• ARISE News Anchor and host of What’s Trending Ojy Okpe was named Best Newscaster (TV – Female)

ARISE News has emerged as one of the major winners at the just ended Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Awards (NBMA).

ARISE News won seven honours across television broadcasting, news reporting, presentation and production during the ceremony.

The awards recognised the network’s achievements in television journalism and programming, with ARISE News winning the Best TV Channel (Viewer’s Choice) category.

The network’s flagship breakfast programme, The Morning Show, also won the Best TV Talk Show award, further strengthening its recognition in television broadcasting.

ARISE News Anchor and host of What’s Trending Ojy Okpe was named Best Newscaster (TV – Female).

Rufai Oseni was named Nigerian Broadcaster of the Year (Male), while Vimbai Mutinhiri-Ekpeyong received the Nigerian Broadcaster of the Year (Female) award.

The recognition extended to the network’s newsroom, with Ovieteme George winning Best TV News Reporter (Male) for his contributions to television news reporting.

Behind the camera, Sam Adeyemi received the Best Camera Operator/Cinematographer award, recognising his work in television production and visual storytelling.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has removed more than 3.7 million Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages and groups linked to suspected scam networks operating in West Africa.

The joint operation led to 28 arrests, identified more than 30 suspected scam centres and rescued 117 people allegedly trafficked and forced to work in scam compounds in Ghana.

The company announced the crackdown in a statement on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. It involved 14 technology companies and law enforcement agencies from 10 countries.

The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency coordinated the operation with the US Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies. Nigerian authorities were involved.

Other countries included Ghana, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India.Tech companies that took part included Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Coinbase, Starlink and Adobe.

Meta said the partnership let participants share intelligence across digital platforms, countries and financial systems to identify criminal networks.

A gas pipeline explosion in Aleto community, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Thursday evening has left at least 20 people injured, with about 50 houses destroyed by the resulting fire.

The blast occurred around 5 pm after a pipeline belonging to the Nigeria Gas Company ruptured along Old Bori Road. Several victims were rushed to hospitals. Stalls and a mechanic workshop with parked cars were also affected.

Residents said the pipeline had been leaking for about three weeks. Stanley, a local, stated that community leaders had alerted the company, but no effective action was taken. Most of those hurt were passers-by and people working in the area.

Daniel Chuma, Leader of the Eleme Legislative Council, visited the scene and confirmed the scale of the damage. He said he had earlier written to the company and petitioned NOSDRA and the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, copying the police, after a previous leak on another section of the same pipeline.

“Today, we were called to an explosion at the same Nigeria Gas Company pipeline that has destroyed over 50 houses and cars, with many casualties. People have been rushed to the hospital,” Chuma said. He added that no company representative had arrived at the scene, and community members had cordoned off the area with barrier tape to prevent further harm.

The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) also confirmed the incident. Its Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, said several people had been hospitalised and called on the Rivers State Government, the Ministry of Environment, NOSDRA, the Federal Government and other relevant agencies to support the affected residents of Aleto.

The fire was still burning at the time of early reports.