Category Nigeria News

Following a road accident at the Osara community in Kogi State, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the deaths of two people and the injuries of 19 others.

Tenimu Etuku, the FRSC’s Kogi State Sector Commander, made this known to journalists on Tuesday in Lokoja.

Four of the 19 survivors, according to Etuku, were rushed to two nearby hospitals for medical attention after sustaining a range of injuries, ranging from bruises to fractures.

The sector commander claimed that the incident involved an 18-seat Toyota Hiace bus traveling along the Lokoja–Okene highway and that it was fatal.

Also read: 28 Plateau travelers were abducted

The ill-fated bus left Kano on Monday evening on its way to Auchi and Benin, he explained, based on the vehicle’s manifest, just before the accident, which occurred on Tuesday around 9:40 a.m., on the way to Auchi and Benin.

Etuku attributed the lone crash to excessive speed, too.

He continued, “FRSC personnel immediately carried out rescue operations and deposited the two corpses at the Kogi Specialist Hospital in Lokoja.”

The sector commander also urged drivers to use caution and strictly follow traffic laws, particularly during the Yuletide season, on the roads.

To prevent such accidents and the waste of precious lives, drivers and other road users must be cautious and follow strict traffic rules and regulations.

In Delta State, four alleged oil thieves have been detained in an effort to stop the Niger Delta’s economic saboteurs.

The suspects are facing charges of economic sabotage while their vessel, MT Thor, was intercepted.

Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSNL), a company engaged in pipeline surveillance operations, made the arrest during the handover of the suspects at Koko Port in Delta State.

The suspects were apprehended aboard the vessel with an unspecified amount of suspected illegally sourced petroleum products, according to Captain Warredi Enisouh, the executive director of operations at Tantita, during the handover.

The Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Product Theft (IPT) Special Prosecution Team (SPT) made a situation report available from Delta State on December 15, 2025, around the Koko–Excravos axis.

READ MORE: “Our Prayers Have Been Answered,” and “The Bishop is excited about the return of the abducted Niger schoolchildren.

After being able to intercept MT Thor, which allegedly contained crude oil allegedly obtained through illicit means, Tantita informed the SPT’s head of investigation.

Further, it was claimed that Delta State Police Marine Unit personnel were escorting the vessel in response to directives from the Force Intelligence Department (FID), Abuja.

The vessel, which is currently considered an exhibit in a continuing criminal investigation, is connected to a jetty run by Ebenco Global Services Limited, according to preliminary investigations by law enforcement. Investigation officers made it known that jetty-related documents and correspondence were obtained and are currently being investigated.

Investigators contacted the jetty’s owner, Mr. Ebenezer, and reportedly provided additional documents, including court orders, that are currently being looked at as part of the investigation.

A joint investigation team led by the SPT’s head of investigation conducted a joint inspection visit in Koko on December 16. The team first met for a briefing at Tantita’s corporate headquarters in Warri, where the jetty owner also attended.

Investigators made an attempt to get samples from MT Thor during the inspection, but they were unable to do so right away because the vessel had already been towed by security personnel from another location.

The team examined other containers suspected of carrying crude oil while it was being waited on by Ebenco Global Links Limited’s offices, where samples were taken from a storage barge.

The joint team adjourned sampling and other procedures until the following day because “MT Thor eventually berthed at around 8:30 p.m. on December 16.” Investigators were reportedly traveling to Koko on December 17th, 2025, to continue collecting samples and finish investigation paperwork, according to the report.

Omar Sini, the head of the Inter-Agency Task Force’s Special Prosecution Team, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to destroying the Niger Delta’s crude oil theft networks, assuring that all findings would be thoroughly examined and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The Tax Reform Acts passed by the lawmakers have been requested by the National Assembly by Chukwuemeka Eze, a tax expert, Chukwuemeka Eze, and Godwin Oyedokun, a member of the Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria. &nbsp,

The duo asserted this on Tuesday’s episode of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily show, saying that the publication will address concerns over the alleged amendments to some bills.

According to Eze, “one of the lessons Nigerians must learn is that their website should contain and publish the harmonized version without delay,” putting the National Assembly to the test. When you visit several countries’ websites and see all of their information, this happens.

Nigerians are left to speculate when we don’t receive enough information from our institutions. We will still encounter this issue if the National Assembly doesn’t publish the harmonized legislative bills on its website even if the issue is resolved.

Oyedele Households Earning $250,000 Or Less Monthly Won’t Pay Taxes, READ ALSO:

Godwin Oyedokun, a second guest on the breakfast program, requested that lawmakers release information about the tax laws that they passed.

How do you explain that there are no websites that can provide you with all the information you need about Nigeria’s activities given our position in the Committee of Nations?

As a fraud examiner and forensic accountant, I want to let you know that complex transactions favor fraudulent activities. Oyedokun&nbsp said that when things are kept secret, fraud and similar things occur.

This kind of fraud is legislative fraud, or “legislative fraud,” but the problem is that when you are supposed to provide information but aren’t, it is an omission.

And when it is deliberate, you put the other party in danger if you want to benefit symmetrically from someone else’s knowledge of the truth.

Watch their full interview with the author:

Three masquerades have been detained by the Akwa Ibom State Police Command after allegedly displaying them on the streets without permission and mutilating innocent people.
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Baba Azare, the state commissioner of police, made this known to reporters in Uyo on Monday during a briefing.
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During the Saturday-held Ekid Day celebration, Azare revealed that the masquerades had been detained in the state’s Eket Local Government Area.
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He noted that state hospitals were providing medical care to those who had been harmed by the masquerades. The commissioner complained that the masquerades’ actions were in contravention of the governor’s recent executive order, which forbids masquerades from entering the streets without the police’s consent.

Read more: Police in Akwa Ibom Arrest Five People For Fake Abduction Claim.
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Eno acknowledged his deepest respect for the culture and tradition two weeks prior, but he also emphasized that his decision was motivated by a desire to end the threat of insecurity, chaos, and nuisance perpetuated by masquerades and restore dignity and sanity in society.

The commissioner stated at the event that the Command is in compliance with the Akwa Ibom State Government’s Executive Order, which forbids masquerade events from public places and requires police presence.
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“This action significantly reduced violence and disorder,” says the report.

28 people were abducted by gunmen in Plateau State’s Zak community in Bashar District’s Wase Local Government Area (LGA).

Children between the ages of 8 and 9 are among the victims.

Residents claimed that two teachers, two students, and an Islamic scholar were among the victims. On Tuesday night, they were taking a bus from a village close to Bashar to Sabon Layi to pray in Maulidi.

Around 8 o’clock, according to reports, they left their neighborhood before running into the kidnappers.

Around 9:30 p.m., when passersby noticed the victims’ abandoned car by the side of the road and raised a town alarm, the abduction was not made public until about 10:00 p.m. Later, when they rushed to the scene, community members discovered footprints belonging to the kidnappers in Kukawa, a forested settlement about a kilometer away from the car’s location.

Shafi Sambo, the youth leader of Wase Local Government Area, described the incident as a moment when the community called security agencies right away.

We later reported to the military for their footprints in the forest. He claimed that the army mobilized and tracked the kidnappers, but no results were obtained.

Also read: Gunmen abduct three people from Plateau after killing 12 miners.

According to him, the abductors may have trekked with the victims for about a kilometer before taking them on motorcycles, based on tracks found along the way.

Sambo claimed that the kidnappers had not contacted the families or demanded a ransom at the time of filing this report.

“Up until now, they have not received any calls.” According to him, “the community is still waiting and praying” for information about the abductions.

He noted that a large number of people had never been abducted at once because residents have long lived in fear as a result of frequent road kidnappings.

Locals frequently avoid the road or only use it on military escort, according to Sambo, as a result of previous mishaps.

The Plateau State Government is making new efforts to improve community-based security in response to the incident.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang addressed the passing-out ceremony for 1, 450 members of Operation Rainbow, the state-owned security organization, on Monday, reiterating his administration’s commitment to peace and security.

Without peace, there wouldn’t be any meaningful advancement or prosperity, according to Governor Mutfwang, who described security as “the bedrock upon which sustainable development is built.”

He claimed that the success of his administration’s efforts to combat insecurity depended on effective collaboration with traditional security forces and intelligence gathering.

The governor stated that regardless of religion, ethnicity, or background, Operation Rainbow was intended to protect all citizens and that the state would continue to invest in security infrastructure, training, intelligence, and strategic partnerships.

He further disclosed that the government and the Nigerian Air Force have collaborated to install helicopters for security surveillance, particularly in rural areas during the holiday season.

The Senate will be given the $644 billion 2026 Appropriation Bill on Monday, according to Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

According to a statement from the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, at least 65.95% of the fiscal plan is allocated for capital expenditure, while the remaining 85% will be used for recurring expenses like helping the poor and cutting back on worker welfare.

The Governor said the fiscal plan will concentrate more on completing the state’s current capital projects and laying the groundwork for new ones that are in line with the state’s strategic goals.

He stated, “With deep gratitude to God for His mercies and guidance, I once more appear before this Honourable House to lay the 2026 Appropriation Bill in accordance with Section 121 (1) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution.”

“The total size of the proposal is N644, 004, 816, 893.00.65.98% of this fiscal plan goes to capital expenditure, while the rest (34.02%) takes care of recurrent spendings.

These allocations indicate the new year’s course for us. To improve our response to kidnapping and bad-faith actors’ activities, we will concentrate more on completing ongoing projects and make investments in areas that require urgent assistance, such as security equipment, vehicles, and technologies.

To strengthen Kwara’s position as the nation’s strongest service, creative, and tech economy, “a few other projects are also planned.”

The national economic outlook for the year is based on the following: US$64.85, daily US$1.14 per US dollar, N$400, and GDP growth of 4.6%, according to the Consolidation and Sustained Growth budget.

When finished, “we are confident that our projects will help to strengthen the state’s economic foundation, improve the environment for business, foster employment and sustainable development, and give the poor more resources to expand social protection.”

We support each and every tier of our state’s well-being. Not just the size of the plan (26.6%), but also the inclusion that characterizes our administration, demonstrate this. For instance, I recently approved a change in the compensation of medical officers to attract and keep professionals for the good of our citizens.

To complement our infrastructural upgrades across the health and education sectors, a new Teachers Salary Allowance (TSA) will be implemented in 2026. We are investing heavily in Alfalfa Estate to combat the conflict between herder-farmers, promote food security, and empower thousands of our citizens along the value chain.

Our budget has never been just a proposal. It consistently delivered on our promise to leave Kwara much better than we expected, including restoring its status as a nation’s premier state.

We completed 38 new roads and 29 new interlock access lanes across the state in the upcoming year. The three Senatorial Districts are currently working on 264.202 km of roads at various stages.

The Innovation Hub has been completed as of right now, growing our tech economy by more than $20 million and providing excellent value to everyone. Along with investments in agriculture across various value chains, we have also accomplished significant milestones with the Kwara Hotel, International Conference Center, Patigi Regatta Motel, Dada Pottery, Shea Butter Factory, Shonga ICT Complex, Prototype Primary School Adeta, Revenue House, and Indoor Sports Hall, Senator Oluremi Tinubu Hospital.

“Even more impressive things were accomplished in the water, health, and education sectors. Since then, Kwara State University has offered its Osi and Ilesha Baruba campuses, expanding the scope of education for our citizens.

Construction work has already begun in the Kwara Smart City following the completion of the foundation-laying ceremony for the Kwara State University of Education’s permanent site. In the upcoming year, much more will be accomplished.

The 2026 budget is crucial to our administration’s legacy, and I urge the House to take action right away.

The House is then given the 2026 Appropriation Bill with this.

Ribadu criticizes Fubara’s leadership in “Tinubu Is Happy With You.”

Salihu Yakubu-Danladi, the governor’s representative, praised him for “respecting the principle of separation of power, transparency, dedication to duties, visible projects in infrastructure, agric and food security, and a raise in salaries for employees, among others.”

By strictly adhering to the principles of transparency and accountability when using public resources, your administration has demonstrated a high level of fiscal discipline. According to him, this commitment has strengthened the Legislature-Executive Partnership for Good Governance and furthered public confidence in it.

“Let me say that the numerous projects and programs being carried out across the State under Your Excellency’s leadership have given us a special boost.”

He praised the governor’s inclusive approach to governance, noting that the House is still committed to engaging with relevant MDAs, ensuring the outcome reflects the state’s priorities, and giving the proposal the attention it deserves.

The cabinet members, first-class traditional rulers and Magajis led by the Etsu Patigi Ibrahim Umar Bologi II, who contested the seat of Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR, were present at the budget session.