Panic gripped residents of Ita-Oshin area of Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, when a gas tanker explosion left a trail of devastation, claiming four lives and about six vehicles were burnt.

It gathered that the explosion, occurred following an accident involving the gas tanker, when it was trying to manoeuvre along the road railings.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Four Feared Killed As Tanker Explosion Rocks Rivers

It was further gathered that emergency response teams, including personnel from the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Fire Service swiftly mobilized to the scene to evacuate the remains of the victims and contain the inferno.

Among the vehicles consumed by the inferno were taxis, a private car, and a truck, with the impact extending to nearby shops and houses.

While security and safety officials present at the scene are yet to provide a comprehensive statement regarding the incident, eyewitnesses, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said some casualties had already been rushed to the hospital by the response teams.

Benin Traditional Council, BTC, has suspended six palace functionaries for allegedly presenting themselves as the palace’s emissaries before the Ooni of Ife in a function.

A statement signed by Chief Sam Igbe, Iyase of Benin kingdom, on behalf of BTC, and made available to newsmen in Benin City on Saturday listed the suspended palace functionaries as
Johnbull Igbinosun, Iduhonre (Ihogbe), S.E. Aigbiremwen, Efesieoghoba (Ogbelaka),

The statement also listed Ogbeide Osagie and Osamudiame Edo among the suspended functionaries.

READ ALSO: Unemployment: Oba Of Benin Pledges Land For Skill Acquisition Centre

He said they were suspended for allegedly engaging themselves in a “sacrilegious show of shame and falsehood against the Benin Custom.”

“These individuals not only declared themselves subjects of the Ooni, but also rendered an inaccurate and disjointed account of the connection between the Benin Royal Dynasty and the Ooni-ship of Ife,” the statement added.

He explained that the offence of the suspended functionaries was contained in video clips circulating on social media.

READ ALSO: Oba Of Benin Berates Ex-minister Agba For Lopsided Representation

He noted that the palace considered the conduct of the functionaries as “inappropriate, sacrilegious and calculated to ridicule traditional history, and to bring disrepute to Benin custom.”

He, however, advised the general public to refrain from having anything to do with the suspended functionaries as traditional functionaries in Benin kingdom throughout their suspension.

He also urged the general public to disregard the inaccurate accounts rendered by the ill-bred individuals named above.

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has appointed Michael Nzekwe as his Chief of Staff.

This was as he also appointed Zonal Directors for each of the 14 Zonal Commands of the commission.

Nzekwe who is a lawyer and former Commander of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the anti-graft agency, is described as a “topnotch investigator” in a statement released by the Commission’s Head of Publicity, Dele Oyewale, on Saturday.

READ ALSO: Sad Story: Nigerian Who Relocated To UK In 2022 Beat Wife To Death With Skateboard

He has served in various departments in the Commission, including the Legal and Prosecution Department, Department of Operations (now Department of Investigations), Department of Internal Affairs (now Department of Ethics and Integrity), Servicom, and Asset Forfeiture Department.

“A seasoned administrator, he has attended several trainings and courses home and abroad, including the Advance Defence Intelligence Officers Course organised by Defence Intel Agency, DIA. The appointment takes immediate effect and he has assumed duties,” Oyewale said.

Meanwhile, the statement said Olukoyede, in his restructuring and repositioning of the EFCC, equally upgraded all the zonal commands of the Commission to the status of Departments, with each of them headed by a Director.

READ ALSO: DSTV Price Hike: Five Alternatives Nigerians Are Opting For

To this effect, 14 new Directors have been appointed to head each of the zonal commands. Additionally, to bolster and fortify the security architecture of the Commission, the Security Unit of the EFCC has been upgraded to a Department with a seasoned officer appointed as Director, Security and Chief Security Officer.

A new department has also been created in the Executive Chairman’s office and it is headed by the former Makurdi Zonal Commander of the EFCC, Friday Ebelo, who also doubles as Director and Coordinator, Special Duties at the corporate headquarters of the Commission.

The former Department of Internal Affairs has been renamed Department of Ethics and Integrity and minor reshuffling effected in some Departments at the headquarters.

“Olukoyede says that the ongoing restructuring is meant for the repositioning and strengthening of the EFCC to deliver on its assigned mandate optimally.”