News
Rivers war! The storm is over, I’ll be back soon, Fubara enthuses
Siminalayi Fubara, suspended Governor of Rivers State, may be returning to office sooner than expected given the indication coming from Port Harcourt, the state capital on Thursday, where he spoke of the political storm which engulfed the state since October 2023 coming to an end soon.
At his last outing on the matter, the embattled governor, whose bitter feud with Nyesom Wike, his predecessor is believed to be at the centre of the crises, which led to his being served an impeachment notice by 27 members of the House of Assembly in the state, had given indication that he had lost appetite for the office.
But sounding differently, on Thursday, he told members of Simplified Movement, one of his major supporters during one of the meeting to mark his two years in office to thank President Bola Tinubu, first for his swift intervention to avert anarchy in the state, which was looming due to the festering political crisis and for brokering the truce that could see to his early return.
Stating how close the road to peace and reconciliation process, has narrowed, he assured that democracy and good governance would soon return in the state, with both arms working together for the good of the people.
Hise words: “I want to assure you that the issues will soon be resolved, and you will come back to your offices, not just at the Executive arm, but also legislative arm. And I also believe that the strong relationships we had before will return, and we will begin to work together again, for the good and progress of the State. What is important is for us to have a forgiving spirit.”
Reiterating his call for the people to show unreserved appreciation to the President for his bold action to halt the degenerating political crisis in the state, he tasked them to totally subject themselves to the peace process to enable the state move forward.
He added: “We are already in the peace process. I want you to thank Mr President for his timely intervention to salvage the situation, and stabilise the polity and the State. If not for Mr President, the story today would have been different.
“I don’t know how he gets his information, but the truth is that he acted with wisdom at the right time. He is the one you should thank. And let me also thank him personally for his intervention, and the personalities across the country, who moved in and appealed to him to intervene.
“We have to come down from our high horses and subject ourselves to the peace process. And that is what we are doing. What is important is for the State to move forward. It is not about you; the interest of the State is paramount.”
Regretting that the crisis had made it impossible for him to showcase some of the key milestones recorded by his administration in various sectors across the state, he assured that the government would bounce back stronger, more united and engineered to deliver quality dividends of democracy to the people.
He urged those still expressing deserved anger and grievances to push such sentiments aside, he said time had come for all to embrace peace, pursue reconciliation and forgiveness for the development and progress of the state, while pleading for forgiveness from anyone who might have felt disappointed in his handling of the crisis, as his actions were guided by a desire to protect the peace and progress of the state.
Informing that his full reconciliation with Wike was fast approaching, he said: “I must appreciate President Tinubu for the steps he has taken as a father to restore peace. Since the President’s intervention, several reconciliatory meetings had been held, including some at the FCT minister’s residence. There is no reason why there will not be peace between me and my Oga. There will be peace. We are meeting. We will reconcile.”
Fubara, who stressed his indebtedness to the people for their sacrifices and opportunity to serve, promising to continue to show respect for them, added: “One important thing in this life is respect. I want to earn the respect of the people, not force it on them…I’m with you completely.”
Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor of Oyo State, on Thursday, finally threw his hats into the ring by declaring his intention to run for president in 2027, with a message – history beckons.
The governor, whose ambition has been a matter of speculations for months now and who had teamed up with forces angling to force President Bola Tinubu, out of power, told a teeming crowd in Ibadan on Thursday that time had come to reset Nigeria.
At a mega-rally to announce the alliance between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Allied Peoples’ Movement, (APM), Makinde, expressed worry over the dwindling fortunes of Nigerians, vowing to engage Nigerians to end the drift.
Hear him: “Without a multi-party system, there is no democracy. Where is our multi-party? Where do we go from here? We have been pushed to the wall.
“They calculated and self-opposition cannot unite but I am here to say that the opposition is the everyday Nigerian. This is the time for all us to ensure Nigeria works for us. This is the time to confront it fears. It is time to engage as citizens and not spectators.
“For the opposition political parties, this is the time to unite and work in unity and give our nation the much reset it needs. The time to reset Nigeria is now. Ibadan is the city of warriors. The first grand alliance is formed. The PDP and APM is formed. This handshake will allow us to field candidates from presidency to state Assembly. And so, I declare my candidacy for office of the president of Nigeria.”
Eyo Ekpe, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), on Wednesday, gave a detailed account on how operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) manhandled him on Monday.
He told reporters that he was at sea on why he should fall victim to the assault against his person and eventually arrested given that was not right person directly involved in the information the agency sought.
Some operatives of the EFCC who invaded the hospital, had whisked Ekpe away after firing teargas to scare away the workers, patients and visitors to the hospital, following what appeared like a fracas the ensued over what it claimed was a routine duty in the facility.
Ekpe, Deputy Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), described how an operative had first entered his office to make inquiries on why the hospital was yet to give a response to an EFCC inquiry over a medical report linked to a suspect facing trial.
He detailed how he briefed the operative that the said response was being prepared and even went ahead to show him the draft of a letter in that regard, which needed to go through the gamut of official endorsement before being released.
Hear him: “The head of that internal medicine department looked at the report and also discovered that the name of the doctor that signed the report is not a member of staff of that department.
“I had prepared prepared a response to the EFCC on Monday, May 11, 2026, based on the findings. When the EFCC operative visited my office the next morning to collect the document, I told him that the response was ready in draft. I even showed him the draft, but told him that the document still needed approval from the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital before it could be officially signed and released.
“He pretended to have accepted that. He left, but later later returned with another armed operative and informed me that I was under arrest. I asked him why. I was not the one that issued the medical report. My name is not on the medical report. The report was not issued from my unit.
“But he said I would get the answer when I get to their office. I then asked him to at least wait for my staff member who I sent on an errand before joining them. But they refused.
“They started pushing me. They dragged me out of the office. Then I began to cry while they were dragging me. They had warned me not to speak. They had taken my phone. My cry as they were dragging me, attracted the workers to the scene, who enquired what was going on, but because they ordered me not to speak, I couldn’t say anything. They had their guns.
The members of staff of the hospital initially blocked them from taking me away. They then made a call. After that I saw many masked and armed men came violently, broke the protector, threatening the people that were around and people ran away.
“They picked some staff that were still by me. they dragged me and other staff, five of us into their van downstairs. By that time they discovered that the gate of the hospital were locked. So, they drove towards the gate and packed and the commotion continued. We were inside the van.
“I was so emotionally and psychologically traumatised that I couldn’t even look out of the vehicle to see what was happening outside. But I know that teargas and live bullets were shot. That’s all I can say for now.”
Joyce Abdulmalik, of the Federal High Court, Abuja, heard on Wednesday, how Zenith Bank raised alarm over the huge transaction in one of its branches by Abubakar Malami, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF-MoJ).
The bank said it immediately filed a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) in respect to the transactions, during its appearance in the ongoing trial of Malami, his wife, and son over allegation of massive looting of funds belonging to the Federal Government during his tenure.
Mashelia Bata, a compliance officer with the bank, who appeared as witness in the case, where Malami, et al, are facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of N8.7 billion, to which they pleaded not guilty, gave the testimony while being questioned on the bank’s roles in the matter.
Details of the testimony conveyed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated how the compliance officer who was cross-examined by Adebayo Adedeji, lawyer to the defendants admitted that the deposits in the account statements complied with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Arguments had stretched when Adedeji, opposed Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), lawyer to the EFCC, who had asked the witness to explain the meaning of a suspicious transaction report, stressing that there was no ambiguity in the term.
However, Okutepa, in response, maintained that section 215(3) of the Evidence Act did not preclude him from re-examining the witness while urging the court to allow the question for proper explanation.
After Abdulmalik, agreed and overruled Adedeji, the witness told the court that banks were required to alert the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) about fund deposits coming in a repetitive pattern, adding: “Any deposition of funds seen in a pattern or repetitive, you must escalate it to the NFIU.”
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