Police in Oyo State have arrested a grandfather for seizing his daughter’s day-old baby in Oyo town and selling the same to a baby factory in Abia for N700,000.

Five accomplices of the grandfather were arrested at the baby factory.

Commissioner of police in Oyo state, Adebola Hamzat, told newsmen in Ibadan on Saturday that the grandfather took the baby girl from her teenage mother, Sarah Chukwuka, on July 10.

He was later arrested at his hideout in Ibafo, Ogun.

“The suspect, who identified himself as the biological father of the teenage mother of the day-old baby girl, confessed to the crime.

“He explained how he took the baby from the mother, pretending that he would hand the baby over to a caregiver.

“The suspect also explained how he moved the baby to Abia, where he sold her to the owner of the baby factory at Obehi in Okwa West Local Government Area of the state for N700,000.

“A raid on the baby factory led to the arrest of a female suspect identified as Bunmi and four other accomplices,’’ Mr Hamzat said.

He said a bundle of new birth certificates and some equipment used in labour rooms were equally recovered from the factory.

The police commissioner said the five additional suspects were unable to give any satisfactory explanation about the parentage of the babies recovered from the factory.

Mr Hamzat also paraded six other suspects arrested for robbery, kidnapping and cultism and car theft.

He said the suspects robbed a victim of expensive mobile phones, laptops, and jewellery and some other valuable items worth millions of Naira in Ibadan while armed with machetes, jack knives and other dangerous weapons.

Mr Hamzat said the suspects also confessed to a series of previous criminal activities they had masterminded at different locations in the Oyo state capital.

A High Court in Kano state, on Tuesday, granted administrative bail to the former managing director of the Kano Agricultural Supply Company limited (KASCO), Bala Inuwa.

The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission (PCACC) charged Mr Inuwa with alleged diversion of N4 billion grant.

He is being charged alongside his son, Muhammad, his niece, Halima, Najib Muhammad and incorporated trustees of the association of compassionate friends.

Delivering ruling, Justice Usman Na’abba also ordered Mr Inuwa to produce one surety.

He admitted the other co-defendants to bail in the sum of N10 million each.Mr Na’abba adjourned the matter until Aug. 22.

Earlier, the defence counsel, Nasiru Aliyu, SAN, told the court that it was improper for the court to entertain the charge filed by the PCACC on the grounds that there was a court judgement preventing the commission from filing the charge against his client.

The charge against the defendants bordered on criminal breach of trust, criminal misappropriation and making false statements of return contrary to the penal code and PCACC laws of Kano state.

Troops of 1 Division Nigerian Army have neutralised three bandits and recovered arms in a clearance operation in Chikun local government area, Kaduna state.

A statement on Tuesday in Kaduna by the acting deputy director, army public relations, Lt.-Col. Musa Yahaya said that the operation was conducted on Aug. 5.

According to him, the well-planned and adequately executed operation led to the killing of the three bandits and the recovery of one AK 47 rifle, two locally fabricated AK 47 rifles, seven AK 47 magazines and eight motorcycles.

“The troops also recovered three locally made magazines, six mobile phones, drugs and charms,” he added.

Mr Yahaya said that the general officer commanding 1 Division, who is also the force commander, Operational Whirl Punch, Maj.-Gen. Bamidele Alabi commended the gallant troops and charged them to sustain the tempo and aggressiveness against all criminal elements.

The relentless increase in violent attacks on farmers by armed groups is adversely contributing to the worsening food crisis in Nigeria, with 700,000 children at the brink of death due to hunger, says Save the Children.

Armed groups have killed over 128 farmers and kidnapped 37 others across the country in the first six months of 2023, leading to disruption and displacement of livelihoods.

In Borno alone, 19 farmers were killed by non-state armed groups in June alone, according to Nigerian Security Tracker, according to a statement by Save the Children, noting that all these factors have hindered critical food supplies and may push Nigeria into a serious food crisis this year.

A farmer with 35 years of experience in the North-East, identified only as Bulama, said, “On different occasions where we will be in the field farming, armed groups have attacked and kidnapped farmers who are our friends and brothers, requesting ransom most times it’s an amount no villager can afford.”

The farmer added, “They have killed and stolen our farm produce, leaving us helpless and with nothing to take home. The hunger and starvation most of us suffer in this community are because insurgents deprive us of accessing the farmlands, and even when we risk our lives in our fields, they steal everything and allow us to starve.”

According to an estimation by the United Nations in January, more than 25 million Nigerians could face food security in 2023 alone, a 47 per cent increase from the 17 million people who were already at risk of starvation due to insecurity and conflict.

In three North-East states (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe), more than two million children under five are at risk of acute malnutrition, and 700,000 are on the brink of death in 2023 alone.

The federal government says it has withdrawn the contempt of court proceedings against NLC, TUC and other unions for embarking on a nationwide protest.

This is contained in a letter addressed to NLC’s lead counsel Falana and Falana’s Chambers.

The solicitor general of the federation, B.E. Jeddy-Agba, signed the letter dated August 7.

Through the National Industrial Court, the Nigerian justice ministry issued the labour leadership a summons on contempt of court for protesting.

Following that, NLC threatened to embark on another nationwide strike, starting August 14, if the federal government failed to withdraw the contempt of court charges.

NLC, TUC and their affiliates protested against President Bola Tinubu’s anti-poor policies, especially the petrol subsidy removal that has brought untold hardship to Nigerians.

“Kindly recall the exchange of correspondence between the ministry and your office on the need for compliance with the extant court orders, restraining industrial action of any kind on the part of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress,” stated the government.

“The position of the ministry was informed by the need to safeguard the integrity of the court and prevent avoidable service disruption or damage to public facilities.”

It added that despite “these exchanges/interventions, the labour unions, on August 2, proceeded with the industrial action through public protests.”

The letter also mentioned that the protest led to disruption of work and the eventual pulling down of the gate of the National Assembly complex.

“The foregoing, it said, prompted the ministry to initiate contempt proceedings by filing Form 48 on the same 2nd August 2023 in accordance with Section 72 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act and Order 9 Rule 13 of the Judgment (Enforcement) Rules,” said the justice ministry.

It stressed that it “is trite that issuance of Form 48 is just the starting point in contempt proceedings which will only crystalise upon the issuance of Form 49 and the consequential committal order.”

The Nigerian Air Force says the air component of Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) destroyed boats laden with stolen crude oil as part of efforts to thwart oil theft in the Niger Delta region.

NAF spokesman Edward Gabkwet disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

He said the air component had on Saturday bombarded three boats carrying stolen crude oil at about four nautical miles southeast of Bille, a riverine area located west of Bonny Island and south of Port Harcourt, in Rivers.

Mr Gabkwet explained that the boats were sighted tapping crude oil from a pipeline.

He added that the crew observed an active illegal refining site with tanks and reservoirs loaded with suspected illegal refined products, about 4 miles southeast of Idama, also in Rivers.

According to him, the site has been subsequently attacked and destroyed.

“Airstrikes against these economic saboteurs will be sustained until they desist from their acts of thievery and economic sabotage. The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has since directed all air component commanders nationwide to ensure they team up with other security agencies to sustain air strikes on all criminal elements in the country,” the statement noted.

It added, “He said that days of treating criminal elements with kid gloves is over, saying that NAF must continue on the trajectory until they brought all of them to their knees.”

The Delta government has embarked on mass demolition of “illegal structures” on the waterways in different parts of the state to allow the free flow of water during flooding.

The director-general of special duties, Frank Omare, disclosed this on Monday during an interactive session with journalists in Warri.

Mr Omare spoke at the site of the demolition of a storey building and a proposed church building attached to it at Ugboroke community, Uvwie LGA.

Mr Omare said the government would ensure that all the structures obstructing the waterways were demolished.

He said the owners of such structures were given two months’ notice to remove them. The Delta official frowned upon their nonchalant attitude towards the government’s directive.

“One of the mandates giving to me is to destroy all illegal structures in the state, and this is just the beginning. We have given them over two months’ notice to remove their properties. We are constructing a massive drainage system in the state to connect all the drains,” explained Mr Omare.

“So, we are removing all the structures hampering the flow of water. Those who have built on natural waterways should remove their buildings.”

Mr Omare added, “Those who do not have approval plans should remove their buildings. What is going on here is that this very building that we are demolishing does not even have approval. Whenever it rains, everywhere will be flooded. This demolition serves as a warning to others.”

The official urged people blackmailing Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to understand that the demolition was necessary and not based on sentiments.

Mr Omare said more than 40 per cent of houses in Ugboroke had no septic tanks.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has suspended Adenike Adekanbi, the Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA) general manager, for not properly overseeing the agency’s activities.

The suspension followed the death of a medical doctor, Vwaere Diaso, due to an elevator collapse at the Lagos General Hospital, Odan, on August 1.

Olumide Sogunle, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, said in a statement on Sunday that the government also ordered that the facility managers be sacked and the firm blacklisted immediately.

The statement said these actions were necessitated by the findings of the panel set up to look into the likely causes, identify persons who might be culpable, and suggest ways of preventing any future occurrence of elevator accidents.

It said for transparency, the panel membership included representatives of the medical guild and six representatives of House Officers.

He said based on the initial findings, the Lagos government has instructed that the facility managers’ operations and line of reporting be restructured to involve the hospital management directly.

According to him, the installation and maintenance contractors have been handed to the police for further investigation and likely prosecution if they are found guilty.

The police will also investigate anyone else that might have been found to be negligent. Engineers are working to unravel why all the safety devices of the elevator failed at the same time. All our staff are fully insured,” explained the statement.

“We have informed our life insurance providers about this incident.”

It added, The Lagos Safety Commission has been directed to immediately carry out an audit of all elevators in public offices. This is besides the usual safety arrangements that have always existed.

The Lagos government revealed that the crashed elevator was installed brand new in 2021.Elevator experts working with the Lagos Safety Commission had carried out an initial inspection and would remove the elevator for further mechanical examination to determine why the safety features that should prevent this kind of accident did not work, said the statement.

According to him, their findings will determine if there is a case with the elevator installer.”

The Lagos state government would like to, once again, acknowledge with deep regrets the unfortunate elevator accident of Tuesday, August 1, 2023, at the house officer’s residence of the General Hospital, Odan, which resulted in the death of Dr Vwaere Diaso, a vibrant young house officer,” stated the Lagos government.

The Enugu government has banned the unauthorised use of vehicles with tinted glasses to combat the nefarious activities of kidnappers and other criminal elements.

The ban is contained in a statement issued and signed by the secretary to the state government, Chidiebere Onyia, in Enugu.

According to Mr Onyia, the ban aligns with the Enugu government’s determination to combat kidnappers and other criminals.

The ban would take effect on September 4, said the government.

“This is to give owners of vehicles with tinted glasses who did not obtain police tinted permits before the suspension of its issuance by the Nigeria Police Force on June 7, 2021, sufficient time to have them removed or replaced if they are factory fitted, in accordance with the provisions of the law,” stated the top government official.

He added, “Defaulting vehicles shall be impounded by the enforcement task force and shall not be released to their owners until the tinted glasses are removed or replaced and the specified fines paid.”

Mr Onyia reiterated that the ban was to curtail criminal activities and enhance the security and safety of Enugu residents.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 57,450 tramadol, Rohypnol and exol-5 pills along the Abaji-Abuja highway from a suspect, Joseph Usman.

On Sunday in Abuja, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said 4,082 bottles of codeine-based syrup were also recovered from a suspect, Joseph Usman.

Mr Babafemi said the suspect was arrested in a commercial bus coming from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Abuja on Friday.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), attached to courier companies in Lagos, have intercepted various quantities of dextromethorphan.

Mr Babafemi said the drugs were mixed with heroin, Methamphetamine, Dimethyl Sulfone and cannabis and concealed in different objects bound for Europe.

He said 272 grams of dextromethorphan, mixed with heroin going to Greece, were recovered from white neck beads, adding that 665 grams of cannabis being shipped to Hong Kong were hidden in Dudu Osun black bathing soap bars.

He added that 261 grams of Dimethyl Sulfone bound for New Zealand hidden in reels of weaving threads and 1.5kgs of Methamphetamine also heading to New Zealand were intercepted.

“The drugs were neatly packed in an MP3 player after all the parts were removed and the substance stuffed as a replacement,” he said.

Also, in Kano State, a woman and four men – Ladi Peter,47; Umar Salisu, 38; Ahmed Naheeb, 36; Ibrahim Umar, 42; and Musa Suleman, 43, have been arrested for drug-related issues.

Mr Babafemi said the suspects were intercepted concerning the seizure of 977.7 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa recovered from them by NDLEA operatives.

He added that they were arrested along Zaria-Kano road, Kwanar Dangora, on Friday and July 31.

In the same vein, 2,445 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa were recovered from the warehouse of a fleeing suspect, Usman Nar, in the Madinatu area of Jere LGA, Borno State, on Saturday.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it will build permanent office accommodation in Sabon Gari unit command to enhance effective service delivery and tame road traffic accidents.

The corps marshal, Dauda Biu, disclosed this in Zaria on Sunday during the 40th reunion anniversary of the class of ’83 of Government Secondary School GDSS Kofar Tukur Tukur, Zaria.

He assured that the corps’ office in Sabon Gari would soon be built and equipped with adequate facilities to enhance effective performance.

“We have already acquired a land in Sabon Gari; very soon we will erect the structure for Sabon Gari unit command because the corps is operating from a rented office apartment.

“All these are part of our plan to provide conducive working environment for our staff to enhance their performance.”

The FRSC boss also reiterated his commitment to provide modern facility at local offices to enhance performance and reduce high rate of accidents on the nation’s roads.

He said the move was to ensure that all highways were safe and motorable by road users across the country.

Mr Biu, who was one of the recipients honoured at the event, urged members of the school Alumni GDSS Zaria, to pay back to their alma mater to complement the government’s efforts.

Earlier, Ahmed Bamalli, Emir of Zazzau, acknowledged the effort of the old students in providing the college with necessary logistics to encourage learning at the school.

Mr Bamalli, represented by the Dan Isan Zazzau, Umar Shehu Idris, urged Nigerians to imbibe the culture of “giving back” to alma mater as a way of according to great appreciation to the school.

Also at the event, Kabir Bala, the Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, tasked the Alumni association to upgrade the school with modern digital facilities, to meet the present education challenges.

Mr Bala, who was represented by the director, institute of E=education, ABU Zaria, Bashir Maina, urged for collaboration with other sets of old students to convert the school into modern ICT compliance college.

A team of policemen from Kano state police command has smashed a drug cartel at Kwanar Dangora, in Kiru Local Government Area of the state.

This is contained in a statement issued by the public relations officer, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa, in Kano on Sunday.

“Recall that on July 18, 2023, at about 8:00 p.m., a team of policemen, while on Highway Surveillance Patrol along Kwanar Dangora, intercepted a Golf Series 3 model motor vehicle on reasonable suspicion of the vehicle being recklessly driven.

“In a quick reaction by the team, the driver was pursued while trying to escape arrest, lost driving control of the motor vehicle, and the vehicle eventually somersaulted.

“The driver was then pursued and arrested, with seven bags of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp recovered.

“The commissioner of police ordered additional vigilance for more arrests and conducted discreet investigations to get to the supply chain.

“Consequent upon compliance with the directive, sustained follow-up was intensified, coupled with community partnership and intelligence-led operations, including technical support.

“Positive results of these police actions led to success on August 4, 2023, where the principal suspect, one Ladi Peter, a 47-year-old female of Agwa Kudandan Nassarawa, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was arrested in her residence.

“A total of 61 bags of compressed dried leaves suspected to be Indian Hemp were recovered from her.

“Other exhibits, including two sets of military uniforms, red berets, sets of shin guards, and a desert boat, were found in her possession.”

Further to that, the accomplices, Umar Saleh, 38 years old, of Unguwan Dosa, Kaduna North Local Government Area, and Ahmad Naheed, 36 years old, of Nassarawa Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State, were arrested, and all the suspects confessed to the crime.”

The Commissioner of Police, Mohammad Gumel, directed the case to be transferred to the state office of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Kano, for further investigation.”

Mr Gumel has strongly warned that criminals will no longer have a hiding place in the state except if they either repent or leave the state completely.He warned that the command was embarking on rigorous patrol, raids of criminal hideouts, and black spots across the state.

“We will sustain the tempo until the security and safety of the good people of the state are guaranteed in our area of supervision.

“We are soliciting more working support from residents to volunteer credible information that could aid in apprehending men of the underworld in the state,” he said.