News

Edo Train Attack: Sign Hunters And Forestry Bill Into Law, Buhari Told

Published

3 years ago

January 9, 2023

Editor

Johnny Chukwudi Metchie, Assistant Commander General of the Nigerian Hunters and Forestry Security Service (NHFSS) in charge of Technical Services, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Hunters and Forestry Security Service Bill into law.

He said the bill is a sure way of deterring terrorists and other criminal elements from using the forests to commit atrocities against the people of Nigeria.

Recall that suspected terrorists on Saturday, attacked a train station in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State to Warri in Delta State and abducted scores of passengers who were waiting to board a train, leaving many injured.

Reacting to the incident on Monday, Metchie told newsmen that it has become an urgent matter for President Buhari to sign the Bill into law which would empower Forest Guards to bear and arm and protect farms and forests as is the case in many other countries.

He said that one of the most effective ways to curb the menace of bandits and other terror activities, is to recruit, arm and empower young men and women as hunters and forest guards to make it difficult for criminals to operate from the forests.

Metchie noted that when the Bill is signed into law, the Hunters and Forestry Security Service would take over the protection and safeguard of forests across the country.

According to him, one of the greatest gifts President Buhari would leave for his successor, is to sign the Bill into law, as such would make the fight against insecurity easier for the new administration.

He said- “The incident that happened in Edo last Saturday, where many passengers waiting to board a train were attacked and abducted is very unfortunate and regrettable.

“While I condemn the dastardly act and sympathise with victims and their families, I want to use this opportunity to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, sign the Hunters and Forestry Security Service Bill into law. The Bill is before Mr. President just waiting for his accent.

“I have lived in many countries, including those in Europe, United States, Canada and others. In these countries, even in South Africa, the forests are protected by Forest Guards and Hunters. And this helps tremendously in curbing activities of criminals, especially those that use the forests as hideouts to carry out nefarious activities.

“When bandits and other terrorists strike, where do they take their victims? It is the forests and farms. They take their victims to the forests because they are aware that there are no authorised security personnel there. When the Bill is passed into law, it would empower the hunters and forest guards to bear arms, motivate them to work and defend their fatherland, knowing that they have the backing of the government.

“I believe that President Buhari is a patriotic citizen and a statesman. I want to think and believe that the President wants to leave lasting legacies for his predecessor. He should therefore save the incoming administration the burden of sending the Bill to the lawmakers by signing it into law himself without wasting more time.”

“Two other areas signing the Bill into law would benefit the country are food security and employment. Today, prices of food items are on the rooftops. The reason is that insecurity has forced many farmers out of the bush.

“The presence of armed forest guards would assure farmers that their farms and produce are safe. In addition, with the signing of the Bill into law, state governments would be motivated to recruit thousands of young people into the service which would drastically reduce unemployment with a double effect of reducing the number of people going into crime,” Metchie added.

News

Back To School: Lions Club Distributes Educational Materials In Edo Schools

Published

7 hours ago

October 4, 2025

Editor

The Benin Etete Unique and Edo Heritage Lions of the International Association of Lions Club on Friday jointly distributed educational materials to two schools in Benin City as part of the association corporate services to humanity.

The two clubs in District 404-A4 Lions Nigeria, jointly carried out the distribution of notebooks, maths sets, school bags and sandals, pens and other writing materials to excited pupils in Ivbioba Primary School and Oghede-Ivioba Primary School, Ugbighoko, Egor Local Government Area, and Evbiyenava Primary School, in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.

Themed, Back to School Project, pupils were also engaged in Reading Action Program (RAP) and Spelling Bee Competition, after which winners were presented with special prizes.

In their remarks, Lions Darlington Uyi and Franca Nikoro, presidents of Benin Etete Unique and Edo Heritage Lions Clubs stated that the vision of the Lions International is to serve humanity.

They, therefore, tasked pupils on commitment to their studies in order to attain their fullest potentials in life.

“Emulate Lions in your visions for tomorrow. We have various professionals as members, and if you are committed to your studies, obedient to your parents and teachers, you will attain great heights,” Lion Uyi Darlinton Stated.

“Our vision is to serve, and we are here like we do every period to ensure Literacy is inculcated in pupils to enable them to attain their full potential. It is our earnest desire that you grow into well rounded personalities. Literacy is important in order to actualize that aspiration,” Franca Nikoro stated.

Earlier, in his address, Lion Sir Dede Henry Idemudia, Zone 6A Chairperson, tasked the pupils on good conduct, honour to parents and guardians and obedience to instructions of school authority.

News

NAFDAC Gives Nigerian Food Companies 18 Months To Cut Trans Fats

Published

8 hours ago

October 3, 2025

Editor

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has set an 18-month grace period, effectively giving food companies until early 2026 before facing full enforcement of regulations to eliminate industrially produced Trans-Fatty Acids (TFA).

The initiative, launched as a comprehensive strategy and roadmap for TFA regulation, moves Nigeria from simply having the policy to enforcing its world-class standard: a regulatory limit of no more than two grams of industrially produced trans fat per 100 grams of total fat or oil.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, emphasised that the roadmap moves the country beyond policy creation to aggressive enforcement and implementation.

This was contained in the NAFDAC DG’s keynote speech posted on the agency’s official X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

Adeyeye stressed the moral imperative of the Agency’s mission.

“The removal of industrially produced trans fats from the food chain is not only a technical achievement, but a moral imperative.

“Eliminating industrially produced trans fats is possible, achievable, necessary, and urgent,” Adeyeye stated, calling for national collaboration.

The moratorium period is designed to allow manufacturers to exhaust existing stock with outdated labels and reformulate their products to comply with the legal limit.

NAFDAC’s action targets a dangerous dietary risk factor strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and premature death globally.

Adeyeye emphasised the significance of the move beyond technical compliance, noting, “The removal of industrially produced trans fats from the food chain is not only a technical achievement, but a moral imperative.”

This aggressive step builds upon Nigeria’s existing reputation; the country was recognised by the World Health Organisation in 2023 for adopting best-practice TFA elimination policies.

The new roadmap is key to securing WHO validation of Nigeria’s full TFA elimination programme, establishing the nation as a regional leader in public health interventions.

News

Mohbad’s Father Urges Lagos AG To Prosecute Wife, Nurse, Others

Published

9 hours ago

October 3, 2025

Editor

Joseph Aloba, the father of late singer Mohbad, has urged the Lagos State government to initiate criminal proceedings against individuals named in the coroner’s inquest into his son’s death.

Mohbad passed away on September 12, 2023, following an injection administered by auxiliary nurse Feyisayo Ogedengbe.

Despite being buried the next day, public outcry and ongoing investigations led to the exhumation of his body on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy.

In a letter dated October 3 and addressed to the attorney general of Lagos State through his lawyers, Aloba demanded that criminal charges be filed against those indicted within 14 days.

“Specifically, we refer to persons indicted by the coroner’s verdict hereunder: Miss Ogedengbe Fisayo, indicted for unlawful medical practice and gross medical negligence; and Mrs. Omowunmi Aloba, indicted for negligence,” the letter reads.

“This includes Ibrahim Owodunni, a.k.a. Prime Boy, and others who either facilitated the invitation of the auxiliary nurse or refused to take him promptly to a recognised medical facility for treatment.”

Mohbad’s father said he was concerned that despite the coroner’s clear verdict, no prosecutorial steps had been taken against those indicted nearly three months after the judgment.

He asked the attorney general to exercise prosecutorial powers within the 14 days, or, in the alternative, grant him and his legal team a fiat to prosecute the matter on behalf of the state.

“Our Client, as a bereaved father desirous of ensuring that justice is done and seen to be done, is deeply concerned that notwithstanding the clear indictments contained in the Coroner’s Verdict, no prosecutorial steps have been taken against the aforementioned persons since the delivery of the Verdict on 11th July, 2025,” the letter reads.

“The judicial observations amount to clear indictments warranting the prosecution of the said individuals in order to give full effect to the Coroner’s findings and recommendations, and to ensure that justice is manifestly and adequately served in this matter.

“We request that you exercise your prosecutorial power on the above subject matter within 14 Days Next, in view of the high sensitivity of this matter and the public attention and outrage it has generated.”

In October 2023, Naira Marley and Sam Larry were arrested over allegations linking them to Mohbad’s death, but were released on bail after five weeks in detention.

By February 2025, a magistrate court cleared them of any involvement in the singer’s demise.