Metro

Travelers Stranded In Rivers As Soldiers Block Road After IPOB Clash

Published

2 years ago

May 31, 2024

Several trucks, petroleum tankers, and vehicles are trapped around the Oyigbo axis of the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway in Rivers State as security operatives block the Imo-Rivers border on Friday.

This followed the killing of some soldiers by suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra in Abia State who were enforcing the sit-at-home order in commemoration of the May 30th ‘Biafra Day.’

Following the long queues, hundreds of passengers are stranded as movement to the neighbouring Abia State is restricted.

“People travelling, look at pregnant women are also here because of what they said happened in Aba.”

It was gathered that the blockade may be connected to reports of sporadic shooting into the air early on Thursday morning by suspected IPOB members at the Oyigbo roundabout and kom-kom community in Oyigbo LGA in Rivers State.

The PUNCH reports that the trucks queued along the border between Abia and Rivers State were travelling to different parts of the South-East before they met the blockade.

Some drivers said they have been at one location since Thursday due to the barricade; none of the drivers are even willing to go to Aba, Abia State, for fear of being attacked due to the tension there.

One said, “Heavily armed Army men blocked the Imo River and the border between Abia and Rivers State. So, there is no movement because of what is happening in Abia State. We have been like this since Friday morning.

“We heard that the IPOB people in Abia State are having problems with soldiers, that some soldiers and civilians were killed. That is why we packed here.

“But we are hoping that the security will improve so that they will remove the blockade so we can continue our journey.”

Another truck driver, identified as Ikechukwu, said he and his motor boy slept on the road from Thursday evening till now due to the barricade by soldiers.

“You can see that soldiers have blocked this Imo gate here. So there is no road, and we have been here without food. Let the government come to our aid because already there is serious hardship in this country.”

But moving into Oyigbo town, residents deny any shooting, saying the place is peaceful. Our correspondent observed that there was calm in the area, with free vehicular movements, even as shops and other businesses were open to customers.

One of the residents who did not want his name mentioned said, “I’m living in Oyigbo here, and there is nothing like gunshots. Where there is a problem is in Abia State after the altercation on Thursday.

“But the information we are getting now is that soldiers have blocked the expressway, and cars and trucks cannot move. But Oyigbo is calm.”

Related Topics:#South-East IPOB Soldiers

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Metro

Auto-crash Claims 2 Lives On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Published

6 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

19 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

19 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.