Metro

Drama As Wheelbarrow Pushers Protest Alleged Extortion In Benin [VIDEO]

Published

4 years ago

January 21, 2022

Wheelbarrow pushers in Benin under the auspices of Wheelbarrow Pushers Association majorly from northern Nigeria on Friday protested against what they regarded as excessive billing and extortion by some persons popularly called agbero who collect money from them in the name of government.

The protest coincided with the ‘End Hardship in Nigeria Campaign’ organised by The Peoples Alternative Movement in Benin.

They are the persons who help individuals to convene their loads from one point to another particularly at the King’s Square popularly called Ring Road due to the poor arrangement of transportation system in Benin.

The protesters who besieged the King’s Square in their hundreds stopped all members from working as a way of driving their grievances home.

Trouble, however, started when they sighted someone pushing wheelbarrow with loads which made them in their large number accosted the person resulting to almost a state of violent if not for security personnel who promptly intervened.

Speaking, a young man who claimed to be chairman of the association and identified himself as Otunba Adebayo said the revenue collectors started with N50 per day for a wheelbarrow before they increased it to N700, adding that they now pay to different groups numbering three that come to them morning, afternoon and evening.

“We came out today for the protest because of the problem we have been facing in the Oba Market.

“When they started, they were collecting N50. From N50 it is now N700. We are not slave. That is the reason for the protest. The money they are collecting from us is too much. Government didn’t ask them to collect N700 from anybody. Government did not also tell them to fight anybody, injured people in the market. The embarrassment is too much. If you go to hospital now, you will see a lot of the wheelbarrow pushers lying in hospitals. Some of us have given up the trade.

“How much are we working? Some will rent wheelbarrow for N300 and work at most N3000 while some will not work as much as that. That is how we have been sustaining ourselves in the business. Those that work between N700 and N1000 a day, if you remove N300 how much will now be left for the person? Nothing

“The protest will from today last till next week if government did not answer us or do something positive,” he vowed.

Watch video…

Metro

16 Passengers Lose Lives In Lokoja–Okene Highway Tragedy

Published

9 hours ago

May 8, 2026

Editor

At least 16 persons have been confirmed dead following a fatal road accident along the Lokoja–Okene highway in Kogi State.

In a post shared on X by security analyst Zagazola Makama, he said the tragic incident occurred at about 9:20 a.m. on Friday near Aku village around the Osara axis of the busy highway.

Security and traffic safety sources told Zagazola Makama that the accident involved a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BUU 17 ZD carrying 22 passengers from Jos, Plateau State, to Lagos.

“Security and traffic safety sources said the accident involved a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BUU 17 ZD, conveying 22 passengers comprising 21 males and one female from Jos, Plateau State, en route to Lagos,” Makama said.

According to the sources, the vehicle reportedly lost control while moving at high speed, veered off the road and plunged under a bridge, leading to multiple casualties.

Preliminary findings attributed the accident to driver fatigue.

The sources disclosed that 16 occupants of the vehicle, including 15 men and one woman, lost their lives in the crash, while six other passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Emergency responders were said to have arrived at the scene after receiving a distress call and immediately evacuated the injured victims to medical facilities in Osara and the Specialist Hospital in Lokoja for treatment.

The remains of the deceased victims were deposited at the Ankuri Mortuary in Lokoja.

Authorities, meanwhile, advised motorists to obey speed limits, ensure adequate rest during long-distance trips and strictly comply with road safety regulations to avoid preventable accidents and loss of life.

Metro

Ex-convict Arrested In Edo For Armed Robbery, Possession Of Firearm

Published

3 days ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) has arrested a 45-year-old ex-convict, Owen Osas, for alleged unlawful possession of firearms and suspected involvement in a robbery incident.

Osas was reportedly arrested with a cut-to-size single-barrel gun during a covert operation along Fishpond Road in Eyean, Uhunmwonde Local Government Area.

The arrest reportedly comes barely a year after he was released from prison, where he had served time for illegal possession of firearms and other criminal offences.

Osas, who confessed to the latest crime, also admitted to being a member of the Eiye Confraternity.

READ ALSO:Tragedy As Suspected Kidnappers Kill Young Entrepreneur In Edo
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Consequently, a victim of an alleged robbery incident, Reginia Izy, identified Osas as the person who robbed her a day before his arrest.
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The victim narrated that the suspect had approached her residence around 8 p.m., pretending to be familiar before carrying out the attack.
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‎The Deputy Commander Operations of ESSC, Richard Balogun, said the arrest was part of intensified efforts to rid Edo State of criminal elements.

READ ALSO:Edo South Senatorial Seat: Nothing Wrong Seeking Wike’s Support – Ogbeide-Ihama
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‎Balogun explained that operatives conduct both overt patrols and covert operations to track and apprehend suspects.
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He said, ‎“Our men are always on patrol. Some operate in plain clothes as part of covert strategies, while others are stationed at strategic locations.

“Osas, who is a former convict, was arrested with firearms and he also confessed to be a member of the Eiye Confraternity.”
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Metro

Gunmen Kidnap Businessman In Ibadan

Published

5 days ago

May 4, 2026

Editor

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 60-year-old man in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The victim was kidnapped on Saturday while on his way to his residence.

The incident occurred at Jinarere, Alakia in Ibadan.

Public Relations Officer of the State Police command, Olayinka Ayanlade, when contacted, confirmed the incident.

Ayanlade in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday, explained that efforts are ongoing to rescue the victim.

Ayanlade said, “Preliminary information reveals that the victim, a 60-year-old male and building materials trader, was accosted while returning home along the Jinarere axis of Alakia Road by four masked armed men, who forcefully whisked him away in an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla vehicle”.