metro
50% fare slash: Luxury bus owners body mobilises members for implementation, gives details
50% fare slash: Luxury bus owners body mobilises members for implementation, gives details
The Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria (ALBON) has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to slash public transportation fares by 50 per cent across the country from Thursday, December 21, 2023 (today) to Thursday, January 4, 2024.
The transporters said the intervention by President Bola Tinubu this festive season was a commendable gift that would help Nigerians celebrate the Yuletide season.
ALBON, which is an umbrella body of inter-city and long distance passenger transport vehicle owners in all parts of the country, said the gesture would go a long way in alleviating the harsh effects of the removal of fuel subsidy on the masses, “at least, this festive season.” The luxury bus owners said in a statement on Wednesday, hours after the announcement by the Federal Government, that despite the reduction being sudden, it had started reaching out to its members across the country and mobilising them to ensure immediate implementation of the directive.
The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Dele Alake, during a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, announced the presidential intervention in public transportation to celebrate the Yuletide season.
ALBON in the statement signed by its President, Nonso Ubajaka, and the Secretary, Frank Nneji, commended the Minister of Transportation, Senator Sa’idu Ahmed Alkali, for facilitating the Presidential intervention.
“The Ubajaka-led ALBON executive council had consultations with the Transportation Minister to fine-tune the arrangement.”
The transporters assured the Federal Government and the public that the 50 per cent reduction in fares would cover all the luxury bus/minibus routes across the country.
Some of the routes listed are Lagos to major cities in the North, and South-East, and South-South, such as, Kano, Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, Jos, Onitsha, Owerri, Enugu, Nsukka, Abakailiki, Aba, Uyo and Port Harcourt, among others.
Also covered are Onitsha to Lagos, and various destinations in the North, such as, Kano, Abuja,Sokoto, Jos, and Gombe, as well as Aba-Owerri-Abuja; and Aba-Lagos.
“Luxury bus passengers departing Abuja to Sokoto, Lagos, Onitsha/Owerri/Port Harcourt, Enugu/Abakaliki, Kano and Gombe routes will also pay only half of the current fares,” it stated.
According to the arrangement, passengers travelling from Lagos to eastern destinations like Onitsha, Enugu and Owerri, which currently attracts about N36,000, will now pay only N18, 000 between now and January 4, 2024.
Similarly, on the Lagos-Kaduna-Zaria route where the fare this season is about N48,000, passengers are expected to pay N24,000.
metro
Troops raid terrorists’ camp, rescue kidnap victims in Taraba, Benue
Troops raid terrorists’ camp, rescue kidnap victims in Taraba, Benue
Troops from the Nigeria Army’s 93 Battalion Sub-Sector 3B Operation Whirl Stroke at Fikyu cleared a terrorist base and recovered one AK-47 magazine with ten rounds of 7.62MM special ammunition in Taraba State.
The accomplishment came after people reported suspected terrorists firing intermittently in the Pukun village of Fikyu in the Ussa Local Government Area of the state on Monday, April 29.
Oni Olubodunde, the acting assistant director of 6 Brigade Army Public Relations, issued the following statement:
Similarly, troops deployed to Kofai Ammadu and Kasuwan Haske, in collaboration with troops from Sub-Sector 1A OPWS, acted on intelligence regarding the hideout of terrorists in Vingir Village of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, Benue State, and arrested a suspected kidnapper Dogo Manu.
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According to the statement, troops of 20 Model Battalion Sub-Sector 3A OPWS, while on night patrol around Gangdanbana and Kwanar Maliki in Bali Local Government Area on 27 April 2024 apprehended one Junaidu Isiaka with four sacks of substance suspected to be cannabis sativa.
The suspect has been on the watchlist of security agencies for his involvement in illegal drug deals and supplies to terrorists and other criminal elements operating within the general area.
The operation according to the Nigeria Army highlights the commitment and dedication of the troops in combating terrorism and all forms of criminality while ensuring the safety and security of the citizens.
“The Nigerian Army remains resolute in its efforts to rid the region of criminal elements and restore peace and stability, not just in Taraba but the nation as a whole,” the statement added.
Troops raid terrorists’ camp, rescue kidnap victims in Taraba, Benue
metro
16 passengers burnt to death on Enugu road accident (PHOTOS)
16 passengers burnt to death on Enugu road accident (PHOTOS)
Sixteen travellers tragically lost their lives in a motor accident in Enugu State on Tuesday evening, with two others narrowly escaping the same fate.
According to a statement by Enugu State Police Command spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the accident occurred along Enugu/Opi/Nsukka Road, where 16 out of the 18 passengers in the bus were burnt beyond recognition.
Ndukwe confirmed that the deceased victims comprised 14 males and two females, with the survivors rushed to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.
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The accident involved an 18-seater white Toyota Hummer bus with a Bauchi State commercial registration number DAS 215 XA. Preliminary investigations suggest that the bus, laden with edible vegetables and other food items, lost control at high speed, veering off the road and crashing into the fence of Maduka University in Ekwegbe, Igbo-Etiti local government area.
Sadly, the vehicle burst into flames upon impact, leading to the tragic loss of life. The Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, along with officials from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), visited the scene to assess the situation.
While expressing condolences to the families of the victims, the CP appealed for assistance from individuals who can help identify the deceased or provide information to trace their family members.
16 passengers burnt to death on Enugu road accident (PHOTOS)
metro
Ogun frees 49 inmates to decongest prisons
Ogun frees 49 inmates to decongest prisons
The Chief Judge of Ogun, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, on Tuesday granted pardon to 49 inmates as part of efforts to decongest correctional facilities in the state.
Ms. Dipeolu pardoned the inmates during a jail delivery exercise at Oba, Ibara, and Ilaro correctional centres in Ogun State.
Thirty-one inmates were released from the Oba correctional centre, 15 from Ibara, and three from Ilaro correctional centre, bringing the total number of inmates granted amnesty to 49.
Ms. Dipeolu said that the exercise was to decongest the facilities, adding that cases of inmates were reviewed, leading to the freedom granted to those deemed deserving.
When she visited the Ilaro correctional centre, she said correctional facilities needed improvement.
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”We cannot afford to have deaths on our hands due to overcrowding. The conditions here at the correctional centre have not improved. It is evident that overcrowding is rampant, even without official statistics. Dipeolu expressed particular concern about the overcrowding among those awaiting trial, highlighting their suffering without a conviction.
Also at the Oba correctional centre, the chief judge expressed concern with the overcrowding and condition of the facility.
“We cannot ignore the plight of those awaiting trial, many of whom have been incarcerated for years without conviction,” she said.
At the Ibara correctional centre, the CJ commended the managers of the facility for their efforts at maintaining a relatively better environment, urging them to do more to address the other challenges.
She, however, emphasised the need for swift justice and rehabilitation, rather than mere punishment, to address the root causes of congestion.
In his remarks, controller of the correctional centre, Saliu Adepoju, commended the chief judge and her entourage for exercising and upholding the judiciary’s ethics.
The CJ was accompanied by a team of judges from the state high court, the director of public prosecution management, and some officials, including the state controller and assistant controller of the correctional centre.
Ogun frees 49 inmates to decongest prisons
Troops raid terrorists’ camp, rescue kidnap victims in Taraba, Benue
New minimum wage coming, to take effect May 1, 2024 – FG
Coastal highway: FG begins N2.75bn compensation payments to affected building owners
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