steer clear of Rivers territory as the state government would not hesitate to deal decisively with any threat to peace and security in the state.
The Governor said, “Rivers State belongs to all those who live in it. We heartily welcome any Nigerian who wishes to reside and go about with his or her lawful businesses.
“Therefore, we shall not tolerate any attack by any group on other Nigerians living in Oyigbo or any other part of the state. We warn trouble makers, those who are bent on causing violence on others to steer clear of Rivers territory”.
He said in as much as Nigerians may share common concerns about the structural problems of the country, there was need to approach such concerns through dialogue and urged the Federal Government to initiate meaningful national dialogue to peacefully resolve the structural challenges that are threatening the nation’s stability and progress.
Earlier, on Wednesday, Governor Wike accused operatives of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police of Perpetrating crimes, particularly armed robbery and kidnapping in the state.
At a media briefing in Government House, the Governor expressed disappointment that while his administration had given more support than any other state in the country, to security agencies, some of the SARs officers were using exhibit vehicles to commit crimes.
He told newsmen that three officers of SARs penultimate Monday Kidnapped a man at Orazi in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area and that when the Inspector General’s Special Squad was contacted by relations of the victim, a man who turned out to be an officer of SARs was gunned down.
He lamented that several letters he had written against activities of the SARs in the state failed to attract the a desired response from the police hierarchy and that as Chief Security Officer of the State, he decided to let the world know about the involvement of SARs officers in kidnappings and robberies.
Wike alleged that SARs commander in the state, Akin, Fakorede was planted to sabotage his administration, discredit him and scare investors.
Governor Wike who earned the title, “Mr Project”, because of his passion for executing numerous people-oriented projects, was on tour of project sites to inspect ongoing work in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor local government areas on Thursday.
Among the projects inspected were Woji-Akpajo Bridge/Road, Elelenwo-Akpajo Road, Creek Road, Produce House, Bonny-Nembe-Bille Jetty, Garrison-Trans Amadi-Elelenwo Road and National Industrial Court.
He gave indication that the projects would be delivered by the end of the year.
A large crowd of market women in Creek Road Market came out to cheer the governor and his entourage. They praised the governor for the projects in the area and said past administrations never showed such love and concern to them as done by Wike.
Wike who was touched by their level of appreciation to the efforts of his administration, lauded the crowd for the support and promised to build a new befitting market for them after the road project.
Activities got to a climax on Friday as Governor Wike swore in five new Commissioners and Seven Caretaker Committee Chairmen. The Commissioner were: Dr Fred Kpakol, Prof Roseline Konya, Shedrack Chukwu, Mrs Tonye Onyirinde and Hon Dum Dekor.
Chris Oluoh
Prof. Amupitan gave the warning on Saturday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the South-South Zonal Readiness Assessment and Interactive Staff Engagement organised ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said insecurity remained a potential challenge to the electoral process but stressed that the Commission would not allow threats against its personnel to undermine its constitutional responsibilities.
“Insecurity may pose a challenge, but our collective constitutional resolve is far stronger. Let me again send a clear message from Port Harcourt: anyone who attempts to threaten, intimidate, or harm our ad-hoc staff, NYSC members, or permanent personnel will be brought to justice under the full weight of the law,” he said.
The INEC Chairman, who was accompanied by National Commissioners, directors and technical aides, disclosed that the South-South engagement was the fifth in a series of zonal assessments, following similar exercises in the South-West, North-West, South-East and North-East.
He explained that his physical presence across the geopolitical zones reflected the Commission’s field-first approach, emphasising that electoral integrity must be established through effective operations at the grassroots.
According to him, the assessment would cover operational preparedness across the 123 Local Government Areas in the six South-South states.
On election security, Prof. Amupitan said INEC had moved away from reactive security arrangements traditionally activated around election day to a proactive, intelligence-driven framework known as the “ICCES Tentacle”.
He explained that the framework was designed to extend inter-agency security coordination from national and state headquarters to local government areas and Registration Area Centres, including remote communities.
He identified three critical pillars of the framework as mapping and mitigating security threats, protecting electoral personnel and infrastructure, and guaranteeing safe access to polling units.
The INEC boss said the security arrangement would provide comprehensive protection for electoral personnel, technological infrastructure, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and server infrastructure, as well as voters.
He added that the framework was intended to ensure that every polling unit, irrespective of its geographical location or history of security challenges, remained safe and accessible for the exercise of democratic rights.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that the South-South security architecture comprised approximately 60 major operational formations, headquarters and state commands operating under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
The network, he said, brings together military, naval, air, police and other security and intelligence agencies across the six states.
“Together, this integrated multi-agency network represents the operational backbone that guarantees intelligence-led protection across every riverine creek, coastal axis, and land-based polling unit in the Niger Delta,” he stated.
Providing an overview of the region’s electoral significance, the INEC Chairman said the South-South had the fourth-largest voting bloc in the country, with 15,823,550 registered voters, representing 15.30 per cent of the national register.
Rivers State alone, he said, accounts for 3,736,434 registered voters spread across the 23 local government areas.
Alhaji Abubakar made the demand following revelations that some INEC registration officers allegedly abused their access to the voter registration system to introduce irregular records into the database.
In a statement issued by his Director of Strategic Communications, Mr Phrank Shaibu, the former vice-president described the development as a serious breach of the Commission’s internal safeguards and raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
He urged INEC to identify the officials implicated in the alleged misconduct and explain what disciplinary or legal measures had been taken against them.
Alhaji Abubakar also called for an independent forensic audit of the preliminary voters’ register to establish the scale of the alleged manipulation, identify affected records and determine how the questionable entries were introduced into the system.
He further insisted that INEC preserve all relevant voter records, image files, system access logs and electronic audit trails to prevent the destruction or alteration of evidence before an independent examination could be conducted.
The former vice-president also demanded that the Commission disclose the identities of companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials ahead of the 2027 polls, arguing that transparency was essential to building public confidence in the electoral process.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, had earlier disclosed during a television interview that some registration officers across the country allegedly used their official login credentials to introduce irregularities into the voters’ database.
Dr Bayode explained that the Commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System helped identify questionable records and establish how some irregularities entered the system.
He, however, clarified that not all suspicious photographs were AI-generated, as some resulted from poor registration procedures.
The development followed public concerns over suspected AI-generated photographs, alleged duplicate entries and other inconsistencies discovered in the preliminary voters’ register published online on October 26, 2026.
INEC has maintained that the published document is a preliminary register and that it is reviewing questionable records ahead of the certification of the final Register of Voters.
The controversy has intensified calls for greater transparency and accountability in the management of the voters’ register as preparations gather momentum for the 2027 general elections.
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