KRISTINA REPORTS

Just 24 hours after the National Peace Committee led by former Head of State, Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar red flagged Rivers State as a flashpoint of violence during the forthcoming 2019 elections, the Nigerian Army today busted a training camp for an illegal militia in the state. In a statement signed and circulated by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Aminu Iliyasu, the army said it bursted the training camp of the illegal militia in Nonwa Gbam in Tai Local Government Area of the state.  Kristina Reports findings indicate that over 5,000 recruits were involved in the training programme allegedly being sponsored by the Rivers State Government. Unconfirmed reports have it that the recruits were being trained to serve in the Rivers State Neighborhood Safety Corps. The state government was yet to make a statement on the matter as at the time of this report. The statement from the Nigerian Army reads: “DISCOVERY OF AN ILLEGAL MILITIA TRAINING CAMP Troops of...

The House of Representatives has frowned at the slow pace of work, especially, the non commencement of work on Bonny end of the Bonny-Bodo road project. The House has consequently directed its Committee on Works and Legislative Compliance to investigate why work has not commenced on the Bonny-Bodo road since the flag-off of the project by the Federal Government since October 2017. This decision was reached following a motion brought by the member representing Degema/Bonny federal constituency, Hon. Randolph Brown, who expressed serious concern that since the Federal Government flagged off the Bonny-Bodo road project in October, 2017, work was yet to commence on the Bonny end of the project. Hon. Randolph Brown explained that despite the long conclusion of enumeration, assessment of compensation on the Right of Way and the relocation of public utilities by the consultants to the Federal Ministry of Power, Works, and Housing, the non-payment of compensation, he said has stalled work on...

Press Release! It is regrettable, height of leadership misnomer, insensitivity and breach of pubic trust for the Bonny Local Government Boss refusal to make an official statement at least to bring succour to the families of the Bonny 3 victims. The Council boss swore to an oath to protect lives and property but to an extent he has shown no sympathy for the dead. We therefore call on the Chairman of Council to  with immediate effect set up a commission of inquiry to ascertain the root cause of the boat mishap and penalize anyone found culpable for the interest of justice and good conscience or within 48hrs, if nothing is done, we shall be mobilizing our members and other interest groups to the Government House in a bid to taking our destinies in our hands. Today is Fubara and others. Who knows who will be the next victim? Injury to one is Injury to all. It will interest the reading populace to note that a couple of days ago we had a rape incident in the Kingdom that went viral ...

Late Ibisa Hart Today would remain a day of tears, sorrow and weeping in Bonny Island, Bonny Local Government of Rivers State as two students and an elderly lady drowned when the speedboat they were traveling in capsized at sea in the middle of a storm. Hope Isaac Fubara Pepple, Queen Ibinwangi Ibisa Hart, a student of Ken Saro Wiwa Polytechnic, and junior sister of popular Nigerian blogger and Internet marketer, Inengisa Hart, both from Bonny Island, and a yet-to-be identified elderly lady were traveling en route Bodo in Gokana Local Government Area when their boat was caught up in a storm. There is tension across the island at the moment as families of the deceased students were angry that the boat pilot allegedly drove out into the sea while a heavy storm had enveloped the community. Eyewitnesses say the storm deroofed some houses, blowing different objects from one direction to the other. Kristina Reports could not confirm from the Bonny Marine Tra...

Late Ibisa Hart Bonny Island was thrown into mourning today as two students and an elderly lady lost their lives in a boat mishap. Nine other passengers were rescued by the crew of Catflash, the Nigeria LNG ferry which was around the vicinity of the incident on its way to Bonny from Port Harcourt. Kristina Reports findings reveal that the affected outboard-powered speedboat was said to be en route Bodo in Gokana Local Government Area from Bonny. The deceased were identified as Isaac Fubara Pepple, Queen Ibinwangi Ibisa Hart, a student of Ken Saro Wiwa Polytechnic, and junior sister of popular Nigerian blogger and Internet marketer, Inengisa Hart, both from Bonny Island, and a yet-to-be identified elderly lady. Late Queen Ibinwangi Ibisa Hart The Nigeria Police was yet to make a statement on the incident. A passenger at the jetty, Kenneth told Kristina Reports that the pilot of the said boat came to refuel at the Coal Beach before taking off under the hea...

As political parties officially commenced campaigns yesterday (Sunday) across the country, the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has called on politicians, political parties and their candidates to avoid comments that are capable of provoking  crisis in Rivers State. The NUJ, in a statement signed by the state secretary, Ike Wigodo, urged all the 54 political parties in Rivers State to priotise the unity and development of the state. According to the statement, "the flag-off of political campaigns across the country which is a prelude to general elections in February 2019 is an opportunity for political parties and their candidates to roll out their blueprints and sell themselves to the electorate. They should not, therefore, abuse it. "We expect them to be constructive and maintain high level of decorum in their campaign. They should stick to the rule of the game and avoid hate speech, political mudslinging and other comments and actio...

The Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe has called on all right-thinking sons and daughters of Rivers State to support the security agencies and insist that all perpetrators of the current violence rocking the state must be brought to justice. Abe, in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by his Spokesperson, Parry Saroh Benson, condemned the recent spate of violence which is taking on an alarming dimension, as the 2019 elections draw near. The Senator while reacting to the kidnap and killing of an APC chieftain in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the State, Samuel Nwanjoku, described his demise as shocking, and a great tragedy. He said, "the news of the brutal murder of a frontline politician in Ikwerre Local Government Area, Mr. Samuel Nwanjoku has come to me as a shock, it is indeed a great tragedy. The senseless murder of this fine and patriotic Rivers man is a clear pointer to the fact...

By Samuel Benedict Jumbo Elections are close and politicians are at it again bargaining and canvassing for votes; some with good intentions and many others for the mere purpose of eating from our commonwealth which often is referred to as ‘National Cake'. Rivers elections has always been characterized by a show of power by political gladiators, which, of course, negatively affects the people at the bottom and most times leads to loss of lives. Without fear or favour, Rivers State election come 2019, I’ll say, is not much about the people benefiting from the dividends of democracy, but a show of strength; as per who is who in the state after which the concerns and welfare of the people will be considered. However, the will of the people will always prevail, irrespective of those who think or believe Rivers State is their birthright. Well, in all we do, let’s all acknowledge that power belongs to God and he reigns in the affairs of men. In 2003, the fight was between Serg...

Tonye Cole, Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was in Bonny Local Government Area in continuation of his ward-to-ward consultative visit as part of his needs assessment drive. These series of interactions, the director general of the APC/Tonye Cole campaign organization, Chidi Lloyd, Ph.D., explained would guide the articulation of his policy thrust when he eventually emerges governor.   In a complete departure from the previous situation where candidates for governorship and other positions only visit the local government area to an already arranged gathering, Tonye Cole, founder and immediate past chief executive officer (CEO) of Sahara Group, a consortium in the oil and gas, aviation, and other sectors of the economy, arrived Bonny Island in outboard engines powered speedboats on Tuesday, November 13, 2018. After spending the whole of Tuesday, moving from ward 1 to ward 6, the billionaire business mogul headed out next day, Wednesd...

Commuters and other road users in Bonny Island utilizing the Ghana woman bridge at Akiama community in Bonny Local Government Area now have cause to jubilate as ALCON last week commenced work on reconstruction of the collapsed bridge. The beleaguered bridge connects Bonny main town to Akiama, Oguede, Coconut Estate, Abalamabie, Bagg-Jumbo, and several other communities in that axis. During the interregnum when the bridge was out of use, commuting was a challenge as most road users, especially, residents of those communities, had to make a detour through the Wilbros Road to reach their destinations. This extended route jacked up the transport fare by almost 200 per cent thus making life more difficult for the people of the area. But with the commencement of work at the bridge, the Local Government Chairman, David Irimagha, who had earlier promised concerted and comprehensive work of overhauling the bridge completely to make it more sustainable, has evidently match...