Joseph Odok, a Nigerian lawyer and a well-known critic of the governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, has been charged with terrorism. Mr Odok could be sentenced to death if found guilty. The lawyer was brought before the Federal High Court, Calabar, on Tuesday by the police in Cross…

Okoi Obono-Obla, a former aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, has been declared wanted by the Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Mr Obono-Obla headed a special panel on the recovery of government property before he was suspended by Mr Buhari in August over an allegation of corruption.…

The Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana, has urged Nigerians living in Ghana to discountenance a message circulating on WhatsApp which says Nigerians without a resident permit would not be able to withdraw their deposits from Ghanaian banks beginning from November this year. The high commission in a statement issued…

Mary Ekere, a journalist who was arrested in September by the Akwa Ibom environmental task force for taking photos of their officials raiding a shop, has narrated how she was thrown into prison even before she was arraigned in court. Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution guarantees citizens’ right to…

As the people of Bayelsa go to the polls on November 16 to elect a new governor who will succeed Seriake Dickson, there is a question about the influence of the former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, in the politics of the oil-rich state. Mr Jonathan is not just from Bayelsa,…

The Amnesty International has launched a report chronicling attacks on the press in Nigeria since 2015. The report, launched in Abuja on Monday, said at least 19 journalists and media practitioners have been attacked in Nigeria between January and September 2019, the highest since 2015. Six journalists, including bloggers, were…

The people of Esit Eket Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, have said that their living conditions do not reflect the wealth made by the companies extracting oil and gas in their area. Esit Eket, alongside three other local government areas – Eket, Onna, and Ibeno -- is the host…

The commissioner for information in Bayelsa State, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, has dismissed as untrue, reports that the state governor, Serieka Dickson, ignored the advice of the former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, and other chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the process that led to the election of Douye Diri…

The former speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Toney Isenah, on Monday made a U-turn, and tendered his resignation letter as the ‘speaker’ of the assembly, seven days after he was controversially removed by the lawmakers. Mr Isenah was replaced on September 30 with a lawmaker representing Southern…

A Nigerian police officer allegedly beat up a motorist and opened fire on him on a highway for attempting to overtake his car. The incident took place around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday in Calabar, Cross River State, South-South Nigeria, PREMIUM TIMES learnt. Adekunle Adewumi, a sales representative with a Lagos-based…

A former acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Ibim Semenitari, has said she was sexually harassed by a male lecturer while she was doing her undergraduate programme in a Nigerian university. Mrs Semenitari’s revelation followed the trending #SexForGrades conversation among Nigerians, prompted by a BBC undercover…

The police in Cross River State have reportedly obtained a court order to keep a Nigerian lawyer, Joseph Odok, in detention. Mr Odok, a known critic of the Cross River governor, Ben Ayade, was arrested on September 26 in Abuja on allegation of “terrorism” and taken to Calabar by road.…

#BringBackOurGirls group has said that President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian government have failed in their primary responsibility of protecting the lives of citizens. The group has been at the forefront of the campaign for the release of the over 200 Chibok girls abducted from their school in Borno State…

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied that his administration rejected a British offer to rescue Chibok girls, as alleged by a former U.K. prime minister, David Cameron. Mr Cameron in some scathing remarks over Mr Jonathan’s handling of the kidnapped of over 200 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in 2014, said…

The Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency has announced the suspension of its task force. The agency, headed by Prince Ikim, made headline some weeks ago when the task force arrested a female journalist, Mary Ekere, and threw her into jail under controversial circumstances for taking photos…

The residents of Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, could somehow be blamed for some robbery incidents in the city, the police in the state seemed to be saying. There have been reports of armed gangs moving from street to street in some areas of Uyo, assaulting and robbing…

The Nigerian Cardiac Society (NCS) has expressed concern over a rise in cardiac diseases in the country. The NCS, at its 48th annual general meeting and scientific conference held last month in Enugu State, noted that hypertension remains the most important cardiovascular disease risk factor in Nigeria. “Hypertension affects more…

The Federal High Court, Calabar, has denied a journalist, Agba Jalingo, bail. Justice Simon Amobeda on Friday afternoon ruled that the charges against Mr Jalingo were grave with one carrying capital punishment. The judge also ruled that there was no substantial evidence to show that Mr Jalingo’s health was failing.…

Detained Nigerian journalist, Agba Jalingo, on Friday morning arrived at the Federal High Court, Calabar, for a ruling on his bail application in a handcuff. Mr Jalingo, the publisher of the online CrossRiverWatch, has been in prison in Calabar. He is charged with treason over a report about an alleged…

A student of the Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), Cross River State, was shot dead on Thursday afternoon by suspected cultists, the police spokesperson in the state, Irene Ugbo, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES. The victim, identified as a final year student in the faculty of education, was said to…

The Federal High Court, Calabar, will this Friday rule on a bail application by the incarcerated journalist, Agba Jalingo. Mr Jalingo, the publisher of CrossRiverWatch, an online newspaper, with a focus on Cross River State, is in prison in Calabar. He is charged with treason, over a report about an…

Two journalists covering a protest in Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria, have been arrested and molested by the police. Okodi Okodi and Owoidoho Udofia, who were detained briefly, said they sustained injuries from their encounter with the police. The journalists work with a private radio station, Inspiration FM, in Uyo.…

Agba Jalingo, incarcerated Nigerian journalist, has sent a message of “hope” to the people of Cross River State, urging them to remain steadfast against “dictatorship”. Mr Jalingo, the publisher of CrossRiverWatch, an online newspaper with a focus on Cross River State, is in prison in Calabar. He is charged with…

The Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Emmanuel Isenah, has reportedly been impeached. A report published by the Nation newspaper said Mr Isenah has been replaced with a lawmaker representing Southern Ijaw Constituency 2, Monday Obolo. There are reports of shooting around the assembly premises. The Nation quoted…

The police have arrested a Nigerian lawyer, Joseph Odok, over allegation of ‘terrorism’. He has been in police detention in Calabar, Cross River State, South-South Nigeria, for four days now. Mr Odok, a native of the state, is an avowed critic of Governor Ben Ayade. He was arrested by two…