Category Nigeria News

In Katsina State’s Matazu and Charanchi local government areas, two separate accidents have claimed the lives of four people.

Ten others were hurt in addition to the incidents that took place on Sunday.

Governor Dikko Radda was driving along the Daura-Katsina Road in violation of his official duties just four months prior.

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The governor, who was returning from his statewide tour in the Funtua zone, witnessed the four women who were also deceased in the Matazu accident.

A commercial golf vehicle with the registration number (DDM 339 XA) involved in a fatal accident was discovered by Radda’s convoy.

On its way from Jibia to Dandume, the car, which had several passengers inside, suffered severe damage.

The governor immediately notified the governor’s convoy that it was going to stop, and he personally oversaw the victims’ evacuation.

While the convoy was in need of additional responders, medical teams attached to it offered emergency assistance.

Gov. mourns

No leader should have to drive past such a tragedy, Radda said while speaking at the scene.

Because these victims are our brothers and sisters, we stopped. Their lives matter, he continued, and it is our duty to act with urgency and compassion.

This agonizing loss serves as a reminder of how fragile life really is. We will continue to help those who have lost their lives, he added, and my heart is with the families of the deceased.

The governor noted that his entourage encountered another accident along the Kafinsoli–Koda Road as he continued his journey back to Katsina in a statement from his chief press secretary, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed.

He continued, adding that he once more gave the order to stop the convoy without hesitating.

Two vehicles from the governor’s motorcade were dispatched to a hospital in Charanchi for urgent treatment, and rescue efforts were immediately coordinated.

In a related development, the governor spoke with the deputy governor’s convoy, which was involved in a collision along the Kaduna–Zaria Road that left six people injured.

He prayed for their quick and complete recovery.

May Jannatul Firdausi be granted and the departed be forgiven by Allah. He prayed that He could also heal the injured and bring them home in peace.

After gunmen allegedly abducted a resident of Eruku, a community in Kwara State’s Ekiti Local Government Area, on Sunday, tension resurfaced there.

Following a kidnapping incident in the same town, 38 worshippers were freed just one week later.

Around noon, it was discovered that the attackers had taken control of a farmland along the Eruku–Koro Road.

The attackers, who are reportedly four in number, had cutlasses and AK-47s on them.

Under the condition of anonymity, a community leader explained that the attackers attacked during regular work hours and escorted away Eruku native Annas Aasanru.

According to the source, “They entered the farmland with cutlasses and AK-47 rifles, kidnapped a man named Annas Aasanru, then fled into the bush.”

Read more about Abduct 11 Residents, Bandits Strike Kwara Community, and Read More.

In recent weeks, there have been two significant kidnappings in Kwara State that have occurred within a week.

A Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) branch in Eruku was attacked on November 18 by gunmen during its midweek service, killing three worshipers, abducting 38 members, including the pastor, and cause chaos and panic in the congregation.

The bandits initially demanded $3 billion for the victims’ release, but later reduced the ransom to $760 million.

Bandits abducted 11 residents in the same local government area a few days after the Eruku attack.

More than 20 gunmen stormed the neighborhood while firing indiscriminately at a large herd of cattle. A stray bullet reportedly struck the elderly woman during the attack.

Seven of the abducted people belong to the same family, according to a community leader who spoke under the guise of anonymity. A pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, and several young children are among the victims.

Two suspected car thieves have been detained by the Rivers State Police Command, and two have been recovered.

Grace Iringe-Koko, the police public relations officer, released a statement on Sunday disclosing this.

The suspects, 43-year-old Abubakar Abdulsalam and 35-year-old Shagari Shehu, were apprehended on November 20, 2025, around 6 p.m., according to a statement from the Command on Sunday.

According to the police, the arrests were made in response to reliable information that alerted authorities to the suspects’ locations.

Read more about the police officer’s investigation into the controversial arrest of the Lagos bus conductor.

Police recovered two stolen vehicles during the operation: a white Toyota Hilux with a fake registration number, GWA 453 GR, and an ash-colored Toyota Corolla with an fake number plate, LSD 420 BT.

Both vehicles have been taken into custody by the police for further investigation.

According to The Command, detectives are looking into the suspects’ level of involvement as well as potential connections to other state-based car theft syndicates.

As the investigation gets going, according to the police, additional arrests might come along.

Olugbenga Adepoju, the commissioner of police for Rivers, applauded the officers’ swift action and thanked the public for their assistance.

He reiterated the Command’s commitment to preventing crime and ensuring residents’ and visitors’ safety.

Tunde Bakare, the lead pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church, has urged President Bola Tinubu to apologize in public for the insecurity-ravaged communities.

The gesture, according to Bakare, will represent a commitment to justice and national harmony, as he said on Sunday during his State of the Nation address in Lagos.

The cleric reaffirmed the president’s initial steps in addressing the crisis but argued that more serious measures were needed to restore confidence.

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He argued that the government must first acknowledge its decades of inaction against terrorism, bandits, and other violent crimes.

The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) says the business is resuming providing its customers with free prepaid meters after a heated upup over estimated billing and customer fault with its meters.

In the days to come, the installation work under Tranche B of the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) and Phase 1 of the Distribution Sector Recovery Program (DISREP), two initiatives aimed at bridging the metering gap, will be conducted.

A total of 33, 450 smart meters will be deployed under the MAF Tranche B, and 22, 104 meters will be deployed under Phase 1 of the DISREP, according to a statement released and signed by the Company’s Coordinating Head, Corporate Services, Angela Olanrewaju.

Unmetered customers on Band A feeders are prioritized in the meter rollout under MAF, while Bands A and B will receive priority as Bands A and B.

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IBEDC reiterated that customers should not pay any money to an installer or IBEDC staff because both the meters and the installation procedure are completely free.

She continued, “The installation is also free, and the meters are completely free. Customers are not permitted to pay anyone in any way. Anyone who wishes to make a payment request should contact [email protected] or [email protected].

The business explained that IBEDC supports the MAF initiative through a NERC-established market-supported mechanism, which allows DisCos to close the metering gap across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
The initiative is intended to promote nationwide metering and complements the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI). MAF meters are available for customers at no extra cost, but it will run concurrently with the MAP scheme.

IBEDC also urged customers to grant installers access to their premises if they had a valid ID when conducting the exercise, as denial of access could cause the premises to be disconnected.

Olanrewaju also warned against tampering with or bypassing the new meters, claiming that doing so would result in serious penalties.

Customers who have outstanding arrears are encouraged to call the IBEDC office to request resolution (to facilitate the transition to prepayment mode).

However, it stated that paying late fees won’t prevent a person from receiving a free meter under this arrangement.