Rivers
Violence Against Women Worries Stakeholders
Worried over the spate of violence against the women folk, in Rivers State, stakeholders at a media advocacy forum have proffered ways to check the malaise, saying such acts should be legally treated.
The stakeholders which consist of media practitioners, civil servants and women groups made public their views at a breakfast meeting organised by the Rivers State Ministry of Women Affairs last Friday in Port Harcourt.
State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Barrister Manuela George-Izunna stressed the need for attitudinal change by the menfolk towards their wives.
According to her, any kind of dehumanising act that humiliate or violates the rights of women is violent including domestic violence.
In her words: “It is time for us to say no and make sure something happens”.
She stated that since women were subjected to all kinds of societal oppression, it was high time to check and amend all traditional practices that make women second class citizens.
The same view was held by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Pat Ogbonnaya who underscored the importance of the press in fighting the war against violence on women.
Dr Ogbonnaya noted a lot of women had died after they were violently molested by their spouses, saying when such lifestyles are copied by the younger generation it becomes a societal problem.
She, therefore, solicited for the partnership of the mass media in providing awareness and other campaigns against the menace.
In her submissions, former Commissioner for Women Affairs and General Manager of Rivers state Broadcasting Corporation (RSBC), Ms. Medline Tador stated that over 50 percent of women suffer violence, even in silence.
Ms. Tador, however, observed that in the last few years, the situation was fast changing, insisting that one way to check it was to break the silence by reporting such cases.
The General Manager of RSBC stressed the need for the ministry to establish hotlines for the public to report any case of violence against women, expressing the hope that by the time such measures were taken, the problem would be checked.
Also, Rivers state chairperson of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs. Beatrice Paago submitted that the exercise should not be viewed as a campaign against the men folk, but rather as an action against deplorable societal culture.
The NAWOJ boss solicited for the support of media houses in the area of providing campaigns and enlightenment programmes to educate the public.
Rivers
Police Investigate Officer’s Suicide In PH
The Police Command in Rivers State has confirmed the commencement of an investigation into the death of a police officer who allegedly took his own life in Port Harcourt.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this to journalists on Tuesday in Port Harcourt.
“We received a report about an officer who allegedly killed himself.
“However, we are currently investigating the report to ascertain what transpired”, she stated.
Iringe-Koko reported that the Commissioner of Police in the Sstate, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for a thorough investigation.
According to viral reports Monday, Insp. Maxwell Zabu, formerly a security detail to Victor Ihunwo, a former Chairman of Port Harcourt City Council, allegedly shot himself at Ihunwo’s residence in Eagle Island, Port Harcourt.
A source familiar with the incident said the matter was reported to the Azikiwe Police Division in the area.
“Following the report, detectives from the division visited the scene as part of preliminary investigation procedures”, the source added.
Rivers
Perm Sec Tasks NUJ Leadership On Unity
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications, Rivers State, Mr. Emmanuel Ndah, has charged the leadership of the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to ensure that all factions of the union are collapsed, especially now that the election is over.
Ndah gave the charge when the newly elected executives of the council and some of its members led by the Chairman, Comrade Paul Bazia, paid him a courtesy visit in his office at the State Secretariat Complex, Port Harcourt, yesterday.
The Permanent Secretary said he will do everything within his reach to ensure that the union is put in the front burner as far as their demands are achievable within the directives of the Sole Administrator of the State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd).
He also promised to ensure that the demands of the union get to the appropriate quarters.
According to him, the effort of the State Sole Administrator is to carry out programmes that can be achieved in six months and urged the NUJ to make demands that can be achieved within the period.
“The (Sole) Administrator has put so much effort to not only carry out achievable programmes, but also ensure peace and security in the State”, he said.
He, therefore,instructed the new executives to carry every member of the union along in the scheme of things.
“After the election, the union is now one. Carry everybody along so that the union will move forward”, he said.
The Chairman of NUJ, Bazia, had earlier assured the Permanent Secretary that the new executive was ready to work with the government to change the negative narratives and move the State forward.
Bazia further emphasised that the union will ensure factual reportage that will bring about the development of the State.
He also said the essence of the visit was to introduce the new executives to their host and lamented the deplorable condition of the NUJ Secretariat and urged the Permanent Secretary to help push the demands of the union to the state government, while highlighting some of the challenges faced in the Council.
“In terms of mobility, we have no vehicle, the one we have is in a bad shape. Most of the facilities are bad, so we need you to help push our issues to the Administrator pending when our Governor will be restored”, he said.
He thanked the Permanent Secretary for receiving members of the union within a short notice.
King Onunwor
Rivers
Rivers Judiciary Denies Reports On SOLAD’s Sack
The Rivers State Judiciary has denied claims of media reports online that a judge of its High Court issued a ruling in favour of Governor Siminalayi Fubara against former Governor Nyesom Wike and President Bola Tinubu allegedly sacking the Sole Administrator of the State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd).
A statement signed by the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi, on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, described the purported report as false and misleading, particularly for linking a judge of the State High Court, Justice Boma Diepiri, to a ruling that reportedly came from a Federal High Court.
According to the statement, Justice Diepiri is a Judge of the Rivers State High Court and not of the Federal High Court and currently on Easter vacation, which commenced on Monday, 14th April.
The Chief Registrar further clarified that the Federal High Court and the State High Court are separate entities, stressing that “the inclusion of Justice Diepiri’s name in the fabricated report underscores the crass ignorance of the author”.
The statement, signed by Ihua-Maduenyi, reads in part, “The attention of the Rivers State Judiciary has been drawn to a fake news report alleging that His Lordship, Hon. Justice Boma Diepiri, delivered a judgment sacking the Sole Administrator of Rivers State. This is false in its entirety.
“Justice Diepiri is a judge of the High Court of Rivers State, not of the Federal High Court as was falsely reported.
“Additionally, His Lordship is currently on Easter vacation which began on Monday, April 14, 2025”.
It advised the general public and members of the media to always cross checked information concerning the judiciary before publishing, and disregard the said report in its entirety, saying “its an embodiment of falsehood and fabricated story”.
Akujobi Amadi
-
Opinion2 days ago
Respecting The Traditional Institution
-
Politics2 days ago
Nasarawa PDP Sets Up Reconciliation Committee
-
Rivers2 days ago
SEEPCO Initiates Blood Donor Club in Nigeria
-
Nation2 days ago
Gunmen Abduct 14 Passengers In Benue
-
Rivers2 days ago
Police Investigate Officer’s Suicide In PH
-
Business2 days ago
FG Rakes In N6.96bn From Mining Fees
-
Politics2 days ago
PDP Crisis Deepens As Orbih Appoints CTC Excos For Bayelsa, Edo
-
News2 days ago
Army Chief Gives Troops One Month Marching Order To Flush Out Bandits In Niger, Kwara