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The Chairman of Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Blessing Albert Ebhodaghe, popularly known as BB, has reportedly threatened to demolish a hotel allegedly used by members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for a political meeting.

The allegation is contained in a leaked voice recording circulating in the state. In the recording, a voice purportedly belonging to the council chairman warned against allowing members of the opposition party to hold further meetings at the hotel.

According to the recording, the speaker threatened that buildings and businesses belonging to the hotel owner could be demolished if the NDC held another meeting at the facility.

The voice is heard saying, “The government will bring down any building or business of any person that attends any NDC meeting in his hotel.”

He also claimed that the government owned the land on which the hotel was built.

When asked whether the statement amounted to a threat from the government, the voice allegedly responded, “Yes, it’s a threat from the government and me.”

The allegation against the Esan West council chairman has raised fresh concerns among political stakeholders in Edo State about the treatment of opposition groups and their supporters ahead of future political activities.

Attempts to obtain comments from the council chairman, Ebhodaghe, were unsuccessful. He did not respond to messages seeking clarification, while calls to his phone were not answered as of the time of filing this report.

The allegation comes amid wider concerns over disruptions to NDC activities in some parts of the country.

SaharaReporters recently reported that the NDC identified eight of its members who it said sustained gunshot injuries during an alleged attack on its monthly ward meeting in Obuofia, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The victims identified by the party were Onovo Donald Ekene, Ngene Godwin Madueke, Ogbodo Gloria, Onovo Victor, Maduabuchi Ugwu, Nnaemeka Nelson, Chinonso Nwagbara and Obinna Daniel Owo.

The incident reportedly occurred on Saturday afternoon at Ihuani Awkunanaw in Obuofia, the ancestral home of the Awkunanaw people and hometown of the NDC governorship candidate in the state, Sir Christian Chinyeaka Ohaa.

In a statement issued by Ohaa’s Media Aid, Hon. Sampson Ukwu, the campaign said NDC members had gathered for the party’s statewide monthly ward meeting when armed hoodlums allegedly invaded the venue and opened fire.

“The following 8 persons sustained gunshot injuries,” the statement said before listing the alleged victims.

The party also alleged that canopies, chairs and other political materials were vandalised and destroyed during the attack.

“This is a clear act of political thuggery and an attempt to intimidate members of the opposition through violence,” the statement said.

The NDC further alleged that the incident was part of a pattern of disruptions targeting its political activities in Nkanu West, claiming that similar incidents had previously occurred in Akpugo and Obe wards.

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A mother and her four children have died in a fire that engulfed their home in Okochiri Community, Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, in the early hours of Friday, September 18, 2026.

The victims were reportedly trapped in the building as the fire spread through the house. Sources in the community said the inferno was eventually extinguished through the efforts of youths who mobilised to the scene.

The fire was reportedly caused by petrol, which caught fire after coming into contact with a spark. The circumstances surrounding how the petrol ignited, however, remain subject to investigation.

Confirming the incident to newsmen, the Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Okrika, Mr Igwe Godswill, said details of the incident were still sketchy.

He said when members of the task force arrived at the scene, they discovered that four children and their mother had been burnt to death.

“We just heard the news this morning about the fire. There are no proper details as to what happened, but when we got there this morning, we saw that about four children and their mother, a total of five persons, were burnt and had died,” he said.

Godswill added that the police had already arrived at the scene and commenced the process of gathering information about the incident.

“But the police had already arrived and taken proper details of what happened. It is so disheartening that this is happening again in our community.

“When we got there this morning, the fire had been put out and the police had already come to the scene. I believe proper investigation will be carried out,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident, stating that a woman and three of her children died in the fire, while other persons sustained injuries.

The Command’s spokesperson, ASP Blessing Agabe, also disclosed that property worth thousands of naira was destroyed in the inferno.

Agabe said investigation was ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the cause of the fire outbreak.

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The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has repatriated a Chinese national, Zhang Shijie, who was wanted in China over an alleged smuggling operation involving about 1,400 tonnes of endangered African rosewood.

Zhang, who had been wanted since 2021, was arrested by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, on September 10, 2026, in the Ogere area of Ogun State.

The police said the suspect was wanted by the Yangpu Sub-Bureau of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the Haikou Customs District in China in connection with the alleged smuggling of Pterocarpus erinaceus, commonly known as African rosewood.

According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Ani Iniedu, the Chinese authorities had issued an arrest warrant for Zhang on January 7, 2021.

The alleged offences, the police said, were committed between November 2020 and January 2021 and involved approximately 1,400 tonnes of the endangered tree species.

The consignment was valued at about 15.7 million Chinese yuan, according to the Chinese authorities cited by the police.

The Force said the arrest followed sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance and coordinated investigative efforts by INTERPOL NCB Abuja.

“Following sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance and coordinated investigative efforts, operatives of INTERPOL NCB Abuja arrested the fugitive on 10 September 2026 in the Ogere area of Ogun State,” the statement said.

The police disclosed that Zhang had remained outside China following the alleged offences and was subsequently traced to Nigeria, where he had been residing in Ogun State.

At the time of his arrest, the suspect was reportedly in possession of a Chinese passport which had expired on November 11, 2023.

Following the arrest and completion of necessary procedures, the NPF said Zhang was repatriated to Guangzhou, China, on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

The Force said the repatriation was carried out under existing bilateral police cooperation arrangements between Nigeria and China.

The development underscores the role of INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Nigeria in tracking and facilitating the return of foreign nationals wanted for alleged offences in their home countries.

It also highlights growing international cooperation in tackling the illegal exploitation and trafficking of endangered natural resources.

African rosewood, scientifically known as Pterocarpus erinaceus, is a valuable hardwood species that has faced intense exploitation and trafficking across West Africa.