Port Harcourt: Men of the Rivers State police command on Saturday recovered and handover to the Arise News team in Port Harcourt Sonny a Canada Zed 280 camera that was forcefully seized from them by political thugs during a live interview session with former Rivers State Commissioner for Employment Generation and Empowerment, Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa on Friday.

The assailants had stormed and invaded Londa hotel located in the Orazi axis of Obio/Akpor local government area of Rivers State when Dr Nwibubasa was speaking about the current political situation in the state.

Their annoyance being that Dr Nwibubasa was not only discussing the ongoing political situation in Rivers State but allegedly criticising the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who is from the Whimpey/Orazi area of Port Harcourt where the hotel is located.

The armed political thugs broke into the room around 9:15 p.m, looking for both the former Commissioner and members of the Arise news team.

They were chanting in their local Ikwerre language, forcing doors open and seizing people’s phones as Workers in the hotel scampered to safety for fear of being attacked.

When the assailants got to the spot the interview was holding,they threatened the former commissioner and the Arise news crew to discontinue the interview forcing it to abruptly stop the process.

Thereafter, the crew was forced to make a distress call to their colleagues who immediately alerted the police before dashing to the hotel.

Ironically, the Arise News TV crew had earlier Friday covered an event by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike in Omoku in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni local government area.

Expectely, Dr Nwibubasa has condemned the attack, saying the development is not healthy in a democracy.

•Shariff Umar/ Operation HADIN KAI photo

Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) has made a major breakthrough in its sustained counter-terrorism operations with the identification of Shariff Umar as the principal coordinator of suicide bombing activities responsible for recent attacks and attempted attacks within the North East.

This development followed intelligence-led cordon-and-search operations conducted at the Kalmari area of Maiduguri on 31 December 2025, during which 14 suspects linked to suicide bombing activities were arrested.

Subsequent detailed identification and investigative processes established the structure, roles, and operational linkages of the terror cell.

During the investigation, a suspected suicide bomber currently in custody, Ibrahim Muhammad, unequivocally identified Shariff Umar (also known as “Yusuf”) as the ringleader and coordinator of the terror network.

According to consistent and corroborated statements, Shariff Umar was responsible for recruiting, preparing, directing, and dispatching suicide bombers to assigned targets, as well as coordinating logistics and delivery of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) components.

Investigations further revealed that Shariff Umar directly coordinated the suicide bombing attack at the Gamboru Market Mosque on 24 December 2025, during which his accomplice, Adamu (now deceased), detonated a suicide vest.

He was also identified as the coordinator of the foiled suicide bombing attempt in Damaturu, personally handing over IED components to the suicide bomber in Maiduguri.

Additional links within the network were established, including the involvement of Shariff Umar’s wife, Yagana Modu, and the confirmation by his stepdaughter, Amina, who admitted to previously seeing the suspect bomber within their residence.

These findings significantly strengthened the investigative trail and exposed the domestic and community-based concealment methods employed by terrorist facilitators.

All suspects remain firmly in custody and are undergoing intensive, multi-layered investigations aimed at fully dismantling the network, identifying additional collaborators, and recovering any remaining explosives or logistical assets.

OPHK underscores that this success once again highlights the critical importance of effective collaboration between security forces and the civil populace.

Terrorist networks often survive by hiding within communities, exploiting silence, fear, or misplaced loyalty.

Timely information from law-abiding citizens remains one of the most powerful tools in preventing attacks and saving innocent lives.

Members of the public are therefore strongly urged to remain vigilant and report suspicious persons, movements, or activities to security agencies.

Cooperation and trust between the military and local communities are essential to completely rooting out terrorism and restoring lasting peace across the region.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service declared that the fire that engulfed the Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Building has significantly weakened the building’s foundation, rendering it structurally unsafe and unfit for any commercial use.

Margaret Adeseye, Controller -General Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, stated this while giving a comprehensive update on the fire incident.

She explained that following a second on-site assessment by the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on January 2nd, 2025, the Lagos State Government has constituted a Technical Recovery and Demolition Committee, chaired by the Honourable Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations.

The committee is tasked with developing and implementing a controlled and safe demolition plan for the affected structure and its immediate surroundings in the shortest possible time, while prioritising public and responder safety.

Current Situation on Ground

• The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, alongside sister emergency agencies, remains fully deployed on-site.
• The incident scene is highly sensitive and volatile, with substantial rubble still in place.
• There are intermittent pockets of fire, primarily originating from combustible materials such as textiles and clothing stockpiled within the building, not from the structural elements of the building itself.
• These materials are buried deep within the debris, and accessing them requires extreme caution and specialised technical planning.

It is important to clarify that:

• The presence of these pocket fires does not pose immediate external danger; however, improper or hurried evacuation of debris could compromise the already weakened structure.
• Some rubble may currently be providing unintended structural support, and removing it without a carefully sequenced plan could trigger a collapse, endangering first responders.
  For this reason, all operations are being conducted in line with global disaster response best practices, ensuring that rescuer safety precedes all other actions.
• As universally recognised in emergency management, disasters of this nature may take days, weeks, or even months to fully resolve.

Public Safety Advisory

The entire area remains unsafe for commercial or public activity.

• The market and surrounding areas remain closed.
• Only authorised first responders are permitted within the cordoned zone.
• The public is urged to remain calm and cooperative, understanding that their safety is directly linked to the safety of emergency personnel.
  An Information Centre has been established at the site to address enquiries from families, stakeholders, and the general public.

Casualties

• 8 fatalities have been confirmed (5 identified, 3 yet to be identified).
• 13 persons have been successfully rescued.
• Search operations continue, particularly in safer sections of the debris, to ensure no one remains trapped.

Preliminary Observations
Preliminary assessments indicate serious fire safety violations, including:

• Overstocking of combustible materials from floor to ceiling with little or no ventilation.
• Absence of proper fire safety infrastructure.
• Unsafe market practices such as generator usage within buildings, shops constructed around transformers, and other hazardous activities.
  Such conditions can lead to self-generated heat build-up and spontaneous ignition, even without external triggers.

Global Context
For perspective, similar complex fire recovery operations have occurred worldwide.

Notably, firefighting and recovery operations at the World Trade Center (Ground Zero) in New York lasted over 100 days, with underground fires officially extinguished nearly three months after the incident, and full recovery concluding more than eight months later.

These realities underscore the complexity and time-intensive nature of large-scale structural fire incidents.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service reassures the public that all actions being taken are deliberate, professional, and safety-driven.

Operations will continue until ground zero is fully reached, all risks are eliminated, and the incident is conclusively resolved.

We appreciate the patience, understanding, and cooperation of Lagosians during this period.

Your safety is our priority. A safe rescuer ensures a safe rescue.”