Pregnant woman, 8 others burnt to death in auto crash

The scene of the accident.

A pregnant woman and eight others were burnt to death, yesterday, when a commercial passenger bus rammed into a vehicle laden with petrol in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

Eight others were said to have survived the crash with multiple burnt injuries.

It was gathered that the accident occurred at Ilorin International Airport road along Ilorin-Ogbomoso expressway at about 8:00 am.

An eyewitness said the driver of the vehicle laden with PMS with number plate, LRN 787 FE, had no national driver’s licence, adding that the driver of the other vehicle, a Toyota Hiace commercial bus, had no national driver’s licence too.

An eyewitness said 20 people, eight males and 12 females, were involved in the crash, while a male and eight females were reported dead.

It was also gathered that eight males, however, survived the accident with burns and multiple injuries.

Another source in the state command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, told journalists that the Lagos-bound passenger bus had loaded at the Gerin Alimi motor park, heading outwards the metropolis when it rammed into the vehicle laden with fuel.

The private vehicle said to be coming out of the airport reportedly failed to wait for the oncoming passenger bus leading to the fatal accident.

It was gathered that the vehicles involved somersaulted and had tyres burst before bursting into flame.

The state sector commander of the FRSC, Jonathan Owoade, who confirmed the development, described the crash as unfortunate.

Owoade said: “A car coming out of the airport ran across the road, thinking it could have crossed the road before the bus gets to it. Incidentally, it was carrying some kegs of fuel. I would surely get back to you with details, including registration numbers of the vehicles.”

The sector commander also said the injured persons had been taken to the state general hospital, Ilorin before his men arrived at the scene of the crash, adding that the deceased was taken to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) mortuary, Oke Oyi by the FRSC rescue and patrol teams.

Gunmen kill NDLEA operative 

*Set van ablaze, injure another operative 

AN operative of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, was reportedly killed by gunmen, close to a military checkpoint in Ebonyi State.

The operative was killed when the gunmen attacked an NDLEA team on duty along Ezzamgbo axis of the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway, yesterday.

Another operative reportedly sustained injuries during the incident. It was gathered that the gunmen also collected a rifle from the officers. They also set ablaze an NDLEA patrol Hilux van.

The source said: “On February 20, 2022, at about 300hrs at a drug checkpoint along Enugu Abakaliki expressway, Ezzangbo, unknown gunmen attacked drug law enforcement agents and shot two officers on duty.

“One officer was killed while the other one was shot in the leg, which fractured his leg. One rifle was collected, one patrol Hilux van was burnt. The names of the victims not yet disclosed.”

The spokesperson of NDLEA in Ebonyi State, Mr. Audu Benji. said he was in a meeting and would get back to Vanguard after the meeting. He is yet to do so hours after the meeting even as he refused to take subsequent calls or reply to messages.

Police spokesperson, Loveth Odah, could not be reached as she didn’t pick up calls put across to her phone.

NDLEA intercepts counterfeit $4.7m cash

Meanwhile, the agency, yesterday, disclosed that its operatives foiled an attempt by a syndicate to steal at least N2.7 billion from the Nigerian economy by pushing into circulation fake $4.7 million cash.

The operatives had in the early hours of last Friday intercepted a consignment sent from Lagos to Abuja at Abaji area of the Federal Capital Territory.

Controlled delivery of the parcelled counterfeit US dollars totalling $4,760,000 led to the arrest of a principal suspect, 42-year-old Abdulmumini Maikasuwa.

The seizure followed intelligence received by the FCT Command of the agency detailing the movement of the cash and the vehicle conveying it.

Nursing mum arrested 3 weeks after bail on drug offence

ALSO, the agency’s operatives in Kwara State arrested a nursing mother, Mrs. Rashidat Adebayo, 38, barely three weeks after she was granted administrative bail following her arrest for dealing in illicit drugs

She was again arrested in Offa with assorted drugs such as Tramadol, Swinol, Diazepam and Pentazocine injection ampules.

Before her latest arrest last Thursday, the nursing mother had been arrested and granted bail on January 24, 2022 for dealing with similar drugs.

In the same vein, NDLEA officers have arrested two drug dealers: Sani Isa (aka Bilaz) and Bala Yerima in Hong, Adamawa state with 239 blocks of cannabis Sativa weighing 209kg, just as operatives of the Bauchi state Command have intercepted a truck marked FFF 422 XB coming from Lagos to Maiduguri, at Azare, Bauchi.

Petrol tank installer dies while working

A 29-year-old tank installer/maintainer simply identified as Ahmed was recovered dead inside a petrol tank at a popular filling station in Ilorin, Kwara State capital.

It was reliably gathered that the incident occurred Saturday at about 7.30pm at Bovas Filling Station opposite Adisco Ajase-Ipo Road, Ilorin.

The victim, according to sources, came from Ibadan with his boss to execute the contract in Ilorin.

The tragedy reportedly occurred while they were performing the maintenance work inside the petrol tank at the filling station when Ahmed suddenly suffocated and died inside the tank.

Vanguard gathered that a sharp bang from inside the tank attracted the attention of people around who rushed to check inside the tank and found him dead.

Meanwhile,  officers of the Fire Service were able to evacuate the body from the tank and handed it over to his boss, Mr Abdulbasit Oladimeji.

The state Director of Fire Service, Prince Falade Olumuyiwa confirmed the incident.

Herdsmen invade Ortom’s hometown, kill 3

*I can't access my village, farm anymore — Ortom

*Urges FG to permit Nigerians to carry weapons for self-defence

*Says inducements made to have him rescind Benue grazing law, vows not to yield

*Adds 7 attempts made on his life for standing on the side of truth

THREE kinsmen of Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State were, Saturday evening, reportedly killed by suspected herdsmen while returning from a burial ceremony along Iordye- Gbajimba road in Guma Local Government Area of the state.

This came as the governor, yesterday, raised the alarm that armed herdsmen have taken over communities in his home town making it impossible for him to access his village and his massive farms in the community.

It was gathered that the victims, two males and a female, were riding on a motorcycle when they were ambushed by the marauders, who shot two of them and hacked the third person to death with a machete.

According to the source, the remains of the victims had been recovered and deposited at the Gbajimba General Hospital by troops of Operation Whirl Stroke, OPWS, attached to the LGA.

Yesterday, while raising the alarm over the latest killings in the state by armed herders, Ortom lamented the cold-blooded murder of his kinsmen. He recalled how his community was sacked and over 30 of his kinsmen killed by the marauders when he was a minister, saying it went to show how heartless the marauders were.

The governor, who spoke during a thanksgiving service organised for him and the Benue branch Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Rev. Akpen Leva, at the NKST Church, Iortyer, Makurdi, decried the perceived support the invaders were enjoying from the Federal Government.

He said: “It is not acceptable that Fulanis from Niger, Senegal, Mali and several other countries would be allowed to come into our country and continue to kill our people to take over our land and the Federal Government is looking the other way and they want me to keep quiet.

“They even went as far as wanting me to accept money and keep quiet. I cannot sell my people for all the money in the world. If others are doing that, Samuel Ortom will not. So they should forget it.

“That goes to tell you that this Federal Government is evil. Most of our frontline local government areas are not safe. These people come and kill our people and none of them is arrested. And they want me to keep quiet, I will not.

“I will not engage in illegality but I must say that we are getting to a level that we will be left with no other option but to defend ourselves and our families. And I want to call on the Federal Government to permit us to carry AK-47 rifles to defend themselves against these killers, who go about with AK-47 rifles sacking our villages and communities and killing our loved ones.

“We have not committed any crime in Benue State, everything I do is in line with the directives of the people. They asked for the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law and that is what we did. That law can only be rescinded the day the people ask me to do so.

“I will continue to stand for the truth even if it will cost me my life, I am prepared. I was told that they have made seven attempts on my life already. The people they sent confessed after the seventh attempt failed. They must realise that my life is not in the hands of anyone.”

The governor, who urged the youths of the state to stand up and support security agencies to protect the state from the marauders, assured the people that he would not do anything that would betray their trust.

He said his administration had ensured the provision of infrastructure across the state and never failed to pay workers monthly as well as ensure the release of N700 million monthly for pensions, stressing his administration would not fail on its social contract with the people despite the plots of the enemies.

Culled from Vanguard