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A petrol tanker has been gutted by fire in the Lacasera area of Mile 2 , Lagos State . Some vehicles around the premises were also reportedly razed by the inferno on Thursday . The driver was said to be conveying the petrol to a destination in the state when he lost control of the vehicle . It was learnt that the truck overturned, resulting in a spillage that reportedly burst into flames. The spokesperson for the state Fire Service , Jamiu Dosunmu , said the fire had been extinguished, adding that the no death was recorded . The Director - General , Lagos State Emergency Management Agency , Olufemi Oke - Osanyintolu , said some stationary trucks were also affected during the fire incident , adding that efforts were on to evacuate the burnt truck from the road . Oke - Osanyintolu said , “ The Agency received distress calls concerning the above which occurred around 1 am and activated its emergency response plan. “ On arrival , it was discovered that a fuel tanker loaded with PMS had ove...

No fewer than 16 rooms at the students ’ hostel of the Kano State College of Nursing and Midwifery have been gutted by fire . The fire was said to have started during the Muslim evening prayer at about 6 . 20 pm on Wednesday on the third floor of Sa ’ idu Fagge hostel . It was gathered that the fire started from a toilet . A source at the college told The PUNCH that the fire raged for over one hour before the arrival of the Kano Fire servicemen . When contacted, the spokesman for the Kano State Fire Service , Sai ’ du Muhammad , confirmed the incident . He said investigation had commenced with a view to finding out the cause of the fire and extent of the damage.

Sixteen people were killed and dozens left missing Thursday after landslides triggered by a typhoon hit central Vietnam , prompting a desperate search for survivors as the country battles some of the worst weather seen in years . Typhoon Molave hit villages in the central provinces on Wednesday , reportedly killing two people as it knocked down trees , tore roofs off homes , and brought heavy rain to an area already badly affected by weeks of flooding . Following two separate landslides on Wednesday , 53 people were reported missing across two villages in Quang Nam province, authorities said . The bodies of 16 of them had so far been pulled from the mud , according to state media . “ This is a very serious accident , burying many people , ” said Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung , adding : “ The route for rescuers to access them is very difficult . ” Soldiers were among a search team battling to reach the site through fallen trees and mud that had blocked roads , authorities said ....

A man wielding a knife at a church in the French city of Nice killed three people , slitting the throat of at least one , and injured several others before being apprehended by police , officials said Thursday . French anti - terror prosecutors have opened an inquiry into what the city ’ s Mayor Christian Estrosi called an “ Islamo -fascist attack . ” “ He ( the attacker ) kept repeating ‘ Allahu Akbar ’ ( God is Greater ) even while under medication” after he was injured during his arrest, Estrosi told journalists at the scene . Two victims died at the Basilica of Notre -Dame , in the heart of the city on the Mediterranean coast , while a third person died of injuries after seeking refuge in a nearby bar , a police source told AFP .

A yet - to - be - identified driver lost his life on Thursday during an accident in the Owode -Elede area , along Ikorodu Road , Lagos State . The driver was said to be driving recklessly when the tragedy struck around 5 . 45 am . The Director - General , Lagos State Emergency Management Agency , Olufemi Oke - Osanyintolu , said the driver ’ s body had been handed over to his family . Oke - Osanyintolu said , “ Upon the arrival of the Agency ’ s response team at the incident scene , it was revealed that a truck loaded with iron rods had an accident as a result of overloading and reckless driving on the part of the truck driver , a single adult male. “ He was discovered to have been trapped in the process and was eventually extricated by agency responders . His body was handed over to his family . “ The heavy - duty equipment was used to clear the road . The operation has been concluded. ”

Kano State Governor , Abdullahi Ganduje , on Wednesday night , ordered the reinstatement of his Special Adviser on Media , Salihu Yakasai. The PUNCH had reported on October 11 , 2020 that Yakasai lambasted the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd . ) , for not addressing Nigerians amid national outrage as well as days of online and offline protests against the Special Anti -Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force . Yakasai, who tweeted through his handle , @ dawisu , had said the President has no empathy for Nigerians by his inaction . Reacting in a statement , the Kano State Government had described Yakasai’ s comments as “ unguarded utterances ” and suspended him “ with immediate effect ” . But in a tweet on Wednesday , the state government , @ KanostateNg , wrote , “ H . E Governor Dr . Abdullahi Umar Ganduje OFR has approved the reinstatement of his Special Adviser on Media , Salihu Tanko Yakasai from his suspension . ”

The global rights group , Amnesty International , has collated and released a timeline of the killing of # EndSARS protesters by soldiers at the Lekki tollgate, Lagos on October 20 . The AI said its crisis response experts investigated and verified social media videos and photographs that confirmed the security forces were present at the Lekki toll gate when the shootings occurred . The evidence was published on the group ’ s website on Wednesday . The Nigerian Bar Association and an activist, Raphael Adebayo , in their separate reactions to Amnesty’ s statement , reiterated their calls for the probe of the Lekki shootings . The NBA further advised government to stop denying the incident and admit its error . Youths calling for the scrapping of the Special Anti - Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police had on October 8 begun protests in major cities across the country . On October 20 , the protests turned violent when soldiers shot protesters at Lekki . Eyewitnesses said that eight dead bo...

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity , Femi Adesina , says the looting of warehouses and shops by hoodlums was not necessarily caused by poverty but by the pandemonium that accompanied the # EndSARS protests . Speaking on Channels Television ’ s Sunrise Daily programme , on Thursday , Adesina said attributing the looting to poverty was like justifying armed robbery . “ Criminality is criminality . Would it justify armed robbery because the man was poor ? Would it justify armed robbery because the man didn ’ t have money ? Just as you cannot justify armed robbery because a man was poor and took a gun to rob another person, you can ’ t also justify the looting , ” he said . Adesina claimed the protracted protests provided an atmosphere for looting to take place . He said if police stations were not burnt down, there wouldn ’ t have been a breakdown of law and order . The President ’ s spokesman said , “ Criminality will always be criminality and mere anarchy promot...

The West African Examinations Council says the results of the 2020 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination will be released next week . The results were supposed to be out today but the examination body said the postponement was due to the violence and arson in the country which affected some of its offices and some of its operations nationwide . The unrest experienced in the aftermath of the # EndSARS protests against police brutality had forced governments to impose curfew in their respective states . “ WASSCE SC 2020 Results Release Date : Dear candidates, the Council had planned to release the results today in fulfilment of our Project 45 but due to the curfew imposed last week , it had to be postponed till next week . “ The exact date will be made known soon, ” @ waecnigeria tweeted on Wednesday . When contacted, the Head of Public Affairs , WAEC Nigeria, Demianus Ojijeogu, confirmed the development .

THE Northern Elders Forum on Tuesday raised the alarm over what it described as a deliberate targeting of northerners in southern part of Nigeria . The forum said there had been “ reported killings , destruction and stealing of property belonging to northerners and other assaults , which had been going on for days ” . The organisation , therefore , called on northerners in the South to “ compile a verifiable inventory of lives and property lost, and approach relevant authorities for appropriate restitution . ” But the pan - Yoruba socio - cultural organisation , Afenifere warned the northern elders to be careful about statements that could inflame passion . “ Our friends in NEF should be more careful about statements that can inflame passion . We make this appeal , not out of fear , but a deep sense of responsibility and the understanding of the place of elders . “ Our utterances should bring calm at this delicate period , ” the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere , Yinka Odumaki...

The Governor of Lagos State , Mr Babajide Sanwo - Olu , has bemoaned the destruction that trailed a clash between the Yoruba and the Hausa in the Fagba , Ifako - Ijaiye area of the state . Sanwo - Olu , during an assessment tour of the area on Tuesday , however , vowed to deal decisively with the those involved in inter- tribal clashes . He assured residents who were affected by the mayhem that the state government would alleviate their pains . The governor was accompanied on the tour by the Deputy Governor , Dr Obafemi Hamzat ; Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Folasade Jaji; Special Adviser to the Governor on Education , Mr Tokunbo Wahab ; and Head of Service , Mr Hakeem Muri - Okunola. He said , “ The level of destruction that I have seen here is colossal; it is unfortunate . Enumeration will start immediately by the two local governments . The council chairmen and all the community leaders will come together and come up with a list of those whose properties have been destroyed...

The Lagos State Government has said it will be prosecuting all suspected hoodlums arrested in connection with the mayhem unleashed on the state between Tuesday and Wednesday in the aftermath of Lekki toll gate shooting by soldiers . The state Ministry of Justice said on Saturday that the police had arrested 229 suspected hoodlums and their case files were being evaluated preparatory to prosecution on charges of arson , murder , stealing , malicious damage of properties , assault, etc. A statement by the Director, Public Affairs , Lagos State Ministry of Justice , Mr Kayode Oyekanmi , said the state ’ s Director of Public Prosecutions , Mrs Olayinka Adeyemi , had gone round relevant police formations with her team “ to evaluate files of those arrested by the police with a view to determining those that have prima facie case made against them . ” The statement read in part , “ Two hundred and twenty- nine ( 229) suspects were arrested by the police for various criminal offences , ranging...

Only 9 , 103, 653 workers had Retirement Savings Accounts with Pension Fund Administrators as of the end of August . The National Pension Commission disclosed this in its ‘ Total RSA registrations as at 31 August 2020 ’ latest report obtained from on Friday . PenCom also said in its second quarter report , “ The RSA registrations grew to 9 , 039 , 727 as at second quarter 2020 , moving from 8 , 998, 580 in the first quarter 2020 , representing a growth of 0 . 46 per cent . ” The growth was attributed to the increased level of compliance by the private sector as a result of the various steps taken by the commission as well as marketing strategies of the PFAs . It said the pension industry recorded a 0 . 45 per cent growth ( 41 , 074) in the scheme membership during the second quarter of 2020 , moving from 9 . 06 million contributors at the end of the preceding quarter to 9 . 1 million . The growth in the industry membership was driven by the RSA scheme , which had an increase of 41 , 14...

The Enugu State Government has announced an adjustment on the 24 - hour curfew imposed in three Urban Local Government Areas of the state to 13 - hour indefinitely . Governor Ugwuanyi had on Wednesday , at the wake of # EndSARS violent protest that saw the burning down of public and private facilities, imposed 24 - hour dusk - to -dawn on three LGAs of Enugu East , Enugu North, and Enugu South . But in a statement , the State Commissioner for Information , Nnanyelugo Aroh , on Saturday night , said the adjustment was following the hardship occasioned by the 24 - hour curfew . Aroh stated that “ the 24 - hour curfew imposed in Enugu East , Enugu North and Enugu South Local Government Areas stands lifted with effect from 7 am on Sunday, 25 th October , 2020 ” . He added that “ in its place , a 13 - hour curfew ( 6 pm to 7 am ) daily , is imposed in Enugu East , Enugu North and Enugu South Local Government Areas , with effect from 6 pm on Sunday, 25 th October 2020 until further notice” ....

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence , Senator Aliyu Wamakko, has commended youths in the northern part of the country for refusing to join the # EndSARS protests. Wamakko, representing Sokoto North Senatorial District , gave the commendation while addressing a mammoth crowd of youths shortly after his return to Sokoto from Abuja . He said , “ I am highly elated with the disciplined and peaceful disposition of the northern youths , even in the face of the provocations and altercations occasioned by the protests that turned violent and lost its original focus , as well as intentions . “ I wondered why the destructive protests raged on even when the Federal Government had acceded to the demands of the protesters . “ One of the key demands of the protesters was the disbandment of SARS and it was immediately disbanded . “ Even President Muhammadu Buhari himself had earlier told the youths that they had good intentions , only for them to deviate from the initial noble cause . ” W...

The Nigerian Correctional Service has said it will publish the names and pictures of over 1 , 500 inmates who escaped from the custodial facilities in Benin and Oko, Edo State , and in Okitipupa , Ondo State , on Monday and Thursday , respectively . The NCoS spokesman, DCC , Austin Njoku, said the service was equally mobilising various security and intelligence resources to recapture the fleeing inmates . While 1 , 993 inmates broke out of the two custodial centres in Edo State , 58 reportedly escaped from the Ondo correctional facility . The inmates who included convicts serving time for various crimes and condemned persons on death row were released by suspected hoodlums who took advantage of the # EndSARS protests. The Edo State custodial centres had come under attack from the suspected hoodlums who freed the inmates and also looted the armoury of a nearby police station carting away five rifles . The police said 12 suspects were arrested in connection with the incident while the st...

On the heels of the # EndSARS protests , actor , Williams Uchemba , has questioned the decision by celebrities and youths to continue demonstrations after the government acknowledged the demands of the protesters and proceeded to disband the dreaded Special Anti - Robbery Squad . The protest in Lekki , Lagos State , which was notable for having many celebrities in attendance , took a bloody turn on Tuesday evening , with soldiers shooting no fewer than 15 protesters dead and injuring many others . The state government had announced a 24 - hour curfew earlier that day , which was to take effect at 4 pm, but was later moved to 9 pm . Uchemba told Sunday Scoop that while the protest had begun to derail , many stars were pressured into supporting the anti -police brutality movement by only posting content on social media that was relevant to the protest . He said , “ It is about control . That is why you have brakes in your car. It is to know when to stop or slow down , and when to acceler...

The troops of Operation Fire Ball have killed 16 Boko Haram/ Islamic States for West Africa Province terrorists in recent encounters in the North East theatre of operation . The Acting Director , Defence Media Operations, Brig . - Gen . Bernard Onyeuko , made this known in a statement on Sunday. The statement was titled ‘ Operation Lafiya Dole : Troops of operation fire ball neutralise several bandits , destroy gun trucks , recover large cache of arms and other items ’ . Onyeuko said that four terrorists’ gun trucks were destroyed as well as recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunitions during the various encounters . The statement read in part , “ On 21 October 2020 troops of Special Response Area Gajiram deployed at Check Point three under Sector three decisively dealt a heavy blow on BHT / ISWAP criminal elements . “ The eagle - eyed troops who were on alert noticed unusual vehicles following the convoy of vehicles conveying Internally Displaced Persons from Maiduguri Cosmopolit...

The pan - Yoruba socio - political group , Afenifere , has dissociated itself from a video that has gone viral , giving an ultimatum to some other Nigeria nationals , especially the Igbos , to quit Yorubaland on or before October 25 , 2020 . In a statement issued by the Afenifere Leader , Pa Reuben Fasonranti , on Saturday evening , the group said it knew nothing about the video nor its producer. Fasonranti said , “ The most embarrassing to me as the leader of Afenifere was that the young man who made the announcement kicked off with the well -known tune of Afenifere anthem , thus giving the impression that it was the Afenifere ’ s initiative . “ This is to say that we do not know anything about the quit order nor are we in any way connected with its issuance nor its initiators . “ For the time being , in addition to our other releases , let us all maintain peace . ”

Ebonyi State Governor , David Umahi, has sacked his Special Assistant on Security and Utility ( Urban) , Saint Aniakor , and three Development Centre Coordinators over the recent destruction of police stations and other properties in their domains. This was contained in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government , Kenneth Ugbala , on Sunday. The statement noted that the four officials were “ relieved of their duties with immediate effect ” . The sacked coordinators include Amos Ogbonnaya of Anuagata Development Centre; Mr . Jerry Okorie Ude of Okposi Development Centre and Mrs . Martha Nwankwo ofOhaozara - East Development Center. They were replaced with Mr Tochukwu Uzor for Anuagata Development Centre; Mr . Henry Ugochi Ovoke for Okposi Development Centre ; and Mr . Ernest Okorie for Ohaozara- East Development Center. Mr Chidiebere Egwu was also appointed as Special Assistant on Internal Security and Utility ( Urban ) to replace Aniakor . Hoodlums had attacked and burnt down...

A former Chairman of the Nigerian chapter of Transparency International , Major General Ishola Williams ( retd) , has condemned Tuesday ’ s shooting of some unarmed protesters in the Lekki Tollgate area of Lagos . Some youths staged protests in states across the country against police brutality and the excesses of men of the SARS , a unit of the Nigeria Police Force . On Tuesday , unidentified soldiers who reportedly invaded the Lekki Tollgate were said to have shot at some of the protesters shortly before the commencement of a 24 -hour curfew imposed on the state by Sanwo - Olu . Reacting to the incident during a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Friday , Williams said , “ Any sensible person will condemn the act of soldiers shooting unarmed protesters ! Anywhere in the world , that is condemnable . If you obey an order to shoot at unarmed persons , you have committed murder . Period !” He added that whoever gave the order to the soldiers had a responsibility for g...

The Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution set up by the Lagos State Government has set aside three days of the week to look into the Lekki Tollgate incident and grievances of victims , while calling on the public to come forward with memoranda for discussion . According to the state government on Saturday, the panel would be sitting on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm at the Lagos State Court of Arbitration in the Lekki Phase 1 area of the state . A notice by the government said , “ Judicial panel of inquiry and restitution of victims of Special Anti - Robbery Squad related abuses and Lekki Tollgate incident – Members of the public are hereby invited to submit memoranda at the public sitting of the panel set up by the Lagos State Government to look into the grievances of the victims of SARS abuses and the incident at the Lekki Tollgate .

The Interim Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID - 19 and Beyond , Mr . Femi Falana ( SAN ) , has written a letter to the Attorney General of Lagos State , Moyo Onigbanjo ( SAN ) , drawing the attention of the state government to the existence of some unclaimed corpses in government mortuaries following the shooting of protesters by soldiers at the Lekki toll plaza on October 20 , 2020 . The letter , which was obtained by Sunday PUNCH on Saturday is titled , ‘ Request for Coroner ’ s Inquest Into the Brutal Killing of Unarmed Protesters at Lekki Toll Gate on Tuesday, October 20 , 2020 ’ . It read in part , “ ASCAB requests the Lagos State Government to check the mortuaries in the Lagos State hospitals and at Lagos University Teaching Hospital with a view to confirming the actual number of protesters that were killed by the soldiers at the venue of the protest or those who lost their lives as a result of fatal injuries . “ The investigation ought to be carried out as some of the ...

The Nigerian Bar Association has asked the Federal Government to immediately launch an investigation into the October 20 , 2020 shooting of peaceful # EndSARS protesters by soldiers at the Lekki Tollgate Plaza in Lagos State . It demanded that the investigation should reveal the identities of the person who gave the order , the soldiers who carried out the shooting as well as the slain and missing victims of the attack . This is contained in the communiqué of the October 22 , 2020 meeting of the National Executive Committee of the NBA which was released on Saturday. The association in the communiqué which was signed by its President , Mr Olumide Akpata , and its secretary , Joyce Oduah, deprecated what it described as “ the assault, intimidation and killing of unarmed protesters ” . Some soldiers had on Tuesday night opened fired on the protesters who had continued their peaceful demonstration despite the curfew declared by the Lagos State Government on October 20 . The NBA President h...

A former governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress , Asiwaju Bola Tinubu , said on Saturday that he visited the incumbent governor , Mr Babajide Sanwo - Olu , to ask him if he had anything to do with the killing of protesters at the Lekki Tollgate on Tuesday . Tinubu, who was at the Lagos House in Marina , also said he could not understand the rationale behind the looting , arson , invasion of police stations , stealing of arms and maiming of innocent persons that characterised the state for days . Hoodlums had massively looted shops and set fire to several public and private properties , including Television Continental and The Nation newspaper , both of which have been linked to him . This followed the killing of some protesters at the Lekki toll plaza by soldiers . Meanwhile , speaking to reporters after visiting the governor , Tinubu said , “ I came to ask him pointedly ; did he order the attack , or if he didn ’ t order the attack , who ordered i...

About five soldiers and four members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra have been feared dead after a clash in Oyigbo and other parts of Rivers State . This brings to seven the number of IPOB members who reportedly died during the # EndSARS and police brutality protest in the state . The IPOB members were said to have engaged in a shoot - out with a joint security team comprising soldiers and police deployed to quell their activities in Oyigbo , Rumuokwurusi and other flashpoints areas . Governor Nyesom Wike in a state broadcast on Friday condemned activities of the group despite the 24 - hour curfew imposed on the Oyigbo council area . Wike stated , “ We were all witnesses to yet another orgy of violence and destruction inflicted by IPOB at Oyigbo Local Government Area and some parts of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area on Tuesday, October 20 , 2020 . He said , “ This evil, wicked and audacious action resulted in the unnecessary loss of lives, including soldiers and ...

Hoodlums invaded a senator teslim Folarin's residence in Oluyole,Ibadan Ọ̀yọ́ state & carted away generators,okada & other properties senator.they got arrested by Operation Burst for vandalization of public & private properties. photo credit:Splash fm

The statue of late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe which was erected at Denis Memorial Grammar School Roundabout, Awka Avenue, Onitsha has been burnt down by angry Youths who accused him of being the cause of their problems because he said One Nigeria....

Following the ongoing # EndSARS nationwide protests , the Independent National Electoral has announced the indefinite postponement of the bye -elections in the six senatorial districts and nine state constituencies. The commission said it would continue to monitor the situation and meet again in two weeks to decide on a feasible date for the elections . The by - elections are to take place in Bayelsa Central Senatorial District , Bayelsa West Senatorial District , Nganzai and Bayo constituencies in Borno State , Cross River North Senatorial District and Obudu Constituency in Cross River. Others are Imo North Senatorial District , Lagos East Senatorial District , Kosofe II Constituency in Lagos State , Plateau South Senatorial District , Bakura Constituency in Zamfara and Ibaji Constituency in Kogi . The by - elections in the federal and state legislative houses were due to resignation or death of members in the eight states of the federation. INEC National Commissioner and chairman of ...

What is your name and how old are you ? My name is Waheed Oyewumi . I am 20 years old . What work do you do ? I am a bricklayer . What happened to your shoulder ? I was shot by the police . How did it happen ? My friends and I went to see what was happening but we were not close to the scene of the crisis . We were somewhere close so that we could see what was happening but we were not at the scene . As we were there playing with my friends , I heard a gunshot and I realised the bullet hit my hand . Were you part of the protest ? No , I wasn ’ t . I even went to work on Saturday when the protest happened and some persons were shot . But on Sunday, I didn ’ t go to work , so I went close to the place to see what was happening . The doctors said I was lucky because the bullet hit me from a distance . They said I might have died if I was shot at closer range . That is to further tell you that I was not there and I was not part of the protest . What again did the doctor tell you ? After th...

Operatives of the Kaduna State Police Command on Tuesday said they had apprehended some suspected gunrunners in the state . The Command also said some locally made rifles , as well as cash , were recovered. This was made known in a statement by the State Police Command ’ s Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Jalige , who added that the arrested suspects would be charged to court upon completion of investigation . Parts of the statement read , “ On October 14 , 2020 , at about 1530 hrs , operatives of the Kaduna Police Command , while on routine stop - and - search at Kwanta Shiru village, along Kaduna - Kachia road , succeeded in arresting one Yakubu Maigida of Chibiya village, Kachia LGA , Kaduna State , and recovered a locally made AK47 rifle concealed under his motorcycle with the view to evading the eagle eyes of the security . “ Upon interrogation , the suspect gave useful information on the source of the firearm. Subsequently, the operatives , acting on the information , swung int...

Right now , in Nigeria , the nation roiling , boiling , and burning . Nigerian youths have taken over many major streets especially in Lagos , the commercial capital of the country. In their bones is flaming angst , and in their marrows is infernal anger . They have come to a realistic conclusion that if true change will be etched in the spines of their country , it will come only through ordinary folks like them in concert with older fellows with gritty experiences and hearts of service ; and never from incognisant and mythomaniac men in power whose gods are their bellies . Man - made obstacles against good life and living in Nigeria are innumerable . They are fashioned out into existence by men who have always been in power alongside their recycled cruel cahoots . The human obstacles are in the oppressive cabals and Nigerian elites . Their knees are on the people ’ s necks . Our young people are not only protesting today ’ s government that wears the crown of incognisance about gover...