Rivers
Rivers NUJ Hails Police Aggression On Crime
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, has commended the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Rivers State Command, for its aggressive efforts at smoking out criminals in the State, which slso led to the release of its member, Priestba Nwokocha.
The Chairman of the NUJ, Rivers State Council, Stanley Job Stanley, who made the commendation last Friday, when he led a delegation of his members on a thank you ou visit to the State Commissioner of Police, Emeka Nwonyi, at the State Police Command Headquarters in Port Harcourt, said the Media was happy with the spirit of fighting crime in the state
According to him, “This visit is to say thank you to the Command for the roles you played in the release of our colleague, Priestba Nwokocha, who was kidnapped last week Friday. We’re here to say thank you.
“You kept up the pressure. The pressure from the Police forced the kidnappers to let her go. She would have been afraid; a woman among criminal elements, but you came to her rescue”.
Job expressed satisfaction that there has been relative peace across the State due to the aggressive posture of the Police under CP Nwonyi’s watch, noting that communities like Emohua, Ahoada and others are happy with the Police over the onslaught against criminals terrorising those areas.
“Since your arrival, we have had relative peace in the state, places such as Ahoada, Emohua, and other flash points are happy, especially, Ahoada people are happy with you.
“There is relative peace in the State and I can say Rivers people needed you at the time you came”, he said.
He urged CP Nwonyi and his officers and men to sustain the heat on organised crime with a view to flushing out criminals who, he said, were undermining the relative peace in the State, calling for greater synergy with the media, noting that given the nature of their job, journalists need protection to do their work.
“We journalists need police protection to do our job. Our colleagues work 24 hours a day depending on the shift they are working and sometimes, they close very late in the night and are exposed to danger. That is why we need constant protection and cooperation.
“Please do not relent in the work you and your men are doing. We want to urge you to continue what you’re doing to chase away criminals from the State. The NUJ in the State wants to strengthen our relationship with Police”, he noted.
Responding, the State Commissioner of Police expressed his gratitude to the NUJ for the visit, stating that upon the distress call from the NUJ State Secretary, Ike Wigodo, various tactical measures were deployed to ensure the release of the kidnapped journalist.
“Thank you for finding this time to come and rub minds with us. The NUJ Secretary called and I said the way kidnappers operate, they will call demanding for ransom, let’s have the number that they would call with.
“I know how passionate he was from his voice on the phone. I assured him that we’re going to do something. We worked tirelessly to get her out: we followed up their every move. With the pressure from us, they had no choice than to drop their prey”, the CP explained.
He stated that the media remains the conscience of society, thus has a major role to play in shaping society.
CP Nwonyi commended journalists in the State for publicity given to the campaign against crime and criminality by the Police since his arrival in the State.
“The Media is the conscience of society and you have a major role to play to make things right. Crime and criminality may be normal but what do we do to nip it in the bud? I want to appreciate the journalists in Rivers State for their efforts.
“I want to thank the journalists in the state. Some people may not appreciate some of the efforts of the media, but some of them (criminals) are already asking for amnesty. They want to lay down their arms. Why? The heat from the media. I want to use this opportunity to ask the media not to stop their good works but to continue”, he said.
He called for partnership with the NUJ to drive awareness creation and sensitisation, stressing that the public needs to have the right information so that it can support the law enforcement agencies with timely and accurate information, asserting that the State Police Command under his watch was battle ready to stamp out crime in the State.
“I am using this opportunity to say that law enforcement agents and journalists have to join hands to make Rivers State better. We need information, verifiable information, good synergy and some forensic tools.
“I am using this opportunity to tell the members of the public that sharing information with the Police is going to help them work better. I can assure you that the Rivers Command is on top of the situation.
“We will give them what they bring; we will give them a run for their money, I mean criminals that enter the State; bumper to bumper, action to action, head to head, and fire for fire. The media publicity has the potency of putting fears in them to know that we are also battle ready”, Nwonyi stated further.
The NUJ delegation included the State Secretary and Auditor, Ike Wigodo and Ominini Wokoma; Deputy National President and State Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Lilian Ogabu-Okonkwo and Susan Serekara-Nwikhana; publisher of Kristina Reports, Godswill Jumbo; a correspondent of the Rivers State Television (RSTV), Nnamdi Olimini; and Stephen Momoh of TVC.
They were received by the State Commissioner of Police, Emeka Nwonyi, alongside the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Operations, Olugbenga Adepoju, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Finance and Administration, Samuel Iriale, and Public Relations Officer of the Command, Superintendent Grace Iringe-Koko.
By: Ike Wigodo
The Rivers State Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi, says the state judiciary has a total of 23,870 cases pending in various courts in the State.
This figure includes all cases pending in Magistrate, High, and Customary Courts, as well as Customary Court of Appeal in the State.
Justice Amadi stated this while presiding over a special court session held to mark the comencement of the 2024/2025 new legal year held at the auditorium of the High Court in Port Harcourt, Thursday.
The State Chief Judge, while giving the breakdown of performances by the Judiciary in the last year ended, revealed that the stastics of the cases brought before the courts from October 30, 2023 to 30th September 2024 is 31,886, while cases filed stood at 14,791 and cases disposed in the period under review is 22,725.
He further disclosed that the State Judiciary and the customary courts generated a total of #525,322,478,83 as revenue in the last judiciary year under review.
He described the special court session as an annual ritual of the judiciary marked to herald the beginning of a new legal year, stressing that it affords the judiciary and all stakeholders the needed opportunity to take stock of the activities of the judiciary in the past one year in order to improve, with a view to strengthening the justice administration.
The number one state judiciary officer stated that the judiciary had undertaken a lot of capital infrastructure in the year ended to ensure the comfortablility of the workers and judicial officers, and announced that additional high courts would be constructed at Okehi and Degema to ease the challenges of numerous cases coming from such jurisdictions.
Justice Amadi further disclosed that the state judiciary has a total of 51 judges, 57 magistrates, 30 Chairmen of customary courts, and 60 presiding members, adding that the state judiciary has 12 judicial Divisions, 37 magisterial Districts, and 30 customary courts.
“We lost seven judiciary staff, Port Harcourt NBA lost 16, Okehi branch 1, Bori branch 2, and Ahoada branch 2 . Creation of a judicial Division is based on cases filed from such area and we recommend for approval of such and not for politically based”, he stated.
The State Chief Judge used the opportunity to thank the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, for the support given to the judiciary in the state, noting that the success recorded by the judiciary in the state was attributed to the huge support from the State Governor.
He also appreciated the efforts of the security agencies and the media for their various cooperation and support and urged them to sustain such in this legal year .
In their various speeches at the event, the State Attorney General and Commissoner of Justice, Dagogo Isreal-Ibroma, SAN; the Leader of the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Rivers State, OCJ Okocha, SAN; and the Chairman of NBA, Port Harcourt Branch, Mrs. Eke Cordelia, commended the achievements recorded by the state judiciary and urged that more measures be put in place to enhance speedy dispensation of justice.
The special court session was preceded by a church service.
By: Akujobi Amadi
A religious body in Rivers State, the House of Jesus Christ Ministries, has appealed to the warring politicians in the State to stop the orgy of violence over leadership supremacy and embrace genuine dialogue.
This is contained in a recent statement by the Parish Church Council (PCC) meeting of the church.
The statement, which was signed by the General Overseer, Apostle Joseph Emmanuel; Secretary, Evangelist ThankGod Akpanowoh; Parish Women Leader, Mrs. Promise Aniebet William; and Parish Evangelist, Elder Aniefiok Benneth, noted that the spate of violence witnessed across the state has taken unimaginable dimensions with the recent killings, wanton destruction of properties, and the burning down of Council Secretariats.
It said if care is not taken, the crisis could extend to homes, and therefore called on the warring parties to stop and gove room for a lasting solution.
Blaming the Federal Government under the watch of President Bola Tinubu, who it said had been seemingly passive in handling the political difference between the former Governor of the State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“The kind of crisis we are seeing cannot be rationalised. Whether in Rivers or Lagos, whether we are talking of state violence of political upheavals rocking the state, we plead as a church with the contending politicians to pull back their hatchets of indifference for the sake of peace, unity, stability and progress, and allow the possibility of genuine dialogue to begin, and lasting peace restored”, the church said.
Noting that the xurrent wind of democracy blowing in the state is one of the legacies of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and others who preach peace, love and development in the state, the Church cautioned against further crises “in the once peaceful state for posterity”.
It urged the current politicians in the country to emulate the peaceful disposition and virtues of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, which is instrumental to the prevailing peace in the state, in the face of continued provocations.
By: Bethel Toby
Rivers State has topped the performance chart in the implementation of the Nigerian Community Action Resilience And Economic stimulus (NG -CARES) programme in the South-South and Nigeria.
This was contained in a report released at the just-concluded two-day peer learning and experience sharing event in Port Harcourt.
According to the report, Rivers State performed excellently in all aspects of the programme implementation.
The state was followed by Delta State, which emerged second both in the South-South and the country at large.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has approved an additional $500million for the extension of the programme for the next three years.
World Bank Task Team leader, Dr.Lire Ersado, said at the event that the programme has lived up to expectations as it has gone along way to alleviate the sufferings of millions of poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
Ersado, who was represented by Professor Folorusho Okumadewa, said NG CARES has gotten the right strategies and approach in making sure that poor and vulnerable Nigerians can smile.
He said the programme, which was initially setup to address suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is even more relevant today with a view to addressing the plights of Nigerians affected by flood and other natural disasters.
Ersado said the Port Harcourt meeting, which is the sixth in the series of meetings held across the country, will provide opportunity for all states in the country to cross check their performances with each, as well as learn from the successes and failures of each other.
Also speaking, Rivers State Commissioner for Commerce And Industry, Barrister John Otamiri, said the programme was in line with the State Government programme of alleviating the sufferings of the people.
He also said the government is ready to partner with NG CARES to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Otamiri said also assures that Rivers State is safe for investment.
While reeling out its performances, National Coordinator, NG CARES, Dr. Abdulkarim Obaje, said the world Bank is passionate about the programme , adding that the bank has graciously extended the programme for another three years with an additional $500 million.
He said within the last three years $750 million was disbursed to the 36 states and FCT in 160 delivery platforms.
Obaje added that 9.2 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians also benefited from the programme across the country in the last three years.
Earlier, Rivers State Coordinator, RiV CARES, Mrs. Ephraim George Imaonyani, commended the delegates for choosing Rivers State for the South-South meeting.
By; John Bibor
