Category Nigeria News

In connection with the abduction of Humphrey Wagbara, a resident of Igwuruta-Atali, three suspected kidnappers have been detained by Rivers State Police Command operations, and several dangerous weapons have been recovered.

Grace Iringe-Koko, the Command’s spokeswoman, made this known in a statement on Monday.

According to Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, the Anti-Cultism Unit (ACU) employees at Emohua Annex responded to a distress report on August 26, 2025.

According to the statement that Hassan Mohammed, 20, Bello Abubakar, 25, and Yusuf Ahmed, 23, were detained on September 19 in the LGAs of Obio/Akpor and Ikwerre, they are detained in Obio/Akpor and Ikwerre, Nigeria.

The suspects admitted to numerous kidnappings, including the abduction of Onwuli Jude and Nwabueze Nchekwube on September 24, 2025, from whom they demanded $6.9 million in ransom before killing Nchekwube, during interrogation.

Read more about Okpebholo’s approval of payments to 714 unemployed edo workers.

A G-3 rifle (Breech No.) is among the recovered exhibits. 10398), a magazine, three short knives, a jackknife, a stainless short knife, and a victim’s phone.

Olugbenga Adepoju, the state commissioner of police, applauded the operatives for their diligence and urged residents to report suspicious activity to security agencies on this front.

Adepoju claimed that additional weapons are being recovered and that searches are ongoing for the syndicate’s fledgling members.

See the following statement in its entirety:

PRESS RELEASE OF THE RIVERS STATE POLICE CODE:

Recovery of Exhibits and Arrest of Suspect Kidnappers

On 26th. A distressing report from the Rivers State Police Command in August of 2025 suggested the murder of one Humphrey Wagbara, “m’ of Igwuruta-Atali,” was discovered.

Based on this information, the Command’s operations at Emohua Annex and the Anti-Cultism Unit (ACU) conducted a daring and coordinated operation on September 19. In connection with the victim’s kidnapping, three suspects were detained in different locations in the State’s Obio/Akpor and Ikwerre Local Government Areas in September 2025 at around 0200hrs. The suspects were:

Hassan Mohammed, ‘m’, is a 20-year-old man from Mandagali, Borno State, and a native of Wandigah Town.

Bello Abubakar, “m,” 25 years old, is a Sokoto State native from Roundabout Maura.

* 23-year-old Yusuf Ahmed from Bauchi State’s Hazari LGA.

The suspects voluntarily confessed to their involvement in numerous kidnappings in the State during interrogation, including:

* Onwuli Jude and Nwabueze Nchekwube were abducted on September 24, 2025, at the Igwuruta-Atali School Road, where they paid a ransom of Six Million and Nine Hundred Thousand Naira (#6, 900, 000) before killing Nwabueze Nchekwube.

* The Kidnapped of Mercy Chinyere ‘f’ on September 12, 2025, at the same location, where they also collected a ransom of Three Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (#3, 500, 000). before letting her go.

Exhibits recovered from the suspects include:

* One G-3 rifle with a breech

Number 10398

One Magazine

* One Itel phone belonging to a victim who was abducted by Humphrey Wagbara.

* Three Short Daggers

One Jack Knife

One stainless short knife

Police are currently storing suspects and exhibits. Other syndicate members who are escaping are still being apprehended, and additional operational weapons have been recovered.

The Operatives’ diligence, bravery, and dedication led to these arrests and the recovery of exhibits, according to Rivers State’s Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga A. Adepoju, psc, mnips. He urged residents to report any suspicious activity to the police station or other security agency, noting that the outcome of the operation demonstrates the Command’s unwavering commitment to protecting the safety and security of all State citizens.

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The first tranche of entitlements have been paid to Ekiadolor and Igueben staff members who were previously barred by the previous administration, according to Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo.
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The former governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration, according to a statement from the governor’s chief press secretary, Fred Itua, said those affected were disengaged under contentious circumstances.
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According to Itua, a total of €4.6 billion has been allocated for the settlement of the affected staff members’ entitlements.

Also read: NLC alleges there was a “seven-day Ultimatum,” according to &nbsp.

He claimed that the milestone reflected the work ethic of Governor Okpebholo.

The “First Tranche Disbursed”

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The $4.6 billion will be used to pay for 32 pensioners from the College of Education, Igueben, and 682 Ekiadolor residents.

“The payment, which will be made in four tranches, amounts to ₦1, 164, 507, 285.17 per tranche.
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According to Itua, “The first tranche has now been distributed to both the disengaged staff and retirees of the two Colleges, in strict accordance with the Pension Act of Nigeria.”

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Governor Okpebholo had also approved the immediate release of 292 million as the second tranche of pension entitlements for disengaged staff members of the Colleges of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi, and Agenebode in order to demonstrate their commitment to restoring dignity to those who served the state.

This Week’s Payments Starting

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This week, the payment is expected to be made on or before Wednesday.
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Itua also noted that the state government has thus far allocated a total of 1.4 billion to the four colleges of education, helping hundreds of families and affirming its commitment to giving the welfare of those who have contributed to the development of Edo State.
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The Governor Monday Okpebholo-led administration’s “bright action” is a “continuation of the Government’s reform drive to reposition the educational sector, while ensuring that those affected by the previous sack are not forgotten.

According to state-linked media, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi granted prominent activist Alaa Abdel Fattah a pardon on Monday after spending the better part of the past ten years in jail.

The 43-year-old British-Egyptian national, who was pardoned alongside five others, was a key figure in Egypt’s uprising in 2011 and has since been imprisoned under each successive administration.

After sharing a Facebook post about alleged torture in Egyptian jails, Abdel Fattah received a five-year sentence in December 2021 for “spreading false news.”

According to Al-Qahera News, which is connected to Egypt’s state intelligence service, Sisi pardoned “a number of convicted persons, following the constitutional and legal procedures in this regard.”

Alaa Ahmed Seif El-Islam Abdel Fattah is included in the pardon, according to the statement.

Laila Soueif, Alaa’s mother, activist and academic, just ended a 10-month hunger strike calling for his release.

Following a partial strike in solidarity with his mother that started in March, Abdel Fattah has been on a hunger strike since September.

“My brother has been pardoned by President Sisi!” I’m currently heading to the prison with Mum andamp to check on when and where Alaa will be released. Sanaa Seif, Abdel Fattah’s sister, posted on X.

“I can’t believe we’ve got our lives back” she continued.

Shortly after the pardon, his other sister, Mona Seif, wrote, “My heart is going to stop,” Seif said.

Authorities insisted that Abdel Fattah’s sentence would come to an end in September 2024, but they disregarded his remand period.

All procedures have been finalized, according to Tarek al-Awady, a member of Egypt’s presidential pardons committee, and the prison is awaiting the implementation of the presidential decree.

Read more about Egypt’s latest megaproject, “New Desert City,” here.

According to Awady, who spoke to AFP in response to a significant prison complex on the outskirts of Cairo, “He will be released immediately from Wadi al-Natrun Prison.”

Pardon Petition:

Following Sisi’s earlier this month’s order to examine a petition filed by the state-affiliated National Council for Human Rights to pardon a number of people, including Abdel Fattah, the pardon comes on Monday.

Abdel Fattah was removed from the country’s terrorism list after a Cairo criminal court found no evidence linking him to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood organization, according to a court decision.

Abdel Fattah’s case has been repeatedly brought up by the British government with Egyptian authorities, even in discussions with Sisi and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

A panel of experts from the UN called for his immediate release after finding his detention to be unlawful and arbitrary in May.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Egypt’s authorities to end a practice that allows for protracted arbitrary detention of government critics last month.

Prior to the end of a detainee’s remand period, the “rotation” practice frequently involves filing new charges against the detainee.

According to Turk, the practice “appears to be used to circumvent the laws governing individual liberty, due process, and equality before the law.”

Sisi’s administration has pardoned several prominent dissidents, including Mohamed al-Baqer, Abdel Fattah’s lawyer, and has released hundreds of detainees since 2022.

Despite receiving a pardon, hundreds of other politicians and activists are still imprisoned.

The Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) gave Certificates of Return to the councillorship candidates who won the recent by-elections on Saturday, September 20, 2025, on Monday.

Ovuchor Suleiman, the EDSIEC Chairman, Jonathan Aifuobhokhan, delivered the certificates at the Commission’s headquarters on Airport Road, GRA, Benin City.

Several of the victorious candidates were present to receive their certificates, but a number remained absent and did not collect their Return Certificates during the ceremony.

Read more about EDSIEC holding by-elections in 15 Edo LGAs despite court order.

The contentious by-election was officially concluded with the issuance of the certificates despite a High Court ex parte order preventing EDSIEC from holding the elections.

However, EDSIEC had sent a notice to the court asking for a judicial review of the ex parte order.

The Commission stated in a press release on Friday, September 19, that it would continue conducting the elections, citing legal justifications, on the same day as the election.

In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, is the ECOWAS Parliament’s 2025 second extraordinary session taking place. &nbsp,

The program’s theme for the week-long period, which runs from September 22 to September 28, is “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Parliamentary Efficiency, Ethical Governance, and Inclusive Development.”

Guests who have arrived at the session’s location, including Rt. R. the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, as of 11:30 am on Monday, were also present. Hon. Senator Barau Jibrin, the first deputy speaker and leader of the Nigerian delegation to the Parliament, Senate Leader Ali Ndume, the speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Members of the State House of Assembly, Traditional Rulers, and other parties involved in the process are represented by Martin Amaewhule.

Read more about Shettima’s 80th UNGA in New York.

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and ECOWAS Commission President Dr. Omar Touray are expected to deliver goodwill messages.

Rt. 1: The ECOWAS Parliament’s Speaker Hon. The opening statement will be made by Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima.

Ann-Kio Briggs, a Rivers Elders Forum member, claims that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has abused the trust of Rivers State residents and Nigerians.

She claimed that the party’s inaction had caused the state’s residents to experience protracted political crises.

Read more about Rivers People’s Agreement with Tinubu by Ann-Kio Briggs here.

She lamented on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics about the state’s political developments that, despite Rivers residents’ longing for the PDP since 1999, the party has failed to rise to the occasion when it was most important.

“We have always voted for the PDP, including myself, for the PDP, so I feel let down by the political party as a stakeholder and elder,” said the elder.

The PDP would not have been where it is today, according to Briggs, if they had intervened and done what they should have done right away, not just in Rivers State but as a political party so well-known in the Niger Delta.

She claims that the PDP allowed internal divisions and power struggles to erode its influence. She further claims that Rivers State’s political situation had been worsened as a result of the party’s negligence, causing the state to deal with consequences that might have been avoided.

Intervention by Tinubu

The Rivers elder distanced herself from such sentiments, saying that politicians may have their own reasons for being appreciative. Governor Siminalayi Fubara has publicly commended President Bola Tinubu for bringing about peace in the Rivers.

No, even the President will be aware that not everyone in Rivers State will be forever grateful to him, or even Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, and all the politicians, in fact.

He claimed that both the APC and PDP have contributed to the deepening of the crisis, noting that “he is the politician, and I am not as happy or grateful to the APC party as the governor is.”

She argued that the electorate is what has taught the most, not the politicians.

The electorate and the people of Rivers State have learned that we have rights that are much bigger and deeper than what politicians believe they have, in my opinion.