Hoodlums have allegedly attacked the Emohua Local Government Area secretariat of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in Rivers State, as the party intensifies its grassroots campaign around the message that “A New Rivers State is Possible in 2027.”

The attack, which reportedly occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, led to the destruction of billboards, posters and other campaign materials, while valuable items were allegedly carted away from the office.

The incident came as the NDC leadership in Rivers State continued its consultations across communities, traditional institutions, women’s groups and youth organisations in different town halls ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The consultation train, led by the state chairman of the party, Comrade Success Jack, and members of his executive, is being anchored by the media directorate of the NDC.

So far, the team has visited communities in at least 12 local government areas, where the party has lamented what it described as the deteriorating socio-political condition of Rivers State in the past three years.

In pamphlets circulated among community elites and interpreted in local languages, the campaign focused on “the Rivers State we once knew,” described as a state of opportunities, quality education, peace and growth, and the urgent need to restore that standard.

The central message of the engagement reflects on how Rivers, known as the “Treasure Base of the Nation,” has allegedly lost its position as a pace-setter because of poor leadership, excessive greed and the ambitions of some politicians.

The NDC insists that a new Rivers State, “where every citizen can dream, have opportunities and achieve their vision,” is possible under the leadership of Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs and Dr. Mike Barieenee Nwielaghi, the party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates, respectively.

At each of the town hall meetings held so far, the NDC flag was presented to traditional and paramount rulers, a gesture the party said symbolised unity, hope, service to the people and the collective resolve to “reclaim Rivers State’s greatness.”

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Form EC-9 bearing the name of the NDC deputy governorship candidate, Dr. Nwielaghi, which was earlier reported to have been omitted, is now being conspicuously displayed on the notice board of the commission along the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway.

The alleged omission had reportedly unsettled the party’s leadership, which moved swiftly to the INEC office to verify the claim.

Party officials later blamed the rumour on mischief makers and political opponents, whom they accused of being afraid of the fast-growing popularity of the seven-month-old NDC.

Nwielaghi, a lawyer, administrator and politician, told *The Southern Examiner* that the rumour was designed to create confusion among NDC members, but had been “nipped in the bud.”

He described the NDC as the party to beat in next year’s polls.

At the national level, the party has also directed its state chairmen to immediately cross-check the documentation of all its candidates with INEC.

The move followed claims by the NDC that some of its candidates were being deliberately replaced in the commission’s published lists for the 2027 elections.

State chairmen were directed to look out for discrepancies, errors, misspelt names, wrong dates of birth, educational qualifications, constituency codes, membership numbers and any other issue connected with INEC’s published list of August 29, 2026.

In a statement dated September 1, 2026, the NDC National Vice Chairman for the South-South, Mr. Fred E. Owotorufa, directed the state chairmen to forward the information on a state-by-state basis to the party’s national chairman.

The statement also directed that scanned copies of the letters should be sent by WhatsApp to the offices of the national vice chairmen in the six geopolitical zones of the party not later than Wednesday for prompt engagement with INEC.

In Rivers State, party leaders believe the alleged attack on the Emohua secretariat is part of a wider attempt to intimidate the NDC as its message gains traction across the state.

Hon. Benson Lucky, the chairman of the party in Emohua LGA, confirmed the attack in a voice note, accusing a rival political group of responsibility, though he did not name any specific party.

Based on the advice of the state leadership of the NDC, Lucky has reported the matter at the Emohua Divisional Police Station.

A senior police officer confirmed that a report on the incident had been made.

According to the officer, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the station had already dispatched an investigation team to the area to confirm the report and take photographs where necessary.

The incident has raised concerns over the possibility of rising political violence as Rivers State moves closer to another election season.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over 189,000 rounds of live ammunition seized in Niger State to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) for further action.

The ammunition, contained in 7,560 packages, was intercepted by Customs officers around the Wawa axis of Niger State, close to the border, following intelligence on the movement of the consignment.

The Controller of the Niger/Kogi Area Command of the NCS, Sani Mohammed Umar, disclosed this in Minna while formally handing over the ammunition to the NCCSALW.

Umar said the seized ammunition had remained in Customs custody since 2018 due to ongoing court cases and other legal processes.

He explained that each of the 7,560 packages contained 25 rounds, bringing the total to 189,000 rounds.

According to him, the suspect linked to the consignment escaped after the interception and remains at large, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend him.

The Customs Area Controller warned that allowing such a large quantity of ammunition to enter the society illegally could have grave security consequences, particularly amid the prevailing security challenges across the country.

He said the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, had directed officers to sustain vigilance and intensify border operations to prevent the smuggling of arms and ammunition into the country.

Umar added that the Service would continue to work closely with the NCCSALW and other security agencies to prevent illegal arms from reaching criminal elements.

Receiving the consignment, the Director of the NCCSALW North Central Zone, Abdul Adamu Eneche, commended the Customs Service for its cooperation and the successful handover.

Eneche, who represented the Director General of the Centre, DIG Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, said the ammunition would undergo the required processes before being destroyed.

He explained that the destruction was necessary to ensure that the seized ammunition did not find its way back into society or fall into the hands of criminals.

He described inter-agency cooperation as critical to tackling the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, stressing that no single security agency could effectively combat illegal arms trafficking alone.

Eneche said the proliferation of illegal arms and ammunition was contributing to terrorism, kidnapping, insurgency, communal clashes and other criminal activities across Nigeria.

He disclosed that the NCCSALW had, since its establishment, facilitated the destruction of more than 19,000 arms in the presence of relevant stakeholders.

Beyond arms destruction, he said the Centre was conducting sensitisation campaigns and training programmes for security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, communities and other stakeholders.

According to him, security personnel are being trained to identify emerging methods employed by criminals to move illegal arms and ammunition.

He also urged communities to provide timely and credible information to security agencies whenever they notice suspicious activities.

Eneche expressed optimism that stronger inter-agency cooperation, intelligence sharing, effective border control and sustained public awareness would help reduce the availability of illegal arms and ammunition to criminal groups across the North Central and other parts of the country.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman of Rogo Local Government Area of Kano State, Alhaji Abdullahi Fanka, has been abducted by gunmen who invaded the community and killed two residents during the attack.

The incident occurred at about 11pm on Monday, September 1, 2026, amid sporadic gunfire that reportedly forced residents to flee their homes for safety.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the two victims were killed while attempting to prevent the attackers from abducting Fanka.

“The two people killed couldn’t stop them from whisking away the party chairman because they were in possession of sophisticated weapons,” the resident said.

Fanka’s abduction is the latest in a series of attacks reported in different parts of Kano State within about 72 hours, raising fresh concerns over the worsening security situation in the state.

The latest incident occurred barely 24 hours after gunmen reportedly attacked Rantan community in Bebeji Local Government Area, killing the APC Chairman of Rantan Ward, Alhaji Garba Buba, and another resident identified as Sulaiman Zunduma.

Following the Rantan attack, the Kano State Police Command launched an investigation and commenced efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible.

Earlier, suspected bandits had attacked Chiromawa community in Garun Mallam Local Government Area, abducting the Sarkin Noman Kano, Alhaji Yusif Nadabo, on Saturday night.

Nadabo was subsequently rescued by the police following a joint response involving security operatives and residents. Three residents were reportedly injured during the operation.

The succession of attacks in neighbouring communities has heightened fears among residents over the growing incidence of kidnapping and armed violence across parts of Kano State.

The development also comes against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s renewed focus on addressing security challenges across the country.

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammad Matawalle, had on Monday announced that the Federal Government was developing a five-year defence and security plan in response to emerging security threats, including recent attacks in Kano.

As of the time of filing this report, efforts to obtain an official reaction from the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, were unsuccessful.