By Gloria Ikibah

Ex-Rivers State Head of Service, George Nwaeke, has assured the public that he is safe and lodging at the Transcorp Hilton hotel in Abuja.

His clarifications come on the heels of an outcry by his wife, Florence, late Friday, that she did not know the whereabouts of her husband after he resigned from service.

Nwaeke’s distraught wife told journalists she was afraid for her husband’s life and had no idea where he was.

“When he got to Abuja, he called that he had landed. I said, ‘Thank God’,” she said.

“The next thing I saw this night: people were calling me and saying he granted an interview. I said, ‘What interview? Interview for what?’ Not until I saw things flying on the internet that he granted an interview. What happened? I said, ‘That is not my husband. That is not my husband.’

“So I sent him a message. I said, ‘Are you under duress?’ I sent him a message. I said, ‘Have they kidnapped you? Talk to me now. Why are you not talking to me?’ This is the message I sent to him when I saw his interview online.

“Oh, Jesus, help me. Nigerians, help me. My husband is in trouble. My husband is in trouble. My husband is in trouble. My husband is in trouble. Look at the message I sent to him. See the message I sent to him. I said, ‘Daddy, why? Were you in hostage?’ I said, ‘Why didn’t you talk to me?’ These are the messages I sent to him, but he didn’t reply to me. His numbers are not going through. Nigerians, help me! Nigerians, help me!”

However, in a recorded video sent in by our correspondent on Saturday morning, Nwaeke said he was in Abuja to turn himself in to authorities.

“Good morning, gentlemen of the press. My name is Francis Nwaeke. I am in Transcorp in Abuja. I came in here this morning to meet with security agencies to report myself and the things happening in the state that are making me feel sick.

“Actually, I was head of service until Monday, and I resigned because of things that are happening. After the press interview I granted, I just saw a video of me trending where they went to hold her and feed her with all kinds of fallacies. Telling her I have been kidnapped.

want to clear this up. I was not kidnapped. I am in Abuja. This is the Transcorp Hotel where I am lodging. They told her I was kidnapped, and she was crying, and they are making her say all sorts of things.

“I want to put this straight. I am [was] the head of service, and I am on oath. My wife does not know anything that happens [happened] in my office. I don’t [didn’t] discuss anything with her. We discuss [discussed] only domestic and social matters.

‘So the script that they wrote for her is null and void. I want to clear the air that I am safe. I am fine. By tomorrow morning, I intend to go to the security agencies to report myself.

“My coming to Abuja was based on the fact that Abuja is where the headquarters of security agencies are housed. I came here, and I think I am safe here to make this report, and they can investigate. I am on oath…. But I am reporting exactly what I know. I said everything from my mind. And I want to reassure that everything I said is true.”

Nwaeke had levelled several allegations against the Rivers Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

Among other things, he accused the governor of planning to support Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed in the 2027 presidential election and also meeting with and encouraging militants to carry out attacks on oil facilities and other assets.

Meanwhile, Governor Fubara, in response to Nwaeke’s claims, suggested he may have been paid or coerced to have made the “false” claims against him.

“The truth is that Dr. Nwaeke has been compromised, and whatever he is saying is only aimed at fulfilling his promise to those who may have paid or coerced him to lie against me,” Fubara said in a statement he issued late Friday.

The governor backed his position with screenshots of chats said to have been between Mr Nwaeke and his Chief of Staff, Ederson Ehie. [The Witness]

The Body of Benchers has described the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, as one of its worthy ambassadors.

The body’s chairman, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), stated this when he and other officials visited the minister in Abuja on Friday.

Awomolo explained that the Body of Benchers is the legal body of practitioners of the highest distinction in the legal profession.

He added that the body was responsible for the formal call to the Bar of persons seeking to become legal practitioners and disciplining lawyers.

“The Body of Benchers, as we all know, represents men and women with the highest distinction in our profession.

“We are regarded as the soul, the coordinator or the spirit that guides the legal profession, including the administration of justice,” he said.

He said the delegation was in the minister’s office to thank him for his intervention in the judiciary’s affairs.

He said that the interventions were not limited to FCT, adding that the minister intervened in matters relating to the welfare and goodwill of the judiciary in Rivers when he was the governor.

He thanked Wike for his responsiveness in appreciating the need to help the judiciary in areas where it needed it.

“This afternoon, I am honoured to lead the delegation of the Body of Benchers to thank you for being a faithful member of the body.

“I want to thank you, sir, for your responsive interventions in judicial matters.

“You are a good representative of the legal profession in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu.

“The president even called you a good man during a live interview on national television. Nothing can be better than that. Continue to put in your best as our ambassador,” he said.

Awomolo said that coming from the body of the men of the highest distinction in the legal profession, “whatever you do, we are watching.

“At regular times, we will come to say thank you for being a good ambassador, thank you for your commitment and loyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and thank you for all you are doing.”

He commended the minister for the ongoing construction of comfortable accommodation for judicial officers, describing it as a “responsive intervention”.

He explained that the move was by the separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches of government.

He said this was contrary to the erroneous perception by some Nigerians that the gesture was intended to influence the judiciary.

The chairman further said that the visit was to update the minister on the body’s activities and introduce the incoming Chairman, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, former Chief Justice of Nigeria.

He asked the minister for continued support for the judicial arm of government.

Responding, Wike reiterated his commitment to contributing to the development of the judiciary.

He explained that the construction of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, the Annex Office Complex of the Body of Benchers, and the Judges’ Quarters was based on approval by Tinubu.

He said the funds were budgeted, approved by Tinubu, and passed by the National Assembly.

He added that the story was the same for the ongoing construction of staff quarters at the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, adding that funds have been earmarked for constructing two hostels in the institution in the 2025 budget.

“Without the approval of the budget, it would have been tough for me to support the Body of Benchers and the judiciary in general.

“The court of appeal complex and the judges’ quarters under construction were also appropriated.

“To me, whatever I can do to support the profession I belong to, I will do, and I owe nobody an apology for supporting efforts to enhance the judiciary’s performance.

“I will not miss this opportunity to contribute to the growth of the legal profession,” the minister said.

The South-South Zonal Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), George Turnah, has dismissed the security concerns raised by Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, as unfounded.

Turnah emphasized that there is no intention to incite unrest in the state over a planned rally aimed at rallying support for President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike. Governor Diri had previously suggested that the rally, organized by Wike’s political movement, was part of a scheme to disrupt the state’s peace.

In a statement issued by his Media Assistant, Kelvin Loveday, Turnah expressed disappointment over Diri’s remarks and defended his relationship with Wike. He reassured the Ijaw nation of his unwavering loyalty and respect, asserting that the political movement’s only objective was to garner support for President Tinubu’s administration in the South-South Zone, without any hidden agenda.

Turnah criticized the unnecessary politicization of the rally and maintained that ethnicity should not be a factor in political discourse. He also reminded Diri that the Ogbia elders who the governor had urged to call him to order were the same leaders who, in 2019, had advised him not to back Diri’s gubernatorial ambitions, a request he respectfully declined.

“I am not only a member of the PDP but also serving as the Zonal Secretary of the Party in the South-South. I am unsure what other position the governor believes I am occupying if I am truly not a member of the PDP,” he stated.

Turnah expressed surprise at Diri’s objection to his association with Wike, highlighting his constitutional right to freedom of association. He also commended Diri for his accomplishments and pledged continued support for the governor’s administration.

Turnah called on Bayelsa’s youth, women, political figures, and supporters of President Tinubu across party lines to participate in the rally and demonstrate their gratitude to both the President and the FCT Minister for their significant contributions to the state and the Ijaw nation.