Court sent suspect to Prison over alleged assassination attempt on Tinubu’s Minister

A Magistrate Court in Yenagoa has ordered the remand of 35-year-old Susaine Morgan in connection with an alleged assassination attempt on Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, in Ekeremor town, Bayelsa State.

The remand order was issued by the State Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, and filed by Police Prosecutor ASP Stella A. Jerry-Friday.

Magistrate approval allows Morgan to be detained at the Okaka Correctional Service Centre for 30 days while police continue their investigation and search for six other suspects currently at large.

The police suit, filed under reference number YMC/51C/2025, cites charges including conspiracy, armed robbery, attempted kidnapping, and unlawful possession of firearms—specifically two AK-47 rifles.

According to the charges, Morgan was arrested on the afternoon of January 1, 2025, at Senator Lokpobiri’s residence in Ekeremor, after an alleged failed attempt to carry out the assassination.

Police sources revealed that the remand request was necessary as the investigation continues, particularly to track down the six other suspects.

Given the gravity of the charges, the police have emphasised the risk of Morgan interfering with the investigation if granted bail, especially as the other suspects remain at large.

Security reports indicate that seven armed assailants infiltrated the Minister’s home during a period of Yuletide visits by community members, using the cover of the crowd to gain access.

However, the plot was thwarted when security personnel received a tip-off about suspicious individuals in the gathering, leading to Morgan’s arrest while the remaining suspects blended in with the crowd and fled.

As investigations continue, police are focusing on identifying and apprehending the remaining members of the suspected criminal group.

“They had gained entry before information filtered to the armed military personnel that some individuals were armed and dangerous among the visitors.

“Due to the large crowd, the soldiers, who could not open fire, ordered everyone to lie down. It was only the arrested suspect, who was carrying the bag with the weapon, that was apprehended.

“Others mixed with the panicked crowd and escaped. They started shooting inside the community and attacked a filling station in anger, making away with a sum of N400,000.”

“They also invaded the Ekeremor town waterfront and snatched a speedboat to escape.”

It was gathered that the arrested suspect had made useful statements about the individuals allegedly involved and the police are currently on their trail.
[20/01, 16:09] Ayo The Nation: Presidency dismisses Kemi Badenoch’s remarks on Nigeria, says they will have no impact

In response to recent remarks made by Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the UK Conservative Party, the Nigerian Presidency has stated that her views against Nigeria will not have any effect on the nation.

At an event organized by the British think-tank Onward, Badenoch gave her first address of the year and compared the difficulties Nigerian and British governance face.

She expressed concerns about the potential consequences of ineffective governance in Britain, warning that the country could face risks similar to Nigeria’s if its system falters.

In response to these comments, Daniel Bwala, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, dismissed any implications for Nigeria’s international relations or its ongoing efforts to attract foreign investment.

Speaking on Channels Television’s *Sunrise Daily* programme on Monday, Bwala reassured viewers that Badenoch’s remarks would not influence Nigeria’s global standing.

The Presidency’s firm stance suggests that the criticism will not affect the country’s diplomatic ties or its economic goals.

He said, “I don’t think it would have an effect because she’s not the government in power.

“Usually, these international relationships or collaborations are dealings between governments. Because she’s not the government in power, it will not have any effect.

“Secondly, because she’s a Nigerian, investors will be smart enough to access what she’s saying, whether it is born out of rhetoric.”

Earlier in the interview, Bwala acknowledged Badenoch’s accomplishments in the UK but argued that she is exploiting populism, which thrives on public discontent.

“The only problem we have with Kemi, I think, is the rhetoric because Kemi belongs to the right base in the United Kingdom, which is what you see in this populism around the world; that you can deepen on your support system if you can feed off of the anger of the people,” Bwala said.

“And so she’s building a rhetoric of denigrating Nigeria, demarketing in Nigeria, so she can probably win the acceptance or acceptation of the rights in her party. And that to me is counterproductive because if you look at Rishi Sunak, he is also of Indian origin.

“There has been this issue of gang rape in India. He has never used that as a weapon to promote what he believed to be a departure from what is likely to be believed as hereditary or history of the Indian people, but she has always denigrated Nigeria.”