Police in Lagos State have arrested one of their extortionist officers, his counterpart from the Federal Road Safety Corps, and one of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority officials working in cahoots with thugs.

According to SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the state police spokesman, they were captured with their group of 14 thugs between Friday and Saturday in the Mile 2 area of the state.

Mr Hundeyin stated that the arrests were carried out in an operation led by the deputy commissioner of police (Operations) in the state, Fatai Tijani.

He added that the commissioner of police in Lagos state, Idowu Owohunwa, set up a task force, which conducted the operation following reports of incessant extortion of motorists by thugs and some recalcitrant law enforcement officers.

“Determined to check escalating cases of extortion on the highways, CP Idowu Owohunwa, set up an enforcement team with the mandate of raiding spots that have been identified as notorious for such nefarious activities.

“The enforcement team, which began raids on Friday, was led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) and comprises tactical teams and provost officers from the state headquarters.

“The team was at Mile 2 area of the state, a hotbed of brazen extortions,’’ Mr Hundeyin stated.

He quoted Mr Owohunwa as warning that any law enforcement personnel, irrespective of agency, found complicit in extortion racketeering would be arrested and dealt with in accordance with the law.

“The CP promises motorists that the enforcement team will sustain the raids and replicate them in other parts of the state until total sanity is restored.”

The Kano State Fire Service says it saved eight lives and property worth N31 million from 25 fire incidents recorded in July.

This is contained in a statement issued by the public relations officer (PRO) of the service, Saminu Abdullahi, on Saturday in Kano.

Mr Abdullahi disclosed that, however, three persons lost their lives, and property worth N14 million was destroyed by fire during the period under review.

“The Service responded to 11 rescue calls and four false alarms from residents of the state,” he said.

The spokesman advised motorists to avoid the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in cylinders in their vehicles and generators to avoid an inferno.

He urged them to rather look for and use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in cylinders for safety.

Mr Abdullahi also advised the general public to handle fire with care and continue to clear their drains to avoid unforeseen circumstances.

The police command in Lagos State has arrested a 29-year-old ‘Bolt’ driver, Jeremiah Adeniran, who allegedly robbed some of his passengers.

Mr Adeniran, during an interview with journalists on Friday in Ikeja, confessed that the hike in fuel price led him to robbery.

“Before, I could do 15 trips a day, but after the rise in fuel price, my business was no longer moving as I wanted, so I ventured into robbery,” he said.

According to him, his two other accomplices always stayed around on the road to carry out the robbery.

Mr Adeniran, who claimed that he had only robbed his passengers on three occasions since he started the robbery business last month, said he was arrested on Saturday when one of the victims sighted him.

“On Saturday morning, I entered a shop, and I saw the lady I picked up and robbed a day before; she instantly recognised me because I was not putting on a nose mask.

“She raised the alarm, and that was how I was arrested and taken to Ikotun police station,” he said.

The father of one said the money he and his gang made was divided into three, in which his share was N700,000.

The suspect, who claimed to be a university graduate, said if he had had a better offer, he would not have engaged in criminal activities.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, while addressing journalists, said the suspect committed the offence on July 8 at about 11:00 p.m.

He said it was discovered during the investigation that the driver picked up his victim at Governor’s Road, Ikotun, and soon alighted, pretending the car’s tyre was flattened.

“Shortly, other members of his gang surfaced and took over the steering while the driver was made to sit at the back.

“The driver later brought out a knife and robbed the lady of her money and iPhone.

“Police operatives painstakingly embarked on an investigation that led to the arrest of the suspect at BRT market Ikotun while selling the robbed items,” he said.

The image maker said the operational Toyota Camry Saloon car and knife were recovered from him.He said the investigation revealed that the suspect and his gang had been robbing people of their valuables in this manner.

According to him, efforts have been put in place to arrest other gang members and recover more of their operational arms.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) confiscated expired and unregistered products worth over N15 million in Niger State on Saturday.

Shaba Mohammed, the director of the North-Central zone, NAFDAC, said this during the raid of 24 business premises in Bida Local Government Area of Niger.

“During the raid, some expired and unregistered pharmaceutical products, including drugs, were seized.

“Some of the supermarkets harboured unregistered and expired beverages, soft drinks, vegetable oil, spaghetti, tomato paste, and cosmetics, which were also seized.

“The monetary value of the items seized is over N15 million,” he said.

Mr Mohammed explained that during the exercise, two supermarkets and two pharmaceutical outlets were sealed for compromising standards in their businesses.

He said NAFDAC invited the affected persons to Minna for interrogation, adding that some would be sent to the enforcement directorate for further investigation, depending on the offence committed.

The director advised the public to check the production and expiration dates of any purchased product and whether it is healthy for consumption.

“Make sure that the dates on the products have not been tampered with.

“We want to also use this opportunity to appeal to the public to always report any suspicious person engaging in unwholesome practices to the nearest NAFDAC office for necessary action,” he said.

He thanked the Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar, for helping the agency discharge its duties in the area.

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Kaduna state chapter, said it started an indefinite strike on Friday.

The president of the association, Dr Mahmood Rufa’i, told journalists in Kaduna that all doctors were given 24 hours to hand over and/or discharge all patients in General and rural hospitals in the state.

The association is the umbrella body of all medical doctors working under the Kaduna state ministry of health and state primary healthcare board.

ARD, after a congress, unanimously decided to issue one week ultimatum to the state government starting from Friday, July 28, 2023, during which full medical services will be rendered in spite of the ongoing NARD strike.

Mr Rufa’i said the association demanded full implementation of the new federal government CONMESS and SKIPPING, as well as upward review with immediate effect.

“The association, as an affiliate member of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) held a virtual emergency congress on Friday to scrutinise the attitude of the state government following the two weeks ultimatum.

“The ultimatum was given to the government on March 6, to discuss lingering challenges affecting the welfare of its members.

“For the purpose of emphasis, failure of the government to address the above stated challenges before the timeline of Aug. 4 necessitates the congress to embark on an indefinite strike,” he said.

Mr Rufa’ said that doctors were still on 59 per cent of the reviewed 2009 CONMESS, which was implemented in 2014.

“The congress observed that the insinuation for the full implementation of the 2009 CONMESS has changed following the removal of fuel subsidy, increase in fuel price and cost of living, an upward review of the CONMESS is necessary,” he said.

Mr Rufa’i also said the congress observed non-implementation of the Reviewed Medical Residency Training Act (MRTA) and non-Payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) for years, which helped doctors on residency programme.

According to him, the congress also expresses concern that the government has yet to release circular for recruitment of new staff to replace those who have exited the various Secondary Health Facilities across the state.

“Unfortunately, doctors in these facilities continue to suffer brain drain and burn out effect due to severe manpower shortage occasioned by unwillingness of other doctors to come over due to poor pay and preference to State tertiary Health institutions and others.

“The congress demands immediate release of a circular for recruitment of new staff to curtail the shortage of manpower in the state facilities.

“We call on the state government to prioritise the provision of adequate medical diagnostic equipment, enhance security in the facilities and improve accommodations to members.

“We also demand immediate implementation of Medical Residency Training Act (MRTA) and payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF).

“We also demand immediate implementation of the new hazard allowance with arrears,” he said.

A Dei-Dei Grade I Area Court in Abuja on Thursday ordered that a 40-year-old businessman, Abubakar Sanusi, be remanded in a correction centre for allegedly threatening to kidnap his landlord.

The police charged Mr Sanusi with criminal intentional hurt and intimidation.

The judge, Saminu Suleiman, ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Suleja, until Aug. 15.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Chinedu Ogade, told the court that the complainant, Chimezie Nwokeogu of Dei-Dei API awe, Abuja, who is the defendant’s landlord, reported the matter at the Zuba Police Station on July 27.

Mr Ogada said the complainant reported that the defendant’s rent expired over one year ago and he refused to pay or move out of the house.

He said that when the complainant requested his rent money from the defendant, he refused to pay.

The police alleged that the defendant threatened to kidnap his landlord.

The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 397 of the Penal Code.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the offence and the prosecutor prayed the court to grant him date to open his case.

The Defence Headquarters says troops of Operation Delta Safe have destroyed 36 illegal refining sites and apprehended 22 suspected oil thieves in the last two weeks.

The director, defence media operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, said this while giving an update on the operations of the armed forces at a bi-weekly news briefing on Thursday in Abuja.

Mr Buba said troops also destroyed 61 dugout pits, 32 wooden boats, 87 storage tanks, three vehicles, 126 cooking ovens, three outboard engines, one speedboat, two motorcycles, one generator and two pumping machines.

He said the troops also recovered 310,700 litres of crude oil, 14,675 litres of Automotive Gas Oil, 49,000 litres of dual-purpose kerosene, one weapon and three pieces of ammunition.

According to him, “troops on July 24, intercepted and destroyed one wooden boat loaded with 1000 litres of product suspected to be stolen crude oil at Wellhead Cluster Opukushi Community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.”

In the Southeast, troops of Operation UDO KA conducted raids on camps/hideouts of Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network gunmen in Abia and Anambra States.

He said the troops also arrested suspected gunrunners, rescued kidnapped hostages and recovered arms and ammunition at Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra.

“In the conduct of the operations, troops recovered one AK47 rifle loaded with 35 rounds of 7.62mm special, six pump action guns, one locally made pistol, one dane gun, one locally made hand grenade, four vehicles, nine motorcycles, 925 machetes and 151 machetes sharpeners.

“Others are 1,080 sickles, Nigerian Police uniforms and boots, IPOB/ESN uniform, one speaker, raincoats and boots and a chain saw. Troops also apprehended three gunrunners and rescued nine kidnapped hostages.

“Overall, troops will sustain the momentum in tackling the security challenges and shall continue to fight the perpetrators to submission.

“It is expected that well-meaning Nigerians would continue to support the military and indeed stand with the military to flush out the perpetrators of these dastardly acts from among us. Together we can flush them out,” he said.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Thursday began the first phase of distribution of relief materials to 650 vulnerable persons and households affected by the 2022 floods in Bauchi state.

Suleiman Muhammad, assistant director, relief and rehabilitation at NEMA, said in Bauchi that the items would be distributed to households in the 20 local government areas of the state.

He said the distribution of the items represented the 2023 National Special Economic and Livelihood Emergency Intervention (SNELEI) programme for victims of the 2022 flood and the most vulnerable persons in the state.

“We are starting with the first phase of distribution to be followed by two other phases.

“The verification of registered flood victims for the SNELEI intervention was designed to provide support for victims of the 2022 disaster, targeting 13,226 households across Bauchi State.

“The relief materials include food items, livelihood support tools, and seedlings, among others, which will be distributed directly to victims to build their socio-economic resilience,’’ Mr Muhammad said.

They are rice, beans, soya beans, maize, groundnut oil, other cooking condiments, blankets, mattresses, mats, stoves, pots, soaps and mosquito nets.

Others are seedlings, pesticides, fertiliser, sewing machines, grinding machines, and sprayers, among others.

According to Mr Muhammad, the interventions will be implemented by NEMA in conjunction with the Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency.

Responding, Abdullahi Usman, chairman Bauchi state emergency management agency, commended the federal government for establishing a special programme to alleviate the sufferings of the vulnerable and of flood-affected persons.

Mr Usman said the distribution was timely and would alleviate the beneficiaries’ sufferings.

Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reacted to the tragic death of female doctor, Vwaere Diaso, in an elevator accident in General hospital, Odan in Lagos Island on Tuesday, August 1.

Vwaere, who was about to finish her housemanship in two weeks, had her life cut short when she used the elevator of the hospital and it crashed from the 10th floor to the ground floor.

She sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital where she passed away.

In a statement released, Gov Sanwo-Olu expressed his sadness over her demise. He added that an investigation into the cause of the mechanical fault in the elevator has commenced.

I was deeply saddened to hear about the tragic loss of Dr. Vwaere Diaso, a dedicated medical professional whose life was taken due to a mechanical failure within the elevator at the Doctors quarters of the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island. It is distressing to think that such a promising young doctor had her life cut short in such a devastating manner.

As a parent myself, I cannot help but feel the pain and sorrow that Dr. Diaso’s loved ones must be experiencing during this difficult time. My heart goes out to her parents, family members, friends, and colleagues who are grieving this profound loss.

To the Nigeria Medical Association, the Medical Guild, and all the doctors in Lagos State, I extend my deepest sympathies. Losing a fellow healthcare professional is a tremendous loss for the entire medical community.

In light of this tragedy, I have taken immediate action to initiate a thorough investigation into the cause of the mechanical failure. It is my sincere commitment that this investigation will be conducted with utmost transparency and fairness, leaving no room for any biases or favoritism.

Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this heartbreaking incident. May Dr. Vwaere Diaso’s soul rest in eternal peace, and may her memory serve as a reminder of the dedication and sacrifice of our healthcare professionals. Amen.”

The national president of the Heavy Duty Drivers Association, Uchenna Nebuwa, says members of the association and other drivers no longer use the second Niger Bridge due to security concerns.

Mr Nebuwa stated on Thursday in Onitsha that criminals had taken over the route, including the Obosi-Owerri axis of the road. According to him, hoodlums, armed robbers and kidnappers now operate along the bridge.

“Drivers are afraid because there is no adequate security on the second Niger Bridge. The federal government should provide security to secure lives and property.

Another worrisome one is the failed portions of Obosi-Owerri road, as our trucks fall on the road on a daily basis,” Mr Nebuwa explained.

“We have lost over N20 billion worth of vehicles and goods on that road.

He added, ”We are begging the federal government to help us fix the failed portions of Obosi-Owerri road as this will encourage drivers to be using the second Niger Bridge.”

The chairman of the Great Tippers Association of Nigeria in Anambra, Chukwuemeka Olekpe, expressed concern about the insecurity, saying armed robbers and kidnappers scared them away from using the bridge.

On his part, a commercial bus driver, Paul Osakwe, who plies Asaba-Owerri road, said,

“The bridge is not secure, it’s too lonely, you can’t even try to use it at night, even you inside the bus will be scared, the government should at least install a light on the bridge, maybe that will help.”

Seyi Martins, the engineer in charge of the bridge, attributed its low usage to the insecurity plaguing the South-East, adding that their mandate is to construct the bridge and open it to ease traffic.

Federal works ministry permanent secretary Mahmuda Mamman had while inspecting the vandalised part of the bridge on Monday, urged security agencies to keep criminals away from the bridge and surrounding areas.

Students of the Ondo State-owned Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA), have lamented the level of insecurity in the town owing to the late response of the security agencies, particularly the police, to distress calls.

In an open letter to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, the students noted that the police patrol vans were in “rickety conditions”, stressing that the development made them lose their properties to thieves and burglars.

Adekanye Adeboye, president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) at the university, in the letter obtained by Peoples Gazette on Wednesday, said the police officers in the town remained incapacitated due to a lack of functioning vans despite their dedication to duty.

“It is with a profound sense of concern, attention and urgency that I write this open letter to communicate the constant and unnecessary loss of students’ properties occasioned by the delay to urgent security happenstances in and around the Akungba community due to the poor and rickety condition of the vehicle used by Nigeria Police Force in Akungba-Akoko,” Mr Adeboye said in the letter signed by his spokesperson, Oki Hassan Victor.

He explained that the students have repeatedly called the state government’s attention to their plight but have yet to receive a serious response to development.

While urging the authorities to come to the student’s aid, Mr Adeboye maintained that the lives and properties of the undergraduate were being endangered.

“I must also state my outright disappointment in our previous attempt– which has not been taken seriously by our referenced authorities– to remedy this situation but all to no avail,”

Major cities in the Niger Republic are experiencing prolonged blackouts after Nigeria cut its power supply to the neighbouring West African country, according to Nigelec, an electricity company in Niger.

The development followed an emergency meeting by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), where sanctions, including freezing utility services, were imposed on the Niger Republic over its coup.

The cities of Niamey, Maradi, and Zinder each witnessed about an hour of electricity at a time before it went off for about five hours.

This is quite unusual in the Niger Republic, which usually enjoys a more reliable electricity supply. Niger Republic is heavily dependent on Nigeria for most of its electricity supplies.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria, when quizzed by the press on the Niger power cuts, declined to comment on the issue.

But an anonymous source disclosed to the BBC that the electricity supply to Niger was cut on Tuesday following a presidential directive.

On Sunday, West African leaders gave the military junta one week to give up power or face possible military intervention. ECOWAS defence chiefs are meeting in Nigeria to discuss the Niger crisis and the best resolution.

Niger’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, was ousted in a military coup last week by presidential guards.

General Abdourahmane Tchiani, the chief of the presidential guards, was installed as the head of state.

The coup sparked several demonstrations against the country’s former colonial power, with the French embassy coming under attack in the country.

France responded by evacuating its citizens from the country. About 262 French citizens evacuated from Niger Republic arrived in Paris early Wednesday. Meanwhile, a delegation from ECOWAS is meeting in Niger on Wednesday to hold talks.

The delegation is led by Nigeria’s General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who oversaw Nigeria’s transition from military rule to democracy in 1999.

Another notable delegation member reportedly includes the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III, who also wields huge influence in the Niger Republic.

The country joins Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso as countries currently under military rule.

Tragedy struck on Tuesday in Akure following over 24 hours of rainfall, which led to part of a building collapsing and causing the death of a man.

Witnesses told reporters on Wednesday that the incident occurred at 3:00 p.m. on Itedo Eledumare Street, Obale, in Akure North Local Government Area.

Elizabeth Columbus, a tenant in the collapsed bungalow, said a section of the building wall collapsed on Titus Adega and his five-year-old son, Kizito Adega, causing the death of the former.

The widow of the deceased, Margaret Adega, said the wall of the back section of the building suddenly fell on her husband and son, who were outside during the rainfall.

“I heard the loud cry of my son from deep in my sleep, and I rushed outside to discover him under the rubble of the collapsed wall of the building.

“I tried to extricate him and discovered the unconscious body of my husband on top of him. I believe my husband used his body to protect our son when the wall fell,” Mrs Adega said.

She said the neighbour assisted her to extricate them from the rubbles and rushed them to a nearby maternity centre.

“There, we were asked to take them to the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, but when we got there, he was confirmed dead on arrival,” she added.

The widow said the corpse had been deposited at the mortuary while their son, who had a fracture on the leg and slight bruises on the face, was receiving treatment.

Mrs Adega said that her husband’s corpse would be taken to Benue for burial immediately after her son was discharged from the hospital.

Gabriel Folahan, the head of the Children’s Emergency Room, said young Adega was brought in at 4:52 p.m. with bruises on the face and a leg fracture.

Mr Folahan said the child would be referred to the orthopaedic ward for traction on Thursday.

The rainfall wreaked havoc in other parts of Oba-Ile and the Airport road; streams overflowed their banks, causing floods that submerged some buildings and destroyed personal properties and fences.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction of one Misbah Ahmed before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court on a one-count charge bordering on false information.

The defendant misled operatives of the commission into believing that a huge sum of money in foreign currency was stashed in a residence located at Federal Housing Low-cost, Tudun Wada, Zamfara State.

The charge reads,

“That you, Misbah Ahmad, sometime in June 2023 at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of the Kaduna State High Court, willfully gave false information to an officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; that a large sum of money in United States of America currency (USD) was fraudulently kept at a residence located at Federal Housing Low-cost, Tudun Wada Zamfara State, which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 39(a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment ) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 39(2) (b) of the same Act”.

He pleaded guilty to the charge. Consequently, the prosecution counsel, K.S Ogunlade, urged the court to convict him accordingly.

Justice Khobo convicted and sentenced him to one-year imprisonment or a fine of N 100,000.

The Nigerian Army has approved an upward review of monthly ration allowance to soldiers, taking it from N1,000 to N1,200 ($1.50) in a memo shared on social media.

The approval, which decried rising challenges for troops following the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu, came on July 27, according to the memo signed by Emmanuel Emekah, a major-general, on behalf of the chief of army staff, Taoreed Lagbaja.

How the memo leaked on social media was unclear, but officers confirmed its authenticity to Peoples Gazette.

“Sequel to the recent removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government of Nigeria, with its attendant rise in the prices of goods and services across the country, the COAS has graciously approved upward review of ration cash allowance of troops from N1,000 to N1,200 with effect from August 2023,” Mr Emekah said.

While the allowance is separate from monthly salaries, soldiers have already started grumbling about the poor remuneration in the military.

“Members of my unit are already complaining that the allowance is just too poor,” a lieutenant told The Gazette by telephone Wednesday afternoon.

“They were expecting about N5,000 in ration allowance because their salaries are too low already.”

“Most of them earn less than N70,000 per month,” the lieutenant added under anonymity to comment on internal brass decisions.

A spokesman for the Nigerian Army did not immediately return a request seeking comments about the announcement.

The development memo surfaced as Nigerians are groaning over the new subsidy regime, which has seen commodity prices rise exponentially following Mr Tinubu’s decision to stop subsidising petrol for Nigerian households.

Protests were held across the country as part of efforts among labour unions to force the president to reconsider the policy, which was first introduced in the 1970s when the Nigerian economy became increasingly dependent on crude exports.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured the prosecution and conviction of 1,445 drug traffickers nationwide from January to June.

NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, stated that the cases were concluded at the Federal High Court.

Mr Babafemi said the process was carried out by the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services of NDLEA with the trial of 11,166 other drug suspects in court.

According to him, out of the 1,445 convicts, 221 of them are female, while the balance of 1,224 are male.

“The 1,445 convicts and 11,166 suspects who are still facing trial were arrested and charged to court over the seizure of 555,953.70 kilogrammes of various drugs.

“The drugs, which were namely cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, tramadol and others, were linked to them from January to June 2023,” he said.

Meanwhile, a 34-year-old South American man from Suriname, Dadda Lorenzo, was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Rivers, for drug trafficking.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction of one Misbah Ahmed before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court on a one-count charge bordering on false information.

The defendant misled operatives of the commission into believing that a huge sum of money in foreign currency was stashed in a residence located at Federal Housing Low-cost, Tudun Wada, Zamfara State.

The charge reads,

“That you, Misbah Ahmad, sometime in June 2023 at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of the Kaduna State High Court, willfully gave false information to an officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; that a large sum of money in United States of America currency (USD) was fraudulently kept at a residence located at Federal Housing Low-cost, Tudun Wada Zamfara State, which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 39(a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment ) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 39(2) (b) of the same Act”.

He pleaded guilty to the charge. Consequently, the prosecution counsel, K.S Ogunlade, urged the court to convict him accordingly.

Justice Khobo convicted and sentenced him to one-year imprisonment or a fine of N 100,000.

The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Olalekan Balogun, has pledged his support to the EFCC in tackling illegal mining activities in Ibadan and other parts of the country.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spokesperson Wilson Uwujaren on Tuesday.

The statement said Mr Balogun made the pledge when the acting zonal commander of the Ibadan command of the EFCC, Halima Rufa’u, visited him on Tuesday.

He commended the EFCC commander for coming to his palace when the fight against illegal mining in Ibadan was on the rise.The monarch also expressed pleasure that the EFCC was a major stakeholder in this fight.

“It is evident, and we are aware, that the commission has been tackling the menace of illegal mining activities head-on. I can assure you of my full support, including the support of all the traditional chiefs in Ibadan, to make sure that the illegal activities come to an end,” the monarch stated.

He also commended the acting zonal commander for expediting positive action as regards land and property fraud cases.

Mr Balogun, however, stressed the need for the commission to do more in curbing the menace of cybercrime and other related fraudulent activities amongst the youth.

The EFCC commander thanked Mr Balogun for receiving her while assuring the paramount ruler that the Ibadan zonal command would do more to curb the menace of cybercrime in Oyo.

Ms Rufa’u said EFCC would continue to tackle the activities of illegal mineral operators that had undermined the state’s and country’s development through non-payment of royalties, taxes and other dues.