News

Abductors Free 15 Kaduna Baptist Students, Promise to Release the Rest

Published

4 years ago

August 23, 2021

Eric

Some parents of the abducted students of Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna, have said the kidnappers called them to pick up their children at different locations with the promise that they (students) have all been released.

However, only 15 of the students, who were kidnapped in July, regained their freedom on Sunday after 46 days in the captors’ den.

The students, who were picked up at different locations by their parents after calls were placed to them (parents) by the abductors, were discovered to be weak and could barely walk.

“They called us individually and told us to come and pick our children. When we got to the location they left our children, we found them very weak, barely able to work,” Samuel, one of the parents, disclosed.

Another parent, Ruth Makama, disclosed that she was called upon to come for her daughter, but on getting there, she discovered her daughter was not one of those released.

Twenty-eight students were earlier released after the payment of N50 million, while the latest release was after the payment of an additional N24 million.

The students, 121 in numbers, according to the President, Kaduna Baptist Conference, who is also the Proprietor of the school, Rev. Ishaya Jangado, were kidnapped in the early hours of July 5, 2021, around 2am on the school premises along the Kaduna-Kachia highway, Damishi, Chikun LGA of the state.

With the release of 15 out of the 80 students, 65 of the students are still in the kidnappers’ den

The students were handed over to the traumatised parents at around 1:30pm.

The students, who were conveyed in an 18-seater bus into the secretariat, were not looking unkempt, a contrast to condition of the first batch of 28 students earlier freed by the bandits.

The development, the President of the Baptist Convention, Rev. Israel Akanji, explained was because the released students were allowed to refresh before being reunited with the parents unlike the previous ones who looked unkempt and pale.

Addressing newsmen shortly after handing over the students to their parents, Akanji said they expected the bandits to release the remaining children, who he said, were 78 with them (bandits).

News

Two Rivers Lawmakers Step Down from Impeachment Proceedings Against Fubara, Sue for Peace

Published

2 days ago

January 12, 2026

Eric

Two members of the Rivers House of Assembly, who are loyalists of former Governor Nyesom Wike, have withdrawn from the impeachment move against Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers.

The Minority Leader of the assembly, Sylvanus Enyinna Nwankwo, and Peter Abbey, who represents Degema State Constituency, urged their colleagues to exercise restraint and allow for dialogue to maintain stability in the state

In a video widely circulated on Facebook and an excerpt published by Rivers State Television, the lawmakers urged their colleagues to prioritise the overall interest and stability of Rivers above partisan disagreements.

Call for ‘cooling-off period’

The legislators stressed that the prevailing political climate demands calm, dialogue and a “cooling-off period” within the assembly to allow, in their words, “wisdom and truth to prevail” in the legislative chambers.

Although they did not expressly mention the impeachment process during the briefing, their intervention is being interpreted by political observers as a withdrawal from the impeachment push against Mr Fubara, which has heightened tensions in the state.

Background to impeachment moves

The Rivers assembly parted ways with Mr Fubara because of the feud between the governor and Mr Wike, who is the FCT minister.

The current impeachment notice on Mr Fubara is the third attempt in less than three years to remove the governor. The previous efforts had split the legislature into two factions, causing President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency in the oil-rich state and suspend the governor, the deputy governor, and the lawmakers.

The lawmakers accused the governor of constitutional breaches and administrative misconduct, allegations his supporters have dismissed as politically motivated.

Source: Premium Times

News

I Won’t Surrender Rivers N700bn IGR to Anyone, Fubara Vows

Published

6 days ago

January 8, 2026

Eric

Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has resisted alleged pressure to hand over N700 billion, representing 35% of the State’s internally generated revenue (IGR), to anyone, sparking a heated power struggle with former Governor Nyesom Wike, now Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister.

The dispute has raised concerns about the welfare of Rivers State residents, with 4.4 million people living in multidimensional poverty.

The feud between Fubara and Wike, who unilaterally chose Fubara as his successor, has escalated into violent confrontations, defections, and legal battles.

Wike has threatened to make Rivers State “ungovernable” if Fubara fails comply, while his supporters have vowed to “deal with” Fubara.

In response, Fubara has warned that he cannot be intimidated, saying: “Rivers State is not a playground” and that he’s prepared to defend the state’s interest.

His supporters have also threatened to mobilise protests against Wike and his allies.

The crisis had paralysed governance, prompting President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month emergency rule in the State last year.

The situation remains tense, with both sides maintaining their respective stance.

The outcome will have significant implications for Rivers State and Nigerian politics.

The dispute highlights concerns about godfatherism in Nigerian politics and its impact on governance.

Wike has accused Fubara of ingratitude, while Fubara sees the former’s demands as an attempt to undermine his authority.

News

Rivers Assembly Begins Impeachment Proceedings Against Fubara

Published

6 days ago

January 8, 2026

Eric

The Rivers State House of Assembly has commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The legislature kicked off the process at plenary on Thursday.

The lawmakers are accusing Fubara and his deputy of gross misconduct.

Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, is presiding over the session.

The day’s proceedings bear the imprimatur of renewed hostilities between Fubara and his predecessor Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

On December 5, 2025, a horde of the Rivers assembly lawmakers led by the speaker, announced their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Days later, Fubara formalised his own switch from the PDP to the APC.

However, the sabre-rattling and thinly veiled remarks between Wike and Fubara, which culminated in the declaration of emergency rule in the state in March 2025, have persisted.

Most of the Rivers lawmakers have stayed loyal to Wike.

TheCable