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I won’t stop Rivers Assembly from performing constitutional duties – Wike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has said he will not stop the Rivers House of Assembly led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule from performing its constitutional functions.
Wike also blamed the Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), Dr. Tammy Danagogo, for instigating the main issue that led to the ongoing political crisis in the State.
The minister spoke at Abalama Town where a crowd of Kalabari Ijaw trooped out in their numbers to treat him to a grand civic reception and thanksgiving.
The event held despite protests by some women groups, who tried to block the road to stop people from accessing the venue of the programme.
Security operatives, especially the police fired teargas cannisters at the protesters to disperse them to avoid the disruption of the programme.
Wike, who was cheered by the crowd, said he came because some persons threatened him not to attend the event, noting that the occasion was an indication the opposition was a mere radio noise.
He said: “I heard some people say I won’t come here. Who are they and how many are they? What you have done today is to tell the world all these noise in the radio is not the real thing.
If you are of the Kalabari and of the Ijaw nation and you are receiving me today, God will continue to bless you. I will continue to stand by you and to support you.
”He explained some persons had misunderstood and misinterpreted his recent interview on Ijaw but clarified that he only meant that an Ijaw man becoming a governor in Rivers was made possible and agreement to work together.
He said at the final day of deciding who would be his successor, Fubara said he was not interested and urged them to give the position to his then Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu.
He recalled the process that led to Siminalayi Fubara becoming the Governor adding that Chief Alabraba, Chief Seargent Awuse and OCJ Okocha mounted pressure on him to allow Fubara in the principle of live and let live.
He said: “What I said on my interview people will want to misinterpret it. However they want to misinterpret it is their business. I want to repeat what I said. I said we are all working together if we don’t work together it would have been difficult to produce the governor.
That was what I said. Chief Alabraba did not allow me to rest; he nearly fainted when we were deciding who would be governor.
“Himself, OCJ Okocha and Seargent Awuse and this boy Celestine Omehia when we met, that day was the primary, this governor today said he was not going to run that my Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu, should be the one to run.
Celestine Omehia said it should be Isaac Kamalu that this governor cannot carry out effectively, the functions of the governor.
“OCJ Okocha and Chief Awuse said live and let live. Let us not do something that people will begin to say why must it be only one sided.
What I mean was that it was not because of the strength or the power of Ijaw. It was because we worked together.
“Nobody should associate anything evil to Ijaw. Ijaw people are not evil people. You cannot be saying I will blow pipeline. No.
Engage people intellectually and diplomatically and you get what you want. In the world we are in today we have passed the stage of threatening people.
”Wike said those around the Governor encouraged him to seize the salaries and allowances of the House of Assembly members for over a year telling the governor that nothing would happen.
He said: “They told you to seize Assembly members salaries and allowances for more than one year. They have no income to feed their families and pay their children school fees. And you were jubilating and people were encouraging you and telling you that nothing would happen.
“Now something has happened. I am not going to stop the assembly from performing their constitutional duties. The Assembly should be allowed to perform their duties. People who love peace don’t threaten people.
”I told you that the House of Assembly will not lose their seats. I told you that the shenanigans of local government would not stand. I don’t need to be a governor. I know what is illegal is illegal. We fight it constitutionally and by following due process. What did we do wrong?
“We said all these chairmen and the assembly members suffered, national Assembly members suffered for you to become governor. Therefore, don’t abandon them. But they said I was asking for money.
Has the money come? Those you are sharing the money, how far?
“Remember yesterday. A man is bad, a man is crook and a man is a criminal. But it was that same man that made you against all odds. If I hate Ijaw I wouldn’t have done that and nothing would have happened. I followed my principle of live and let live.
“If you watch all those around the governor are people who are natural ingrates. Nobody who is not an ingrates will associate himself with what is going on.
I told the governor to eat what God had given to him peacefully that it is not good for him to face this crisis. But they told him, you are governor you have money. I agree but money is not everything.
All these people have nothing to offer. See where we are. Now how far?
”Wike highlighted all the projects he initiated and handed over to Fubara to make him popular including the Port Harcourt Ring Road adding that whatever the governor’s team was parading were his initiatives.
Tracing the genesis of the crisis, the minister said: “Who started this problem? Danagogo SSG used his elder brother, who is a judge.
They sat down under ex parte order saying 27 members have defected; ex parte not on notice.
“SSG lured his brother judge to give ex parte order that the government can present budget to three or four people. Secretary is Danagogo, the judge who gave the order is Danagogo.
Look at how people can destroy a state. “That is the genesis of all this crisis; how a judge will sit down under ex parte order saying that people had defected and you can present budget to three people.
This is Danagogo who wanted to be governor.
He was so pained that he was not given.
“He is the one leading you and he will lead you to hellfire. You surround yourself with people who wanted to be governor; who I stopped because they don’t mean well for Rivers State.
They are the ones surrounding you giving you advice. Why do you think you will succeed?
“They will give you bad advice and see what the bad advice is doing to you. This is 2:0 and more will come. I haven’t seen this kind of politics where you surround yourself with those who want your seat.
Will it work? They come they and abuse me and you are happy. You don’t know they are destroying you”.
He remembered that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu invited them for peace but that while he and other leaders got the assembly members to withdraw the impeachment notice they issued to the governor, those around Fubara stopped him from implementing the decision.
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Food Inflation : Rural Nigerians Suffer More, says NBS
Looking at the movement, Rural inflation rate in March 2026 was 17.22% on a year-on-year basis, while on a month-on-month basis, the Rural inflation rate in March 2026 was 6.73%, up by 6.02% compared to February 2026 (0,71%).
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) March 2026 headline inflation reports indicate that people in rural Nigerian suffer hardship more than those in the urban areas.
In the month under review headline inflation rate rose to 15.38% from the 15.06% recorded in February.
Looking at the movement, Rural inflation rate in March 2026 was 17.22% on a year-on-year basis, while on a month-on-month basis, the Rural inflation rate in March 2026 was 6.73%, up by 6.02% compared to February 2026 (0,71%).
However, on a year-on-year basis, in March 2026, the Urban inflation rate was 14.64%.
On a month-on-month basis, the Urban inflation rate was 3.16% in March 2026, up by 0.61% compared to February 2026 (2.55%).
The corresponding twelve-month average for the Urban inflation rate was 20.04% in March 2026. This was 0.06% points lower compared to the 20.10% reported in March 2025.
The Northern Christian Association has cautioned Nigerians and believers against engaging in hostile religious arguments, saying no Christian can defend God through insults or abusive exchanges.
Chairman of the association, Joseph Hayab, gave the warning in a statement issued in Kaduna, urging Christians, especially youths and clergy, to exercise restraint amid growing religious provocations on social media.
He noted many online debates presented as defence of the faith are contrary to biblical teachings and risk deepening religious divisions.
Hayab described such engagements as vain and unprofitable arguments, warning that they often lead to strife and ungodliness.
The cleric further stressed that Christians must not respond to provocation with hostility, even when their faith is ridiculed.
He maintained that God, being omnipotent, does not require human defence through verbal attacks.
Hayab further warned that using abusive language in the name of defending the faith undermines the core message of love and peace in Christianity.
He added that such actions weaken the moral authority of the Christian faith and misrepresent its true values.
The Christian body insists that with social media platforms increasingly becoming arenas for religious confrontations, the association is urging Christians to shun divisive engagements and uphold peaceful coexistence.
News
FG Drops Terrorism Financing Charges Against Malami and Son
At the Federal High Court in Abuja the prosecution formally withdrew the original five-count charge of alleged terrorism financing and unlawful possession of firearms that was filed by the Department of State Services.
The Federal Government has withdrawn the allegations of terrorism financing against former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and his son, Abdulaziz Malami.
The charges were dropped Wednesday in court, leaving only counts related to unlawful possession of firearms.
At the Federal High Court in Abuja the prosecution formally withdrew the original five-count charge of alleged terrorism financing and unlawful possession of firearms that was filed by the Department of State Services.
Prosecutor, Chief Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, who is representing the current Attorney-General of the Federation, told the court that the government has filed a fresh amended five-count charge dated 14th April.
Former Minister Abubakar Malami and his son, Abdulaziz, took a fresh plea before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. Both defendants pleaded not guilty to all the amended counts.
The court admitted them to bail on the same terms previously granted and adjourned the matter to the 26th of May and 15th of June for the commencement of trial.
This latest twist significantly narrows the case against the former chief law officer of the federation and his son.
In the former charge Malami was accused of knowingly abetting terrorism financing by allegedly refusing to prosecute suspected terrorism financiers whose case files were forwarded to his office as AGF (around November 2022), in breach of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The other charges in the previous five counts:
In December 2025, at their home in Kebbi State, they allegedly possessed without a license a Sturm Magnum 17-0101 firearm, 16 live Redstar AAA 5’20 cartridges, and 27 expended cartridges. This is framed as conduct in preparation for an act of terrorism under the Terrorism Act and Firearms Act.
AMENDED CHARGES
COUNT ONE
THAT YOU Abubakar Malami, Adult, Male, and Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, Adult, Male, sometime in December, 2025, at Geeze Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did engage in preparation to commit acts of terrorism by having in your possession and without license, a Sturm Magnum 17 – 0101 firearm, Sixteen (16) Redstar AAA 5’20 live rounds of Cartridges and Twenty-Seven (27) expended Redstar and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 29 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
COUNT TWO
THAT YOU, Abubakar Malami, Adult, Male, and Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, Adult, Male, sometime in December, 2025, at Geeze Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspire amongst yourselves in preparation to commit acts of terrorism by having in your possession and without a license a Sturm Magnum 17 – 0101 firearm, Sixteen (16) Redstar AAA 5’20 live rounds of Cartridges and Twenty-Seven (27) expended Redstar, contrary to Section 26 (1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition Act) 2022 and punishable under Section 26 (3) (a) and (b) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition Act) 2022.
COUNT THREE
THAT YOU Abubakar Malami, Adult, Male, and Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, Adult, Male, sometime in December, 2025, at Geeze Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without a license, did have in your possession a Sturm Magnum 17 – 0101 firearm and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 3 of the Firearms Act, CAP F28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1) (a) (i) of the Firearms Act, CAP F28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
COUNT FOUR
THAT YOU, Abubakar Malami, Adult, Male, and Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, Adult, Male, sometime in December, 2025, at Geeze Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without a license, did have in your possession Sixteen (16) Redstar AAA 5’20 live rounds of Cartridges and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8 (1) (b) (ii) of the Firearms Act, CAP F28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1) (a) (i) of the Firearms Act, CAP F28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
COUNT FIVE
THAT YOU, Abubakar Malami, Adult, Male, and Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, Adult, Male, sometime in December, 2025, at Geeze Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi LGA, Kebbi State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without a license, did have in your possession Twenty-Seven (27) expended Redstar AAA 5’20 live rounds of Cartridges and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8 (1) (b) (ii) of the Firearms Act, CAP F28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1) (a) (i) of the Firearms Act, CAP F28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
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