Category: PM News

At least eight people, including a police inspector, have died in a multiple-vehicle crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The accident happened early Thursday morning on Kara Bridge, heading toward Mowe, and involved five articulated trucks. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, confirmed the tragedy at the scene. “We have a case of multiple accidents at the border between Ogun and Lagos State.

Five vehicles were involved, all of them trailers. Three people have been rescued so far,” he said. He explained that the crash happened because one of the trailers suffered brake failure. “At the beginning, a trailer failed its brakes. It’s important for every driver to maintain their vehicles properly,” he added. The commissioner also confirmed that one of the victims was a police inspector who was part of the advance team responding to the accident. “It’s very unfortunate that we lost one of our police officers who came with our advance team to help manage the situation,” Jimoh said sadly. He warned drivers especially those operating heavy trucks to avoid reckless driving, which he said is a major cause of fatal road accidents. “We are appealing to all road users, especially trailer drivers, to stop driving carelessly. If they drive responsibly, we won’t have this kind of tragedy,” he warned. Rescue operations by the Police, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), and other emergency teams were still ongoing at the time of this report.

The Police Command in Kano State has announced the arrest of two suspected notorious armed robbers and the recovery of a stolen Ford Escape vehicle belonging to an Air Force officer.

ccording to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Kiyawa, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad intercepted the vehicle along the KanoZaria Expressway on Thursday, following intelligence reports that the suspects were heading towards Kano.

Kiyawa stated that the suspects, Adamu Adam Abubakar and Umar Bello, were arrested after a brief exchange of gunfire, while their accomplice, Dan Malam, escaped with a pistol and some stolen valuables.

The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, commended the Intelligence Unit of the Force Headquarters, Abuja, and the command’s operatives for their swift and coordinated efforts.

He urged citizens to continue supporting the police with timely information to help tackle insecurity, and assured that the command would ensure the fleeing suspect is brought to justice.(NAN)

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has vowed to seek justice for 13-year-old Ochanya Elizabeth Ogbanje, whose tragic death in 2018 sparked nationwide outrage and the #JusticeForOchanya campaign.

Ochanya, a student of the Federal Government Girls College, Gboko, reportedly died from complications of Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) after years of sexual abuse allegedly committed by her guardian’s husband, Andrew Ogbuja, and his son, Victor Ogbuja.

ndrew, a lecturer at the Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, and his son were accused of repeatedly assaulting Ochanya from the age of eight, a crime that led to severe medical and psychological trauma.

However, Senator Natasha revealed in a statement on Wednesday that she recently discovered both suspects had been discharged and acquitted by the court.

“Seven years ago, the heart-wrenching story of little Ochanya devastated me. I thought the perpetrators were in jail. Alas, they were discharged and acquitted,” she wrote.

The Kogi Central senator then urged the victim’s family to formally petition her office to enable her to take up the case at the National Assembly.

“The family of late Ochanya Ogbanje should write a petition to me at Room 2:05, Senate Wing, National Assembly Complex, Abuja. For our children, I stand for justice for Ochanya,” Senator Natasha said.

Ochanya was buried on November 2, 2018, in Ogene-Amejo village, Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State.

Her case remains one of Nigeria’s most disturbing stories of child abuse, and the senator’s renewed interest has reignited public calls for accountability and justice.

President Bola Tinubu has authorised a 15 per cent ad valorem import duty on all petrol and diesel brought into Nigeria, a move designed to strengthen domestic refineries and steady the downstream petroleum market.

The directive, issued through a presidential letter dated 21 October 2025 and made public on 30 October, was addressed to both the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Adedeji’s proposal sought to apply a 15 per cent duty on the cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value of imported petrol and diesel. The policy, he explained, aligns with the government’s “market-responsive import tariff framework” — part of ongoing reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at bolstering local refining, enhancing price stability and strengthening the naira-backed oil economy.

According to Adedeji, “the core objective is to operationalise crude transactions in local currency, reinforce domestic refining capacity, and guarantee a stable and affordable fuel supply nationwide.”

The FIRS boss cautioned that disparities between import parity pricing and domestic production costs have destabilised the market, undermining emerging refiners.

“While diesel sufficiency has been achieved and local petrol output is improving, price instability persists because of misalignment between refiners and marketers,” he wrote.

A feared bandit leader, Jankare, has been killed by a rival gang during a violent clash along the Dutsenma axis of Katsina State.

Security analyst Zagazola Makama said the fight broke out after a dispute between Jankare and another bandit commander over recent attacks and control of territories in the area.

Jankare, who had long terrorised several communities in Dutsenma and nearby local governments, was reportedly shot dead during the confrontation.

He was infamous for leading kidnappings, killings, and cattle rustling operations across the region and was known for his TikTok videos, where he flaunted weapons and mocked security forces.

Makama said the slain bandit had recently attended a meeting of bandit leaders meant to settle internal disputes before falling out with his rivals.

Security agencies are said to be on alert to prevent reprisal attacks following his death

By Constance Athekame

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has said residents of some communities in FCT and Nasarawa State will experience interruptions in their power as it commences phase load management exercise

While announcing this on its website in Abuja on Thursday, the electricity distribution company said the exercise was a result of the ongoing road construction in FCT by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).

ccording to the statement, the road construction affected the 132 Kilo Volt (kV) Gwagwalada-Kukwaba-Apo Line 2.

EDC said that to effectively manage the interruptions, the exercise would run in three phases.

“The first phase of this exercise will run from Oct. 28 to Nov. 2 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily.

“During this period, there may be temporary power interruptions in parts of Apo, Lokogoma, Lugbe, Pyakasa, Kabusa, Games Village, Guzape, Asokoro, Wuye, Utako.

EDC listed others as Jabi, Idu Industrial area, Karu, Nyanya, Mararaba, Jikwoyi, Ado, Keffi, Nasarawa Toto, Nasarawa Eggon, Akwanga and surrounding areas.

“We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause and assure you that the exercise is necessary to enhance network reliability and support ongoing infrastructure development, “it said.

The statement also said that AEDC teams would be on ground to ensure quick restoration each day, adding that customers will receive timely updates ahead of each subsequent phase.(NAN)

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has accredited 76 media organisations, and 508 personnel for the coverage of the Anambra Governorship Election scheduled for Nov. 8.

The commission in an update released on Thursday in Abuja, noted that the media organisatons which met the requirements had been duly accredited by the commission to provide comprehensive coverage of the election.

It noted that the distribution of accredited media tags to individuals across various organisations would commence between Monday, Nov. 3 and Thursday, Nov. 6 from 9am to 4pm.

It added that the distribution will take place at the International Press Centre, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat Complex, Awka, behind CBN, Awka, Anambra.

INEC reminded all accredited journalists to adhere strictly to the Code of Conduct for Election Coverage.

“Please note that the Commission reserves the right to withdraw or cancel the accreditation of any media organisation whose personnel violate the Code of Conduct or engage in acts inconsistent with the Commission’s guidelines.

“In addition, some accredited media organisations have been granted access to the Collation Centre for the purpose of transparent and comprehensive coverage of the collation of results.

“These organisations are expected to comply with all security and operational protocols as issued by the Commission.

“For further enquiries, please contact the INEC Director, Voter Education and Publicity (VEP),” the commission stated.

(NAN)

By Aderogba George

Nigeria, France and Italy have unveiled a joint effort tagged: “Common Operational Partnership” (COP Nigeria) to further wage war against human trafficking.

Speaking at the official unveiling of the project in Abuja on Wednesday, European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Gautier Mignot, stated that the aim of the partnership was geared towards achieving two basic objectives. He listed the objectives as enhancing the capacity of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to dismantle trafficking cooperation along migratory routes.

Others, he said, was to dismantle criminal networks while safeguarding citizens, adding that that the partnership was a concrete step forward.

“Human trafficking violates fundamental rights. The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and the renewed EU action plan alliance, will be held at ministerial level on Wednesday, 10 December 2025, in Brussels.

“Those technical expertise and coordination support will be crucial for the project’s success; and action, grounded in a whole of route approach. Cooperation with countries of origin and transit of victims will help in this direction. “This project also reflects our Team Europe approach, through which the resources and expertise on combating trafficking in human beings in 2026, with concrete actions to take into account international cooperation against these crimes,” he said. The EU envoy lauded the French Ministry of Interior and the Italian Ministry of Interior, Migration Partnership Facility (MPF), for their management support, along the main migration routes.

Mignot said that human trafficking rings exploit the most vulnerable, undermine security, adding that providing expert coordination to the project, the International Security Cooperation in migrants’ dignity would help curtail the menace. He said that the new initiative reflected a clear vision, adding that the objective was to send a strong and unified political message, that only through coordinated global effort can crush the menace. The EU Ambassador said that the initiative was also a commitment to action to dismantle trafficking networks, protect the vulnerable, and uphold the dignity and rights of every individual.

lso speaking, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Marc Fonbaustier, stated that the project reflected a shared conviction that human dignity knows no border.

He said that contacting human trafficking was not just a necessity, but a moral duty for all nations, adding that the crime remained a silent, and devastating scourge

“This project is both concrete and ambitious. It is action oriented and forward looking. It aims to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies, particularly NAPTIP, to improve information sharing.

“It also aims at encouraging joint investigations and ensure coordinated support for victims,” he said.

He lauded the Federal Government, NAPTIP and other security forces for their actions towards ridding the country of the crime of human trafficking.

The French Ambassador said that the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) would be funding the project, while CIVIPOL, the French Ministry of Interior’s operator for International technical cooperation would be implementing the project

He stressed that fighting human trafficking was also synonymous with fighting poverty.

Earlier, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Hajia Binta Adamu-Bello, noted that Nigeria occupies a strategic position in the migration dynamics of West Africa.

Represented by Mr Josiah Emerole, Director, Research and Programme Development, the D-G stated that Nigeria as a country of origin, transit, and destination for human trafficking, was grappling with multifaceted and evolving challenges.

She listed some of the challenges to include human trafficking and migrant smuggling, to related transnational crimes, such as sexual exploitation, document forgery, and drug trafficking.

damu-Bello stated that over the years, NAPTIP had made remarkable progress in its five cardinal areas of intervention such as Policy, Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, and Partnership.

She said that the agency was fully aware that the changing nature of trafficking and smuggling necessitated continuous innovation, deeper collaboration, and strengthening of institutional capacities across all levels.

“The Common Operational Partnership (COP) initiative, implemented by the Government of France with the support of Italian Ministry of Interior, represents a strategic opportunity to consolidate our achievements and introduce evidence-based, context-specific approaches to tackling these crimes in Nigeria.

“Built around four key pillars — Joint Needs Assessment, Training and Mentoring, Operational Support, and Geographic Focus, the COP Project provides a comprehensive framework to enhance investigation, prosecution, and victim-centered interventions.

“Equally important, it will promote effective intelligence sharing, joint operations, and operational synergy among NAPTIP’s zonal commands and our regional partners in West Africa,” she said.

damu-Bello said that the project would commence with pilot implementation in 3 target states: Cross River, Osun, Katsina, and the Federal Capital Territory, all strategically positioned along high-risk trafficking and migration corridors.

She said that these routes had witnessed increasing volumes of irregular movement and emerging trafficking trends aimed at accessing developed countries.

ccording to her, addressing these challenges requires coordinated and sustained action, which the new initiative aims to support.

(NAN)

By Emmanuel Mogbede

An All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain, Chief Ayiri Emami, has noted that chances of the party in Delta and the South South generally were currently looking brighter compared with the situation ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The APC chieftain said with the projects going on the in zone, the people had now been convinced that Tinubu had the region’s interest at heart. (NAN)

Emani stated this while speaking with newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja,

He also predicted that the APC will take over the South-South in the 2027 general elections.

Emami said this was because APC is becoming more popular in the zone.

said that the party would particularly have a better outing in Delta in 2027 compared with 2023 when it lost the state to the rival Labour Party.

ccording to him, Peoples Democratic (PDP) and Labour Party in Delta are made up of aggrieved politicians who do not have political clout to win elections.

“I tried to check those in Labour Party and they are either APC or PDP. The party doesn’t have structure.

“It is made up of aggrieved people from APC and PDP, and anywhere, they are just aggrieved; they don’t know why they’re going to Labour Party,” he said.

Emami said that all political stakeholders in Delta were now in one boat, that is , APC, adding that consultation was still ongoing among leaders to bring on board all aggrieved members.

“I know that, at least, 80 per cent of our members are together. I cannot tell you that the remaining 20 per cent are not important. So we must do everything to bring everyone on board.

“The 20 or 30 per cent that is left is still important, because in politics, everybody is important. Nobody has to be left behind,” he stated.

He noted that APC’s chances in Delta and the South South generally were currently looking brighter compared with the situation ahead of the 2023 general elections.

“To me, I believe that if the national is APC, the state, one day, will be APC, and Delta is now APC. So I think we are going to do better in 2027, both in the governorship and presidential elections,” he said.

Emami said that he remained a loyal supporter of President Bola Tinubu and APC.

“You know I’m a true supporter of President Tinubu. I don’t just support because of money. I support because of my conviction that Tinubu will turn things around,” he said.

The APC chieftain expressed happiness that those who were criticising him and a few others in Delta for supporting Tinubu ahead of the 2023 presidential election were now card-carrying members of the party in the state.

“We were almost crucified in the Niger Delta region when we were supporting Tinubu, but we thank God.

“The most important thing in life is when you are convinced and you have a belief, and you follow that belief,” he said, adding that he had always believed in his political ideology and in Tinubu.

“I believe in his person and in his virtue because as a young man, I had sat with him, I had listened to him and I had seen him performing.

“So I have a lot of conviction that if he became president, we could turn things around,” he APC said.

Emami, however, said it was regrettable that some politicians in the country lacked political ideology.

He said it was only those with shady deals and businesses in the Niger Delta region who were opposed to Tinubu’s presidency, ahead of his election in 2023.

Emami said such people were only afraid that their shady deals would collapse under Tinubu’s administration because he knew too much about the area.

“I have had several conversations with a lot of people from my region; they will tell you they prefer a president from other regions because they don’t know more about our area.

“Maybe because of the shady deals they will be doing around, but I don’t think that there’s any story we want to tell Tinubu about our region that he won’t understand.

“So I now found out that those opposed to him actually don’t have one serious reason, and when you ask them, they will say let us be with northerners that don’t know much about our area,” he said.

Emami noted that since Tinubu assumed office as president, a lot of loopholes in the petroleum sector in the region had been blocked.

He further noted that those with shady deals and businesses in the region had been complaining, not because Nigeria was not moving forward, but because their shady practices had been blocked.

President Bola Tinubu launched NINAUTH APP, a digital, mobile-based identity authentication Application developed by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) on Thursday with declaration that his administration is committed to providing a credible, secure, verifiable, and usable identity management system across the board for Nigerians.

Speaking during the launch of NINAUTH APP, President at the State House, President Tinubu said credible identity management system is fundamental to the nation’s developmental goals.

He added that his administration is leveraging technology to enhance efficiency, transparency and accountability in governance.

In furtherance of this, President Tinubu assured that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) will soon adopt the new app for staff and data verification.

“Today’s official launch of the NIMC NINAuth App heralds a remarkable day in our nation’s digital public infrastructure journey as Africa’s largest identity database. This innovation marks yet another milestone in our collective pursuit of a digitally-empowered Nigeria.

“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, our administration is committed to leveraging technology to enhance efficiency, transparency, and accountability in governance. Central to this agenda is the modernisation of digital infrastructure to eliminate unnecessary bottlenecks and ensure that every Nigerian, regardless of background or location, has access to essential services without the frustration of bureaucratic delays.”

President Tinubu explained that the ‘App’ will place Nigeria on par with the world’s most technologically advanced nations and create an environment for seamless, secure, and inclusive access to services, opportunities, and benefits, while maintaining the highest standards of data protection and national security.

“This way, we are simplifying access, reducing bureaucratic interference, and reducing the gaps within which inefficiency and corruption can thrive.

“A credible and inclusive National Identity Management System is fundamental to our national development goals. It supports financial inclusion, strengthens social welfare delivery, enhances our security architecture, and ensures accurate population data for evidence-based planning,” the President stated.

President Tinubu noted that with the NINAuth, every citizen and legal resident of Nigeria will benefit from a unified National Identity Database, one that will power social programmes, improve electoral integrity, enhance healthcare access, and promote the equitable distribution of our commonwealth.

President Tinubu called on citizens to adopt the new application, commending NIMC for taking bold steps to transform identity management from a bureaucratic exercise into a dynamic, technology-driven system that aligns with global best practices.

“My fellow Nigerians, the future we seek is one where technology empowers every citizen and where trust in governance is built on efficiency, transparency, and inclusiveness. The launch of this application demonstrates that the promises we have made as a government are being responsibly measured and are manifesting in tangible reforms that improve daily life.

“Let us all embrace this new era. Let us protect it, use it responsibly, and ensure that it serves as a bridge, connecting our people, our institutions, and our aspirations for a more prosperous nation.

“Together, we are building a nation where every identity counts and every citizen must matter,” President Tinubu concluded.

Earlier, Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, reiterated the importance of a secure national identity to national development, affirming that President Tinubu, through the Renewed Hope Agenda, has demonstrated the capacity to solve problems and enhance national security through an improved identity management system.

“Your excellency, you are solving tomorrow’s problem with technology. Technology is dynamic; it is bridging the gap.

“Every nation that desires to be efficient must first build systems that can identify, authenticate, and secure its citizens. Identity is not just an administrative requirement; it is the backbone of governance, national security, and service delivery,” he said.

Explaining the workings of the NINAuth, the Director General, NIMC, Engr (Dr.) Abisoye Coker-Odusote stressed that the app would eliminate multiple data possession by individuals, while providing real-time data and information authentication for businesses and other services.

“It is important that every single business or enterprise in this country, whether it’s a small, medium, or large enterprise, can have access to verifiable identity credentials of every single citizen in Nigeria and the same for the government,” the DG stated.

She added that NIMC had so far enrolled 126,717,316 individuals, with about 25 million of the number occurring in the last two years, resulting in an average of 1.3 million verification hits per day.