Headline

Police Ban Use Of Local Security Outfits, VIP Escorts On Election Day In Imo

Published

3 years ago

February 24, 2023

The Nigeria Police has banned all private and local security outfits in Imo State, from participating in Election Security Management.

The directive according to the Imo police authority is from the office of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba.

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Ahmed Barde gave the directive in a statement signed by ASP Henry Okoye and made available to DAILY POST in Owerri, Imo State.

The CP also ordered the strict enforcement of IGP’s directives on the restriction of all forms of vehicular movement and transportation across the 27 LGAs of the state, from 12 midnight to 6pm on Saturday 25th February 2023 scheduled for the Presidential and National Assembly Elections, except for essential duty officers such as the INEC Officials, Electoral Observers, Fire Fighters and Ambulances responding to medical emergencies, etc.

The Statement reads, “Furthermore, on election day, no security agents or escorts should accompany their bosses or elected officials to voting places and counting facilities.

“The prohibition on the use of sirens, rotating lights, covered license plates, and tinted glass is still in effect, and offenders will be subject to legal repercussions. Imo State has issued a warning to private and local security organizations that they are not permitted to participate in election security management, telling them to stay away from polling places and collation centres.

These instructions are a component of the security precautions the command has put in place to ensure the conduct of an election that is secure, free, fair, credible, and acceptable.

“The CP beckons the electorates not to put on political party campaign vest or regalia to polling unit or collation center and craves the indulgence of Imolites to comply with the directives that are emplaced to assist the security agencies in preventing criminally minded persons from disrupting the electoral process as it may be inconvenient.

“They should also avoid spreading misleading information, purchasing votes, stealing ballots, and using derogatory language that can incite violence.

“To provide adequate security during the elections and beyond, CP Barde reiterates the Command’s preparedness to collaborate with other sister security services. He urged all eligible voters in the state to cast their ballots in large numbers, and he issued a warning that the command would arrest and prosecute anyone who attempted to tamper with the election. He requests that the good citizens of the state call the Command Emergency line at 08034773600 or 08098880197 to report any suspicious individual, an unusual event, or request for security reaction.”

Headline

UK Links Nigeria, Others To Poisonous Alcoholic Drinks

Published

4 hours ago

October 22, 2025

Editor

Nigeria and seven other countries have been added to a UK Foreign Office list warning of the risks of methanol poisoning from counterfeit or tainted alcoholic drinks.

Other affected countries that have warned of potential risks include Ecuador, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Uganda, and Kenya.

The countries are included in the updated travel guidance following incidents involving Britons in those countries.

The advice previously covered Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, Costa Rica and Fiji and followed a number of high-profile incidents, including the death of six tourists in Laos last year.

The UK foreign Office warned travellers to watch out for signs of methanol poisoning such as blurry vision and confusion, which could lead to serious illness and death.

Methanol is an industrial chemical found in antifreeze and windscreen washer fluid. It is not meant for human consumption and is highly toxic.

With instances of unscrupulous backyard brewers adding methanol to drinks to extend their reach, and some bars and street vendors mixing it with spirit-based drinks and cocktails to cut costs, the Foreign Office has said it is crucial to be cautious.

The Foreign Office advised British nationals going abroad to purchase sealed drinks from licensed establishments, avoid homemade alcohol and pre-mixed spirits, cocktails and drinks served in buckets or jugs.

Travellers are advised to watch out for warning signs of poisoning, which include nausea, vomiting, dizziness and confusion.

Headline

Mosquitoes Discovered In Iceland For First Time

Published

15 hours ago

October 21, 2025

Editor

Mosquitoes have been discovered in Iceland in a first for the island nation, which has long been one of the world’s mosquito-free places, a researcher told AFP Monday.

Three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes, two females and one male, were sighted around 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the capital Reykjavik, according to Matthias Alfredsson, an entomologist at the Natural Science Institute of Iceland.

“They were all collected from wine ropes… aimed at attracting moths,” the researcher said in an email, referring to a method of adding sugar to heated wine and dipping ropes or strips of fabric into the solution, which are then hung outside to entice the sweet-toothed insects.

Along with Antarctica, Iceland has long been one of the few places on earth without a mosquito population.

“It is the first record of mosquitoes occurring in the natural environment in Iceland. A single Aedes nigripes specimen (arctic mosquito species) was collected many years ago from an airplane at Keflavik airport,” Alfredsson said, adding that “unfortunately, that specimen is lost”.

Their presence could “indicate a recent introduction to the country, possibly via ships or containers”, he said, but further monitoring in spring would be necessary to determine their further spread.

Rising temperatures, longer summers, and milder winters, all brought on by climate change, create a more favourable environment for mosquitoes to thrive.

But Alfredsson did not believe that a warmer climate explained the discovery.

The species “appears to be well adapted to colder climates”, which “allows them to withstand long, harsh winters when temperatures drop below freezing”, he said.

He added that its “diverse breeding habitats… further enhances its ability to persist in Iceland’s challenging environment”.
AFP

Headline

Trump Urged Ukraine To Give Up Land In Peace Deal Talks — Official

Published

15 hours ago

October 21, 2025

Editor

United State President Donald Trump pressured Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to give up the eastern Donbas region in exchange for peace during “tense” talks last Friday in Washington, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.

The source added that the talks with Trump were “not easy”, and that diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war felt like they were being “dragged out” and “going in circles”.

Zelensky met Trump at the White House last week, hoping to capitalise on the US leader’s growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reluctance to accept a ceasefire.

But he instead left empty-handed after Trump — who spoke with Putin the day before — denied his request for long-range Tomahawk missiles and pressured him into making a deal.

When asked if Trump urged Zelensky to pull out of land Ukraine still controlled — one of Putin’s key demands — the Ukrainian official told AFP: “Yes, that’s true.”

Following his meeting with Zelensky, Trump said on social media that their talks were “very interesting and cordial, but I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing and make a DEAL!”

Trump promised to end Russia’s three-and-a-half-year invasion within “24 hours” of his inauguration in January, but has failed to extract any concessions from Putin.

His position on the war has repeatedly shifted following his conversations with both Putin and Zelensky.

AFP