MAGISTRATE RESIGNS IN RIVERS STATE, REJECTS MILITARY-STYLE ADMINISTRATION
The political turmoil in Rivers State has claimed another institutional casualty as Chief Magistrate Ejike King George tendered his resignation from the state judiciary, citing strong discomfort with the recent shift in governance structure. In a letter dated April 11, 2025, and addressed to the Chief Judge through the Secretary of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission, George criticized the imposition of what he described as a “quasi-military administration” following the federal government’s emergency takeover.
His resignation comes in the wake of President Bola Tinubu’s March 18 declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, which led to the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Professor Ngozi Odu, and the entire State House of Assembly. Tinubu subsequently appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd) as the sole administrator of the state.
“This difficult and regrettable decision is informed largely by my discomfort with the recent appointment of a quasi-military administration to run the affairs of a modern state like ours,” George wrote, denouncing the direction of governance as “alien” and “antithetical to the values of the legal profession.”
With 22 years in legal practice, including 16 years as a Magistrate in the Rivers State Judiciary under various democratic administrations, George warned that remaining in his position would amount to “tacit and naïve acquiescence” to a system he fundamentally opposes. His resignation underscores the widening institutional pushback against federal intervention in the state’s civil administration.
SENATOR WARNS OF RENEWED BOKO HARAM THREAT IN BORNO
Amid rising insecurity in Borno State, Senator Mohammed Monguno, representing Borno North, has raised an alarm over the resurgence of Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, calling on the federal government to act swiftly and decisively. Speaking to News Central after a high-level security strategy session in Maiduguri, Monguno emphasized the need for urgent redirection of security resources previously diverted to the northwest.
“Governance is fundamentally about guaranteeing peace, security, and good order. A government that fails in this core responsibility should not remain in office a moment longer than necessary,” he declared, sharply criticizing the government’s current posture on security in the region.
According to Monguno, the meeting brought together top-tier security officials and regional stakeholders to assess current lapses and forge a unified approach to reclaim peace in the northeast. He stressed that Borno North, in particular, remains heavily impacted by Boko Haram’s violent campaign and cannot afford any security neglect.
The senator’s comments echo growing concerns among northeastern leaders who fear that the lull in focus on the region has emboldened militants to regroup and relaunch attacks. Monguno reiterated that national security must remain the bedrock of governance, and failure to protect citizens represents a fundamental breach of the social contract.
COURT THROWS OUT CHALLENGE TO OLUGBON’S SELECTION IN OYO STATE
The legal battle surrounding the installation of Oba Francis Olushola Alao as the Olugbon of Orile Igbon has been decisively ended by the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan. In a ruling delivered on Monday, April 7, Justice K.A. Adedokun dismissed the case filed by four members of the Akinbola family, citing lack of jurisdiction and procedural flaws.
The plaintiffs had challenged the legitimacy of Oba Alao’s selection and appointment, alleging irregularities in the traditional selection process. However, the court found that the Surulere Local Government, the statutory authority empowered to approve and supervise traditional leadership appointments, was not listed as a party in the case, rendering the suit defective.
Justice Adedokun further ruled that the claimants lacked locus standi, meaning they did not have the legal right to bring the action. The court’s decision effectively reaffirms Oba Alao’s legitimacy and brings an end to a contentious dispute that has stirred tension within the local traditional institution.
Legal analysts say the ruling may serve as a precedent for similar chieftaincy disputes in the state, emphasizing strict adherence to due process and jurisdictional competence.
CHRISTIAN GROUPS IN PLATEAU STATE PLAN MASS PROTEST OVER KILLINGS
Outrage and sorrow continue to sweep across Plateau State as Christian leaders prepare for a mass peace protest following a fresh wave of deadly attacks that have left over 80 villagers dead in the past two weeks alone. The “2nd Peace Walk Against Continuous Killings”, scheduled for Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, is being organized by the Gideon and Funmi ParaMallam Peace Foundation, in collaboration with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and various denominational heads.
According to Dr. Gideon ParaMallam, President of the foundation and a protest planning committee member, the rally will begin at PRTV Roundabout in Jos at 9 a.m. and end at the New Government House in Little Rayfield, where protest leaders will deliver a formal petition to President Bola Tinubu through Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.
“Between March 27 and April 2 alone, nearly 80 people were killed in Bokkos LGA,” said ParaMallam, adding that the carnage in Bassa and other regions reflects a broader national security failure.
Participants are being asked to wear Black (mourning), Red (to protest bloodshed), and White (peaceful resistance) during Easter services and the protest. CAN hopes the symbolic walk will awaken the conscience of national leaders and pressure the government to finally confront the long-running crisis in Plateau and the Middle Belt region.
In similar report, Zikke village in Plateau State became the site of another mass atrocity late Sunday night as at least 51 villagers were killed in what Amnesty International has described as a “horrific and senseless massacre”, intensifying scrutiny of Nigeria’s worsening security crisis. The attackers, armed with guns and machetes, reportedly moved from house to house, setting homes ablaze and slaughtering residents—many of them children and the elderly—who could not escape.
When dawn broke, survivors were met with a nightmare: charred remains, blood-soaked compounds, and the silence of entire families wiped out. Amnesty International, in a strongly worded statement on Monday, lambasted the Nigerian government’s inadequate response, declaring that the security lapses enabling such attacks must be urgently investigated.
“This is not just a breakdown in law and order—it is a breakdown in humanity,” the group said. The tragedy in Zikke comes just two weeks after another deadly raid claimed 52 lives in a nearby community, raising alarms over the frequency and brazenness of the violence.
According to Amnesty’s data, between December 2023 and February 2024, over 1,336 people were killed in Plateau State alone, including 533 women, 263 children, and 540 men, with more than 29,554 residents displaced. Many survivors of the latest massacre are now sheltering in makeshift camps with little to no government assistance.
Despite assurances from President Bola Tinubu about deploying “new security strategies,” rights groups argue that the relentless bloodshed tells a different story. “Whatever new measures are being implemented, they are clearly not working,” Amnesty said, demanding an independent investigation, accountability for perpetrators, and immediate protection for vulnerable rural communities.
NASU WARNS OF NATIONWIDE STRIKE OVER EARNED ALLOWANCE, ACCUSES FG OF SECRET DEAL WITH ASUU
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has issued a stark warning to the Federal Government over an alleged exclusive deal with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) regarding the long-delayed N50 billion earned allowance. At a high-level meeting of its Universities and Inter-University Centres Trade Group in Abuja, NASU leaders decried what they described as backdoor arrangements that risk reigniting industrial unrest in the country’s fragile tertiary education sector.
NASU’s General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi, alleged that only ASUU was invited to a recent stakeholder meeting on the earned allowance, raising fears that the government intends to allocate the entire N50 billion to academic staff, to the exclusion of non-teaching unions like NASU. “This would be a breach of trust and a recipe for another strike,” Adeyemi warned.
Referencing the 2022 strike that followed similar grievances, Adeyemi recalled how the government previously allocated 70 percent of funds to ASUU, leaving only 20 percent for NASU, SSANU, and NAAT combined. The unions had reached an agreement with the government in August 2022, pledging the release of N50 billion—but the promise has since gone unfulfilled.
NASU also criticized the IPPIS (Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System) for failing to fully capture union dues and personnel data accurately, leading to illegal stoppages of check-off dues in institutions like the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe.
NASU President Dr. Hassan Makolo and Deputy President Buhari Suleiman further blasted the poor state of Nigeria’s education system, citing underfunding, stalled negotiations, and systemic neglect. Suleiman decried the paltry 9.2% budgetary allocation to education in 2025, calling it a “national disgrace” that ignores global development benchmarks.
Unless the government urgently acts to equitably distribute the earned allowance, resolve IPPIS issues, and conclude pending agreements, NASU has vowed to mobilize for industrial action, potentially plunging Nigeria’s universities into another round of paralysis.
SOLE ADMINISTRATOR OF RIVERS DEMANDS NBA RETURN N300 MILLION AFTER CONFERENCE PULLOUT
The crisis in Rivers State has taken an unexpected turn into the legal community as the Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Retired), demanded that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) refund the N300 million paid by the state government for the 2025 Annual General Conference, which the NBA recently relocated to Enugu.
The NBA cited the declaration of a state of emergency and the collapse of democratic structures in Rivers as reasons for pulling out of the original host location. However, in a statement on Monday, Ibas challenged the association’s principles and financial ethics.
“While we respect the NBA’s right to choose its conference venues, we find it curious that despite its principled position, it has not addressed the refund of the N300 million already paid,” Ibas said.
The statement questioned the NBA’s integrity, suggesting that an organization claiming to act on ethical grounds cannot retain funds from a government it now refuses to associate with. “If the NBA truly stands on principle, it should demonstrate the same integrity by promptly returning these funds rather than benefiting from a state it now publicly discredits,” Ibas added.
The conference cancellation has added to the string of ripple effects triggered by President Tinubu’s controversial March 18 emergency declaration, which saw the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the Rivers State House of Assembly.
