Metro

Economic Activities Crippled In FCT As Fuel Scarcity Bites Harder

Published

3 years ago

October 23, 2022

Amid the economic hardship ravaging the entire nation, sources of livelihood in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, seem to be threatened following the incessant scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly called petrol.

A check by DAILY POST on Saturday revealed that while some fuel stations remain shut for lack of the product, some of the stations along Zuba are selling above N250 per litre, a development that has made transportation difficult for residents.

The long queue in most fuel stations in the territory are worrisome as motorists continue to lament the difficulty in getting the product.

According to the Federal Government, the queue which resurfaced two weeks ago, was birthed by the flooding situation which made roads in Lokoja, Kogi State, impassable.

DAILY POST reports that several civil servants and other commuters were stranded on Friday as there was no vehicle to board.

The development also led to an obvious hike in fare, worsening the hardship already imposed on residents by the economic reality of the Giant of Africa.

Mary Achingwa, who works with the Federal Radio Corporation, told our correspondent that she spends triple of her usual fare to go to her work place everyday since the queue resurfaced early this month.

She said, “Things are just getting harder every day. We were complaining that transport fare is very expensive in Abuja not knowing that the worst was coming.

“Since this fuel crisis started, we spend triple of what we used to spend before reaching our places of work and this is so discouraging. The worst is that the price of everything increases day by day while salary remains the same”.

DAILY POST’s findings revealed that from Dutse Alhaji to Area 1 which was hitherto N300, is currently N500 and above, while Dei-Dei to Berger and Wuse which used to be N300 and N400 is now from N500 and above.

A town service driver, Mr Olawale told our correspondent that most of the drivers buy fuel from black market at the rate of N500 per litre, stressing that it is impossible to maintain normal prices after buying the product for such an amount.

He said, “The thing is, how much are we making? It is affecting all of us. When I buy fuel at the rate of N500 per litre instead N150, you should know that the transport fare cannot be the same”.

It was also gathered that many shops situated mostly in the satellite areas of the territory are beginning to fold up over lack of petrol to generate power for their various business activities.

Barber shops, computer centres, shoe factories and other private establishments which rely majorly on generators for service to customers, are beginning to pack up in Dutse Alhaji, Dei-Dei, Kubwa, Lugbe and other parts of the city.

A resident who operates Cyber Cafe in Kubwa, Mr Chinedu Peters said he decided to lock up his shop as he is unable to buy fuel.

He said, “In this part of the city, we don’t trust public power supply so we operate with generators and now we can’t power it anymore because of fuel issues. I was in line yesterday from morning until night, yet I came home without fuel.

“If I say let me buy this black market, how much are we making that we can afford that? I just told my workers to rest for some days, maybe it will subside soon”.

However, it could be recalled that the group executive director, Downstream, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC Ltd, Engr Adeyemi Adetunji had during a media briefing a few days ago announced the arrival of the 146 truckloads of petrol into the capital.

“146 petroleum tanker trucks have arrived at the depot for dispatch into Abuja and the environs.

“Trucks have continued to arrive at the depot for onward dispatches. Product delivery to other parts of the country are also continuing with the improved vehicular movements northwards,” Adetunji had said.

Metro

Police Bust Kidnap Ring, Rescue 23 Foreigners, Arrest 14 Suspects Near Abuja

Published

2 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has dismantled a transnational kidnapping syndicate that demanded N230 million ransom from foreign nationals lured into Nigeria under the guise of lucrative job offers.

Operatives of the command’s Scorpion Squad launched the sting operation around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State, a border community near Abuja.

Fourteen suspected kidnappers were arrested and 23 foreign nationals rescued in the process.

According to police findings, the victims, all West African nationals, were deceived into travelling to Nigeria by a criminal network posing as employment recruiters.

Upon arrival, the victims were held captive, and the kidnappers demanded ransom from their families via WhatsApp and other online platforms.

FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said on Friday that investigations identified the ringleader as Abubakar Jigiba, a suspected notorious cross-border criminal with known residences in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria.

The syndicate, she explained, demanded four million CFA francs (about N10 million) per person, a total ransom demand of N230 million.

Adeh confirmed that efforts are ongoing to track down the principal suspect, Abubakar Jigiba, and his brother, Sougule Zoubere, both of whom remain at large.

She said: “In a major breakthrough against kidnapping and human trafficking, operatives of the FCT Police Command’s Scorpion Squad have successfully arrested fourteen (14) suspected kidnappers and rescued twenty-three (23) victims, all foreign nationals, from captivity.

“The intelligence-led operation took place at about 8 p.m. on Tuesday, 21st October 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

“The operation followed a report indicating that several foreign nationals had been lured into Nigeria under the pretext of lucrative job offers. Upon arrival, they were held hostage by their abductors, who demanded ransom payments from their families via WhatsApp and other online platforms.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the syndicate is coordinated by one Abubakar Jigiba, a transnational criminal kingpin with known residences in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria. His younger brother, Sougule Zoubere, handles the recruitment, kidnapping and smuggling of victims from Mali into Nigeria, where they are detained pending ransom payments. The group demanded four million CFA (N10,000,000) for each victim.

“Further investigations revealed that the victims were trafficked into the country through illegal border routes in a journey lasting about three days. They were subsequently confined in two fortified two-bedroom apartments under inhumane conditions.

“Acting on actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence, the Scorpion Squad traced the hideout to the above address, where a total of twenty-three (23) victims — fourteen (14) males, eight (8) females and one (1) child — were rescued unhurt, except one who sustained a minor ear injury and has been taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for treatment.”

Metro

Woman Begs Court Not To Grant Husband’s Prayer For Divorce

Published

2 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

A housewife, Fauziya Ibrahim, has begged an Area Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, not to grant her husband, Hamza Musbau’s prayer of divorce.

She told the court that she does not want her marriage dissolved.

“I have been married to my husband for 16 years and I want to remain in this marriage,” she told the court.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),Earlier, Hamza prayed for divorce on grounds of lack of love and affection.

The judge, Mr Toyin Aluko, said that on the strength of the provisions of the Holy Quran, Almighty Allah allows a wife to seek for settlement, just as divorce is allowed.

He, therefore, advised Fauziya to try her best to make peace and settle any misunderstanding between them.

Aluko adjourned the case.

Metro

Woman Seeks Divorce Over Alleged Abandonment, Abuse

Published

3 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

A married woman, Love Thomas, has dragged her husband, Joshua, before an upper Customary Court sitting in Kaduna, Kaduna State, over alleged abandonment and violence.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the complainant’s lawyer, Victoria Omajawu prayed the court to dissolve their marriage on the grounds of abandonment.

She also prayed the court to restrain the defendant from threatening and disturbing her client’s peace or tranquility.

The defendant was however not in court.

The judge, Mrs Patience Musa, adjourned the case.