BREAKING: ARISE News Suspends Anthony Kila Over Allegations Of Professorship Credentials

ARISE News has terminated all contracts with political analyst Anthony Kila citing his failure to respond to questions concerning his academic qualifications which led to his exclusion from appearing on the network’s channels “from henceforth or otherwise.”

In a statement, the news network said they contacted Mr Kila on October 3, 2026 after PREMIER TIMES investigation questioned the veracity of his accreditation. Mr Kila, according to ARISE News, requested more time to respond to the allegations levelled against him, a request they said had gone unanswered even after ten (10) days.

“Instead of addressing the issues raised, the subject of the complaint has continued to fan the esis, therefore, we find his continued parasitism on our platform entirely unwelcome,” ARISE news said in a statement.

The network did not however state what the new allegations against Mr Kila were.

Network’s Position

According to ARISE news, they were not aware of the allegations when they employed Mr Kila as a freelance correspondent to comment on political issues in the country.

The network stated as much in a recent statement on the issue “We were not aware of the allegations before engaging him as a freelancer on issues affecting Nigeria’s polity. We stand by our commitment to research and due diligence in all our verifications, reports, and presentations, as the latest Premium Times reveal. However, we regret that Mr. Anthony Kila continues to ignore our request for information from our initial inquiry on October 3, 2026.”

This marked the network’s first statement on the allegations against Mr Kila after Premium Times published an investigative report on October 10, 2026, revealing inconsistencies in the academic credentials he submitted with his applications to various organizations, including ARISE News, from his undergraduate to his doctorate degrees. The network alleged that they had also found no credible institution that had granted Professorship to Mr Kila, for which he had been using for years.

Wider Repercussions

The fallout from the revelations has since gathered pace as Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, where Mr Kila serves as pro-chancellor, has asked him to step down from the position provisionally while the value of his professorship is investigated. The university administration has acted on the belief that the allegations against Mr Kila could affect its reputation.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has also directed investigators to probe into the matter to determine if the university has been deceived by Mr Kila about his qualifications.

Mr Kila, in a message to PREMIUM TIMES, said he was preparing the documents to substantiate his credentials, which are scattered between various institutions, including his employer, Michael and Cecilia Ibru University. However, ARISE News reported that Mr Kila’s response to their request for information following the October 3 allegations was yet to receive a reply.

Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com