Metro

[JUST IN[ Planned Fuel Price Hike: ‘End Hardship In Nigeria’ Protest Rocks Benin

Published

4 years ago

January 21, 2022

Members of Civil Society Organistions, CSOs, religious leaders, market women, individuals, on Friday in Benin staged a peace protest tagged ‘End Hardship in Nigeria Campaign’ against the planned hike in price of Petroleum Motor Spirit, PMS and others.

The protest initiated by the Peoples Alternative Movement caused gridlock for hours at the King Square popularly knowns as Ring Road and its adjoining roads in Benin.

The protesters who carried placards with inscriptions as: ‘fix our refineries’; ‘no electricity hike’; ‘refine Nigeria oil in Nigeria’; ‘reverse all privatisation’; ‘no to more hardship; no to rise in fuel price’; ‘end poverty in Nigeria now’; ‘Nigeria belongs to all of us,’ etc, chanted different solidarity songs to drive their message home.

Speaking, Co-ordinator, South-South, the Peoples Alternative Movement and former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Edo State, Dr. Osagie Obayuwana, said the Nigeria situation is near-disaster hence Nigerians must speak up.

Obayuwana who lamented that Nigerian parents struggle to train their children to school due to the hardship in the country, further lamented that after graduation, these children have no job.

While stating that as bad as the country situation is, the government is proposing to increase fuel price, the former Attorney-General of Edo State recommended that Nigeria crude be refined in the country so as to have an affordable fuel price that the masses can afford.

He said: “The Nigeria situation right now is a near-disaster. Parents are loosing control over their children. How can a parent who cannot put food on the table of his child control such.

“Out of desperation, and people are traveling to all sort of countries without knowing what they are going to meet over there, but they believe that anywhere else is better than Nigeria.

“What we have agreed or resolved, is to speak out. Nigerians must speak out. If we don’t speak up, those we put in the place of authority will think everything is ok. They don’t pay for fuel, they don’t pay for electricity, this is what has led us to the present situation. And bad as it is, those in authority said they want to increase the price of fuel. (Sic)

“We are saying, this crude oil is owned by us; we are saying that crude oil extracted in this country should be refined here in Nigeria. We have four refineries in the country, they should be put in shape and refine our crude oil. We say in simple term, refine Nigeria oil in Nigeria. Fix our refineries and refine our oil here.”

Also speaking, Rev. Father Benedict Onwugbemi, the Coordinator, Justice Development and Peace Commission, Catholic Church, said “we are saying enough to the hardship in the country. It is not what Buhari promised Nigerias that Nigerians are getting today. Buhari led protest against fuel hike, but today he is doing exactly what he was against.”

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Metro

16 Passengers Lose Lives In Lokoja–Okene Highway Tragedy

Published

13 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”.