Metro

Rivers Teachers Protest Over Fubara’s N100,000 Christmas Bonus

Published

2 years ago

January 6, 2024

About 100 primary and secondary school teachers under the employ of the Rivers State Government have staged a protest at the Government House, Port Harcourt, over their alleged exclusion from the N100,000 Christmas bonus approved for civil servants in the state by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The protesters said other civil servants in the state had received theirs along with their December 2023 salary, but wondered why they didn’t benefit.

Recall that Governor Fubara had prior to the Yuletide holidays approved the bonus for each civil servant, a development which ignited wild jubilation from the workers who are members of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress in the state.

The aggrieved teachers occupied the Government House along Azikiwe Road in Port Harcourt, expressing displeasure of the development and called on the state government to quickly intervene.

Speaking to newsmen, one of the teachers simply identified as Oke appealed to Governor Fubara to prevail on those responsible to release the funds to them.

She said all civil servants in the state were in a joyous mood when they heard of the approval by the governor, but that the joy of the teachers were cut short when some of them did not receive the alert even till January 2024.

She stated, “We were so happy when we heard that the governor approved N100,000 Christmas bonus for all civil servants. So, we assumed that the last Christmas was going to be very great for us. But as we speak today, this is January; a few of us as you can see have not received the Christmas bonus.

“On Monday schools will be resuming. Most of us travelled and we have returned.

“We have exhausted all we have. So we are here this morning to register our complaints to our dear loving governor to help us talk to those who are holding our Christmas bonus.

“Our N100, 000 Christmas bonus should be released because it will go a long way in cushioning the effect of the hardship especially in this January.”

Others who spoke accused their banks and the state Universal Basic Education Board for failing to address the matter.

An official of the government who addressed the protesting teachers commended them for their peaceful disposition and assured that their complaints will be looked into.

Metro

Gateman Arrested For Allegedly Defiling Four-year-old Pupil In Oyo

Published

3 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

A 26-year-old gateman identified as Josiah Ayomide has been arrested for allegedly defiling a four-year-old pupil in one of the schools in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The suspect was paraded alongside other suspects arrested for offences ranging from theft, banditry, rape, and other crimes at the Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele, Ibadan, on Thursday.

In his briefing, the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Adewale Osifeso, said the suspect was nabbed after the victim complained of severe vaginal pains to her parents at home.

Osifeso added that after a thorough investigation and probe, the suspect confessed to the crime.

The police spokesman said the victim later told her mother that her school gateman had unlawfully raped her while she was in the school.

According to the report, “The victim was taken to the Police Medical Clinic, Eleyele-Ibadan, for medical examination and treatment, and the medical report revealed that the hymen was not intact, with tenderness around the vulva and vagina and bruises.”

Osifeso said the suspect would be prosecuted upon completion of the investigation.

Metro

Panic As Fire Guts Fuel Station In Ikorodu

Published

5 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

Photo: File Copy

There was pandemonium on Friday when fire gutted A1 Petroleum Filling Station, an independent oil dealer located on Isawo Road, off Agric Bus Stop in Ikorodu, Lagos.

As of 1 p.m., the extent of property destroyed and possible casualties had not been confirmed. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Men of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, supported by other emergency responders, were at the scene battling to contain the inferno, which reportedly began from a diesel-laden truck within the premises.

Metro

DSS Charges Top Ansaru Leaders Over Terrorism, Kuje Prison Break Roles

Published

5 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

The Department of State Services (DSS) has brought terrorism charges against two senior commanders of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-linked terror group, over their alleged role in violent attacks across Nigeria.

The suspects are Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar, who is described as the Emir of Ansaru, and his deputy Mahmud al-Nigeri, also called Malam Mamuda. They were recently captured during security operations.

According to the DSS, the charges against them include leading a terrorist organisation, funding its activities, recruiting members, and planning violent operations nationwide.

Their arraignment at the Federal High Court in Abuja is expected soon.

Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA), said the two men were behind the July 2022 Kuje prison attack, where more than 600 inmates, including Boko Haram suspects, escaped.

Ribadu explained: “Abu Bara was the coordinator of terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to finance terrorism.”

On Mamuda, Ribadu revealed that he trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadists from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specialising in handling weapons and making explosive devices.

The NSA also linked the suspects to the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, the 2019 kidnapping of Musa Uba, Magajin Garin Daura, and the kidnapping of the Emir of Wawa.

Ribadu described their arrest as “a turning point”, noting that the duo maintained strong networks in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.