The family of Gospel Kinanee, who went missing as a 14-year-old boy in 2007, has finally been reunited with him after he spent 18 years in the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre without any formal charge or record of arrest.

According to his elder brother, Gospel left home in the afternoon to play with friends in 2007 but never returned. After an exhaustive search across their community, police stations, hospitals, and other locations yielded no results, the family gave up hope. The trauma of his disappearance led to the death of both parents the same year.

In early 2025, the family was contacted by lawyers led by Cyrus Onu, who had discovered Gospel during a prison welfare and rehabilitation exercise. At the time of his discovery, Gospel, now 32, was mentally unstable, could not recognise his family members, and had no recollection of how he ended up in prison.

He was released after the Chief Judge of Rivers State granted him clemency. Medical examinations revealed he was physically stable but suffers from severe mental health issues believed to have developed during his long incarceration.

The family has expressed shock that correctional authorities had no case file or explanation for his imprisonment, describing it as a case of someone being “dumped” in prison with no record.

The family has now filed a lawsuit against the Rivers State Government and correctional authorities, demanding justice and compensation for the gross violation of Gospel’s rights. They are scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

The elder brother revealed they have received threats from prison officials warning them against speaking to the media and pursuing legal action. Despite this, the family says they are committed to seeking accountability so that Gospel can receive proper rehabilitation and begin rebuilding his life.

Tension has erupted in the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) primary elections in Bende following allegations of irregularities involving the diversion of election materials and members of the primary election committee.

The allegations were linked to a House of Assembly aspirant for Bende South Constituency, Mr. Emeka Philip, a development that has generated concern among party members and aspirants in the area.

Some party stakeholders described the incident as a major threat to the credibility and transparency of the party’s internal democratic process.

Speaking with journalists, one of the aspirants, Mr. Ikpechukwu Emeka Loveday, alleged that he personally witnessed circumstances surrounding the diversion of the election materials and committee members.

According to him, the development was disappointing, especially as he joined the NDC believing the party stood for fairness, transparency, and democratic principles.

“It is not about me; it is about the systemic disenfranchisement of thousands of Bende people who came out to choose their preferred candidates in the elections,” he stated.

Mr. Loveday called on the national leadership of the party to immediately investigate the allegations and take necessary steps to protect the integrity of the primary election process.

As of the time of filing this report, those mentioned in the allegations had yet to respond publicly, while the party leadership had not issued any official statement on the matter.

The Media Team of Chief John Okiyi Kalu has accused the Abia State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amah Abraham, of orchestrating a scheme involving deceit and financial inducement to impose Kelechi Anosike as the party’s gubernatorial candidate during the controversial primary election held on May 25, 2026.

In a detailed statement released on Friday, the JOK Media Team claimed that Chief Kalu was initially assured by the state chairman that he would emerge as the consensus candidate on the directive of the Leader of the PDP in Abia State and former Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.

According to the statement, on May 23, 2026, Amah Abraham reportedly informed Chief Kalu that Dr. Ikpeazu had directed him to “deliver” Kalu as the candidate, instructing him to prepare the traditional gift for the election committee from Abuja. The chairman allegedly assured that there would be no direct primary, as the process would conclude in favour of Kalu.

The statement further alleged that despite this assurance, events took a different turn. On May 24, individuals linked to Dr. Ikpeazu were said to have informed party leaders in Obingwa LGA and Abia South Senatorial Zone that the former governor had endorsed Kelechi Anosike instead. Chief Kalu’s team claimed they alerted Dr. Ikpeazu, who denied authorising such moves.

On Sunday, May 25, the state chairman reportedly summoned the 17 Local Government Area Chairmen and directed them to deliver Anosike as the candidate, offering ₦1 million to each LGA chairman and ₦2 million to members of the State Working Committee, while claiming the directive came from Dr. Ikpeazu.

The JOK Media Team maintained that they were never invited to participate in any direct primary, submit agents, or witness collation. They alleged that Amah Abraham seized the role of returning officer and announced results declaring Anosike as the winner without following due process.

**“At no time were we asked to participate in any direct primary election, submit a list of agents, or invited to witness collation,”** the statement read.

Chief Kalu, who was in Umuahia at the time, later travelled back to Abuja via Port Harcourt. In a message to Dr. Ikpeazu, he reportedly stated that he would not contest the outcome if it was genuinely directed by the former governor, but urged him to intervene if his name was being used without authorisation.

The statement emphasised that Chief Kalu has chosen not to challenge the result in court or through petitions, preferring to allow the party leadership to resolve the matter. It noted that he has distanced himself from any refund of expenses and does not wish to associate with those allegedly involved in the scheme.

The JOK Media Team, however, warned that they possess audio, video, and text evidence to support their claims and are ready to release them if their account is disputed.

They concluded that while political gifts and inducements are common during primaries, the alleged level of betrayal and manipulation undermines the integrity of the process.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Abia PDP Chairman, Amah Abraham, nor Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has issued an official response to the allegations.