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Travellers Stranded, As NAHCo Suspends Operation At MMIA

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International passengers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos were stranded as workers of aviation ground handling company, the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCo Plc) suspends operation.

The worker insisted that they will not commence operation until their salary issues are addressed.

Vanguard gathered that Royal Air Maroc, and Qatar Airlines passenger flights have been turned around while Virgin Atlantic, which is on the ground, is offloading with their staff and the cargo is still on the aircraft as NAHCO staff refused to work only passengers were disembarked.

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NAHCo handles check-in, boarding, and ramp services for Delta, Turkish Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Qatar, and Air France-KLM amongst other international carriers.

READ ALSO: Buhari Renews Tenure Of Two DGs, Appoints Secretary

As of 8:30 am, stranded passengers that travelled with Virgin Atlantic were pleading with the workers’ union to rescind their action while looking for an amicable resolution.

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Many of Virgin Atlantic’s passengers are students who are returning to schools in the United Kingdom. Many of their parents and guardians in Nigeria and the UK were heard calling their wards in a bid to know the next line of action.

According to the General Sales Agent (GSA), Virgin Atlantic Airways, John Adebanjo, the situation had left our passengers in a panic situation.

“We are optimistic that the situation will be resolved and passengers allowed to board for their 10:00 am flight.”

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It was gathered that the passengers had arrived at the international wing of the Lagos airport for their flights. They were oblivious to what awaited them. Many were seen yelling at some NAHco workers for choosing to embark on strike as confusion reigned at the terminal.

A traveller who spoke to Vanguard disclosed that there was a major problem at the airport as NAHCO staff walked out of the international Airport, saying they’re on strike.

“All NAHCO handled flights shut down as passengers are going crazy but kept outside to avoid a crisis. I’m here at the airport.

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“Even the Qatar flight I’m travelling with this morning landed and has returned to Doha as there’s no one to handle them
We need to get on this problem asap before the situation escalates,” he said.

Another traveller stated that NAHCO workers on Monday morning as early as 7:00 am told passengers that they were on strike and were not ready to work until their demands are met.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Many Passengers Stranded Inside Forest As Warri-Itakpe Train Derails

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We are frustrated at the airport with no information from the airline.”

There were indications that more airlines could be affected by the problem created by the company.

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A source at NAHCO who craved anonymity told Vanguard that the management had met with the staff on Sunday over the proposed strike but assured that the situation will be addressed soon.

Not a few believe that the situation may have caused a lot of financial losses to the company, and airlines and disrupted the travel plans of many passengers.

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Metro

Why DSS Questioned Me Over Viral Threat Video — Lagos NURTW Boss

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The Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Alhaji Mustapha Olanrewaju, popularly known as Sego, has explained why he was grilled by the Department of State Services following a viral video in which he was accused of making threats ahead of the 2027 elections.

In the clip, Sego was heard speaking in Yoruba, saying: “Anyone who makes any mistake in 2027 will be dealt with. Let it be known: the APC is your party. Those who don’t comply will face us.”

The video sparked outrage online, with critics accusing him of incitement and political intimidation.

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READ ALSO:DSS Arraigns Sowore Over Anti-Tinubu Post

Speaking after his session with the DSS, Sego said, “Good afternoon everyone. My name is Alhaji Mustapha Adekunle Olanrewaju. I have been with the DSS since morning. I just left them around after 7. They just released me on bail.”

He insisted the claims against him were false. “I heard they invited me because of a propaganda that I insulted some people or something like that. So that is a fake rumour. What I was talking about was national union (NURTW),” he said.

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Sego argued that rival groups within the union were behind the controversy. “We all know that every profession has its rival. As politicians have rivals, mechanics have rivals too. So it is the NURTW rivals that don’t want my work in Lagos to be successful. So they are looking for means to scatter it and cause trouble. They are the ones I was talking to and letting the world and the DSS and the Police know that NURTW is a peaceful union.”

READ ALSO:Lagos NURTW Boss Reacts To Alleged Threat To Voters As DSS Grilled Him Over Viral Video

He described the allegations as propaganda. “It is the naysayers that want to be peddling false rumours. So what the DSS have been grilling me about is not what it seems. It is just propaganda. I concentrate on my work. You can be part of any association. We all know the party we want to associate with.”

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Sego added that the invitation was aimed at distracting him from his duties. “Since morning, I am supposed to be in my office but I have been with the DSS. This is an attempt to destabilise me and the NURTW in Lagos,” he said.

The NURTW have been accused in past elections of being used to intimidate opponents or sway voters, allegations the union has consistently denied.

During the 2019 and 2023 polls, clashes linked to transport union factions raised concerns about the use of motor park leaders in political disputes.

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Youths Beat Ondo Monarch, Wife, Son During Festival

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Crisis erupted in Idogun community, Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Friday as some irate youths allegedly beat up the town’s monarch, Oba Moses Bakare, his wife, and his son, identified as Victor.

The incident, which occurred during the annual New Yam festival, left the monarch injured while his wife was reportedly beaten and stripped half-naked by the angry youths.

Though the cause of the attack could not be immediately ascertained, a resident of the town, who pleaded anonymity for fear of reprisal, said some residents had long been at loggerheads with the monarch.

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READ ALSO:Man Hacks Grandmother To Death In Ondo

The source stated, “The angry youths really assaulted the monarch and his wife and son. We don’t know what caused it but we know that some youths in the community don’t like the Oba; we don’t know why.

“If not the swift intervention of security operatives, the matter would have degenerated to a full-blown crisis in the town.”

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Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, told PUNCH Online that an investigation had commenced.

The case is under investigation and we are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that justice is served,” the PPRO stated.

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Police Arrest Officer, UNIPORT Student Over Cult-related Violence

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The Rivers State Police Command says it has arrested two suspected cultists and recovered firearms and ammunition during a signing-out ceremony for final-year students at the University of Port Harcourt.

In a press release signed on Friday by its Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, the command said the suspects, a police officer and a student, were getting ready for clash with rival cultists before their arrest.

Iringe-Koko said, “On September 26, 2025, at about 1600hrs, during the activities marking the signing out of final-year students at the University of Port-Harcourt, the University’s Internal Security team confronted a suspected cult member , Police Corporal Onwukwe Godswill ‘m’ attached to the Elimgbu Division and a 200-Level Biomedical Technology undergraduate student of the University, Ifeanyi Israel ‘m’ in anticipation of a clash with rival Cultists on campus.”

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READ ALSO:Court Dismisses Suit Seeking Refund Of Rivers’ Monies Expended By Ibas

Both suspects were taken into custody and searched, the statement added.

During the initial search, the PPRO said weapons, including pistols, ammunition, and axes, were recovered.

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“A subsequent search of the house of the suspected cult leader, Cpl Onwukwe, by the operatives, resulted in the recovery of the following additional exhibits: one (1) locally made pistol and two (2) machetes,” she added.

The command said the suspects and exhibits are currently in police custody as an in-depth investigation is underway to determine the full extent of their involvement and identify any accomplices.

READ ALSO:Police Confirm Abduction Of 17 Passengers Along Calabar Waterway

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Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, reiterated the force’s commitment to maintaining peace.

He warned that “there will be no hiding place for criminals in the State” and urged the public to report suspicious activity to security agencies.”

PUNCH Online recalls that the Rivers Police Command last week also arrested a security guard simply identified as Godday over the alleged abduction and defilement of a 14-year-old girl in the Mothercat axis of Trans-Amadi in Port Harcourt.

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The suspect was said to have been arrested last Tuesday by officers of the Amadi Police Division in partnership with security personnel of another bank adjacent to the scene of the crime.

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