By David Owei,Baylesa

To commemorate World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2025, the International Press Centre (IPC), in partnership widomth the Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), will host a one-day Media Stakeholders’ Roundtable themed: “Artificial Intelligence, The Media & Press Freedom: Issues & Perspectives.”

Supported by IFEX—a global network of over 100 organisations committed to advancing freedom of expression—the roundtable aligns with UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2025 theme, “Reporting in the Brave New World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media.” It will bring together journalists, media professionals, academics, civil society actors, and policy influencers to critically examine the implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for press freedom.

The event, set for Wednesday, May 7, will open with a goodwill remark by Professor Rotimi Olatunji, President of ACSPN and Professor of Public Relations and Advertising at Lagos State University (LASU), followed by an Opening Statement from Mr. Gbemiga Ogunleye, former Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism who will preside over the event.

The Executive Director, IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade in a statement said: As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the global information landscape, the forum will serve as a platform to assess the opportunities and risks AI poses to media independence, explore the evolving role of the media in an AI-driven world, and develop practical strategies to safeguard journalist safety while defending fundamental freedoms.”

Key highlights will include the presentation of the IPC State of Press Freedom Report, offering timely insights into the major challenges facing media freedom in Nigeria.

In another session Dr. Monday Ashibogwu, Managing Editor of Quick News, will lead a discussion on AI, the media, and press freedom.

Dr. Ganiyat Tijani-Adenle of LASU, will examine the critical issue of journalist safety in an AI-driven media environment.

The concluding session will capture stakeholder input and produce actionable recommendations to guide advocacy, policy, and media capacity-building, promoting a rights-based approach to AI and journalism.

The outcomes will be widely shared across media, academia, civil society, and government.

By David Owei ,Baylesa

Bayelsa State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration among the various security agencies for the security of lives and property in the state.

Governor Douye Diri stated this on Monday when participants of Study Course 47 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa.

Governor Diri, who spoke through his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, noted that Bayelsa had a robust and resilient security architecture, saying his administration was poised to make the the state safest for business and residency in Nigeria.

But to achieve this, he said the state government would continue to support the security agencies and ensure “that all hands are always on deck”

According to the Bayelsa helmsman, government exists mainly to ensure security of lives and property, and the welfare of the people, which requires complementation and not competition among security agencies.

Governor Diri, while expressing hope that the visit of the Senior Course 47 Defence Study Team to Bayelsa would further help the state improve on its security architecture, added that advanced security equipment were being installed for more effective surveillance in the state.

His words: “On behalf of the government and people of our state, I welcome you to Bayelsa. We believe that your study is very focused, and the area of focus appears to be the one we have put our foot forward in the comity of states.

“Government exists for two reasons: The primary responsibility of government is to provide security of lives and property, and to promote the well-being of the people.

“We are happy that you are coming to look at our security architecture and to encourage us to improve on it. We have quite a robust, resilient and proactive security system. But we will continue to build on it until we make our state unarguably the safest in this country.

“I believe you will have the time to see what we are doing to ensure that all hands are on deck. We believe that security is an issue of complementation and not an issue of competition.

“When there is rivalry or competition among the security agencies, then the security architecture would be weakened and even defeated, because there is going to be infighting.

“So we are working very hard to promote cooperation among the security agencies. So there is collaboration and not confrontation among the security agencies in Bayelsa. The security agencies are closely working cooperatively together here.”

Speaking earlier, the Coordinator of Study Course 47, Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Brigadier General E.A. Orakwe, said they were in Bayelsa on a study tour to ascertain how the state has been harnessing grassroots intelligence for enhanced internal security.

Brigadier-General Orakwe, who noted that Bayelsa was selected among the few states for the study, thanked the state government for giving the team the needed support and cooperation to successfully carry its assignment in the state.

He promised that the team would make available a copy of their research findings in a detailed report at the end of the study tour.

By David Owei,Bayelsa

Authorities of the Bayelsa State Police Command has confirmed they the last Thursday gruesome killing of the leader of the notorious cult group, the Bobos, Olotu Wanemi Omubo, was carried out by some members of the group in desperate bid to change it’s leadership.

Olotu Wanemi Omubo, an Indigene of Nembe in Nembe Local Government Area of the State, was also a beneficiary of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) and a leader of the Phase 2 Amnesty beneficiaries in the State, was killed along the Good news street in Azikoro town in the State capital.

While many residents his death was as a result of the raging cult rivalry between the Bobos and the Vikings, others believed the killers may have been external machineries brought to kill him in retaliation for others killings

But the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Francis Izu ,at a media briefing on Monday, said the killing of Olotu Wanemi Omubo was carried out by members of the Bobos group in an intranet cult war with the aim of profiting from a new leadership.

The Bayelsa CP ,while assuring the residents of the State of the end of the cult killings in the state, said despite the fact that late Olotu Wanemi Omubo was a notorious cultists that had the records of crimes, he was killed by his gang members.

He said ” 95 per cent of intelligence available to the police showed that he died due to intra cult rivalry about leadership struggle. They took him out and make it look like inter cult rivalry in order to profit from his death.”

“It is on good authority that the deceased has been involved in nefarious activity. The last altercation with the police is over the issue of illegal gun possession. He was controversially influenced to be let off the hook and that is why I have always said when you influence the release of a criminal of the hook,you are building a disastrous effect.”

The Police Commissioner also announced the arrest of over Nine person for various crimes including cultism, kidnapping,armed robbery,unlawful possession of firearms and murder.

In one of the cases, a 50years native of Gombe state,Mohammed Adamu was arrested alongside Adiamakubo Orubo, 37 years, over the alleged disappearance of one Ashiru Ishiaku, 26yrs, a native of Kano State along with his tricycle on the 29th of April,2025.

Also arrested was a member of the notorious Island cult group, David NGO,36 years old, native of Brass Local Government Area over the alleged stabbing to death of one Goodwill Ovuru at Agudama Ekpetiama on the 16th of April,2025.

At Onopa community in Yenagoa Local Government, one Monday Daniel, 28 years , was arrested by the police for the alleged armed robbery attack on Amarachi Emeachi at her residence around Revenue House Onopa,” a group of four men armed with guns disposed her of her Redmi prone valued at N180,000″.

“On the 4th of May,2025, one Endurance Odambe Chinedu,24 years, from Ndokwe-East of Delta State was arrested at Agbia community in Yenagoa at 1pm with ten live cartridges. During interrogation, the suspect confessed to being a member of the Black Axe confraternity also known as Aye cult group. During execution of search warrant, a battle axe, a black beret bearing the cult group insignia and crusher was recovered in his house.”