Author: Lawal AbdulSalam Olawale

Fire on Wednesday raised Gombe mobile police barracks, located at 34 PMF Squadron along Kwami town, Gombe State.

 

Confirming the incident in an interview with our correspondent on Thursday, the Commanding Officer, Federal Fire Service, Gombe State Command; and Deputy Controller of Fire, Ayuba Jonah-Sule, said the whole buildings which include armoury and others were affected.

 

Jonah-Sule estimated the loss to N100,000,000, stressing that his men succeeded in saving 25,000,000.00 out of the estimated property loss.

 

He said, “It is a fire involving a 25-bedroom compound. Covering an area of about 200 by 100 metres. The whole building including the armoury and others. The fire was extinguished by the use of one medium Jet of water working from FFS 193 and state fire service in attendance and the Nigeria Police Force. The situation is under control.

 

Jonah-Sule disclosed further that this came after his men had battled a fire incident at Federal Low-Cost on the same day.

 

He added, “At Kwanan Dan Aranga, Gombe State. It is a fire involving a 5-bedroom flat. Covering an area of about 200 by 200 feet.

 

“Fire was extinguished by the use of one medium Jed of water working from FFS 193 and the situation is under control. Appliance and men returned to the station.

 

This fire incident is coming barely a week after the state Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, approved the release of N5m to support victims of a fire incident at Blacksmith (Makera) shops in Gombe Main Market.

 

The shops on December 25, 2023, were engulfed in fire leading to the destruction of equipment and goods worth millions of naira.

The Osun State Electoral Commission, OSSIEC has announced that local government elections in the state will be held on the 22nd of February, 2025.

 

OSIEC Chairman, Barrister Hassim Abioye made this known on Thursday, in Osogbo, the Osun state capital.

He added that the commission would soon roll out the timetable for the poll into the 30 LG Council Areas, 32 Local Council Development Authorities, and the six Area Council Development Authorities across the state.

 

Details Later

Some hoodlums on Monday attacked officials of NAFDAC who were on enforcement operation against substandard drugs in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the officials were attacked by the hoodlums during a raid at Area 1 motor park.

 

The hoodlums harassed the enforcement officers, including mobile policemen, and stoned the Agency’s vehicle, breaking its windscreen.

 

It took the effort of police officers, who shot into the air several times, and released teargas to disperse the hoodlums before journalists and the NAFDAC officers could scamper for safety.

 

The team leader, Mr Umar-Ahmed Suleiman, an Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), said the raid followed intelligence received by the Agency of high volume of substandard drugs in the park.

 

“This exercise that we just conducted today at Area 1 motor park is as a result of an intelligence report received from DSS in 2023, although we have done some part of it then, we are trying to conclude the operation

 

You can see a lot of drug hawkers relaxed selling their products and people patronising them, that was why we raided the place.

 

“What happened is a normal thing to us in the investigation and enforcement unit of NAFDAC.

 

“That is why anytime we are going, we go with our armed mobile police officers, and Investigative Police Officers in case of any arrest.

On our arrival here today, we swung into action but to my surprise, we have not even done half of the work, when the drug hawkers all absconded, not knowing that they were re-enforcing against NAFDAC.

 

“They came back in full force, attacking us, you can see our vehicle how they broke the glass, throwing stones on us.

 

“Thank God for the gunshot and teargas released on them and we had to leave the scene,” he said.

 

Suleiman, however, said that the enforcement unit would reinforce, prepare more, do the needful.

 

He said in spite of the attack, the enforcement team was able to seize some controlled drugs including Rohypnol, Dizapam, Tramadol 500mg, Tramadol 225mg, Cocodamol and so many other afrodisiac with some codeine syrups.

 

According to him, the value of the drug seized is more than N5 million.

 

“Area 1 motor park is a troublesome area for substandard drug sales and the enforcement unit will be going back there to complete the operation,” he said

The Group Chief Executive Officer, Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe, is feared dead.

 

Wigwe was reported to have died following a helicopter crash in California near the Nevada border, United States of America, The Will reports.

 

There are also reports that his wife and son were also onboard the ill-fated helicopter.

 

New York Times reports that no survivors have been located as of Saturday morning, the authorities said.

 

The Federal Aviation Administration said that the Eurocopter EC130 helicopter crashed at around 10 p.m. local time near Nipton, Calif, an unincorporated community about 60 miles south of Las Vegas in eastern San Bernardino County.

 

It was unclear on Saturday morning where the helicopter departed from and where it was headed.

 

Details later

The Super Eagles have paid tribute to those who died while watching the Wednesday AFCON semi-final match between Nigeria and South Africa.

 

Yesterday we lost four good Nigerians because of the game and hold a minute silence ….they need our support right now and Insha Allah on Sunday we are going to lift that trophy for them.” The captain of the Nigerian team, Ahmed Musa, said in a short video while calling for support for the deceased families.

 

No fewer than four persons died, Wednesday night while watching the semi-final match of which one was a former Executive Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Cairo Ojougboh

 

A short prayer led by Chidozie Awaziem also followed the tribute where the 27-year-old central defender who plays for Primeira Liga club Boavista asked for God’s protection of Nigerians who will watch the Sunday’s final between them and hosts Côte d’Ivoire.

A short prayer led by Chidozie Awaziem also followed the tribute where the 27-year-old central defender who plays for Primeira Liga club Boavista asked for God’s protection of Nigerians who will watch the Sunday’s final between them and hosts Côte d’Ivoire.

 

Youths in Osun State have staged a peaceful march in protest of the high cost of goods and services and the rising cost of living in the country.

 

The youths who were led in protest by leaders of civil societies organisations in the state on Friday in Osogbo also used the protest to call on the federal and state governments and other stakeholders to immediately intervene and save the country from momentary collapse.

 

The protesters had defied the heavy presence of police operatives near the scene of the protest as they assembled along MDS Road, Osogbo very early on Friday.

 

Addressing the protesters who were armed with placards bearing different inscriptions such as ‘change the unfavourable policies’, ‘Nigerians are suffering, we can’t cope again’, and ‘We are humans, stop mistreating the citizens’, among others, the chairman, Osun Civil Societies Coalition, Waheed Lawal, said the protest would continue until the Federal Government thinks out solutions to the current economic hardship ravaging the country.

 

In his words, “Government must ameliorate the suffering of the people. They must do whatever they need to do to make sure that the people live in better conditions.

 

“Nigerians deserve the best. They promised us renewed hope but what they are giving us now is renewed hardship. We reject renewed hardship in our lives, and in our economy because Nigerians deserve the best.

 

What Nigerians want is a peaceful atmosphere. We don’t want insecurity in our land again. We can’t travel from Osogbo to Ibadan without panicking. You will be thinking that they will kidnap you.

 

“The abduction of monarchs is the order of the day in our country now. We urge the government to provide security for the lives and property of the citizens. It is their responsibility, it is a constitutional responsibility.

 

“Every government that fails to provide security for the lives of the citizens is no longer a government. What we are saying is simple, we are ready to face the government in this hardship and we are marathon runners.

We have started this struggle today and if the government fails to listen to us, we will continue to mobilise our people to protest this hardship because enough is enough.”

 

DAILY POST recalls that the Osun State Police Command had in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola warned against any plans to hijack peaceful protests in the state.

 

Opalola in the statement revealed that the police were in possession of intelligence, revealing that some criminal elements intended to hijack any peaceful protests and use the avenue to cause chaos in the state

The Osun State Government has clarified that the sales of forms by the state Civil Service Commission, is a normal and official routine.

 

In a statement issued by Oluomo Kolapo Alimi,

Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment on Friday, said their is no mass recruitment yet in into osun civil service.

 

He added that the government only approves recruitment of 5,000 new teachers and 250 education officers.

 

The statement reads, “Osun state government under the leadership of His Excellency,Senator Ademola Adeleke,is currently not carrying out mass recruitment into the Civil Service as being wrongly assumed with the on going sales of employment forms by the Civil Service Commission

 

“The sales of forms by the Osun State Civil Service Commission,it must be emphasized, is a normal official routine.

 

“Members of the public,particularly employment seekers,should not, in any way, misconstrue it to be a scheme by the Ademola Adeleke led administration for mass recruitment into the state civil service .

 

“We advise those, who by now ,must have collected the forms,to keep them jealously in their possession pending when an official approval for mass recruitment exercise may be officially unfolded to the public.

 

“Again,the Government wishes to reiterate that the only approved recruitment drive currently going on in Osun state is the sale and issuance of forms for the engagement of additional 5000 teachers and 250 education officers.

 

The aim, which is in accordance with the recent approval granted by the Osun State Executive Council, is to fill the existing vacancies in the state’s teaching service in order to strengthen the hitherto moribund education sector.

 

“Therefore,If the Government wishes to embark on a general mass recruitment exercise into the Civil Service, an official announcement, via officially designated media channels,would be released to the public .

The Deputy Bursar of Kwara State University Malete, Alhaji Ayuba Abdullahi, on Wednesday night, died while watching the semi-finals between Nigeria and South Africa in the ongoing AFCON.

 

Nigeria won the match against South Africa by 4-2 goals on penalties after regulation and extra time ended 1-1.

 

Sources close to the deceased but who spoke on condition of anonymity said Abdullahi went to a sports centre in the Sango area before he started feeling uneasy.

 

One of the sources said, “The Deputy Bursar watched the Nigeria/South Africa match from the beginning till the end of the extra time, till it was time for a penalty kick.

 

He complained that he was feeling dizzy, so he said he needed to go back home and rest not knowing that his BP had gone up.

 

“On getting home, he collapsed and was rushed to a private hospital in Sango and he was referred to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital and before he could be attended to, he died.

 

“He was buried on Thursday morning according to Islamic rites.”

 

The university’s Director of Information, Dr Saedat Aliyu, confirmed Abdullahi’s death.

 

Aliyu, however, stated that the cause of death was yet to be ascertained by the management of the university.

 

Yes, he died last night. He was hale and hearty and was full of life on Wednesday at his office. May Almighty Allah grant him Aljanah Firdaus” she said

 

A statement by the university said, “This is to announce the death of Mr. Ayuba Olaitan Abdullahi of the Bursary Department.

 

“Janazah will be held this morning, and his remains will be interred at the Hausa Muslim cemetery, Apata Yakuba, Oyun area, Ilorin, at 9 am.”

 

Also, a former federal lawmaker in Delta State, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, died while watching the Eagles’ match..

 

A source close to the politician said, “Cairo Ojougboh, a medical doctor died during the Nigeria vs.South Africa match.

 

The incident happened when the penalty was awarded against Nigeria. Dr Ojougboh was said to have shouted and slumped due to a massive heart attack when SA scored.”

 

In the same vein, a member of the National Youth Service Corps serving in Adamawa State also reportedly died during the game.

 

The corps member identified only as Samuel from Kaduna State, allegedly passed away just before the final kick which secured Nigeria’s win in the match, The Nation reports