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Over 40,000 people die annually in road crashes – FRSC

FRSC boss, Dauda Biu

Over 40,000 people die annually as a result of Road Traffic Crashes in Nigeria, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Corps Marshall, Dauda Biu has said.

According to Biu, who said this in Abuja during activities marking the 7th United Nations Global Road Safety Week, these facts were the unholy statistics of Road Traffic Crashes and injuries which were a leading cause of death and disability.

He also said that 1.3 million people were killed and as many as 50 million people get injured each year globally.

According to him, there is no greater threat to people, aged 5-29 years than Road Traffic Crashes, as one in every four deaths occurs among pedestrians and cyclists.

“In Nigeria, over 40,000 persons die annually as a result of this avoidable scourge,“ he said.

The FRSC boss said that the United Nations had developed global plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.

He said that it reflected an ambitious target to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries, which would be by 50 percent by 2030.

Biu said that the 2023 edition of the event with theme; ‘’Sustainable Transport‘’ is slated for Monday to Sunday.

He said: “FRSC is partnering with the World Health Organisation (WHO), Federal Ministry of Health (FMH) and United Nations Decade of Action on Road Safety and Injury Prevention (UNDARSIP) to mark the event with various activities.

According to him, the need to take action to ensure safe roads, vehicles and behaviours as well as to improve emergency care is paramount.

“The 7th UN Global Road Safety Week is focusing on sustainable transport with the slogan #RethinkMobility, which necessitates the urgent need to shift to walking, cycling and using public transport.

“The key messages of this year’s event centers on the need for governments and their partners to rethink mobility.

“Ensuring safety must be at the core of efforts to re-imagine mobility and thus road networks must be designed with the most-at-risk in mind, “he said.

The Corps Marshal, however, called on government at all levels and partners to rethink mobility with a mindset to providing access to safe and affordable mobility systems for all.

Biu stressed the need for government to make available accessible, resilient, low and sustainable mobility systems to create livable cities that would fulfil the mobility needs of all.

This, he said was to ensure safety at all cost, adding that the road network must be designed in consideration of the vulnerable road users who were the most at risk in mind.

He noted that this would ensure that they feel safe walking and cycling, adding that this would further promote good health, sustainable cities and equitable society.

Meanwhile, the Focal Person/Country representative, UN decade of Action for Road safety, Prof. Sydney Ibeanusi, said that government would continue to put the issue of road safety on the front burner.

Ibeanusi said that Nigeria had a better system, saying “what we want to show the world was that the system actually exists.

“Nigeria has been chosen as a country to improve cycling, and Abuja has been chosen as one of the five states globally.

”This is for a project implementation to encourage cycling and we will not relent in our efforts,“ he said.

05/16/2023
NSCDC, Ministry arrest 21 suspected illegal miners in Cross River

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, has arrested 21 suspected illegal miners in Cross River.

The suspects were arrested in Utanga community in Obanliku local government area of Cross River on May 11.

Commandant of NSCDC in the State, Mr. Samuel Fadeyi, who paraded the suspects on Monday at the NSCDC headquarters in Calabar, said they were arrested at the illegal mining site in the Utanga community.

Fadeyi said that the illegal mining in the area was capable of heightening security challenges and causing natural disaster in the community.

“Our search light was able to identify a place in Utanga community in Obanliku local government area where we raided 21 suspects caught in the act of illegal mining.

“We arrested them together with their implements and tools. The suspects are undergoing investigation and soon, we will prosecute them.

“Some communities are complicit in this illegal mining activities in their area because they rely on peanuts that comes out of it and forget the challenges that may come thereafter.

“These illegal activities can attract criminal elements, warlords, insecurity and disaster in the area during the process of digging.

“Rather, they would have approached the Federal Mines office and get a license and allow the mines officer to put them through before going into such activities,” he said

Mr Mayowa Omosebi, the Federal Mines Officer in charge the state, said they have been strategising over time on how to arrest the suspects and put an end to illegal mining in the area.

Omosebi said that the office was facing the challenge of funding to operate optimally in bursting such illegal sites and make arrest.

“What we are asking for is more funding because of the peculiarity of distance in Cross River, the headquarters of the state office is very far from where you have the illegal activities taking place.

“There is no place illegal mining activities is taking place without the consent of the land owners; I have organised a stakeholders forum to educate them on the need to do the right thing.

“The license for mining process is very straight forward, and we keep advising them to explore the right channels and shun illegality,” he said.

One of the suspect, Vincent Abien, a Youth Leader of Utanga community, said he was aware that there was digging ongoing in the site, but he didn’t know it was illegal mining.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items recovered from the suspects include; pumping machines, shovels, diggers, and head-pans.

05/15/2023
Sudan: Nigerian embassy facilitates students’ transfer to Egyptian varsities

The Embassy of Nigeria in Cairo, Egypt is to facilitate the transfer of Nigerian students from Sudanese universities to Egyptian universities.

The embassy, in a statement on Sunday, said this was in the light of requests by both parents and students caught in the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

The embassy said that it was collaborating with the Central Administration for International Students (Wafeden), under the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to achieve this.

“In this regard, Nigerian students from Sudanese Universities who are interested in transferring to Egyptian Universities are expected to send their full names, faculties required, academic level/year completed, transcripts of the academic years completed.

“(They should also send) passport data pages and contact details (phone number and email) to enable the embassy and the Wafeden start working on them, before the portal for international transfers opens.”

The embassy cautioned students that any of them that transfer to Egyptian government universities would not be eligible for an Egyptian Government Scholarship.

It also provided a link for the transfer for interested students to fill and attach the required documents between May and June in order to join the 2023/2024 academic session commencing in September.

“https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSey- OAIR3UsduSWSIQsMkEn2b2fJ9cn1 Bmq12AdCZSU1x1HEg/viewform?usp=sf_link.

“After filling the above form, interested students should also send their below details and documents to this email: nigembegysch@yahoo.com with the following:

“a. Full Name:
“b. Faculty required:
“c. Academic Year/Level Completed:
“d. Transcripts of the Academic Years/Level Completed (attachment)
“e. Passport Data Page (attachment) f. Contact Details: Phone number(s) and email address.”

05/15/2023
NNPCL nabs 6 suspected crude oil thieves, destroys barge

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has intercepted an illegal Crude Oil Barge and arrested six suspected crude thieves in Warri, Delta State.

Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a private security contractor, engaged by NNPCL made the arrests.

Speaking, Captain Warredi Enisuoh, Executive Director, Operations and Technical of the Security firm said MAWE Services had approval from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to provide services within the confines of lifting sludge.

The security contractor and the Nigerian Security Operatives also set ablaze the 1,000 metric tonnes capacity barge at a final execution point in Oteghele, Delta state.

The barge was destroyed shortly after an inspection of the sites of Mawe Service Limited and associated barge with illegal crude oil.

On the inspection were some officials of NNPC Ltd. and Tantita Security Services, Journalists, the Nigerian Army and Naval officers, among others.

The team visited the Mawe Services Jetty, illegal crude oil dump site and Fenog Jetty for Illegal Crude Oil Barge inspection.

Enisuoh said on the fateful voyage, intelligence reports received by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd and Mason Engineering indicated that the MAWE Yard was being used for activities outside its approval limits.

He said surveillance and intelligence also revealed that a 1000 metric tonnes capacity barge (FP AMANGWU) was coming to berth alongside its jetty, loaded with illegal crude oil declared as sludge.

The captain explained that the barge was towed by an unknown Tugboat into Mawe Services Limited’s Jetty and left.

“A team of Tantita Security Services Operatives continued to monitor the Jetty for suspicious activities. It was observed that a Sewage Truck with Plate No. JR7750XA visited the Jetty twice.

“During its third visit on May 12, 2023, the Truck was accosted by the Tantita Security Operatives keeping constant vigil over the area. Upon inspection, the substance found inside the tank was not sewage, rather, crude oil.

“The driver was arrested and handed over to government security operatives.

“The driver later revealed the destination of the contents, which took us to another yard inland, also operated by Mawe Services Limited.

“Within the Mawe Services Limited’s premises, there were two metallic cylindrical tanks of about 45,000 liters capacity, each.

“Both tanks were inspected and one was found to be filled up with Crude Oil,”.

He said the driver of the Truck confirmed that he had been transferring the contents of the barge into the tank that was filled.

He said that an inspection of the Yard Security Logbook showed that the Truck visited the location severally while the contents of the Truck were well spelled out as “CRUDE OIL”.

He explained that the perpetrators usually loaded the crude from the big barge in small gallons, batch by batch then transfer to illegal refineries.

“One new method they use now is that they obtain documentation and authorization from the government to fool security agencies, then go on to do other illegal jobs,” the captain said.

The captain further explained that most times when the suspects were being arrested, they would claim to be newly employed by their companies whereas they were already trained to operate in that line.

“At the same time I feel sad because the big players always hide behind them while the small errand boys are literally the victims.

“I believe the law enforcement agents will get to the root of the matter,” he said.

He said that part of the crude had been evacuated while the rest would go through combustion process.

Meanwhile, the suspects who were paraded by the combined security team, said they were not aware of any illegal badge of crude oil but were sent by their companies to evacuate waste water with oil from the barge.

Mr Daniel Dickson, one of the suspects working with First Priority Research Resources International Ltd, the owner of the barge said the barge was hired through Petralon 54, located at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to cargo crude from Port Harcourt to Warri in 2022.

Dickson, who said that it was not all the compartments in the barge that contained crude said that it had about 700 barrels of crude oil but in the process of evacuation in May 2023, the security agents caught them.

05/14/2023
Nollywood actor, Saint Obi is dead

Popular Nollywood actor, Saint Obi, has passed on at the age of 57 after a protracted illness.

It was reported that he died early in the week after battling an undisclosed illness for several months with no successful treatment.

The Actors Guild of Nigeria is however yet to make a statement as the family reportedly have a little disagreement hence the delay to make a formal announcement.

05/13/2023
Premier League: Southampton relegated after 0-2 loss to Fulham

Premier League club, Southampton on Saturday became the first team to be relegated in the 2022/23 season as Fulham ended their 11-year stay in the top flight after a home defeat.

Aleksandar Mitrovic, making his return from an eight-game ban for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh, sealed Saints’ fate with a stooping header after Carlos Vinicius’ opener.

The hosts could have few complaints about the outcome after producing a muted performance despite knowing they had to win to have any chance of pulling off an unlikely survival mission.

They did have a Carlos Alcaraz strike disallowed for a marginal offside just before Vinicius broke the deadlock but the confident Cottagers were comfortably the better side.

Willian’s first-half volley was cleared off the line by fellow Brazilian Lyanco, who had earlier been fortunate to escape a video assistant referee’s penalty check for handball.

But Vinicius tucked home after Lyanco’s clearance ricocheted to him kindly off Harrison Reed and Mitrovic nodded in his 12th league goal of the season from Harry Wilson’s cross.

Southampton, lethargic throughout, had no response after falling behind and will be playing Championship football next season for the first time since 2012.

05/13/2023
Terrorism/Crime: Army to deploy 6,251 new soldiers– COAS

The Nigeria Army has said the newly-recruited 6,251 soldiers would be deployed to counter activities of criminal elements and terrorism in the country.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya made the disclosure on Saturday in Zaria, Kaduna State at the passing-out parade of the 84 Regular recruits intake.

Yahaya noted that Nigeria was faced with numerous security challenges occasioned by the activities of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, separatist agitators, religious extremists and other criminal elements.

“The army, with the support of the Federal Government will continue to do everything possible to surmount the various security challenges confronting the country until Nigeria becomes safe for all.

“The adoption of cyclic training, which allows each recruit to undergo every aspect of training, has made you a strong force to be reckoned with,’’ Yahaya told the recruits.

He said with the passing-out, the strength and combat efficiency of the Nigerian Army would be enhanced with 6,251 well-trained men.

The COAS reiterated his commitment and support to improve the standard of training as well as the welfare of recruits, instructors and staff of Depot, Nigeria Army.

He tasked the new soldiers on loyalty, selfless service, courage, discipline, integrity and respect for others which he described as the core values of the Nigerian Army.

“You are expected to always do your utmost best to sustain these values through high professional standards in order to enhance your individual ability and our overall combat-readiness.

“I urge you to assimilate and retain the mental, physical and spiritual training given to you at this institution,” Yahaya charged.

05/13/2023
Police confirm arrest of guard who allegedly defiled 4-yr-old

The police command in Lagos State has arrested a security guard who allegedly defiled a four-year-old girl.

The Command’s spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest on his verified Twitter handle on Saturday.

According to Hundeyin, the suspect is in police custody.

“The suspect has been arrested and is still in custody.

“A medical report that would ensure a conviction is being expected.

“We don’t pander to emotions but deal with evidence to prove issues beyond reasonable doubt,” he said.

The suspect was arrested after a person, identified simply as Omolomo, with Twitter handle @TheVawulence, reported the case through the handle.

Omolomo had called on the police to intervene.

05/13/2023
2,371 stranded Nigerians evacuated from Sudan- NEMA

The Federal Government has so far evacuated 2,371 Nigerians stranded in war-torn Sudan.

Director of Special Duties, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Dr Onimode Bandele gave the figure in Abuja on Saturday when 125 stranded Nigerians arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

The batch was the 15th set of Nigerians airlifted by the Federal Government back to the country.

They were airlifted from Port Sudan.

Bandele, who welcomed the returnees on behalf of the Federal Government, said there were no more stranded Nigerian women and children in Sudan.

He said arrangements were already made to airlift the remaining Nigerians stranded in Sudan who are mainly male, adding that another batch of evacuees would arrive later on Saturday.

Representatives of the Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs, Foreign Affairs, NEMA, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, among others were on ground to receive the returnees.

05/13/2023
PHOTO NEWS: National Institute for Security Studies visits Gov Sanwo-Olu

Pic 6 Gov. Sanwo-Olu receives delegation from National Institute for Security Studies in Lagos Pic.6.From left: Deputy Director, Directorate of State Security (DSS), Mrs Jovina Isiraojie; Deputy General Manager, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mr Ahmadi Danjuma; Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and leader of the delegation, Director of Research, Estimate and Library Services, National Institute for Security Studies, Dr Adegboyega Kareem, during the visit of the delegation of the National Institute for Security Studies in Lagosto Gov. Sanwo-Olu at the Lagos House in Marina at the weekend.

05/13/2023