Northern Nigeria suffers blackout as 330Kv circuit strips – Newstrends
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Northern Nigeria suffers blackout as 330Kv circuit strips

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Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs

Northern Nigeria suffers blackout as 330Kv circuit strips

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said its 330kV Ugwaji–Apir Double Circuit transmission lines 1 & 2 tripped due to a fault, leading to a power outage in several parts of northern Nigeria.

In a statement on Tuesday, the TCN General Manager of Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said the development “forced power outage affecting the communities in the North-east, North-west, and parts of North-Central”.

“At approximately 4:53 am, the Ugwuaji–Markurdi 330kV Line 2 tripped and 243 MW on that line was transferred to Line 1 on the same route. At 4:58 am, Line 1 also tripped, resulting in a total loss of 468 MW. By around 5:15 am and 5:17 am Line 1 and Line 2 were tried, but they all tripped immediately on the same relay indication,” the TCN said.

Following the incidents, the TCN said teams of linesmen have been dispatched to address the issue.

“One from the Apir Transmission Sub-region and another from the Enugu transmission to expedite fault tracing along the 215 km route, which includes 245 transmission towers,” it said.

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“Throughout yesterday, the Apir team patrolled the line, navigating challenging terrains in search of the fault, reaching as far as the River Benue. They were unable to locate the cause of the tripping and have continued in the fault tracing early this morning.”

In a related development, the agency said the lines patrol team from the Enugu region of the TCN was unable to commence lines patrol on Monday owing to the sit-at-home directive in the South-East for October 21st and 22nd, 2024.

“This hindered not only the patrol team but also made it difficult to refuel patrol vehicles for the long-distance line trace. Arrangements were, however, made for security operatives to guide the team, who have commenced fault tracing this morning,” Mbah said.

“Currently, TCN has restored supply to the 132kV transmission line from New Haven to Apir, but the 330kV lines remain out of service, impacting power supply in the Northern region of the country. Sadly, the TCN Shiroro-Mando transmission line is also down due to security reasons, causing a power outage in the North.”

Northern Nigeria suffers blackout as 330Kv circuit strips

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Police bust Nigerian prostitution ring in Cyprus

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Police bust Nigerian prostitution ring in Cyprus

Authorities are in the process of dismantling a Nigerian prostitution ring in Limassol, following the arrest of three women, in collaboration with the anti-trafficking unit, according to reports on Wednesday.

The case came to light last year when a woman filed a complaint, initially claiming she was a victim of theft.

However, during questioning, police grew suspicious that she was, in fact, a victim of sex trafficking. Further investigation confirmed this, and the woman was subsequently relocated to a safe house, police spokesman Christos Andreou stated.

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The investigation was prolonged due to the victim’s limited information about her traffickers, Andreou explained.

Through coordinated police efforts, a 44-year-old woman was arrested on October 9, suspected of involvement in the trafficking operation.

Another woman was apprehended on October 18, followed by the arrest of a third woman, aged 33, on Tuesday.

Authorities are still searching for two men believed to be connected to the case.

Andreou added that police have gathered significant evidence and expect the case to be brought to court in the coming days.

 

Police bust Nigerian prostitution ring in Cyprus

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Lagos-Ibadan road: Mother of 4 dies from tanker fire burns

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Lagos-Ibadan road: Mother of 4 dies from tanker fire burns

In a similar incident, a nursing mother was hospitalised after suffering serious injuries while trying to save her children from the flames.

The fire ignited when a petrol-laden tanker overturned near a commercial bank at midnight, reportedly due to the driver falling asleep at the wheel.

Eyewitnesses described how the vehicle lost control, leading to the explosion.

In the aftermath, the community experienced significant damage, with petrol spilling through drainage systems and impacting homes approximately a kilometer away from the expressway.

Ismail Emmanuel, the husband of the deceased, recounted the harrowing events.

He explained that the smoke obstructed Mercy’s escape, and she inadvertently fell into a burning drainage as she tried to flee.

Despite urgent efforts to save her, Ismail faced a daunting demand for a N6 million deposit at the hospital, which he could not afford.

“I was at work when my son called about the fire,” he said. “He couldn’t find my wife, and after some time, he informed me they were heading to the hospital with her injuries.”

They moved from Sagamu to Abeokuta and finally to Igbobi Hospital in Lagos, but it was there that he learned of the hefty deposit required. Ultimately, they transferred her to Gbagada General Hospital, where she died.

Ismail has since placed his wife’s body in a private morgue and is seeking government assistance for his family.

Another resident, Bidemi, shared that a neighbour, known as Iya Ada, was also injured while attempting to rescue her children. Her home was severely damaged, losing furniture and other belongings to the fire.

She fell and suffered burns on her side,” Bidemi reported, noting that Iya Ada is currently hospitalised.

Several other victims have called on Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, for support after losing vehicles that were crucial for their livelihoods.

The vehicles represented their only means of income and sustenance for their families.

In response, the governor has expressed his condolences to those affected and urged tanker drivers to be more cautious while on the road.

Lagos-Ibadan road: Mother of 4 dies from tanker fire burns

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BREAKING: Nigerian court convicts crypto firm for unlicensed USDT-Naira trading

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BREAKING: Nigerian court convicts crypto firm for unlicensed USDT-Naira trading

A Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted a Nigerian crypto dealing company, Official Gredo Limited, for illegally conducting USDT to Naira transactions without a banking licence.

Justice Inyang Ekwo convicted Official Gredo on Wednesday in accordance with the company’s plea bargain arrangement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The court ordered the forfeiture of N140 million held in the company’s account to the EFCC recovery account.

The sentencing in suit no: FHC/ABJ/CR/308/2024 followed a guilty plea by Nnamdi Okereke, the company’s director, when the amended money laundering charge was read to him.

At the arraignment on Wednesday, the company was accused of failing to report in writing to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) a single transfer of N76,462,500.00 paid from Renderstack Technologies Ltd into the Providus Bank Ltd account No. 5400608751 operated by Official Gredo, as specified under section 10(1)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.

The company and Okereke among several firms and individuals were indicted by the EFCC for negotiating United States Dollar Tether (USDT) against the Naira with the public, despite not being an authorized dealer in the Nigeria Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market.

Okereke pleaded guilty to the one-count charge.

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Subsequently, EFCC lawyer Martha Babatunde, Esq., and the defendant’s counsel, I.O. Offodili, urged the court to affirm the contents of the plea bargain as agreed by the parties.

According to the plea bargain, the defendant admitted committing the offenve and has restituted N140,000,000 to the EFCC, being part of the amount associated with the disputed transaction.

Passing his ruling, Ekwo convicted the company and affirmed the plea bargain agreement.

The judge stated that the plea bargain agreement between the complainant and the defendant should not prevent further investigations from being carried out on other persons or companies with respect to the case.

“The Defendant shall forfeit the sum of N140,000,000 recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the course of the investigation to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“The sum of N140,000,000 being the amount restituted by the Defendant shall be deducted from the account of CZMUNCH FABRICATORS AND WIRING VENTURES—CHIMERA LOGISTICS AND HAULAGE SERVICES, with account number 5435830566 domiciled in Moniepoint Microfinance Bank, which will be transferred to the EFCC Recovery Account,” Ekwo said.

The judge subsequently sentenced the company to a fine of N1 million, which would be paid to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Ekwo held that the defendants should pay the amounts within 14 days or the EFCC should bring the director back to be sent to prison.

BREAKING: Nigerian court convicts crypto firm for unlicensed USDT-Naira trading

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