Category: News

A petrol-laden tanker has exploded at Ajegunle Bus-Stop, around Alagbado, on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, in the early hours of Friday.

One person has been reportedly dead while several houses, among other properties, said to have been burnt in the inferno, as men of the state fire service and the police were deployed in the area.

The incident happened around 3am on Friday (today).

Emergency officials, including firefighters from the Lagos State Fire Service, are said to be at at the scene battling to put out the fire as of press time Friday morning.

No fewer than five people have been reportedly killed and many wounded while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed following a clash that erupted between Ilaje people (Yoruba residents) and indigenes of Mkpanak in Ibeno, the Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Wednesday April 20. The clash was allegedly as a result of a cult war which reportedly led to the stabbing to death of an indigene of the community before it assumed ethnic dimensions.

According to reports, Ilaje people, mostly fishermen, have started fleeing the community through bush paths, while their houses and tents are being looted and destroyed by the hoodlums. A Yoruba man living in Akwa Ibom state, Oluwajuwon Ogunbiyi, who confirmed the incident described the situation as unfortunate and called on the state government to set up a committee to investigate the crisis.

“It is quite unfortunate that this crisis has led to the loss of innocent lives and destruction of properties.The Ibeno community had been a good host over the decades to both indigenes and non indigenes have been living there in harmony without rancour,” Ogunbiyi said. “I’ m therefore using this medium to appeal for peace and an end to hostilities from both warring parties.

I also want to call on the Governor of Akwa Ibom State as well as Head of all security agencies in the state to intervene in the matter immediately in order to stem down this waves of violence. “The state government must as a matter of urgency set up a committee to look into this crisis so as to ascertain the major cause. Perpetrators fanning the embers of war on both sides must be arrested immediately”.

The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company IBEDC, Eko Electricity Distribution Company EKEDC and other distribution companies across Nigeria are to begin charging of customers per hour of electricity supplied.

This is on the backdrop of the recent announcement by Federal Government where it directed Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to bill consumers according to the hours of electricity supplied.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) gave the directive in a statement via its Twitter handle on Tuesday.

The commission also instructed the electricity distribution companies to install meters purchased by consumers within ten days of payment.

It also asked the DisCos to take into cognisance the epileptic supply in the country following the collapse of the national grid last month.

FCCP urged the DisCos to respect consumers’ rights, as complaints against the electricity distribution companies rose to 478,415 in the first six months of last year.

The statement reads, “During this period of severe electricity shortages and palpable customer dissatisfaction, DisCos must be mindful of their commitments and respect consumers’ rights.

“Customers shall be billed according to the hours of electricity supplied (approved band classification). You have a right to contest the tariff band classification you have been assigned.

“Payment for meters shall not be made if meters are not available. The Meter Asset Provider (MAP) shall install the meter at the premises of the customer within 10 working days of payment.”

The Government of Osun State has commiserated with the royal family of the Olukoyi of Ikoyi land in Isokan Local government Area of Osun State, over the demise of Oba Yisau Bamitale Oyetunji Otunla, Kodaolu 1, who joined his ancestors on Monday at the age of 75 years, after a brief illness.

This was contained in a statement signed and made available to the newsmen by the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Funke Egbemode as read in part:

“The 35-year reign of Oba Yisau Bamitale Oyetunji Otunla was notable for utmost commitment and love for his people. He will be greatly missed.

“The government and the good people of Osun pray God grants him eternal rest, and his family and the entire Ikoyi town the fortitude to bear the loss”.

The Lagos State Government has shut down all Chrisland Schools in Lagos State indefinitely.

This followed a controversy generated over an “immoral act” engaged in by students of the school during a trip to Dubai.

The shutdown notice was contained in a press statement on Monday.

The statement read, “The attention of the Lagos State Government has been drawn to the alleged sexual violence case involving students of Chrisland Schools which occurred in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“It is pertinent to note that all allegations are being investigated by the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including the Ministry of Education, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Justice and the Lagos State
Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, whilst the criminal allegations have been escalated to the Commissioner of Police.

“In view of the allegations, we are committed to ensuring that adequate medical and pscyho-social support is provided.

“This is to reassure members of the public of the State Government’s commitment to safety and child protection, especially in ensuring that all child-centred institutions within the state, formulate and implement policies and systems that are compliant with the Executive Order (NO.EO/AA08 of 2016), Lagos State Safeguarding and Child Protection Program.

“We also use this medium to remind the general public that any person who engages in any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child, commits an offence and is liable to a custodial sentence of 14 years. This includes “producing, distributing, receiving, or possessing an image of child pornography”.

“In the meantime, all Chrisland Schools within Lagos State are hereby closed, pending further investigations.”

A 77-year-old farmer narrowly escaped death when Fulani herdsmen attacked him on his farm in the Akoko North-East Local Government Area of Ondo State.

Our correspondent gathered that the victim, Benjamin Babatunde, was working on his farm on Friday at Ikakumo when his assailants came to demand money from him. Babatunde was said to have told them that he had no money.

Angered by his response, they were said to have brought out a machete which they used to inflict a cut on his head.

The incident occurred barely two weeks after a middle-aged farmer was allegedly inflicted with machete cuts by some herdsmen in the same area when he prevented them from plucking cashew on his farm. A source in the area said the septuagenarian was left for dead by his attackers.

“The victim was on his farm when the Fulani herders approached him, demanding money and the farmer said he had no money on the farm. The next thing was that they brought out a machete and cut him and left him in the pool of his own blood and later left the scene, thinking he was dead,” the source said.

The Ikare Akoko Police Commander, Mr Muri Agbola, confirmed the incident, adding that an investigation into the matter had commenced.

The Osun State Police Command has arrested three suspected ritualists with a human heart in Osogbo/OAU Ife Campus Road, Osun State.

The suspects, Olayade Kehinde, 25, Olufemi Oriyomi, 21 and Raimi Sheriff, 21 were arrested last Thursday, April 7 by police detectives on ‘stop and search’ duty.

The Command’s spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola, in a statement on Friday, said the trio on a motorcycle, were flagged down by Police on ‘Stop and Search’, “but rather than stop, sped off, and were pursued.”

The trio, according to the statement, were arrested in Safejo area of Ile-Ife.

The human heart, which they claimed was one of their friends, and various criminal charms, were found on them, Opalola stated.

Opalola further stated that one of the suspects, Oriyomi fell sick and was taken to hospital for treatment, but unfortunately, died while on admission.

His corpse, according to her, has been deposited at the State hospital for autopsy.

“The remaining two suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation,” she said.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Olawale Olokode, however, advised parents to monitor their children, and warn them against bad company they might be moving with.

He also admonished the youths “to always engage in lawful business, and shun anything that will jeopardize their brighter future, which includes all forms of ‘get rich quick’ syndrome.”

The program which was flagged off by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq is targeted at 200 women from each of the 13 local government councils of the state.

Addressing the rural women in Ondo state, the Minister urged the beneficiaries to use the opportunity to increase their income, enhance their food security and generally contribute towards improving their living standard.
“It is my belief that with the support of Your Excellency, the target beneficiaries will be on their way out of poverty to prosperity and we can lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030 as envisioned by President Muhammadu Buhari”.

Umar Farouq also explained that payments for the Conditional Cash Transfer in the state were made for September to December, 2019 after which the programme stopped due to the problems with the Payment Service Provider (PSP) and ICPC.

“This problem is being resolved and l assure the beneficiaries that the programme will resume in earnest”.

In his remark, the state Governor Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu SAN thanked the Federal government for its numerous Social investment Programs of which Ondo state benefited from the Conditional Cash Transfer, Home Grown School Feeding, Special Grant Transfer, Public Workfare and Skills for Jobs under the Youth Employment and Social Support Operations

The Governor said that the Rural Women Cash Grant programme will provide an enabling platform for women empowerment, poverty alleviation and resuscitate the economy after many livelihoods were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The people of Ondo state appreciate the federal government for all these social investment initiatives that have transformed the lives of rural women in our state. Many of these women have transited from poverty to relative prosperity. They run their businesses now with the most probable potentials for expansion.

“The Ondo state government is highly delighted for the initiative of empowering rural women as a social inclusion and poverty reduction agendum. This initiative is in consonance with Ondo state government’s aspiration to lift a sizeable proportion of women out of poverty. It is in realization of this, that the government always keys into Social Investment Programmes in ensuring the provision of a reasonable means of livelihood for the poor and vulnerable especially women”.

Governor Akeredolu also promised to collaborate with agencies of the federal government to ensure remarkable improvement in the living conditions of the people of Ondo state especially rural women.