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Police fume over Fubara’s statement, give reason for storming RIEC office
Police fume over Fubara’s statement, give reason for storming RIEC office
The Nigeria Police Force has expressed deep concern over recent statements made by the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, in which several allegations were leveled against the Office of the Inspector-General of Police.
Newstrends reports that Governor Fubara had on Friday accused the IGP of acting fraudulently by allegedly deploying his men to disrupt the Local Government elections scheduled for Saturday.
But in a statement on Friday by Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, dismissed the claim by the governor.
According to the police , the deployment of officers to the headquarters of the Rivers Independent Electoral Commission (RIEC) in the wee hours of Friday was to ensure security, adding that it acted in conformity with the order of the court.
The statement reads : “The Nigeria Police Force has noted with concern the recent statements made by the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara, in which several unfounded allegations were leveled against the Office of the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force. In light of these claims, it has become necessary to set the record straight.
Firstly, it is important to clarify that there is a subsisting Federal High Court order barring the Nigeria Police Force from participating in the Rivers State elections. This order was duly served on both the NPF and the Rivers State Government. As a law-abiding institution, the IGP instructed the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State to strictly adhere to this court order by refraining from any direct involvement in the election process.
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However, in the evening of 3rd October,2024, The commissioner of police Rivers State, received reports that policemen from Rivers State Government house have been deployed to the office of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RIEC) to aid the conduct of the election. This report was also relayed to the Inspector-General of Police who gave clearance to the Commissioner of Police to withdraw the policemen from the Government house and replace with policemen from the Command Operations department. The mandate of the men from the Operations Department, was to provide overnight security for the RIEC to prevent any attack on the facility.
It is also important to note that prior to this, there had been series of security breaches in the state following the spate of court orders and counter orders and reactions to them by supporters of the different political parties involved. The response of the Command to secure RIEC overnight was therefore professional and supported by the Inspector-General of Police. For emphasis sake, the policemen deployed to RIEC from the operations department of Rivers State Command on the night of 3rd October,2024 were with the sole mandate to protect the RIEC office from attack overnight. This action was proactive and responsive to intelligence at the disposal of the State Command.
It is therefore shocking to see the state governor storming the RIEC office at night, wrongly accusing the police on lawful duties, deriding the Police institution and using unprintable words to describe the Inspector-General of Police. The Nigeria Police takes exception to the unwarranted outburst of the Governor and particularly the weighty accusations which he falsely levied against the Inspector-General of Police and the entire Nigeria Police Force and advise caution and decency in the pursuit of individual political goals.
Threatening to shed blood and to burn down the State because of a Local Government election is not acceptable to us. The Nigeria Police Force is committed to protection of lives and properties and will work with other security agencies in Rivers State to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order in the State. To this end, the Inspector-General of Police has ordered increased deployment into Rivers State to beef up security throughout the state. Citizens of Rivers state are advised to go about their lawful businesses.”
Police fume over Fubara’s statement, give reason for storming RIEC office
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Jigawa Ward Head Denies Viral Wedding Cancellation Over Tinubu Support
Jigawa Ward Head Denies Viral Wedding Cancellation Over Tinubu Support
Confusion has continued to trail a viral report alleging that a father in Yalwawa community, Dutse, Jigawa State, cancelled his daughter’s wedding over the groom’s alleged support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), with community leaders, family members, and residents now offering conflicting accounts.
The story, which spread rapidly across social media platforms, initially claimed that the wedding was called off due to political differences, sparking heated debates nationwide over the influence of politics on family decisions.
However, the Ward Head of Yalwawa, Ahmad Garba Yalwawa, has strongly dismissed the report, describing it as false, misleading, and malicious, saying no such incident occurred in the community.
He said he only became aware of the viral claim after it began circulating online and immediately launched an investigation to verify its authenticity.
According to him, several days of inquiries within the community yielded no evidence that any wedding was cancelled for political reasons.
“I investigated from Friday up to Tuesday evening, but no one could confirm witnessing such an incident. That alone raised serious doubts about the credibility of the story,” he said.
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He added that attention was later directed to a man identified as Muhammadu Sani, whose daughter reportedly got married on the same day referenced in the viral report. However, the ward head said Sani denied any connection to the allegation.
“He confirmed that his daughter’s wedding took place successfully and she is now in her husband’s home. There was no cancellation or controversy,” he said.
The ward head further warned that investigations are ongoing to identify those responsible for spreading the misinformation, noting that legal action could be taken against the originators of the false report.
In a separate clarification, Muhammadu Sani himself also dismissed the viral claim, saying he only became aware of the story after it circulated online and that he does not use social media.
“I heard about it like everyone else. My daughter’s wedding took place as planned. I have nothing to do with politics,” he said.
He explained that the marriage followed traditional Fulani customs and was arranged within the family, adding that the bride is now living with her husband.
However, the Chairman of the Yalwawa Development Association, Umar Kazaure, offered a slightly different account, stating that while the wedding eventually held, there was a minor disagreement that was later resolved through community intervention.
He suggested that any tension may have been influenced more by personal or economic frustrations than political affiliation.
As of the time of filing this report, the identity of the groom remains unclear, while efforts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.
Residents say the situation has since calmed, but the episode has left behind a trail of confusion, highlighting how quickly misinformation spreads in local communities and fuels national debate.
The incident has now become a talking point on social media, with Nigerians divided between those who initially believed the viral claim and others who see it as another example of fake news distortion in the digital age.
Jigawa Ward Head Denies Viral Wedding Cancellation Over Tinubu Support
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Nigeria’s Tax Reform Laws Contain Errors, Tinubu Minister Oyedele Confirms
Nigeria’s Tax Reform Laws Contain Errors, Tinubu Minister Oyedele Confirms
The Minister of State for Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, has admitted that Nigeria’s recently introduced tax reform laws contain errors, confirming that the federal government is already working on corrections through a new legislative review process.
Oyedele made the disclosure during a fireside chat at the 2026 annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Section on Legal Practice, themed “From Policy to Practice: Making Sense of Nigeria’s New Tax Reforms.”
He explained that the inconsistencies in the new tax framework were introduced during the drafting and legislative stages, describing them as the result of manual processes, multiple revisions, and technical lapses.
According to him, the government is now working with the National Assembly to review the affected sections and ensure a cleaner, more coherent legal framework going forward.
The Fiscal Reforms Committee, in a statement shared on social media, also confirmed that the minister acknowledged that errors occurred due to multiple layers of review and version control challenges during the lawmaking process.
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Oyedele, however, assured Nigerians that the errors do not invalidate the broader purpose of the reforms, stressing that a proposed Finance Bill will be introduced to correct identified issues and strengthen implementation.
He emphasised the need for a more transparent legislative process, noting that all versions of tax laws should be publicly accessible to prevent confusion and ensure accountability.
“What we need is a more transparent and reliable legislative process where every version of a law is publicly available,” he said.
The minister further clarified that the implementation of the new tax reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration will not be arbitrary, insisting that the framework is built on principles of fairness, transparency, and economic efficiency.
He explained that one of the core goals of the reforms is to fix long-standing distortions in Nigeria’s tax system, particularly the imbalance between personal and corporate taxation, which he said has discouraged business formalisation.
Oyedele also noted that inconsistent tax policies in the past had weakened investor confidence, adding that stability and predictability are critical for economic growth.
“If policies can change overnight, it sends the wrong signal to investors. Consistency is critical,” he said.
Addressing concerns about fairness, he stressed that the new framework is designed to protect low-income earners and small businesses from excessive taxation.
He revealed that nearly half of working Nigerians earn less than ₦70,000 monthly, adding that taxing such groups heavily would be economically unjust and counterproductive.
Oyedele also explained that the reforms remove minimum tax obligations for loss-making companies, arguing that such provisions previously amounted to taxing capital rather than profit.
The minister further called for improved efficiency in tax collection and revenue utilisation, noting that Nigeria still lags behind peer economies in terms of tax-to-GDP performance.
Economic analysts say the admission highlights both the complexity and urgency of Nigeria’s ongoing fiscal and tax reform agenda, which aims to broaden the tax base, reduce evasion, and improve revenue generation without stifling businesses.
The development comes as stakeholders continue to scrutinise the implementation of the new tax laws, with expectations that the forthcoming Finance Bill will provide clearer legal backing and resolve outstanding inconsistencies.
Nigeria’s Tax Reform Laws Contain Errors, Tinubu Minister Oyedele Confirms
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Bayelsa Drama: Navy Arrests Officers After Clash with Soldiers During Tinubu Visit
Bayelsa Drama: Navy Arrests Officers After Clash with Soldiers During Tinubu Visit
The Nigerian Navy has confirmed the arrest of officers involved in a viral clash with soldiers in Bayelsa State during the visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, an incident that has triggered widespread public concern.
The confrontation, which was captured in a 53-second video circulating online, showed uniformed personnel from the Navy and the Nigerian Army engaging in a heated argument that quickly escalated into a physical fight.
In the footage, a driver of a Hilux vehicle marked “Naval Police” is seen stepping out to confront another driver. Moments later, a soldier armed with a rifle approached and threw a punch, leading to a free-for-all fight involving multiple officers as shocked civilians looked on.
The incident reportedly occurred as the President was departing the venue of an official event in Bayelsa, a period typically characterised by tight security coordination among various military units assigned to presidential protection.
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Reacting to the development, the Director of Naval Information, Abi Folorunso, confirmed that all naval personnel involved have been taken into custody and are currently undergoing disciplinary procedures.
“The affected personnel are in custody and already undergoing appropriate administrative and disciplinary procedures in accordance with extant military regulations,” he stated.
Although the exact cause of the altercation has not been officially established, preliminary indications suggest the clash may have arisen from a dispute over movement control or right of way within the convoy arrangement.
Security analysts say the incident highlights possible coordination gaps and inter-agency tensions during joint military operations, especially in high-pressure environments such as presidential visits.
The development has sparked criticism from members of the public, with many describing the incident as unprofessional and embarrassing, given the role of the officers in ensuring security and order.
Authorities are expected to conclude investigations and determine appropriate sanctions, which could include detention, demotion, or other disciplinary actions under military regulations.
The Nigerian Navy reiterated its commitment to discipline and professionalism, assuring Nigerians that necessary measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence.
Bayelsa Drama: Navy Arrests Officers After Clash with Soldiers During Tinubu Visit
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