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‘We’re In Benin To Fill The Gap In Transportation’ – Online Cab Provider

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The Management of UNIVASA Nigeria Limited has said that the rising needs and communication gaps between drivers and riders in the transportation sector in Benin prompted the launching of its online cab services in the city.

Dr. Ben Adeniyi, the Chief Executive Officer of UNIVASA Nigeria Limited who disclosed this on Wednesday in Benin at the launching of the online cab services App, noted that the purpose was to close the gaps in the city’s transportation system by letting riders book cab online at the comfort of their home without stress.

He added that the company is offering a free tracking device on the online App for drivers to make their services more easier, stressing that the tracker belongs to the company and not the drivers.

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READ ALSO: Judge’s Death Paralyses Court Proceedings In Edo

He said, unlike their competitors, UNIVASA is going to partner with all stakeholders whereby both drivers and riders are given priority, and not just riders alone as some of their competitors do.

Boluwatife (left) and John Oyakhilome addressing cab drivers at the launching of online cab in Benin

While wondering how an online taxi provider can increase its fair without proper communication with both drivers and riders, Dr. Adeniyi noted that UNIVASA has a communication unit that runs 24 hours services on the App, adding that no action would be taken on their services without proper communication and feedback.

“After interacting with several drivers and with our earlier research, we discovered a communication gap, there’s been a poor communication with drivers and riders. We, at UNIVASA want to keep a regular communication with our drivers and our riders.

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“We heard of the recent sudden hike of transportation fare, without a proper communication to all concerned. These are the lapses we have uncovered and we have come to correct here in Benin. So, we are partnering with all stakeholders to make sure we have a smooth operation and ride in Benin,” he said.

READ ALSO: GIZ Partners SEYP, Others To Empower Youths In Edo

He disclosed that before the end of the year 2021, UNIVASA is planning to launch the online cab in the 36 states of the federation including the FCT, adding that it has already garnered 175 drivers under its service in Benin.

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Also speaking, Mr John Oyakhilome, General Manager of the company said UNIVASA offers 90% earnings to all drivers while the company collects 10% of the total earnings.

A cross section of cab drivers at the launching.

He added that the online cab service provider offers bonus for drivers ranging from weekend bonus, appliances bonus, celebration bonus, smart phone bonus, insurance bonus, etc, adding that the company partners with telecommunication company in offering free data service via its Application as well.

“The healthcare insurance is not a monthly insurance but a yearly insurance. Our annual health insurance is going to be for a period. So, that means if you want to do a health insurance for your family, we will let you know the number of ride that is going to cover that amount for you in the year.

READ ALSO: GIZ Partners SEYP, Others To Empower Youths In Edo

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“We also offers free internet on UNIVASA. If you are on the App and you have Glo SIM, you don’t need to have data before you use the App. We are also looking foward to partnering with MTN and Airtel and other telecommunication providers to have a free internet App with their services.

“One beautiful thing about UNIVASA is that, when a rider book you, you don’t need to use your call card to call the rider, you can use the App to call the rider, you can likewise use the App to message the rider. All are for free on the App,” he added.

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Tragedy As 12-year-old Falls Into Well In Kwara, Dies

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A 12-year-old girl, identified as Nabilat, has died after falling into a domestic well at Ikoyi Community in the Irewolede area of Ilorin West Local Government Area, Kwara State.

The incident occurred around 10:35 am on Saturday when the victim reportedly went to fetch water but slipped and fell into the well.

The Kwara State Fire Service, in a statement on Sunday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Hassan Hakeem Adekunle, said the service was alerted through a telephone call by a resident, identified only as Mayowa, who witnessed the tragedy.

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READ ALSO:Islamic Cleric Arrested For Brutalising 10-year-old Boy In Kwara

Firefighters were immediately deployed and successfully recovered the girl’s body, which was handed over to a family member.

According to the report, the victim went to fetch water and in the process, one of her legs slipped off the ground, which made her tumble into the well,” the statement partly read.

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The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Falade Olumuyiwa, expressed sadness over the incident and cautioned parents and guardians against sending underage children to fetch water from domestic wells.

READ ALSO:Drama As Kwara Housewife Faints In Court After Husband Insists On Divorce

“The general public must be more careful in their day-to-day activities, and parents should desist from sending underage children to fetch water in domestic wells,” he said.

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The incident has reignited concerns about safety precautions around domestic wells, which remain common in several Ilorin communities due to irregular water supply during the dry season.

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PHOTOS: NDLEA Arrests Lagos Hotelier, Seizes 1.7 Tonnes Of Cannabis

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a wanted drug baron, Frank Chijioke Ibemesi, known as Chisco Bee, following weeks of surveillance on his operations.

According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Ibemesi, 42, who runs Franc CJ Ibemesi Nig Ltd and Daisy Garden Hotel in Isolo, Lagos, was taken into custody in the early hours of Saturday, 15 November.

Operatives subsequently led him to a warehouse in the same area where 42 jumbo bags and four cartons of Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1,762.8 kilogrammes, were recovered. At the point of arrest, cash in foreign currencies was also seized, including $11,600, £2,000, €2,200 and 50 Canadian dollars.

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Elsewhere, NDLEA officers disrupted an attempt by a syndicate to distribute processed skunk from Orita-Apeje, Araromi-Okeodo forest reserve in the Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State.

READ ALSO:NDLEA Arrests Suspected Drug Baron, Seizes Over 14,000kg Skunk In Osun

After days of surveillance, 11,135 kilograms of cannabis were intercepted on Tuesday, 11 November. Two trucks used for transportation were seized, and seven suspects were detained.

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In Edo State, 1,902.1 kilograms of skunk were recovered in separate operations. These included 184.1 kilograms along Oza/Igbanke road, 672 kilograms from Utese forest, and further consignments from vehicles on the Benin-Akure road, where two suspects were arrested.

Additional arrests were made in Ogun State, where four men were found with 68 kilograms of skunk and 3.15 kilograms of methamphetamine along the Ijebu-Ode expressway. In Taraba, two suspects were detained with 172 kilograms and 84 kilograms of cannabis, respectively. In Adamawa, 396,000 capsules of tramadol were seized at Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola, while 785 kilograms of skunk were evacuated from a warehouse in Nasarawa.

READ ALSO:PHOTOS: NDLEA Dismantles Colos Factory In Lagos, Seizes 16kg Synthetic Cannabis

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Operations in Lagos also yielded results. Two suspects were arrested in Surulere with 65.15 kilograms of Canadian Loud, while another was detained in Oyingbo with 141 kilograms of Ghana Loud. In Kwara, officers intercepted a truck on the Ilorin-Jebba expressway carrying 78.565 kilograms of skunk and cartons of rubber solutions. A separate bus was stopped in Ilorin with 20 blocks of cannabis concealed in a jerrycan.

Alongside enforcement, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign in schools, worship centres and workplaces across Zamfara, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Enugu, Lagos and Ogun.

Chairman of the Agency, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired), commended the officers involved in the operations across Lagos, Osun, Edo, Ogun, Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa and Kwara. He urged them to sustain what he described as a balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with public education.

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NAF Hits Bandit Logistics Hub, Neutralises Many In Zamfara

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The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Air Component of the Joint Task Force of Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFY) has carried out precision air interdiction missions on the Sauri bandit camp in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, destroying a major defensive position and a logistics hub used by the criminals.

The strikes, conducted on November 14, 2025, resulted in the neutralisation of several terrorists and the destruction of critical structures, significantly degrading the gang’s operational capacity in the area.

NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, confirmed the operation in a statement on Saturday.

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According to him, the mission followed extensive intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations that revealed heightened terrorist activity, including rustled livestock concealed at a high-ground hideout serving as both a defensive position and logistics hub.

READ ALSO:NAF To Close Lagos Airport Road For Fitness Walk

Acting on this intelligence, the Air Component executed multiple coordinated strike passes on the identified targets, achieving direct hits that dislodged surviving terrorists attempting to flee into surrounding vegetation, where they were subsequently tracked and effectively engaged,” he said.

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Ejodame added that the mission demonstrates the commitment of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, who has consistently pledged that the NAF will “find them, hunt them down, and protect our people.”

He said the operation underscores the unwavering resolve of the Joint Task Force and the NAF under Operation Fansan Yamma to deny terrorists safe havens, strengthen security in Zamfara State, and support national efforts to restore peace and stability across the North West.

The latest strike came four days after NAF conducted coordinated air interdiction missions in Borno, Katsina, and Kwara states, targeting bandit and terrorist enclaves.

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READ ALSO:NAF Redeploys 25 Senior Officers

In Borno, heavy strikes hit ISWAP positions in the Northern Tumbuns—Lake Chad Islands—and Mallam Fatori, where terrorists were mobilising with motorcycles and boats.

In Kwara State, airstrikes on Garin Dandi and Chigogo inflicted heavy losses on criminal elements and created panic within their ranks.

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Similarly, in Katsina State, bombardments destroyed key logistics hubs at Zango Hill in Kankara Local Government Area, neutralising several terrorists.

Ejodame noted that each mission reaffirms NAF’s commitment to deploying smarter, intelligence-driven airpower to deliver precise lethality against insurgents and criminals while safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians.

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