News

Rivers Crisis: Bode George Advises Tinubu to Call Wike to Order

Published

2 years ago

October 8, 2024

Eric

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has advised the FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, to “cease fire” and allow Governor Siminalayi Fubara to work for the people of Rivers State.

George conveyed the appeal through a statement on Monday in Lagos, following the latest crisis in Rivers State after the local government elections held on Saturday.

George, a PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) member, also called on President Bola Tinubu to advise Wike, the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, to make efforts towards ending the political tension in the State.

He said it has become imperative now that people of Rivers State have boldly asserted their civic and constitutional rights of coming out to vote in last Saturday’s local government polls.

“This is the time for former governor of the State and now FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to allow Governor Siminalayi Fubara to work and deliver dividends of democracy to the people.

“This is also the time for President Bola Tinubu to advise Wike, who is one of his ministers, to allow the governor to work.

“I say this with every sense of responsibility because if this democracy is truncated – God forbid – Tinubu, as the Commander-in-Chief, will be the biggest loser,” George warned.

According to him, all lovers of democracy should bear in mind that the current political crisis in Rivers State could lead to a re-enactment of the crisis in the defunct Western Region between 1962 and 1966, if allowed to continue.

He said the crisis eventually led to the first military coup of January 15, 1966.

The PDP chieftain recalled how some national figures were killed and how the crisis led to a second coup on July 29, 1966, which also claimed the lives of many military officers.

“Since history is no longer taught in our schools, I want to remind the gladiators in this Rivers crisis that the January and July 1966 killings eventually led to the civil war between July 6, 1967 and January 15, 1970.

“Close to two million Nigerians died in the war. I am raising this alarm because what is happening in Rivers State now gives cause for serious concern for everyone.

“My understanding of this man-made crisis is that, there is a despotic, divisive, wicked and anti-people design to create a conflagration, which may eventually consume our country.

“We all know the economic importance of Rivers to the survival of this nation. It is the gateway to the Niger Delta.

“Any threat to peace in this State will eventually lead to huge security implications, not only for Nigeria but West Africa and Africa as a whole,” he further warned.

According to him, it is good to have political ambition, but this ambition must not be at variance with the expectations of the people.

He said that some analysts had linked the happenings in Rivers State to 2027 elections’ calculations.

George added: “I believe it is too early to start strategising for a partisan event which is still close to 28 months away.

“One thing is clear: Nyesom Wike was governor of the State for eight years. He left the Government House in May last year and today, he is the FCT Minister.

“Sir Peter Odili and Rotimi Amaechi were governors before him. Now that Governor Fubara is the Chief Executive of the State, he should be allowed to work. Nobody stays in office forever.

“By 2027, people of Rivers will decide, through their votes, if they want him to return to office or not. This is how political issues and ambitions are handled in civilised climes.”

He said that the way the partisan crisis was going, if not checked, might collapse Nigeria’s democracy.

“Now that council chairmen and councillors have been elected, I appeal to Nyesom Wike to please give peace a chance. Tinubu must also call Wike and tell him to allow the governor to work.

“I am appealing to Wike to please let this crisis be a thing of the past. The democracy we enjoy today, many people suffered to bring it to fruition. Some even died.

“We should not be seen to be dancing on their graves because of partisan interests. Only God knows what will happen in 2027 because He is greater, wiser and more powerful than all of us.”

He advised the new Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to call some judicial officers to order over conflicting court orders.

“Once again, I am appealing to Wike to look at the larger interests in this crisis. He should not allow himself to be used and dumped by the APC.

“The political storm in Rivers must disappear immediately, in the interest of all Nigerians,” he said.

There have been lingering political crisis in the State emanating from the frictions between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike.

News

Gunmen Kill Driver, Abduct Passengers on Benin-Ore Expressway

Published

19 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Eric

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have attacked a commercial bus operated by GUO Transport along the Benn-Ore expressway, killing the driver and abducting several passengers in what underscores Nigeria’s deepening insecurity on major highways.

Reports indicate that the assailants ambushed the South East-bound vehicle, opened fire on the driver, who died at the scene, and subsequently whisked away passengers to an unknown destination.

The incident is believed to have occurred along a notorious stretch of the highway linking the South-West to the South-South, long plagued by banditry and abductions.

While official confirmation from security agencies is expected, local sources and a circulating video showed that passengers might have forcefully been taken into nearby forests, a tactic commonly employed by kidnapping syndicates operating along the corridor. Similar attacks in the past have involved mass abductions, with victims later released after ransom payments.

News

Police Retirees Block Aso Rock Gate, Demand Action on Pension Scheme

Published

19 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Eric

Some retirees of the Nigeria Police Force under the aegis of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria (PROF) have staged a protest at the Presidential Villa in Abuja demanding President Bola Tinubu sign the Police Exit Bill passed by the National Assembly in December 2025.

The bill seeks to withdraw the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme.

The protesters, under the scorching sun, walked from the Three Arms Zone in Abuja through the street in front of the Police Headquarters.

They carried placards with various inscriptions, in addition to the Nigerian flag and the flag of the Nigeria Police Force.

Led by its National Coordinator, CSP Raphael Irowainu, the protesters described the retention of the NPF in the Contributory Pension Scheme as fraudulent and illegal.

They also said the CPS is inhumane and obnoxious.

According to them, the protest seeks to prevail on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give assent to the Police Exit Bill passed by the National Assembly on 4th December 2025 and transmitted to the President on 16th March 2026.

They said that when signed into law, the Act will totally exempt the police from what they called a “slavery and untimely death-inducing pension scheme.”

The protesters, accompanied by some of their spouses and children, also blocked Gate 8 leading into the Presidential Villa, causing obstruction to vehicular movement.

Efforts by Villa security personnel to dissuade them from the protest proved abortive as they insisted on seeing the President.

They laid their mats in front of the gate, singing songs of solidarity, while some of them lay on the floor.

As of the time of filing this report, no one from the Villa had addressed the protesters.

CSP Irowainu said that their main purpose is to prevail on President Tinubu to sign the bill exiting the Nigeria Police Force from the CPS, which he said has been passed and transmitted to him by the National Assembly.

He lamented that while other security agencies in the country such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, SSS and others have all been exited from the scheme, the police remain trapped in it.

“Our major aim here is to prevail on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sign our bill—the bill exiting the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme—passed by the National Assembly on 4th December 2025 and transmitted to him on 16th March, 2026, into law, nothing more than that.

“The soldiers have been exited, the SSS has been exited, the Air Force has been exited, the Navy has been exited, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has been exited. The police, who are the father of them all, are trapped in this obnoxious Contributory Pension Scheme,” CSP Irowainu said.

It is not the first time retired officers are staging a protest over the CPS. In July last year, they demonstrated at the National Assembly to demand their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

The demonstrators, mostly elderly, stood in the rain holding placards and chanting anti-government songs.

Some of the retired police officers also besieged the Force Headquarters in Abuja to protest against the CPS.

Addressing the protesters at the time, the then Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, said the welfare of retired police officers was being addressed, but that the exit of the Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme was not something that could be implemented immediately.

He, however, advised the leaders of the protest to refrain from spreading misinformation, stressing that the Force could not abandon its own.

News

IGP Disu Orders Ban on Illegal Checkpoints Nationwide

Published

1 week ago

April 13, 2026

Eric

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has issued a sweeping directive to Commissioners of Police nationwide, ordering an immediate end to extortion, illegal checkpoints, harassment of citizens and other misconducts.

He declared that restoring public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force is now a top operational priority.

The order was contained in a signal to members of the police management team including Commissioners of Police (CP) and other operational commanders.

In the marching order, the IGP acknowledged the deep mistrust many Nigerians feel toward officers, describing it as “painful” and unacceptable.

He said citizens now fear encounters with the police as much as they fear criminals, warning that such a reputation cannot continue under his leadership.

According to him, the directive marks the beginning of a determined effort to rebuild discipline within the police and re-establish its legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

The order specifically outlawed the routine collection of money from motorists on highways, the operation of unauthorised checkpoints, and the practice of arresting citizens and forcing them to withdraw cash from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or Point of Sale (PoS) devices.

The IGP also condemned the use of officers for private duties in homes and businesses, describing such deployments as abuse of authority and a violation of existing presidential directives on VIP protection.

Officers were further directed to comply strictly with approved dress codes, remain clean-shaven and adhere to established uniform regulations.

The police boss warned that harassment of citizens in any form would no longer be tolerated, stressing that the Nigerian public is not the enemy of the Force but the reason for its existence. At the same time, he assured officers that the institution would equally defend them against intimidation or disrespect from members of the public, noting that the dignity of the uniform must be protected on both sides.

Holding command leaders directly accountable, the IGP said Commissioners of Police would henceforth be responsible for misconduct within their jurisdictions.

He ordered them to demonstrate measurable improvements in discipline within seven days or face formal queries and possible transfers where lapses persist.

He emphasised that supervisory failure would no longer be ignored at any level of leadership. To ensure compliance, the directive introduced new oversight measures, including independent monitoring of field operations and public reporting channels through which citizens can lodge complaints directly with Force Headquarters.

A Citizens Commendation System will also be established to recognise officers who demonstrate professionalism, with monthly honours to be drawn from public nominations across commands.

Describing the directive as a decisive turning point, the police chief said Nigerians have grown weary of promises and now expect visible change. He ordered all commanders to brief personnel under their authority within 72 hours and confirm compliance in writing, declaring that the process of cleaning up the Force has begun and will be sustained until public trust is restored.