Author: straightnewsng.com

Agency’s Report  US Democratic Presidential candidate and legendary civil rights activist, Rev Jesse Jackson, one of the nation’s most influential Black voices, died Tuesday morning, his family confirmed in a statement. Aged 84, Jackson, a Baptist minister, had been a civil rights leader since the 1960s, when he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and helped fundraise for the cause. “Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” Jackson’s family said. Also read: Nigerian Officials have a Culture of Denial – US lawmaker alleges…

Aniefiok Christopher  Renewed tension is brewing between Akwa Ibom and Cross River as both states are contesting the ownership of 76 oil wells, reigniting a silent feud between both in eyeing increased revenue allocations from the Federal Government. For a long time now, Akwa Ibom has fathered the oil wells following two Supreme Court rulings allocating her the oil wells after declaring Cross River a non-littoral state. Ultimately, Cross River Government feeling deprived of such natural resources has rekindled hope of many that Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission (RMFC) will re-allocate the oil wells to the state in a bid…

Akakan Umoh Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has warmly congratulated Prince Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman of ARISE & THISDAY Media Group, on the successful launch of the LekeeLekee platform. ARISE and ThisDay Media Group launched a new social media platform, now available on the App Store, Google Play, and the web described by its developers as a fast, data-efficient social app designed specifically for emerging digital communities around February 15–16, 2026. In a letter dated 16 February 2026, Governor Sani said, “It is with great pleasure and a deep sense of national pride that I extend my warmest congratulations to you…

Aniefiok Christopher The Nigerian Government has filed criminal charges against former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El Rufai, accusing him of unlawfully intercepting the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. The three-count charge, instituted at the Federal High Court, Abuja, and dated February 16, 2026, stemmed from statements El-Rufai made during a February 13 appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme. In count one, prosecutors alleged that El-Rufai admitted during the interview that he and unnamed associates “unlawfully intercepted the phone communications” of Ribadu, an offence said to be punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention,…

Press Release A kidnap victim was rescued in Obotim Village, Nsit Ibom Local Government Area by Akwa Ibom Police Command following sustained and intelligence-driven tactical operations across identified locations in the State. ‘‘On 10th February 2026, at about 2140hrs, armed men operating in an unregistered vehicle reportedly invaded a supermarket in Obotim Village, Nsit Ibom Local Government Area, and abducted a man (name withheld) to an unknown destination. ”The hoodlums subsequently contacted the family, demanding a ransom of Thirty Million Naira (₦30,000,000). They also carted away a Moniepoint POS machine and fraudulently withdrew the sum of One Million, Nine Hundred…

Ekemini Simon The administration of Akwa Ibom Governor, Pastor Umo Eno collected more than N2.53 trillion in revenue within 32 months. A PREMIUM TIMES analysis of official financial documents shows this figure surpasses the total earnings of the state across the entire eight-year tenure of  immediate past Governor Udom Emmanuel’s administration, plus the final four months of  ex-Governor Godswill Akpabio. Governor Eno was sworn in as governor on 29 May 2023. Data drawn from audited financial statements, budget performance reports (BPR) and Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursement records indicate that from May 2023 to December 2025, Akwa Ibom State…

Press Release The Center for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN) has dragged the Board of Trustees Representative of EMOIMEE in Eket Local Government Area, Air Commodore Charles Usoh (Rtd), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)/Seplat Joint Venture to the Federal High Court, Uyo Judicial Division over failure to comply with its request for information pursuant to Sections 1 and 3 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. This was stated in a Press Release issued by the CHRAN’s Secretary of Research and Documentation, Comrade Etimbuk Ekpenyong, and made available to newsmen in Uyo on Thursday, 12 February, 2026. The…

Aniefiok Chrisotpher A fresh bill at the United States house of representatives has proposed that the country’s secretary of state works with the Nigerian government to thwart “hostile foreign exploitation of Chinese illegal mining operations.”  The proposed legislation, titled: ‘Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026’, was introduced by five Republican lawmakers on Tuesday. The congressmen who sponsored the bill are Chris Smith, Riley Moore (bill author), Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Bill Huizenga. The bill sponsors said illegal Chinese mining operations in Nigeria engage in the “destabilizing practice of paying protection money to Fulani militias.” Also read: Terrorism…

Akakan Umoh The Akwa Ibom Police Command has foiled a suspected robbery attempt and arrested one suspect following a swift and proactive operation along Abak Road in Uyo Local Government Area of the state. ‘‘On February 9, 2026, at about 10:00 p.m, operatives of the Command who were on pin-down duty at a strategic nipping point along Abak Road observed three young men on a motorcycle behaving in a suspicious manner near a supermarket. Acting on reasonable suspicion and in line with proactive crime prevention strategies, the operatives moved to apprehend the individuals. ‘‘Upon sighting the Police, the suspects abandoned…

Aniefiok Christopher The Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network has rejected the Akwa Ibom Taxes Bill, otherwise known as the Property Bill, describing it as anti-people, draconian, monstrous, and oppressive. The group opposed the bill entitled: “A Bill for a Law to Harmonise and Consolidate the Legal Frameworks Relating to Taxes in Akwa Ibom State and for Other Matters Connected Therein” during its public hearing held at Luton Park Hotel, Uyo on February 4, 2026. The bill is domesticated from Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025 with emphasis on payment of  property tax and levies. Addressing members of the Correspondents’…