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Youths Block Highway In Edo, Protest Kidnapping, Poor Infrastructure

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Hundreds of youths on Wednesday blocked the Auchi-Igarra-Ibillo Road to protest the dilapidated state of the road.

According to the protesters, the dilapidated state of the has resulted in a high rate of kidnapping and poor infrastructure in the entire local government area.

They complained that kidnapping had become a daily occurrence because of the bad roads and lack of adequate infrastructure.

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The protesters lambasted political office holders from the area who they said were not sensitive to the plights of the people.

READ ALSO: US Protesters Mark May Day With Hundreds Of Anti-Trump Rallies

The protest created gridlock on the road as travelers including heavy duty vehicles along the road were stalled for several hours.

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The protesters lamented the case of a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), identified as Okasime Olowojoba who, according to them has been kidnapped for almost a month, further lamented that he was yet to be released despite the ransom of five million naira paid by family and friends to
the kidnappers.

One of the protesters, Paul Lawani, lamented that “we cannot continue to be slaves in our country. The government should come and tell us what they are doing.

“Akoko-Edo local government area has three general hospitals and none is functioning well.

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READ ALSO: Butchers President Raises Alarm Over Shortage Of Veterinary Doctors In Edo Abattoirs

“What is clear is that our colonial government knew the large size of Akoko-Edo that is why they sited three general hospitals. Today, Akoko-Edo is ripe for a military base, yet we have these bases in areas that may not necessarily need them.

“Is the local government chairman not aware that there is this security challenge before he was given the job? Are they not aware that one of the reasons for this kidnapping is because of this bad road? Instead of fixing the road, they are mounting Tinubu for 2027.

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“We also want the state government to come and tell us what they want to do about this road and kidnapping.

“One of our brothers has been with the kidnappers for almost one month, they have collected money in millions, they are yet to release him.”

READ ALSO: US Protesters Mark May Day With Hundreds Of Anti-Trump Rallies

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The protesters also accused the security agents in the area of not doing their job, vowing to to continue the protest until the state government attends to them.

It, however, took the intervention of Otaru of Igarra, HRH, Oba Adehce Saiki who sent emissaries to the protesters to open the road for traffic.

The king told the protesters through his emissaries that he had also written to the state government on the poor state of the road and level of kidnappings.

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Ovia South West Council Chairman, Edobor Bags National Merit Award

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The Acting Chairman of Ovia South West Local Government Council in Edo State, Hon. Charles Nosakhare Edobor, has bagged the 2025 Nigerian Local Government Merit Award (LOGMA).

He was awarded as the Best Performing Local Government Chairman in Nigeria (Security and infrastructure development, purposeful leadership).

Speaking after being conferred with the prestigious award, Edobor applauded the organizers for recognizing his administration’s commitment to localizing good governance.

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He highlighted his leadership’s remarkable strides in building a sustainable, livable, and prosperous council area through numerous people-oriented programmes and projects-particularly in road infrastructure and the provision of basic social amenities.

READ ALSO:Why We Arrested Sowore – Police

Edobor dedicated the award to the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and to the good people of Ovia south west Local Government Area.

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He expressed satisfaction with the honour. He emphasized that the award would further spur him to work harder in pursuing people-centred programmes aligned with Senator Monday Okpebholo’s S.H.I.N.E and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Edobor commended Governor Okpebholo for his visionary leadership and unwavering support for local government administrations across the state.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to deepening rural development, empowering youth and women, and ensuring the dividends of democracy reach every ward in Ovia south west local government.

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READ ALSO:How I Nearly Abandoned Presidential Library Project – Obasanjo

Earlier, in his welcome address at the event which held on Wednesday at the National Merit House, Abuja, the National Coordinator of LOGMA, Chief Bayode Ojo, stated that the award was designed to showcase the achievements of local government chairmen and reward excellence in grassroots governance – particularly those who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to promoting grassroots development despite the challenges confronting the third tier of government.

He congratulated all the awardees for making the final list after rigorous scrutiny and spot-checking of some of their executed projects to verify the authenticity of their claims.

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Chief Ojo further urged the awardees to continue to be shining examples of sustainable growth at the grassroots and in the country at large.

 

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JUST IN: Tinubu Sacks CDS Musa, Names New Army Boss

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President Bola Tinubu has made changes in the hierarchy of the Service Chiefs in furtherance of the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria to strengthen the national security architecture.

READ ALSO:BREAKING: Tinubu swears In New INEC Chairman, Amupitan

The President appointed General Olufemi Oluyede to replace General Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defence Staff.

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Lagos Inaugurates 24-hour Traffic Management Operations

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The Lagos State Government has launched two transformative initiatives designed to recalibrate traffic governance and restore environmental sanctity across the metropolis.

In a visionary bid to guarantee seamless mobility and safe commuting at all hours, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has formally instituted a 24-hour operational framework for traffic management and enforcement across Lagos State.

The groundbreaking initiative, officially commissioned by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, constitutes a seminal moment in the evolution of Lagos’s transportation governance.

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It manifests Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s strategic ambition to ensure the uninterrupted movement of people, goods and services within Nigeria’s economic epicentre—a city that operates continuously, unhindered by congestion or disorder.

According to Giwa, the 24-hour operational regime epitomises the administration’s steadfast dedication to constant vigilance, operational efficiency and disciplined traffic regulation, especially as the metropolis approaches the festive period, traditionally characterised by heightened vehicular and commercial activity.

READ ALSO:‘One-way’ Driver Kills Tricyclist, Flees Scene – LASTMA

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This information was contained in a statement yesterday by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq.

He elaborated that the framework is meticulously designed to facilitate continuous monitoring, rapid emergency response and immediate clearance of traffic obstructions irrespective of time, thereby mitigating congestion and enhancing the commuter experience.

This initiative exemplifies the Lagos State Government’s resolute commitment to safeguarding mobility, preserving lives and sustaining economic productivity through perpetual traffic oversight,” Giwa stated.

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A pivotal component of the initiative is the establishment of the Night Rapid Response Gang, a specialised unit within LASTMA charged with swiftly addressing nocturnal traffic incidents, including vehicular breakdowns, collisions and other obstructions along critical arteries of the metropolis.

In tandem with these traffic management reforms, the Lagos State Government also executed a comprehensive clearance operation along Apapa Road, Costain and the Ijora Under Bridge, eliminating illegal structures, shanties and unregulated trading that had long obstructed free vehicular flow and compromised public safety.

READ ALSO:JUST IN: LASTMA Rescues Two Accident Victims In Lagos, Blames Brake Failure

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The far-reaching enforcement exercise, spearheaded by Sola Giwa in coordination with LASTMA, the Nigeria Police Force, Mobile Police (MOPOL), the Lagos State Task Force and the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), culminated in the removal of unauthorised traders, makeshift structures and multiple environmental infractions.

During the operation, enforcement teams uncovered an illegal diesel dumping site and impounded substantial quantities of expired plantain chips and cheese balls, stored under unsanitary conditions—a testament to the government’s prioritisation of public health and environmental integrity.

The exercise followed persistent warnings and public sensitisation campaigns urging illegal occupants under bridges to vacate. Teams also identified blocked drainage channels choked with metallic debris, contributing to perennial flooding and environmental degradation.

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Furthermore, several commercial buses and tricycles operating unlawfully along the newly constructed Costain Bridge and Apapa Road were impounded.

READ ALSO:EFCC Probes Travellers Over Undeclared $6m, £53,000 At Lagos Airport

Shanties adjacent to St. Catholic Church School, Apapa Road, were demolished, reinstating the area to its intended urban and educational purpose, while criminal hideouts beneath the Ijora Bridge were dismantled to enhance public security.

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Giwa reaffirmed that the Sanwo-Olu administration will not compromise on public safety, environmental protection or the rule of law, stressing that Lagos must remain a city distinguished by structure, order and discipline.

General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, appealed to traders, transport operators and commuters to comply with government directives, utilise designated markets and parking facilities, and actively support the administration’s efforts to maintain a safe, efficient and orderly metropolis.

He emphasised that the integration of 24-hour traffic management with environmental enforcement represents the Lagos State Government’s holistic approach to sustainable urban mobility—one that blends innovative regulation, proactive enforcement and civic responsibility.

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