Thewireng

15/09/2025

A coalition of non-governmental organizations, including HOMEF, CAPPA, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), and Oilwatch International, issued a five-point demand to the Nigerian government and multinational oil companies.

Lagos_ Civil society organizations have renewed their calls for justice, accountability, and environmental restoration in the Niger Delta as they marked the 30th anniversary of the ex*****on of renowned environmentalist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders. Rev. Dr. Nnimmo Bassey,....

13/09/2025

All of this has put a lie to the mischievously conjured tales of a non-existent after-party where obscene wealth or any form of showy adulation for lucre were displayed.

On August 19, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, turned 50. A milestone. For a man of his status, you would expect a birthday bash complete with the dainties of vanity. And why not? A golden jubilee for a man of undeniable accomplishments…

10/09/2025

The Nigerian Army’s 6 Division has successfully dismantled a notorious gunrunning syndicate operating in the Niger Delta Region.

In a statement on September 8, 2025, the Acting Deputy Director of 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, disclosed that the intelligence-led operation resulted in the arrest of suspects and the recovery of illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs).

He said troops intercepted two English pistols, four locally fabricated pistols, and a double-barrelled gun during the operation, adding that the weapons were likely destined for criminal elements across the region. He stressed the significance of the Army’s efforts in curbing the proliferation of illicit arms.

The gunrunners, identified as Innocent Emiyokumo Deidei (also known as Sele Bobo), Godknows Alabor Avor, and Godwin Osik, were apprehended at different times through intelligence-driven operations.

“A total of 35 suspects were arrested in connection with the gunrunning syndicate. The suspects were found to be using the Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Bayelsa States corridor for the discreet movement of illicit SALWs within the NDR. The suspects and arms recovered were handed over to the relevant agency for prosecution.

“This development underscores the Nigerian Army’s commitment to combating the proliferation of illicit arms and ensuring that those involved in such activities are brought to justice,” he said.

Relatedly, troops of 6 Division reported significant successes in ongoing anti-oil theft operations across the Niger Delta Region. Between August 25 and September 7, 2025, troops destroyed six illegal refining sites, arrested 35 suspects, and confiscated over 14,000 litres of stolen products.

In Rivers State, troops deactivated two illegal refining sites around the Kilometre 45 axis in Degema Council, recovering 4,500 litres of stolen crude and 3,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil.

10/09/2025

One of the suspects, 20-year-old FUO student Blessing Daniel, has admitted that she was under the influence of alcohol when she and her friends maltreated and nearly murdered her friend.

Onopa_ A Magistrate court sitting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital has remanded Kadi Blessing and two other individuals, Becky and Miracle, at the Okaka Correctional Centre for 21 days. The suspects will remain in custody pending the conclusion of the police investigation and legal advice from....

04/09/2025

Two Students of Federal University, Otuoke Arrested in Bayelsa

The Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested two students of the Federal University, Otuoke, alongside one other suspect, over alleged involvement in a case of assault, cyberbullying, and forceful abduction.

One of the suspects, identified as Kadi, was apprehended with two accomplices following investigations into the incident. Police authorities confirmed that the suspects are in custody and will face further interrogation before being charged in court.

The command has assured the public its commitment to ensuring justice and maintaining law and order across the state.

03/09/2025

FUO Students Protest School Fees Hike, Call Out Student Union Leaders

Students of the Federal University, Otuoke (FUO) in Bayelsa State are voicing their anger over a recent 50% increase in school fees, with many criticizing the Students Union Government (SUG) for what they see as a failed negotiation with the university management.

The fee hike, which marks the second such increase in a year, has sparked outrage among students who feel the new costs do not match the poor state of facilities on campus.

The new fees were set at ₦78,500 for Non-Sciences, ₦90,500 for Sciences, ₦107,500 for Medical Sciences, and ₦100,500 for Law. While the SUG, led by Comrade Zolo Tolomokizee, managed to secure a small reduction, students remain largely dissatisfied.

The negotiated reductions were ₦9,000 for Non-Science students, ₦11,000 for Science students, and ₦13,000 for both Medical Sciences and Law students.
According to SUG PRO, Comrade Victor Ebibralade, the reduction was a result of the union's persistence.

However, many students feel the negotiation was a failure. One student, identified as KpB, expressed disappointment on social media, noting that the university's reason for the hike—rising institutional costs—doesn't hold up when students aren't even on campus.

“Questions are flying," the student wrote, "why release this press statement now when students are not even in school...?"

Another student, Charles, a 400-level Sociology major, directly criticized the SUG leadership for failing to stand up for the students.

“I'm calling out on the SUG president comrade Big Zolo... this is selfish of you to agree with the school authorities on this school fees issue," he said.

He questioned what the increased fees would pay for, pointing to a lack of adequate learning spaces, power supply, and facilities for a growing student population.
Echoing these concerns, student Benny Omini described the development as "painful."

She noted that she chose the university because of its low fees, only to see them increase twice in one year. "For God's sake, this is a federal university!" she wrote,
highlighting the poor conditions on campus, including a lack of proper lecture rooms, chairs, and drugs at the clinic.

“Landlords will hear this and still increase house rent. Are we meant to suffer as students?? Indeed, this system is messed up!" she said.

02/09/2025

Burkina Faso Criminalizes Homosexuality
Burkina Faso’s under-ruling president, Ibrahim Traoré, has signed into law a bill that criminalizes homosexuality, with potential prison sentences of up to five years.
This new measure is part of extensive reforms to the nation’s family and citizenship laws. It represents a significant policy change for the West African country, where homosexuality was legal until the military junta took control in 2022 following two coups.
This decision aligns Burkina Faso with a growing trend in the region. Neighboring Mali passed a similar law in 2024, and more than 30 African countries now have laws banning same-sex relations. Recently, both Uganda and Ghana have also implemented stricter anti-homosexuality laws, despite international condemnation.

Thewireng

02/09/2025

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors on Monday issued a 10-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and relevant agencies to meet its welfare demands, warning that its members would embark on a nationwide strike if nothing is done before the deadline.

The doctors, in a communiqué signed by NARD President, Dr. Tope Osundara; General Secretary, Dr. Oluwasola Odunbaku; and Publicity and Social Secretary, Dr. Omoha Amobi, said the decision followed the outcome of its Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting held virtually on Sunday.

NARD recalled that in July it had given a three-week ultimatum, but “in the interest of industrial harmony,” the NEC extended it by another three weeks to allow the National Officers’ Committee engage with stakeholders.

It noted that despite the extension, the Federal Government failed to fulfil its promises.

02/09/2025

Shell was the latest of the four to sell its onshore oil assets in the country, in a $1.3 billion acquisition by local consortium Renaissance in March

A United Nations panel said four international oil companies breached human rights obligations by selling their assets in Nigeria before carrying out remediation for damage caused by their oil spills in local communities. In letters written to Eni, ExxonMoil, Shell, and TotalEnergies, the UN Working...

02/09/2025

Bassey dismissed claims that GMOs will solve hunger, stressing that nearly three decades after their introduction globally, they have not reduced food insecurity but instead “degrade soils, reduce biodiversity…

ABUJA_Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) represent the deliberate subversion of Africa’s food systems, a legacy rooted in the colonization of thought, according to Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF). Speaking at the National Symposium on GMOs held at ...

01/09/2025

The Minister pointed out that the PIA grants oil-producing host communities a 3% share of oil companies’ operational expenses through the Host Community Development Trust Fund.

Pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta isn't activism, it's economic su***de. It destroys the environment and undermines the region's own 3% revenue share from oil companies. This is according to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri while speaking at the 60t...

01/09/2025

activists argue that enforcement is weak, and penalties are too low to deter oil companies from flaring gas and the devastating impact of gas flaring, highlights severe environmental, health, and economic consequences of the hapless communities in the Niger Delta .

… As Gas Flare Hits Three-Year Low Of 7.16% Nigeria daily gas production rose to 7.59 billion standard cubic feet per day (BSCFD) with gas flaring dropping to 7.16% in July 2025, the industry regulator has said . According to Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission the simultaneous growt...