At least 35 persons were killed in two auto crashes that occurred in Kebbi on Sunday and on Monday.

FRSC sector commander in the state, Yusuf Aliyu-Haruna, told journalists in Binrin Kebbi on Tuesday that 40 other persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in the accidents.

He added that three vehicles were involved in the two crashes.

“Twelve persons lost their lives in the accident that occurred on Kalgo-Bunza Road on Sunday involving two vehicles.

“On Monday, 23 persons lost their lives while travelling in a truck carrying assorted grains from Illela to Ibadan on Jega-Koko Road.“Injured victims were taken to General Hospitals in Kalgo and Jega Local Government Areas,’’ he said.

Mr Aliyu-Haruna attributed the accidents to overloading, over-speeding and use of expired tyres.

He cautioned motorists, especially commercial vehicle drivers, against excessive speeding and the use of expired tyres to ensure highway safety.

The sector commander advised motorists against the consumption of illicit substances and urged passengers to support the crusade against reckless driving in Kebbi.

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says the federal government will invest N14 billion to improve the welfare of Nation Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and staff.

Mr Dare said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the 2023 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) annual management conference.

The conference has “Optimising the Operations of NYSC @ 50 for National Development” as its theme.

According to him, the document containing other reform proposals has been submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari and is awaiting his assent.

“It is for us to increase and improve the quality of the uniforms of our corps members, increase their bicycle allowance, their feeding allowance and compensation to the staff.

“All of that has been done and has gone to the relevant ministry and finance.“I am sure that as it makes its way to the presidency, it will get a positive response that will see an injection of N14 billion into the corps and staff welfare for the NYSC,” he said.

Mr Dare added that one of the major components of the NYSC Trust Fund was to extend the Skills Acquisition Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme carried out during the orientation course from three weeks to one year.

He, however, challenged the scheme to develop reforms that would make it better than what it was presently.

He emphasised the need to carry Nigerian youths along in decision-making processes at all levels, saying that the nation could not afford to neglect them.

“We also need internal reforms because we deal with a very sensitive population; since the EndSARS happened, no segment of this country can ever or should ever ignore the youth of our country.

“The youth of this country deserve investment in skills, but also those of us entrusted with taking care of them must be sensitive to their needs and also to the issues that are affecting them today,” said the minister.

The director-general of NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed, said since the establishment of NYSC in 1973, it had remained a reference point for other organisations owing to its vital role in promoting national unity and integration.

Mr Ahmed, while commending the contributions of all stakeholders to the achievements of the scheme so far, said the NYSC would use the conference to consolidate and build on them by evolving new ideas for greater impact.

The director-general called on critical stakeholders to support the scheme addressing some of its challenges, adding that he also hoped the NYSC Trust Fund would be actualised soon.

The police on Tuesday arraigned a 56-year-old man, Oladimeji David, before an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing two he-goats.

The police prosecutor, Johnson Okunade, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 13 at about 4:00 p.m. in Ado-Ekiti.

Mr Okunade alleged that the he-goats were worth N80,000 and belonged to Nurudeen Ambali and Olubodun Iyabo.He said the offence contravened section 320(1) (a) of the Criminal Laws of Ekiti State 2021.

The prosecutor prayed for an adjournment to enable him to study the case file and present his witnesses.The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The defence counsel, Adunni Olanipekun, urged the court to grant her client bail, and assured the court that her client would not jump bail.

Chief magistrate A.O Adeosun granted a N50,000 bail to the defendant with one surety in like sum, and adjourned the case until April 6 for hearing.

The Anambra state police command has said the suspected armed robbers burnt by a mob in the state were already on fire before the officers of the Command arrived at the scene.

Five suspected robbers were burnt beyond recognition on Saturday, March 25, as they were captured, stoned to death and burnt to ashes by some angry youths.

It was alleged that the suspects specialized in robbing people of their phones and other belongings at gunpoint, and were operating in a tricycle (popularly known as Keke Napep), before they were captured and by some youths who immediately ‘dealt’ with them into death.

Reacting to the incident, the Spokesperson of the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said they got to the scene of the incident at about 5:30 pm, only to see that the suspected thieves had already been set ablaze.

He also revealed that the officers recovered some phones of different brands from the scene.

“The Operatives recovered 5 phones of different brands and a tricycle suspected to have been stolen by the suspects who were lynched. Meanwhile, the Command condemns this act in totality and has always encouraged the public to take suspects to police stations whenever they are apprehended, this will help the Police to conduct proper investigations into the activities of the suspects and bring them to justice under extant laws. Investigation is still ongoing and further development shall be communicated.”he said

Former Chief of General Staff to late military dictator Sani Abacha, Lt-General Oladipo Diya, is dead.

Mr Diya’s demise at 79 was announced in a statement by his son, Oyesinmilola Diya, on Sunday morning.

“On behalf of the entire Diya family home and abroad; we announce the passing on to glory of our dear husband, father, grandfather, brother, Lt-General Donaldson Oladipo Oyeyinka Diya,” the statement reads.

The statement added that;

“Our dear Daddy passed onto glory in the early hours of 26th March 2023.”Born on April 3, 1943, at Odogbolu in Ogun State, Mr Diya was appointed Chief of General Staff by the Abacha regime in 1993.He was arrested and jailed by the same regime for treason in 1997, but later freed after Mr Abacha’s death.

The Lagos State Ministry of Justice has set up plans to prosecute Oluwaseun Osibanjo, the driver of the BRT bus that collided with a moving train in Lagos, with a 16-count charge of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm.

A statement signed on Friday by the Director of Public Affairs in the ministry, Grace Alo, said the horrific incident which involved staff of the Lagos State Government heading to work in the staff bus as well as passengers of the train, resulted in six fatalities.

“About 96 others are with various degrees of injuries and the injured victims are hospitalized across many government hospitals in the state,” Mrs Alo said.

Recall that on the morning of March 9, a staff bus collided with a train at the PWD railway crossing at Ikeja and the train dragged the bus with its passengers along the tracks until it came to a stop at Sogunle, a suburb of Ikeja.

“Upon the receipt and review of the case file by the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP), a prima facie case of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm were disclosed against the driver of the Staff bus.

“Accordingly, he is to be charged with 6 counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of grievous bodily harm.

“Both offences are contrary to Sections 224 and 245 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015,” the statement read.

The statement added that the DPP office would immediately file charges against the driver.

However, his arraignment before the Ikeja High Court would be delayed until he is fully fit to stand trial, having sustained serious injuries during the accident.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has hailed the decision of the House of Representatives to step down a bill to decriminalise cannabis cultivation, sale and use in Nigeria.

NDLEA chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, gave the commendation in a statement issued by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi on Friday in Abuja.

The House of Representatives had stepped down the bill on Thursday.Responding to the development, the NDLEA boss said the decision of the lawmakers to reject the bill would further strengthen the gains so far made in the renewed war against drug abuse and trafficking in the country.

Mr Marwa said the 2018 drug survey figure of 10.6 million Nigerians abusing cannabis alone was enough to sound the alarm bell.

He said that the strong nexus between drug abuse and the security challenges across the country was incontrovertible.

According to him, insecurity, as manifested in banditry, insurgency ,kidnapping and others, is today a full-blown malady.

“Yet there has never been a government that is more committed to ending this spate of insecurity than the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.

Mr Marwa said the president has matched political willpower with resources, but the scope and frequency of these acts of destabilisation and the audacity displayed by the perpetrators call for a second, critical look at the malaise.

He said, “the persistence of the problem has forced on us the necessity to start to look at likely extraneous factors that might be sustaining the resistance from the criminal elements and in doing so, try to connect the dots.

“The permutations will lead to a list of probable causes, which will not exclude the use and abuse of illicit substances. In the final analysis, drug abuse is indeed one of the factors fueling insecurity.

“As such, Nigeria cannot afford to permit the cultivation, sale and use of the most abused illicit drug under whatever guise.

“This is why the decision by the honourable members of the House of Representatives to reject the reintroduction of the cannabis bill is a welcome and cheering news to us in NDLEA.

“It is a big thing also to the Nigerian public, especially parents who daily and silently contend with the pains of seeing millions of their kids and wards go down under the devastating effects of cannabis abuse,” he said.

Mr Marwa said history would never forget those who stand with parents to protect them and their children against the dangers of drug abuse.

Son of a retired police officer, Chief James Omafuaire, and another man were abducted while on their way from Ugbokuli to Ekiadolor in Ovia Northeast Local Government Area of Edo State, yesterday, March 23.

Bernard Omafuaire and the other man were moving palm produce in a truck to a location when they were attacked by the kidnappers. The truck driver escaped into the bush.

The distraught father told The Nation;

“I have oil palm farm in the area. My son went for harvesting. He loaded the palm fruits into the truck, while he joined a motorbike, riding behind the truck.

“The truck driver suddenly sighted the armed men, jumped out of the truck, and ran into the bush. My son and the bike rider were not aware of what was happening ahead, and they ran into the kidnappers, who took them away.

“I have been trying my son’s line, but it’s not going through. Nobody has contacted me. I called police control room, but I was told to make a formal report at Ekiadolor police station. I pray and hope that they should not be hurt. The kidnappers should please quickly release them unconditionally.”

Jigawa State government has reduced the official working hours in the state by two hours during the 2023 Ramadan period.

This was contained in a statement signed by the State Head of the Civil Service, Hussaini Kila and issued to newsmen by his Public Relations Officer, Ismail Dutse.

According to the statement, civil servants in the state would report to the office at 9 am and close by 3 pm between Mondays and Thursdays instead of 5 pm.

“Furthermore, workers would report to work on Fridays by 9 am and close by 1 pm as usual,” he said.

He explained that the gesture is aimed at providing more opportunities for civil servants to prepare for their Ramadan break and also to have more time to observe the spiritual activities of the Holy Month.

The government expressed hope that civil servants in the state would use the Ramadan period to pray for God’s guidance and blessings for the state.

“It is also hoped that civil servants would use the fasting period to pray for the peace and economic prosperity of the state and Nigeria at large”. the statement added.