Senate demands ₦300bn emergency fund for deplorable Niger roads – Newstrends
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Senate demands ₦300bn emergency fund for deplorable Niger roads

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The Senate has urged the Federal Government to deploy an emergency intervention fund of N300 billion for critical roads in Niger State linking economic corridors in the North and South.

It lamented the deplorable state of critical roads across the country and resolved that a national legislative roundtable discussion on the state of infrastructure be convoked.

The proposed roundtable talks would bring all critical stakeholders in the transport and logistics industries together with a view to identifying urgent actions needed.

The decision was reached based on a motion by Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger North).

The senator called attention to ugly scene playing out in Niger State since February 24 to September 2021 in which heavy trucks and tanker drivers blocked all entry and exit roads to protest the horrible state of federal roads passing through the state.

He said, “Recall that Niger State has the longest federal roads network of 2, 263 km out of a total of 32, 000 km of federal roads. The federal roads in Niger State stretch from the Abuja-Kaduna end to the Jebba-Mokwa-Makera Tegina-Birnin Gwarimpa-Kaduna Road to the Mokwa-New Bussa Agwara-Kigera end, which lies on the border with the Republic of Benin.

“Overall, the following are critical linkage roads within Niger State that provide logistical and vehicular movements between the North and South , especially the South West and North West corridors.”

He also said, “Because of the massive land area of Niger State at 76, 363 km (representing about nine per cent of the total land area of the country ), all movements from North to South substantially traverse the state.

“Indeed, the massive haulage of heavy industrial goods such as petroleum products, iron rods, cement, finished manufactured goods, machines and equipment, electronic materials and goods, building materials etc., in which trucks and tankers are overloaded seriously devastate the roads .

“Cursory observation and reports indicate that many trucks and tankers are loaded with up to 90,000 tonnes of goods and all vehicles are consistently loaded well above their approved tonnage.”

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Two men land in Ibadan court for allegedly stealing two loaves of bread

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Two men land in Ibadan court for allegedly stealing two loaves of bread

Two men, Ebenezer Olusesi, 31, and Ibrahim Adeniyi, 41 were on Monday arraigned before an Ibadan Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing two loaves of bread worth N2,600.

The two men, employees of a popular supermarket in Ibadan, reportedly stole the bread from their employer.

Olusesi, a baker and Adeniyi, a security guard, pleaded not guilty to theft.

The prosecution counsel, David Adepoju, told the court that the defendants conspired to commit the offence.

Adepoju said the defendants on April 28 stole two loaves of bread, property of FoodCo Company, Ring Road, Ibadan, represented by Friday Achibong.

He said the offence contravened section 390 (a) and 516 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Olabisi Ogunkanmi, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N50,000 each with two sureties each in like .

Ogunkanmi said one of the sureties must be a relation while the second sureties must present tax evidence for two year.

She adjourned the case until August 15 for hearing.

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Missing Delta varsity female student found dead, two suspects arrested

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Miss Faith Omodon

Missing Delta varsity female student found dead, two suspects arrested

Two suspects are in the custody of the Edo State Police Command in connection with the disappearance and death of a 200-level undergraduate of Delta State University of Science and Technology, Agbor, Miss Faith Omodon.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the inhabitants of Iru Egbede community in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State had, on March 30, reported the sudden disappearance of their daughter who was studying Business Administration at DELSU.

The father of the missing girl, Edward Omodon, had told our correspondent that his daughter was last seen on March 30, after she left home for the farm on a motorcycle. He said the incident occurred when the community was holding their national conference.

“We usually have the Iru National Conference at this time of the year. We were seated inside the community hall when we heard loud wailing outside that my daughter was missing. She had left for the farm earlier that morning with a motorcycle, taking her breakfast in a flask with her,” he said.

However, our correspondent gathered on Sunday that the community’s vigilante group arrested and handed over two suspects in connection with the disappearance.

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Speaking with PUNCH Metro on the incident, on Sunday, the National Youth Chairman of Iru- Egbede, Donald Isioma, disclosed that the suspects were arrested on Saturday afternoon.

He said the two were arrested when the phone of the deceased was tracked and traced to the suspects.

Isioma added, “The police have recovered the phone from the suspects and the motorbike Omodon rode to the farm on the day she went missing.

“One of the suspects who is a member of the community has confessed that they had killed the girl while being interrogated at the Okpaihe Police Station before the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Benin.”

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, said information concerning the arrest had yet to reach him but promised to get back as soon as he contacted men of the SCID. He had yet to do that as of the time of filing this report on Sunday evening.

Missing Delta varsity female student found dead, two suspects arrested

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NAF airstrikes kill scores of terrorists in Borno, Niger enclaves

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NAF airstrikes kill scores of terrorists in Borno, Niger enclaves

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Sunday said the air components of Operations Hadin Kai and Whirl Punch in the North East and North Central killed many terrorists in airstrikes in Borno and Niger.

The Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, AVM Edward Gabkwet, disclosed this in a statement.

Gabkwet said the air components had continued to obliterate terrorists and destroy their structures, equipment and mobility, thereby limiting their ability to attack ground troops and innocent Nigerians at will.

He said that in the North East, the air interdiction was on May 3 authorized and conducted over Chinene, a location tucked inside the Mandara Mountain.

He said terrorists had been observed to be emanating from various locations and assembling ostensibly for a meeting.

According to him, seven gun trucks were also observed parked under trees within the same location.

Gabkwet said the aircraft bombarded the assembly area and tree coverings and destroyed their weapons and mobility.

He said that the Battle Damage Assessment revealed that the strikes were successful as several terrorists were neutralised and logistics destroyed.

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He said similar airstrikes were conducted same day by the air component of Operation Whirl Punch in a pre-emptive air strikes over terrorists hibernating at Allawa village, near Shiroro town in Niger.

The NAF spokesman said the mission was conducted following credible intelligence which revealed the migration of terrorists into the village after the mass exit of locals for fear of their safety.

He said the terrorists had, on May 1, stormed the deserted Allawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area and torched the Central Primary School.

“In the evening of the same day, another group of terrorists also arrived at the location, wielding AK-47/49 rifles after invading Galapai village in Galadima Kogo District of Shiroro.

“Accordingly, to prevent further occupation as well as pursue the terrorists from the location, the air component scrambled a formation of its platforms to attack the location.

“On arrival at the location, several terrorists were sighted and engaged effectively.

“Furthermore, following credible intelligence as well as detailed aerial observation, which confirmed the presence of their cache of arms hidden inside Allawa Forest, the air component further carried out air strikes at the location,” he said.

Gabkwet also said that the NAF carried out air strikes North of Arugbana and Temakiri in the Niger Delta, where illegal refining sites were observed and destroyed.

He said through this action, the capabilities of oil thieves to continually sabotage and destroy oil pipelines were minimised.

 

NAF airstrikes kill scores of terrorists in Borno, Niger enclaves

(NAN)

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