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TIMIPRE SYLVA AND HIS PENCHANT FOR NOTORIETY: LIGHTING IS ABOUT TO STRIKE AGAIN

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TIMIPRE SYLVA AND HIS PENCHANT FOR NOTORIETY: LIGHTING IS ABOUT TO STRIKE AGAIN

By: Jonathan Orumiebi Andabai

Lightening, they say, never strikes at the same place twice, but for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa, it appears this saying may not be the case. This is because the party’s candidate in the November 11 governorship election, Mr. Timipre Sylva and his running mate, Mr. Joshua Maciver are both tainted. A situation which forced political analyst in the state to ask: “Why is the APC self-inflicting yet another injury on itself? If that can of worm is opened it will be so toxic that it could extinct the political career of the Okpoma born politician”.

The 2019 gubernatorial debacle which lead to lost of the governorship seems to be unfolding again in even a worse dimension as Sylva has in a most controversial move picked Mr. Joshua Maciver, who was a jailbreaker as his running mate. Mr. Maciver has since confessed to breaking jail while servicing a ten years jail term over multiple felonies. The unrepentant felon has boastfully stated in a video he personally posted that should the situation arise; he will do the same thing again. “I have no regrets” he stated.

For Sylva, it has been established by a Federal High Court in Abuja that his candidature shall amount to a breach of the 1999 constitution should he contest and win the November, 11 2023 Governorship elections. The judgement further stated that apart from being sworn in two times he will be nine years in office having served five years in his previous spell as governor. The court accordingly ruled that Sylva was ineligible to contest the governorship election.

To most Bayelsans, Maciver was particularly remembered for his brutality against the people at the height of the militancy that rocked the Niger Delta between 1999 and 2007, after he break jail in Kaduna state and returned to Bayelsa.
To the people of the state, a Sylva / Maciver leadership will simply reenact the sad memory of the brutality that took place while Sylva was governor. It was the period of the notorious Operation Famu Tamgbe, a security outfit set up by the state government to combat insecurity, but ended up terrorizing the people more than the terrorists.

Most disturbing is the rhetoric of Mr. Maciver in the APC campaigns currently going on in the State. Could this be the reason why the national leadership of the party is not participating in the campaign of the party?
Maciver has made it a slogan that they will take government by force in the state which military parlance amounts to a coup. In a recent campaign Twon-Brass Mr. Maciver said “Let’s prepared, on the 11th, if anybody misbehave for Twon-Brass, chase am go enter the sea make him die. Ona dey hear? Chase am make him die. Afterall nobi that person go be the first person to die. So, let’s show them”. Such a man poses a very serious danger to our democracy and should be treated like the fugitive he is.

Very frightening is the debasing of our institutions by some persons we held in high esteem like Major General Barry T. Ndiomu (rtd), the head of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) who hastily wrote a very poorly worded letter to the Secretary to the Federal Government stating that Mr. Maciver was granted amnesty by late President Yar’dua after an initial letter he sent to him that Maciver wasn’t part of the amnesty programme. It is comic for the Nigerian Correctional Centre to write a letter claiming that this unrepentant felon was granted amnesty. Why is Nigeria drifting towards a joke?

A man who should have been declared wanted by the police, arrested and sent back to jail is not even hiding but throwing tantrums and threatening to kill people. Is this the kind of person the Nigerian State and Bayelsa deserves to be rewarded by a political party with such an exalted elective position as d Deputy Governor? Then what message are we sending to our children and the younger generation? That you can commit a crime, go to prison, break jail and be rewarded with an elective position?
For Mr. Sylva to pick him as running mate is a clear case of “show me your associates and I tell you who you are.” In other words, birds of the like feather flock together.

Aside from this, Mr Sylva is constantly and notoriously being accused of the culture of political exclusion. This alienation culture has driven almost all reasonable persons from the APC in Bayelsa State under him.

Therefore, every responsible politician in the APC. That could also the reason why a law-abiding national leadership of the Party is equally reluctant to join his campaign.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Senator Heineken Lokpobri has refused to associate with him. So is the former governorship candidate of the party, Mr. David Lyon. Even his former deputy, Chief Werininpre Seibarugu has left the party to return to the PDP.

The jail break case and the breach of the 1999 constitution is certainly another litmus test for the Nigerian Judiciary that has recently been accused of several controversial judgements. The world is also watching.
In the last four years, Bayelsa has made extraordinary political and developmental strides. Economic growth has been steady and the business landscape has been growing. Peace which hitherto eluded the state is manifest to the extent that people can now sleep with their eyes closed.

*Jonathan Orumiebi Andabai wrote from Yenagoa

TIMIPRE SYLVA AND HIS PENCHANT FOR NOTORIETY: LIGHTING IS ABOUT TO STRIKE AGAIN

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Dramatic Testimony Rocks Nwaukoni Terrorism Trial In Asaba — Doctor Confirms Gunshot Wounds In Palace Attack Case

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Dramatic Testimony Rocks Nwaukoni Terrorism Trial In Asaba — Doctor Confirms Gunshot Wounds In Palace Attack Case

The high-profile terrorism trial in Charge No. FHC/ASB/18C/2024 took a dramatic and gripping turn this week at the Federal High Court, Asaba, as explosive evidence and powerful witness testimonies continue to unfold against Mike Nwaukoni (aka “Supu”) and his alleged accomplices.

Standing trial alongside him are prominent figures including Barrister Francis Okolie, Secretary of the Ogwashi-Uku Development Association (ODA), and Mazi Elue Adigwe, the association’s Secretary-General, among others accused in connection with the violent October 12, 2023 attack on the Palace of the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku.

🔴 Doctor’s Testimony Leaves Court in Silence

In what court observers have described as one of the most chilling moments of the trial so far, Dr. Ezeike Ugochukwu Godwin took the witness stand and delivered a clinical yet deeply emotional account of the injuries sustained by a vigilante operative assigned to protect the Palace.

The doctor confirmed that the victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds, including injuries to the head and upper limbs, describing in precise medical terms the severity of the trauma.

According to his testimony, the victim was brought into the emergency unit in a state of intense pain and critical distress, alongside several others wounded during the attack.

Dr. Ezeike further told the court that the patient was referred from the Divisional Police Headquarters in Ogwashi-Uku, reinforcing the official chain of response following the violent incident.

🔴 Police Investigator Details Chaos and Destruction

A day earlier, on April 21, 2026, the court heard from Inspector Ijeoma Ovat, the initial Investigating Police Officer (IPO), who painted a harrowing picture of the aftermath of the attack.

She testified about the widespread chaos, multiple casualties, and destruction that followed the invasion of the Palace during the controversial Ineh Festival. Crucially, she tendered photographic evidence showing heavily damaged police and vigilante vehicles, corroborating claims of a coordinated and violent assault.
Sources within the prosecution confirm that the damage to the vehicles was extensive and consistent with armed aggression.

🔴 Witnesses Tie Defendants to Armed

AssaultEarlier testimonies in the trial have reportedly identified the defendants as active participants, alleging they were armed with guns and other dangerous weapons during the attack. Witnesses have also pointed to Mike Nwaukoni as a central figure who allegedly instigated and coordinated the operation.

🔴 Passport Request Sparks Legal Firestorm

In a fresh development that has further intensified proceedings, lead prosecutors in the case including CSP Samuel Mallum Esq and A.I Aminu Esq from the Police Legal Directorate in Abuja have strongly opposed an application by Nwaukoni’s legal team seeking the temporary release of his international passport for overseas travel.

According to sources, the prosecution argued that granting such a request poses a serious flight risk, warning that the defendant could attempt to evade justice, seek asylum, or acquire foreign citizenship.

The prosecution also suggested that the move may be a deliberate tactic to delay the trial, particularly as significant portions of the case have already been established.

The matter has been adjourned for further consideration, with hearings expected to resume in late May, continuing into early June 2026.

🔴 Calm Returns to Ogwashi-Uku Amid Trial

Meanwhile, community sources in Ogwashi-Uku report a notable return of peace and stability since the commencement of the trial. Residents have expressed hope that the judicial process will be seen through to a swift and just conclusion, bringing lasting closure to one of the most serious security incidents in the Kingdom’s recent history.

Dramatic Testimony Rocks Nwaukoni Terrorism Trial In Asaba — Doctor Confirms Gunshot Wounds In Palace Attack Case

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Troops Intercept Suspected Terrorist Logistics Supplier, Seize PMS in Borno

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Troops Intercept Suspected Terrorist Logistics Supplier, Seize PMS in Borno

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have arrested a suspected ISWAP/JAS logistics supplier and intercepted a large quantity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) concealed in a tricycle in Borno State.

Security sources said the suspect was apprehended at about 9:10 a.m. on April 21 by troops of 159 Battalion at a checkpoint within Sector 2 Area of Responsibility.

The suspect was reportedly conveying PMS concealed in 15 sacks, disguised with bags of sachet water in an attempt to evade detection.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the consignment was being transported to Kanama town and neighbouring communities around Dikwa and Bultuwa, areas believed to be within terrorist influence.

Items recovered from the suspect include a mobile phone and the sum of ₦34,950.

The sources said the suspect and recovered exhibits are in military custody for further investigation and necessary action.

They added that the interception forms part of ongoing operations aimed at disrupting terrorist logistics networks and denying them access to critical supplies across the North-East theatre.

Troops Intercept Suspected Terrorist Logistics Supplier, Seize PMS in Borno

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Troops Repel Terrorist Infiltration in Kanama, Neutralise Four Insurgents

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Troops Repel Terrorist Infiltration in Kanama, Neutralise Four Insurgents

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have repelled a Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist infiltration into Kanama town, neutralising four insurgents during a swift response operation in Borno State.

Security sources said the incident occurred at about 6:00 p.m. on April 22 when troops of 159 Battalion, deployed in Kanama, responded to sounds of gunfire within the town.

On arrival, the troops reportedly discovered that terrorists had infiltrated parts of the community.

The troops immediately made contact and engaged the attackers with disciplined fire, forcing them to retreat in disarray.

Subsequent exploitation of the general area led to the neutralisation of four terrorists.

One member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) sustained injuries during the encounter and has been evacuated for medical attention.

No military equipment was lost during the operation.

Items recovered from the terrorists include two torchlight mobile phones and the sum of ₦21,000.

Security sources said the general situation across the theatre remains calm but unpredictable, while troops’ morale and fighting efficiency remain high.

Troops Repel Terrorist Infiltration in Kanama, Neutralise Four Insurgents

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