Metro

Tanker Fire Destroys Shops, Homes In Bayelsa

Published

1 year ago

October 1, 2024

A tanker fire near Okaki Junction in the Akenfa area of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, has destroyed shops and homes, but no life was lost in the inferno.

A victim, Smart Okhwo, who hails from Ofoni community in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state, narrated his ordeal to The PUNCH on Sunday, saying he got a call that his house was on fire.

Okhwo said his house, including a PoS kiosk his son was operating, was already destroyed by the time the fire service got there.

He said goods belonging to some of his tenants who had shops in his house were burnt down in the fire and praised those who carried out rescue efforts before the arrival of the fire service.

According to him, the incident started when the tanker caught fire and then spread to the surrounding houses and shops while blaming the police for the incident.

He said: “The serious thing is that it was caused by the police. Now, they have run away. They were stopping the tanker by using a Keke (tricycle) to block the way.

“The driver tried to dodge the Keke so he climbed the pavement. That was when the tanker did a summersault. The next thing was fire.

“That was how it happened. So, the government should come and intervene especially for my tenants and those people who are doing business. During the packing of the things, you know how Nigeria is. Most of the people came to rescue the things, but a lot of property was lost.”

Another house owner, Dennis Godwin, from Delta State, said he travelled two days ago and got an urgent call to return because his house was on fire.

While expressing thanks to God that no life was lost, he also implored the government to come to their aid saying, “Government should do something.”

Another victim, a trader who did not identify himself, said he lost his goods in the fire, saying, “All we need is justice.”

However, a firefighter who led the fire crew, Nelson Meeting, said they came as soon as they got the distress call, but other road users did not give them the right of way though they were using a siren.

Meeting observed that onlookers who were taking videos of the fire did not give them enough room to work and called for a change of attitude while warning that radiation from phones was dangerous in such a situation.

“They don’t know that even videoing is dangerous because of the radiation from the phone. Next time, they should give way and allow firefighters to do their job. They should follow instructions from the firefighters,” Meeting stated.

When contacted by The PUNCH, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Musa Mohammed, said it was not true that the policemen were the cause of the accident that led to the fire and that it was just an allegation.

Mohammed said the tanker failed its brake and the driver lost control and hit the Keke, but the driver escaped and jumped into the nearby Epie Creek where he was later rescued.

Metro

Auto-crash Claims 2 Lives On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Published

2 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, TRACE, on Friday confirmed that two people died in a lone accident around Oremeji Bus Stop on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The Corps’ spokesperson, Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abeokuta.

Akinbiyi said the accident, involving a Mazda bus with registration number YNF 414 XN, occurred at about 1:30 a.m.

He explained that the two occupants of the vehicle, the driver and conductor, both adult males, died on the spot, adding that no injury was recorded.

According to him, eyewitnesses said the bus lost control due to speeding, hit a road barrier, and somersaulted.

Akinbiyi further said the vehicle, which was conveying live chicks, had been towed by the Ibafo Motor Traffic Division of the Police for further investigation.

He added that the remains of the victims had been deposited at the Divine Touch Hospital morgue in Ibafo by operatives of TRACE, the police, and the Ogun State Emergency Services (OGSAES).

He noted that traffic was briefly affected during the rescue operation but was later restored through the efforts of TRACE and the police.

Metro

Court Sentences Man To Death For Killing Son

Published

15 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

The Kano State High Court has sentenced Abubakar Alhaji Sabo to death by hanging after finding him guilty of killing his newborn son.

The Kano State Government prosecuted Sabo before the court on charges of culpable homicide and causing grievous harm.

He was accused of force-feeding the infant with a local insecticide known as ‘fiya-fiya’, resulting in the child’s death.

Sabo killed the baby after the mother, his girlfriend, refused to obey his instruction to kill the child to avoid the shame of fathering a child out of wedlock.

Following the incident, he was also found guilty of striking the girlfriend’s father on the head with a brick after he caught Sabo poisoning the baby.

During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Barrister Safiya Yalwati Yahaya, presented three witnesses, while the defendant testified in his own defence.

After reviewing the evidence presented by both parties, Justice Aisha Yau, who presided over the case, found him guilty of infanticide and sentenced him to death by hanging.

The court also imposed an additional three-year prison sentence for causing grievous harm.

Metro

Nine Kwara Victims: Kidnappers Insist On N300m Ransom

Published

15 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

No progress has been recorded on the bandits demand for N300m ransom for the release of nine victims abducted in Adanla community of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara state on Boxing Day, December 26, 2025.

Coordinator of the Joint Security Watch for Kwara South Senatorial District, Zubair Olaitan, disclosed this on Wednesday.

According to DAILY POST, the bandits have so far made three contacts with the community leaders that “if the N300m is not paid, the victims will not be released.”

The bandits seized the nine victims in an attempt to abduct the King of the community, and his wife on Boxing Day, but failed.

The King, David Olarinoye, was away to Igbaja town for a programme when the armed bandits invaded his community.

The bandits, however, later seized nine other victims in the community and marched them to the bush.

While seven victims were abducted at the palace of the King, two others were captured on their way to the bush.

Following the abduction, the bandits demanded a N300m for the release of the abducted victims, resisting any negotiations for reduction of the ransom.