Category Nigeria News

A speeding driver in the Lagos Island area of Ilubirin, inward Simpson, crushed a police officer and a scavenger to death. &nbsp,

Adebayo Taofiq, the director of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority’s (LASTMA) public affairs and enlightenment department, claimed the Toyota Camry’s driver was moving at a dangerously fast speed. &nbsp,

The driver then “lost control and veered off his lane, forcefully striking both a scavenger and a motorcycle driver,” according to Taofiq. &nbsp,

He said, “The impact caused their immediate and irreversible loss of life.” &nbsp,

LASTMA agents who were present in the area quickly intervened, cordoning off the accident scene to protect the victims from further harm. “&nbsp,

Also read: Ododo consoles families after a Kogi Road crash, while others are killed, and six die.

The Adeniji Adele Police Division security officials were immediately handed over the driver after they made their arrest and were later detained, the statement read.

LASTMA claims that the accidented vehicle was professionally evacuated by LASTMA employees to prevent further accidents and restore normal traffic flow in the corridor.

Olalekan Bakare-Oki, LASTMA’s general manager, visited the location shortly after the incident.

The tragic incident’s victims’ families, coworkers, and communities all shared a heartfelt condolence.

The LASTMA DG lamented the needless loss of lives and compared it to a painful reminder of reckless driving’s consequences.

He urged drivers to follow the strictest rules of road discipline and to abide by the government’s approved speed limits.

One of the main causes of avoidable road fatalities is still the speed violation, according to Bakare-Oki.

 ; Read the entire statement below.

PRESS ELEASE

LASTMA MOURNS AT ILUBIRIN INWARD SIMPSON, LAGOS ISLAND, AS A ANOTHER FATAL ACCIDENT MAKES SUCH LOSS OF THE LIVES OF A POLICE OFFICER AND A SCAVENGER.

A police officer and a scavenger were unfortunate victims of another tragic road traffic incident that occurred at Ilubirin inward Simpson, Lagos Island, and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority expresses its deep regret.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the MUS 885 JA, the driver of the Toyota Camry, lost control and veered off his lane, striking both a scavenger and a motorcycle driver.
Their immediate and irreversible loss of life was caused by the impact.

LASTMA personnel deployed close to the Ilubirin axis quickly intervened, cordoning off the accident scene to protect the victims from further harm and avoid complications. Officers immediately turned over the driver to security personnel from the Adeniji Adele Police Division for further investigation and prosecution after apprehending him during their response.

LASTMA employees professionally evacuated the car involved in the accident to prevent further accidents and restore traffic flow in the corridor.

Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, the general manager of LASTMA, expressed his condolences to the families, coworkers, and communities that had been impacted by the tragic accident in a sober and reflective manner when he visited the accident scene.

He lamented the needless loss of lives and compared the incident to a painful reminder of reckless driving’s consequences.

Additionally, Mr. Bakare-Oki urged drivers to generally follow the government’s recommended speed limits and adhere to the highest standards of road discipline.

He once more stressed that speeding is still one of the main causes of avoidable road accidents.

The General Manager reaffirmed LASTMA’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that all road users, especially drivers, adopt safer driving practices to protect against tragedies in the future.

The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has approved the $1. 7 trillion appropriation bill for the 2026 fiscal year, an increase of 63 percent from the $1. 04 trillion budget from 2025.

The governor explained that the proposed budget includes a total of 624.76 billion (37%) for recurrent expenditure and 1.044 trillion for capital expenditure when he presented the Appropriation Bill, which is titled “Budget of Sustainable Legacy” to members of the State House of Assembly in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The proposed budget’s main components include: Personnel Costs of 167.92 billion, Consolidated Revenue Charges of 65.80 billion, Public Debt Charges of 99.98 billion, Overhead Costs of 290.06 billion, and Capital Expenditure of 1.044 trillion.

Governor Abiodun provided information on funding sources, stating that the Ogun State Internal Revenue Service, 250 billion, and 259.80 billion are anticipated to generate internal revenue (IGR), and 259.88 billion will be generated by MDAs. Capital receipts of $518.90 billion, including internal and external loans and grants, are anticipated, in addition to the anticipated statutory allocation from the Federal Government, which is anticipated to be $5544.81 billion.

The governor stated that while infrastructure will receive the most money, it will be divided between Health, Health, and Health, with a share of 275.40 billion (17%), Housing and Community Development, Housing and Community Development, and Agriculture and Industry, which will be a share of 210.59 billion (13%), and Infrastructure, which will be a share of 225.15 billion (32%).

Social Protection is provided for at 72.82 billion (4 percent), Recreation, Culture, and Religion is provided for at 42.24 billion (3 percent), General Public Service — Executive Organ at 55.65 billion (3 percent), General Public Service — Financial and Fiscal Affairs at 52.30 billion (3 percent), and Personnel Service at 3.86 billion (0.2%), respectively.

Public Order and Safety will get ₦36 billion (2 percent), Economic Affairs, ₦7.45 billion (0.4 percent), Judiciary, ₦15.70 billion (1 percent), Legislature, ₦33.67 billion (2 percent), while Statewide Expenditure accounts for ₦129.68 billion (8 percent).

Governor Abiodun stated that the 2026 budget would concentrate on completing significant ISEYA development projects.

He declared, “We will concentrate on projects with high revenue-generating potential, projects that increase employment generation, projects that are in line with the State Economic Development Plan and Strategy, projects that are in line with the Medium-Term National Development Plan, and projects that are in line with Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”

The governor noted that the state had met its pro-rata expenditure target of 60% and pro-rata revenue performance of 53% as of September 30th, 2025, when it reviewed the implementation of the 2025 Budget of Hope and Prosperity.

He claimed that the 2025 budget was intended to promote equality, combat inequality, and raise overall standards of living.

He added that it was intended to expand opportunities for all, empower citizens in all sectors, and implement specific social interventions to address urgent needs.

Abiodun described the 2026 budget as significant because it was released at a time when key sectors saw renewed investor confidence, improved economic performance, and significant growth.

Daniel Bwala, president’s special adviser to president Bola Tinubu on policy communication, claimed that in response to recent remarks made by US President Donald Trump, Nigeria’s security has increased.

Bwala stated that the country is going through a difficult time in an interview with Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.

The persistent security issues in Nigeria are the product of two theories. The first is that these events typically occur back-to-back as the election cycle draws near.

However, a much stronger theory is currently being debated: following Donald Trump’s initial outburst, we started seeing repeated security incidents. Some people believe it to be an attempt to justify talk of a potential military intervention in Nigeria, he said.

Read more about US Congress’s demand to the Nigerian government to abolish hisbah commissions and impose sanctions on it

His remarks come in response to President Trump’s decision last month to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” accusing the government of facilitating what he called the West African nation’s genocide.

Trump also cautioned the Nigerian government to “fish out” those responsible for the country’s unrest by urging them to act quickly or risk US military intervention.

Since Trump’s order to investigate the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria on October 31 led to the US Congress holding two sessions.

Bwala stated that the Nigerian government is working to end the security crisis by taking into account both the perceptions of the world and the actual experiences of its citizens.

Areas in Nigeria still have to be administered because of their demographic and geographic complexity, he claims.

The size of Nigeria is greater than that of some European nations. The cities are very different in northern Nigeria from the south, which is very different. Cities are close to one another in the south, but “traveling from one city to another feels like visiting a different country,” he said.

General Christopher Musa (retd.), a former commander of the military, has been screened by the Senate. ), in the capacity of the new defense minister.

Following President Bola Tinubu’s nomination, Musa received a nomination for the presidency, which is currently taking place at the National Assembly on Wednesday.

In a letter sent to Senator Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Senate, on Tuesday, Tinubu urged the lawmakers to take the former CDS’ nomination into consideration.

Godswill Akpabio, the Senate’s president, read the correspondence during the plenary session.

The Senate suspended its rules in response to the communication, allowing General Musa to enter the chamber to begin the screening process.

Also read: Mohammed Badaru, Minister of Defense, leaves.

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate’s leader, confirmed receipt of Tinubu’s letter on Tuesday, promising that it would be read on Wednesday on the Senate’s floor.

Mohammed Badaru, a former defense minister, resigned from his position if confirmed.

Operation Hadin Kai’s Theatre Commander was appointed by General Musa in 2021.

Before being appointed by President Tinubu as the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps’ Chief of Defence Staff in 2023, he later assumed the position of commander.

President Bola Tinubu sworn in Aminu Yusuf, the new head of the National Population Commission (NPC), along with two other commission commissioners.

Members of the council witnessed the brief ceremony that took place during the opening session of the Federal Executive Council meeting.

Yusuf from Niger State was appointed NPC Chairman on October 22, 2025, while Tonga Betara Bularafa from Yobe State and Nasarawa State Governor Joseph Haruna Kigbu were appointed commissioners.

Senate Appoints Chairman and Commissioners for the National Population Commission

Along with the NPC officials, five permanent secretaries sworn in.

Yusuf was appointed as the head of the National Population Commission (NPC) in October, and the Council of State approved that appointment.

Despite the rumored rescue of some of her coworkers, Walter Emeribe, the husband of Mrs. Chinwe of the Federal Ministry of Defence, claims he has not heard from her.

Emeribe claimed in an interview with Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday that he took her to a park in Festac, Lagos, and stayed there until the bus left for Abuja on November 9, 2025.

Also read: Pastor’s wife and kidnapped as gunmen attack a church in Kogi.

He claimed he had not spoken to his wife in about two months and that he had last spoken to her when the 14-seater bus traveled to Akure, Ondo State.

“I called again around 4 o’clock in the afternoon. She emitted no information to me. It would ring each time I called, but there was no response. I continued until midnight, then. I called every second until midnight, but I didn’t go to sleep.

I called, “So it’s getting to 6 a. m. on Monday,” I said. I became somewhat afraid because I didn’t hear anything. “Emeribe stated, “I became jittery.

He added that after being unable to reach her for several hours, he became agitated, and that the bus company informed him that she and other bus passengers had been abducted in Kabba.

According to what we heard in the news, they were abducted when they arrived in Kabba on the Lokoja Highway. And my wife hasn’t gotten a word from us since then. She is speaking nowhere near me. No one called me, and I have not seen her.

Emeribe said when questioned about the release of some of the victims, “I heard it on the news that two television stations mentioned that they had been released,” and that the six Ministry of Defence directors who were en route to Abuja for a promotion exam had been abducted and had now reunited with their families.

“I was not happy when I had this,” I thought. I had a bad feeling. Why did the association of senior civil servants of the Ministry of Defense release this information, I asked.

“And their president, Mr. Mohammed Shehu, by name, made this statement. So that was not what I wanted. Where is my wife and Mrs. Juliana Onwuzurike’s other woman, if they have released them?

“Six of the people I knew were already released, and that’s when I started to inquire about their release, and where are my wife and the other family as well?”

“So we are told at the end that four people were released, and these four people are nowhere to be seen … and why our wives were not included in those who were released,” we are told.

Government Appeal

Emeribe then requested that the ministry inform him of where his wife was hiding.

Because my wife was assigned to an official assignment, the Ministry of Defense has not yet released these four men, and they have all been released, I am actually asking them to tell me where she is.

So I want them to inform me of my wife’s location. They should tell me whether she is alive or dead. Otherwise, he said, “I don’t know what to do.”

So they should search for my wife whether she is alive or dead, as I said. They haven’t taken any proactive steps in the past.

“So all I want from them is for them to come out and find a way to see my wife wherever she is, along with Mrs. Juliana Onwuzurike, the two of them who are nowhere to be seen. They ought to reach out to the transportation company that transported these women to Abuja, he continued.

On their way to Abuja for a promotional exam to the directorate cadre, Mrs. Chinwe and five other Federal Ministry of Defense staff members were abducted in Kabba, Kogi State.