The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, George Akume, says the organized labour committed treason by shutting down the national grid during the nationwide strike.

Akume made this statement on Thursday in Abuja at a meeting with the National Executive Council NEC, of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN.

“Nowhere in the world has labour ever tampered with the national grid. It is treason. Treasonable felony is economic sabotage; you don’t do that.

“We are trying to rebuild the economy. The president is picking it up, and they want to destroy it. Of what use is that to all of us? That is not the way,” he said.

The SGF, while speaking on the efforts of the government to ease the economic hardship in the country, assured that Compressed Natural Gas, CNG buses, rice, and other essentials would soon be available to Nigerians to ease the hardship.

“It is not that we are not working. We are working, and that is why we implemented the N35,000 wage, which is more than the minimum wage.

“There are buses ready to be distributed, and soon, rice and other essentials will be available,” he added.

According to him, the church must partner with the government in the provision of infrastructure for the citizens.

“The church must collaborate with the government in providing facilities for people, whether it is in education, health, or agriculture,” Akume said.

Bandits, on Thursday, killed 12 villagers and seven policemen in an attack on a Zamfara State community.

Commissioner of Police in the state, Muhammad Shehu Dalijan, who confirmed the attack, said the killing took place at Magarya village in Zurmi Local Government Area.

He added that among the victims were a member of the Zamfara State Community Guards, also known as Askarawan Zamfara and four residents of the village.

The CP said the bandits, numbering about 300, stormed the village on motorbikes, and on arrival, surrounded “our men and opened fire on them, thereby killing seven of them and injuring several others.”

“The bandits were not happy with our men who prevented them from carrying out their heinous act for over two years now.

“Since the deployment of police to the area, the bandits could not have a chance to attack the village,” he said.

The police commissioner said more police personnel would be deployed to the area.

A Nigerian national was sentenced to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay $524,000 in restitution and a money judgment in the amount of $868,295 for his role in a hybrid romance scam and business email compromise scheme.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, the scheme began in July 2015 when a co-conspirator initiated a romance scam with a 56-year-old widow in New Mexico using the alias “Sean Bartlett.” The co-conspirator convinced the victim that he was an engineer working on lucrative oil contracts and promised to marry the victim but instructed her to send him money for supposed business expenses.

On September 13, 2015, Uchenna Nlemchi opened a personal bank account at Amegy Bank in his own name. Sixteen days later, Nlemchi opened a fraudulent business bank account at the same bank in the name of the non-existent “Jay Auto & Machine Parts,” listing himself as the sole owner.

Following the co-conspirator’s instructions over the next few months, the victim made several transfers into accounts controlled by Nlemchi totaling over $375,000 from her retirement savings and a home equity loan. This included wiring $45,000 on October 7th to another person’s account, before sending $35,000 directly to the “Jay Auto & Machine Parts” account on October 9th, the same day the other person wired $44,000 into that account.

On October 22nd, the victim transferred $125,346 from her and her late husband’s IRA accounts into Nlemchi’s “Jay Auto & Machine Parts” bank account. Then on December 7th, she took out a $170,000 home equity loan and immediately transferred the full amount to that account.

Separately in late 2015, a German citizen attempting to purchase a Miami condo received fraudulent wire instructions after a hacker compromised her attorney’s email. The German victim then wired money intended for the condo purchase to the New Mexico victim’s account. A co-conspirator then instructed the New Mexico victim to forward over $200,000 of those funds to Nlemchi’s accounts.

Nlemchi rapidly withdrew and transferred globally over $868,000 that was deposited into the “Jay Auto & Machine Parts” account from the New Mexico victim and other fraud proceeds. Nlemchi abandoned the fraudulent accounts on February 29, 2016, as bank investigators closed in.

At the time, Nlemchi was in the United States on a student visa and attended Texas Southern University. He was arrested in Houston, Texas in 2017 and released on electronic monitoring in the third-party custody of his wife and ordered to surrender his passport.

Nlemchi escaped from his monitoring system and fled to Mexico, then to Brazil, then back to his home in Nigeria. Nlemchi was an international fugitive for more than five years until his arrest in Hungary in 2023.

Nlemchi pleaded guilty in federal court to one count each of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in February 2024.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Nlemchi will be required to serve 3 years of supervised release and will be subject to deportation proceedings.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Albuquerque Division of the FBI investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department during the extradition process. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Peña is prosecuting the case.

A 59-year-old man in Mexico has died with a type of bird flu – H5N2 – never recorded in people before now.

There is no risk to the wider public, say authorities, and none of the man’s close contacts have caught the virus.
It is unclear how he got it, although there have been cases in some poultry farms in Mexico.

Infections like this can sometime pass from animals to humans.

The man had other underlying health issues that likely made him vulnerable.

He had been bedridden for weeks before getting sick with fever and shortness of breath from bird flu, according to officials.

There is no evidence that the virus could start spreading between people and cause an outbreak, they say.

The World Health Organization and other authorities monitor strains of flu, like this one, that could have the potential mutate and become a threat.

Three more babies have died after developing whooping cough in England.

Eight infants have died between January and April 2024, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). This is three times more than the previously reported figure for the year so far.

Health officials are urging pregnant women to get the whooping cough vaccine.

In England, provisionally there were 4,793 laboratory-confirmed cases reported to the UKHSA between January and April with 555 cases in January 2024, 920 in February, 1,430 in March and 1,888 cases in April.

The UKHSA said the first signs of whooping cough are similar to a cold, but after about a week more symptoms can develop.

Throughout the whole of 2023, the UKHSA said there were 858 recorded cases of whooping cough.

Last month health officials said five babies in England died after being diagnosed with the infection.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.

The disease is characterised by severe coughing fits, often accompanied by a “whooping” sound when breathing in after coughing.

It can be particularly dangerous for infants and young children, so vaccination is crucial for prevention.

Senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, Dr Michael Head, said at the time the data “illustrates just how serious whooping cough is – it can and does kill babies”.

He added a fall in vaccinations “will be a key factor contributing to this rise in cases of whooping cough,” and noted that it “is as infectious as measles, and more infectious than COVID-19”.

Whooping cough can be called the “100-day cough” because of how long it can take to recover from it, and it spreads very easily.

Men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency intercepted a cocaine shipment at Emerald Hotel, Ladipo, Oshodi, Lagos, on Wednesday and arrested four suspects, attempting to smuggle the drug to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage.

This was made known in a statement by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, shared on the agency’s website on Thursday.

According to the statement the suspects, Usman Kamorudeen (31), Olasunkanmi Owolabi (46), Fatai Yekini (38), and Ayinla Kemi (34), had prepared 200 cocaine pellets (2.20kg) to ingest before their flight.

The statement read, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have raided Emerald Hotel, Ladipo area of Oshodi, Lagos State where some intending pilgrims to the ongoing hajj in Saudi Arabia were lodged and caught in the act of ingesting wraps of cocaine ahead of their flight to the holy land on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.

‘Those arrested during the intelligence-led operation include Usman Kamorudeen, 31; Olasunkanmi Owolabi, 46; Fatai Yekini, 38; and a lady, Ayinla Kemi, 34.

“The four suspects were lodged in two rooms in the hotel where they had prepared 200 pellets of cocaine weighing 2.20kg to swallow when NDLEA officers stormed their rooms.

“100 wraps of the Class A substance were recovered from each of the two rooms bringing the total seizure to 200 wraps. Two suspects were to swallow 100 wraps each.”

The NDLEA boss, Buba Marwa, also stated that the Agency will work with their counterparts in Saudi Arabia to ensure that the designated recipients of the seized illicit drug consignments in any part of Saudi Arabia are also traced and dealt with accordingly.

Kano State Police Command has arrested 19 suspects for alleged armed robbery, cattle rustling and kidnapping in different parts of the state.

This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the spokesman of the command, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa.

Kiyawa gave the names of the suspects as: Auwal Fulani, aged 27 years old, Abdullahi Salisu, aged 28 years old, Halilu Adamu, aged 37 years old and Abdulkarim Harisu, aged 37 years old.

Others were Alhassan Abubakar, aged 20 years old, Sani Abdullahi, aged 45 years old, Tasiu Jamilu, aged 25 years old, Sani Muhammad, aged 45 years old and Auwal Umar, aged 25 years old.

He said the police also arrested Usman Abdullahi, aged 26 years old, Mustapha Umar, aged 25 years, Nazifi Abdullahi, aged 30, Isa Abbas, aged 21, Junaidu Hamisu aged 33, and Abdulrazak Aliyu, aged 22 years old.

Kiyawa said the weapons recovered from the suspects included: 2 AK-47 rifles, one Smoke Pistol, one Pump Action rifle, 26 rounds of 7.2mm live ammunition, 17 live cartridges, 2 motor vehicles, 16 rams, dangerous weapons and house-breaking implements,

He added that the feat was achieved through the efforts of the State Police Command in checkmating violent and criminal activities in all parts of the state to ensure the safety and security of the residents.

Kiyawa said that the command’s robust crime prevention patrols led to the arrest of the suspects.

He said all the suspects were presently undergoing detailed investigation at the Criminal Investigation Department of the command after which they would be charged to court.

One Dauda Jolaosho, a resident of Alako Nla village, along Kobape Road, Abeokuta, has alleged that his neighbor shot and killed his wife over unpaid solar light debt.

Jolaosho, 44, who is a fish farmer, alleged on Wednesday that his neighbour and friend, Saheed Olawale, a timbre operator, shot him and his wife but while he survived with a gunshot wound on his arm, his wife died instantly.

Narrating the tragic incident, Jolaosho stated that the incident which occurred on Wednesday, April 2024, had left him completely shattered, as his wife left behind eight months old twins, and three other children aged 13, 10 and five.

He said, “This incident actually started on April 23, 2024. I was about to go out when the people that we bought solar light from came to my house.

“We actually bought these solar lights from them last year, in March; we made a deposit of N10,000 after which we are now paying N1150 every week, the total money is around N67,000.

“And I have been paying what is due for this solar light every week, in fact, what I have left to pay is N3,000. So when these people came to my house, they said that they wanted to check on Olawale too, who is also popularly called Komaye.

“The next thing, I saw him coming with the local gun and while my wife was on her knees begging him not to shoot, he suddenly pulled the trigger and I was hit on my arm, but when I looked back I found my wife of almost 18 years in the pool of her blood, she was dead”.

The fish farmer said the incident was first reported at Kemta police station, Abeokuta, after which it was transferred to the Ogun State police command, Eleweran, Abeokuta.

He added that his late wife was buried on Tuesday at Alako Nla, Abeokuta.

While demanding justice for his wife, he implored the Ogun State government and Nigerians to help him care for the five children left behind.

The Divisional Police Officer of Kemta, CSP Wale Famobuwa, in a conference call with the spokesperson of Ogun State police command, SP Omolola Odutola confirmed the incident.

The DPO said, “the incident was reported to our station between 12 and 2pm on that day and we went to the scene of the crime.

“What happened was that the husband of the woman who was shot dead was engaged in a fight with the alleged killer of the woman.

“He was said to have threatened to stone the man who later killed his wife, but this alleged killer warned him not to do that and that if he should stone him, he would shoot him.

“Jolaosho, however, reportedly went ahead to stone Olawale after which he (Olawale) drew out his dane gun and shot at Jolaosho and his wife who was trying to broker peace.”

The police added that Olawale was still at large and vowed to bring him to book.

The Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday adjourned the trial of celebrity bartender Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, to June 25, 2024.

Okechukwu is facing three counts of alleged abuse of Naira notes.

On April 17, 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned Okechukwu for allegedly spraying and tampering with Naira notes during a social event at Eko Hotel in Lagos.

Okechukwu pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted a bail set at N10m.

At the previous hearing on May 2, Okechukwu’s defence counsel, Mr Chikaosolu Ojukwu (SAN), informed the court that both parties were exploring a settlement under Section 14(2) of the EFCC Act.

Ojukwu pointed out the potential for a plea bargain agreement, which the EFCC counsel, Bilkisu Buhari, confirmed.

Ojukwu then requested a short adjournment for the parties to report back on the settlement progress.

He also withdrew a preliminary objection challenging the court’s jurisdiction, a motion which the court subsequently struck out.

The case was adjourned to June 5, 2024, for a settlement report.

However, on Wednesday, when the matter came up Justice Kehinde Ogundare was informed that Okechukwu’s counsel, Mr. Chikaosolu Ojukwu, was unable to attend and had requested another adjournment.

Consequently, the case was rescheduled to June 25, 2024, for mention.

The EFCC’s charges allege that Okechukwu tampered with N500 notes while dancing at a social event, an act which contravened Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act of 2007.

British banknotes bearing the image of King Charles III entered circulation for the first time on Wednesday, nearly two years after he succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

The four banknotes with the king’s portrait on the front carry values of £5 ($6.4), £10, £20 and £50 and will be used alongside those bearing the image of Elizabeth, who died in September 2022.

Coins bearing Charles’s head entered circulation in December 2022.

The updates come as Britons increasingly use physical and online bank cards, rather than cash, to make payments.

But Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey called it “a historic moment”, with the late queen having served a record 70 years on the throne.

“We know that cash is important for many people, and we are committed to providing banknotes for as long as the public demand them,” he added.

Based on a photograph owned by the royal household and made available in 2013, Charles in late 2022 approved the final designs of the notes featuring his engraved portrait.

The new cash — made from polymer that has already been used to replace paper money in the UK since 2016 — will gradually replace the older notes.

Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has called on all Muslims across the Kingdom to participate in the sighting of the crescent moon of the Arabic month Dhu Al Hijjah tomorrow evening, Thursday.

This action is expected to help determine the commencement of the new and last month of the Hijr and also the day the festival falls on (Islamic) calendar.

Eid Al Adha, the biggest Islamic festival falls on the 10th of Dhu Al Hijjah.

“If Friday, June 7, is confirmed the first day of Dhu Al Hijjah, Eid Al Al Adha will fall on Sunday June 16,” it read.

Gulf News reports that the court urged individuals capable of observing the crescent moon, whether with the naked eye or through binoculars to approach the nearest court and provide their testimony.

They are requested to register their testimony or contact the nearest centre to help him reach the nearest court.

Meanwhile, Inside the Haramain, has also posted on Wednesday on its X, #insharifain, a related report.

The agency is the official handle of the news publication generating from the two holy mosques in Mecca and Madinah.

“The Supreme Court calls on all Muslims in Saudi Arabia to investigate the crescent of Dhu al-Hijjah tomorrow evening, Thursday, 29 Dhu al-Qadah 1445 H, corresponding to 6 June 2024.

“The sighting of the crescent will confirm the days of Hajj, including the Day of Arafah and Eid Al Adha,” the post read.

Fire gutted no fewer than five shops on Tuesday at the Timber Market in Kenyatta Street, Uwani, Enugu.

It was gathered that prompt response by the State Fire Service quenched the fire from spreading to other parts of the plywood market.

A firefighter, who preferred anonymity, said the service received a distress call around 9.45 pm that the market was on fire and it immediately swung into action and quenched the fire before it spread to other parts of the market.

“As you can see, only about five shops were affected by the fire in this big market. I cannot say much on this incident as I am not the Chief Fire Officer,” the fireman said.

Meanwhile, an eyewitness who identified himself as Joe, told the News Agency of Nigeria that some neighbours in the area rushed to the market and within a few minutes the fire service arrived and quenched the fire.

”I thank God and the fire service for the quick response, otherwise, it would have been disastrous,” he said.

Police operatives in Adamawa State have arrested two men suspected to be armed robbers.

The duo were said to be among five men who have been terrorizing motorists along the Numan-Lafiya road connecting Adamawa and Gombe states.

A statement from the Adamawa State Police Command obtained Wednesday morning gave the names of the two now in custody as Bello Siddiki, aged 31 years; and Hammadu Saidu, aged 25; both residents of Sabewa Borrong, in Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

The arrest resulted from a thorough investigation carried out on the directives of the state commissioner of Police, the statement said.

According to the statement signed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Suleiman Nguroje, “these criminals are involved in multiple attacks on motorists along the highway, including the recent robbery of a Sienna Bus conveying passengers from Abuja to Yola, including one Hassan Kwaji, during which they attacked and robbed them of their handsets and other valuables.”

The statement listed items recovered from the suspects as two machetes, a knife, a handset, and a SIM card believed to have been used in commission of crimes.

The suspects will be charged to court to face the full consequences of their actions,” the Police assured.

Two persons have escaped death in a lone road crash which occurred at Gbongan, Osun State.

The accident, according to the Osun Sector Command on the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, occurred along the Babalakin, Gbongan on Tuesday around 2:35 pm.

A statement by the Osun Sector Commander, Inyang Umoh, issued by the spokesperson, Agnes Ogungbemi, said the accident involved a white coloured Toyota Hiace commercial bus with registration number BDG756YH.

Ogungbemi in the statement said the remote cause of the accident was speed limit violation and a burst tyre.

She also said 19 persons – 18 passengers and a driver – were in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

She also disclosed that the injured had been taken to a health facility for medical attention.

“Two injured victims were taken to Adeoye Medical Centre Gbongan for treatment, and the crash vehicle handed over to NPF Gbongan.”

Meanwhile, the Sector Commander Corps Commander Inyang Edet Umoh warned the motoring public to drive carefully and maintain the normal speed specification.

Lecturers at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, have suspended their three weeks old industrial action.

The lecturers had on the 10th of May, 2024, embarked on the strike, following the failure of the management of the Polytechnic to domesticate the approved 35% and 25% salary increment for the staff of MAPOLY and ensure payment of a minimum of four (4) Semesters out of the six (6) outstanding Semesters Part-Time allowances.

They also demanded the immediate roll-out of APER forms of 2021/2022 for processing, immediate completion and release of 2020/2021 promotion letters and appointments, as well as immediate conclusion and release of the delayed Conversion, Upgrading and Regularization list.

Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics(ASUP), MAPOLY chapter, Adegunle Tomisi, on Tuesday, disclosed that the resumption followed the management readiness to address the various demands of the workers.

Tomisi, however, called for immediate payment of arrears of earned allowances on the 2020 staff promotions and immediate conclusion of the 2019/2020 appointment exercise of the institution.

The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested four notorious kidnappers suspected to have partaken in several kidnappings in the northwest.

The operatives of the Command also recovered firearms including an AK47 rifle, a locally made pistol, and three cartridges.

ASP Mansir Hassan, the state command spokesman in a statement said, “On 29th May 2024, acting on a tip-off from a concerned citizen, a joint patrol team comprising officers from the Saminaka Division and the Hunters Group in Lere Local Government Area (LGA) successfully arrested three suspects involved in kidnapping and cattle rustling.”

He explained that the suspects are Isah Baffa Rabo, male, 30 years old, from Maibindiga Village, Lere LGA, implicated in kidnappings for ransom in Zango Kataf LGA and Kachia LGA, Ja’afaru Sale, male, 30 years old, from Durumi Village, Lere LGA and Umar Musa, male, 24 years old, from Durumi Village, Lere LGA.

He added that the suspects confessed to being part of a kidnapping syndicate in Lere LGA and admitted to stealing two cattle, which they sold to Idris Abubakar, a male, 47 years old, from Dokan Lere, who was also arrested.

According to the statement, “Recovered items include a locally made single-barrel gun, a cutlass, and three mobile phones. The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.”

In the same vein, the statement said following credible intelligence information about the suspicious movement of an armed bandit, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Tudun Wada Zaria Division led a swift action resulting in the arrest of one Hussaini, a male, 70 years old, from Tudunjukun in Zaria.

It said that the arrest took place at about 0250 hours. During the operation, an AK-47 rifle, a locally made pistol, and three cartridges were recovered from the suspect, saying that the suspect is helping the police in investigations to apprehend his accomplice and will be charged to court soon.

The Commissioner of Police, Ali Audu Dabigi, assured the public that the Kaduna State Police Command remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of all citizens and will continue to act decisively against criminal elements in the state.

A Senegalese court has jailed two men for “spreading false news” after they accused Ousmane Sonko, the country’s new prime minister, of tolerating homosexuality.

Activist Bah Diakhate and Imam Cheikh Ahmed Tidiane Ndao were jailed for three months and fined 100,000 CFA francs ($165, £130) each.

They had been angered that Mr Sonko had allowed a visiting French politician to express his support for same-sex marriages.

Homosexual acts are banned in the mainly Muslim West African country and are punishable by up to five years in prison.

The political activist and the preacher were arrested two weeks ago after posting a video attacking Mr Sonko for giving a platform to Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a far-left French politician.

Mr Mélenchon gave his opinion about same-sex marriages at a student forum in the capital, Dakar, in mid-May.

His comments reportedly sparked boos from the audience at Cheikh Anta Diop University.

In response Mr Sonko said that Western countries should show restraint on social matters such as LGBTQ rights as it could “lead to anti-Western sentiment”.

Senegal would continue to manage issues around homosexuality in accordance with its socio-cultural norms, the prime minister said.

He was quoted as saying that homosexuality was “not accepted, but tolerated” in Senegal.

Mr Sonko, a former firebrand opposition leader, was appointed prime minister in April after his ally Bassirou Diomaye Faye was elected president.

They were freed from prison not long before the vote in an amnesty aimed at calming months of political turmoil after the outgoing president had tried to postpone the election.

The pair campaigned on a promise of radical change – with an Afrocentric and nationalist agenda, promising to reset Senegal’s relationship with France, the country’s former colonial power.

The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have suspended their nationwide strike which entered one day on Monday. .

Disclosing this on Tuesday in Abuja after the union held a joint extraordinary national executive council meeting with the NLC, the TUC President Festus Osifo, said a communiqué to that effect would soon be issued.

Confirming the suspension of the industrial action to Channels Television, Mr Osifo said, “A joint NEC meeting of TUC/NLC has approved to relax the industrial action for one week with immediate effect.”

This latest development came after both unions signed an agreement with the Federal Government at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.

The mass action by both unions was over the failure of the government to meet its demands for the increment in the minimum wage for workers and the reversal of the hike in electricity tariff.

The industrial action witnessed the shutdown of the national electricity grid, government offices, hospitals, airports, amongst others.

Two persons were confirmed dead when a tanker suspected to be carrying Liquefied Natural Gas exploded at the Obiri-Ikwerre flyover along the East-West on the outskirts of Port Harcourt in Rivers state.

Eyewitness accounts that the explosion occurred at about 9:25 am when the tanker upturned while trying to negotiate the bypass at the flyover and immediately went up in flames crushing a salon car with two occupants inside.

This came after a month when a fuel-laden tanker exploded along the Eleme axis of the East-West Road claiming about five lives and burnt over 60 cars.

In the latest incident, an eyewitness said two occupants of the car were trapped before they could escape and were roasted.

He stated, “My office is just close by here. It was a terrible sight. Two persons inside a salon car parked nearby were burnt beyond recognition.

“The tanker was trying to negotiate through the flyover when it fell and the explosion occurred.

The Obiri-Kwere flyover leads to the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa in the Ikwerre local government area of the state.

Another eyewitness who simply gave his name as Lucky said the sound of the explosion spread to residential areas near the flyover and caused panic.

He stated” It was about past 9 am that I was driving towards the University of Port Harcourt that I saw the flames.

“I quickly made a u-turn because I was driving. Many vehicles started making a detour to avoid the scene of the fire, somewhere even videoing the fire with their phones”.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident and the casualty figure.

Iringe-Koko, stated, “Yes I can confirm that two persons died in the tanker fire. Myself and the Commissioner of Police are on the ground as I speak to you.

“The fire has been put out but the area is still dangerous because the gas is still licking.

“So motorists are advised to take alternative routes to avoid any further casualty. The investigation is ongoing. “

The Edo State Government on Monday said, no fewer than 150 persons have been lost to cult-related activities and homicide in the last five months in the state.

Governor Godwin Obaseki disclosed this to newsmen shortly after a closed-door meeting with security chiefs in Edo State, at Government House in Benin City.

Obaseki, however, announced the ban on the activities of Okaigheles (Youth Leaders) in Edo South Senatorial District of the State, as part of a renewed effort to tackle cultism in the State.

While noting that his government has declared a total war against cultism, he added that a special taskforce of the security council headed by the Director of the Department of State Security, DSS, that will from tonight review every cult related incident in the state has been set up.

According to him: “We have just finished the Security Council meeting where we reviewed the security situation in Edo State since January 2024 with particular emphasis on the security activities in Edo in May 2024.

“From the security management report which was considered in our security meeting, we still have a nagging issue in Edo State which is cultism. The incidence of cultism is very high.

“What is particularly worrisome about cultism is the related homicide that goes with cult-related activities. From January to date, we have lost over 150 people to cult-related activities and homicide. We can’t tolerate and accept this situation anymore.

“The Council today, amongst its decisions, has decided to go full blast against cultists and cultism in the state. We have now passed an anti-cultism law in Edo State and that law will be implemented to its fullest.

“We have set up a special task force of the security council headed by the Director of DSS that will from tonight review every cult related occurrence in the state. We will look at all the data, incidents, perpetrators, and those behind these activities, and will make all resources available and leave no stone unturned.”

The governor, who noted that related to cult activities are activities of Okaigeles in Edo South, disclosed that the council has prohibited forthwith the activities of Okaigeles in Edo State.

He threatened that anybody who claim to be an Okaigele in any community will be strictly dealt with in accordance with the law.

He added that the outcome of the security council meeting today was that the state government has declared full war on cultists and Okaigeles in Edo State.

In his remarks, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye, reassured the governor that security agencies would implement the decision of the State Security Council without fear or favour.

Adegboye, who expressed happiness that the state has passed into law the anti-cultism bill, noted that cultists have had a field day in the state.

He posited that the anti-cultism law has a stiff penalty for anybody involved in the act.

“His Excellency has equally directed that no matter how highly placed any individual is, they will be taken to court and such a person will face the penalty.

“On the issue of the Okaigheles, we have been having problems with them as you can’t even separate them from cultism and the Council has agreed that they are banned.

“Anybody arrested will be prosecuted diligently. Council also agreed to have a taskforce headed by the Director of the DSS,” he added.