South-West governors ban open grazing, herders begin registration – Newstrends
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South-West governors ban open grazing, herders begin registration

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Governors of the South-West have banned all forms of open grazing in the region.

This decision was taken on Monday after the governors met with the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and security chiefs.

This came just as the Ondo State Government said it had started registering herdsmen in the state with the aim of ejecting unregistered herders from the state’s forest reserves.

Some of the governors in attendance include Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Mohammed Abubakar of Jigawa State, and Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State.

Giving a report of the meeting, Makinde said, “Today, the SW governors held a security stakeholders’ meeting in Ondo State. The meeting was attended by our brother governors from Kebbi and Jigawa states; security chiefs, SW zone led by the AIG Zone 11 and leaders from the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria.

“Collectively, we resolved to ban open grazing in all parts of the South-West. In Oyo State, we already have a law against open grazing which will continue to be implemented by our security agencies.

“I restated that we will not permit criminality as a response to criminal actions. Instead we will continue to support our security agencies to do their duties. Also, we will work with our people to face our common enemies – the criminals; kidnappers, armed robbers and bandits.”

In the communiqué read by Fayemi, the stakeholders agreed that night and free-range grazing should be banned henceforth.

In banning underage herding, they described it as inimical to national security.

The stakeholders condemned herders’ occupation of state forest reserves and described it as illegal.

Fayemi said the meeting was conveyed to find lasting solutions to the incessant killings, kidnapping and crises between herdsmen and farmers in the South-West.

He said free-range grazing must be stopped to avoid conflicts between the farmers and the herders.

“MACBAN should embrace and be committed to modern breeding process by creating grazing reserves and practice ranching to prevent cattle roaming about,” the communiqué said.

The communique clarified that the Ondo State governor’s ultimatum was for illegal occupants of the forest reserves, saying the media misrepresented his directive.

“No one had sent anyone away from any state or region but all hands must be on deck to fight criminality,” it stated directing: “Criminals should be apprehended and punished, no matter their origin, class or status.”

Saying security agencies have been trying to stem the tide of criminality in the country but must step up their efforts in the fight, the communique recommended strengthening alternative security arrangements to complement the mainstream security agencies.

It also stressed the need to build a partnership for peace and security with MACBAN and jointly wage war against criminality.

“Insecurity is a national challenge and not peculiar to any tribe or region but must be addressed by the cooperation of all,” it added.

Noting that MACBAN also suffers insecurity and kidnapping and thus desire peaceful coexistence, the communiqué said the association is ready for any peaceful move by the states to engender security.

As a measure to strengthen the relationship among various stakeholders, the communiqué recommended the setting up of a standing committee comprising farmers, MACBAN and the government in each state (where they don’t exist) to ensure synergy and result.

It urged states to create economic opportunities for the people and reduce opportunities for criminalities.

Earlier in their opening remarks, the various stakeholders had highlighted happenings in their states for discussion.

Meanwhile, the Ondo State Government said on Monday that it had started registering herdsmen in the state with the aim of ejecting unregistered herders from the state’s forest reserves.

The Special Adviser to state Governor on Security, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, disclosed this in an interview in Akure where the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and the Nigeria Governors Forum met.

It was gathered that herdsmen had started leaving the Ondo State’s forest reserves in deference to the state government’s order, which was backed by governors’ forum and the Miyetti Allah at their meeting on Monday.

The NGF and the cattle breeders’ meeting was on a seven-day ultimatum, which the state Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), on Monday last week issued herdsmen to vacate the state’s forest reserves.

Dojumo, in the interview with The PUNCH, said his office, in conjunction with the state Ministry of Agriculture and the office of Amotekun Corps, was handling the registration of the herdsmen.

He said, “The registration has commenced already. It has started today. My office, in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Amotekun office, is handling it.”

Dojumo, who confirmed that the herdsmen were already obeying the governor’s order, said the government would be waiting for more herdsmen to register.

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NDLEA exposes Malaysian returnee with hard drugs concealed in music speakers

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April 13, 2025

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NDLEA exposes Malaysian returnee with hard drugs concealed in music speakers

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a 41-year-old ex-convict and Malaysian returnee, Ndubuisi Udatu (aka Richard) with two giant music speakers used to conceal four large parcels of methamphetamine weighing 2.700kilograms for distribution in Yola and Mubi, Adamawa state, and across the border into Cameroon.

Ndubuisi was arrested inside a commercial transport bus at an NDLEA check point at Namtari along Ngurore -Yola road, Adamawa on Monday 7th April 2025.

He was found with two new music speakers used to conceal four packages of methamphetamine and monetary exhibit of N22,300.

In his statement, he claimed he returned to Nigeria to continue his illicit drug trade after serving out his jail term in Malaysia where he had been arrested, convicted and sent to prison for drug trafficking offences.

In another interdiction exercise, NDLEA officers in a joint border operation with Customs personnel at the Nigeria/Cameroon border, Mfum, Cross River state arrested a trans-border drug trafficker, 35-year-old Odoh Peter Ikechukwu, with 8,740 ampoules of assorted opioids, weighing 395kg.

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They include: 1,080 ampoules of fentanyl injection, 2,160 ampoules of morphine sulphate injection, 3,010 ampoules of phenobarbital sulphate injection, 2,160 ampoules of pethidine injection, and 330 ampoules of midazolam injection.

In Kano, NDLEA operatives on Friday 11th April 2025 arrested 27-year-old Aliyu Ibrahim with 20 ATM cards and 25,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and 250mg at Bachirawa area of Kano, while 48-year-old Gambo Lawan was nabbed in a follow up operation at Wazobia motor park, Gwagwalada FCT Abuja following the seizure of a consignment of 8,960 pills of tramadol by NDLEA officers on routine check along Gwagwalada expressway on Monday 7th April.

Not less than 124 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in 11 jumbo bags were on Friday 11th April recovered from the boot of a Lexus car marked KTU 54 CU driven by a suspect, Ademiluyi Adedapo Collins, 58, along Mokwa-Jebba road, Niger state.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA Commands across the country continued to balance their drug supply reduction operations with War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, social advocacy campaigns to schools, markets, worship centres and communities in the past week.

Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture delivered to students and staff of New Era Secondary School, Nteje, Anambra; Promise Land College, Ikotun Egbe, Lagos; Cherryfield College, Jikwoyi, FCT; Federal Polytechnic, Ayede, Ogbomoso, Oyo state; Nurul Faruq Islamic Academy, Gombi, Adamawa state, while the Kwara state command paid a WADA advocacy visit to Oloro of Oro kingdom, Oba Joel Olaniyi Oyatoye Titiloye Olufayo II, among others.

While commending the efforts of the officers and men of Adamawa, Cross River, FCT, Kano and Niger State Commands of the Agency for job well done, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) tasked them and their compatriots nationwide not to rest on their oars but continue to raise the bar in their offensive action against drug cartels with an equal measure of drug demand reduction efforts.

NDLEA exposes Malaysian returnee with hard drugs concealed in music speakers

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FG stabilises grid with additional 700MW

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38 minutes ago

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April 13, 2025

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Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu

FG stabilises grid with additional 700MW

The federal government said that the national grid has been stabilised with additional 700MW transmission capacity.

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu said this at the weekend when he received the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, in his office in Abuja.

His media aide, who made this known in a press statement yesterday, quoted him as saying, “We have installed almost 90 % of this and they are working. And that has improved transmission capacity by over 700 megawatts, which is the result of what we are seeing now in terms of relative stability in the transmission grid.

“Before now, at the time the supply to the grid enters 5,000, the grid is unstable it shakes, collapses and all that.

“Now, we are having an average of 5,000, 7,000, 8,000 megawatts. So it’s not by accident. It’s because of these activities of the government.”

The minister said this administration has recorded two major milestones in the power sector ever in Nigeria.

He said number one is the highest average daily power consumption.

“Over 20,000 kilowatt hour it was achieved, which has never been achieved before.”

Continuing, the minister said the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) has transmitted and distributed highest energy of 5,801.63MW as the latest feat.

Adelabu said, ” We have also achieved transmitted and distributed highest energy in the volume of 5,801.63, which has broken the previous record, achieved 2021. And lastly, we have achieved a valuable generation capacity of 6,003 megawatts ever in Nigeria. So which is why I keep saying that, when you put in some level of activity, you see the results.”

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Meanwhile he called on the member states of the European Union (EU) to continue to provide technical, financial, and other assistance to Nigeria, especially the power sector, which is the driving force of the economy.

He said the sector is critical to the optimal performance of the economy.

Adelabu expressed the readiness of Nigeria to continue to work and collaborate with the Union and all its development partners in achieving both bilateral and multilateral agreements.

He told the envoy that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took the issue of the power sector very seriously and has given all the needed support for the sector to make a breakthrough.

The Minister noted in particular the enormous financial support that the power sector has received from European Union nations, such as Germany, France and many others along with their development partners.

He expressed delight in receiving the envoy as he said the meeting would ensure that both parties benefitted from the bilateral and multilateral relationships.

“First, let me thank you and welcome you. When I got the information that you wanted to meet with me, I wasn’t surprised. I was also excited to receive you in my office because we are trying everything possible to ensure that we benefit from bilateral and multilateral relationships when it comes to gaining experience of the Western nations on the issue of power. And like you rightly put it, the power sector is so critical to the optimal performance of every other sector. Without power, it would be tough for other sectors to perform actively, which is why Mr. President has placed so much premium and priority to transforming the Nigeria power sector.

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“We have a history that we are not proud of. Over 60 years of electricity in Nigeria and we are still at this level of epileptic supply to households, businesses and industries. In fact, we got electricity before some European countries. So those that got electricity after us have stabilised their supply. They have made their supply reliable and they are benefiting from it through visible economic growth and industrial development. And today, we are still import-dependent on the majority of the things that we use in Nigeria not because we don’t have the raw materials to produce these things, but because of the lack of reliability and functionality of our power sector”, the Minister said.

He added that there has been a lot of improvement since President Tinubu took over power and he has initiated reforms that are yielding positive results and transforming the sector. He noted in particular, the investment in the non-grid supply to the rural and semi urban parts of the country.

He said: “We have seen some reasonable improvements since this new administration came in. In three basic areas. Number one, in the area of energy access expansion. We have extended the grid to so many areas where there were no grid extensions. And we have also exploited renewable energy in our rural areas and semi-urban areas that were either underserved or unserved. Renewable energy in terms of solar energy, most especially, and we have small dams which we are using for hydro power supply. So we have achieved some level of energy expansion in terms of new generation”.

The Minister disclosed that the revolution that is ongoing in the sector was as result of the bold step of President Tinubu, when he signed the Electricity Act of 2023.

He said, “The second intervention with regard to the transmission is the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), and you will recognize it better when I say Siemens Project. So we are actually securing the finance of close to 2.3 billion dollars to ensure that we revamp or transform our transmission segments.

“And the government of Germany has been very instrumental to ensure this works. The Siemens is handling lots of the critical transmission projects there. We also have some reputable Chinese firms too, that are doing some distribution projects, based on each company’s specialty and track records.

“That is working well. We have almost completed the pilot phase of that project, which involved importation, installation, commissioning, and energisation of 10 power transformers across the country and another set of 10 mobile substations.”

 

FG stabilises grid with additional 700MW

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Bus accident in Lagos claims one life, injures two; driver, conductor fee scene

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April 13, 2025

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Bus accident in Lagos claims one life, injures two; driver, conductor fee scene

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) says a commercial bus driver and conductor absconded after causing the death of a pedestrian with two individuals severely injured.

The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, confirmed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.

Bakare-Oki noted that the grievous vehicular mishap which occurred at Iyana Ejigbo, Lagos, involved a painted commercial LT bus (AAA 927 YJ).

“Preliminary findings indicate that the commercial bus, reportedly speeding, experienced a catastrophic brake failure, causing the driver to lose control.

“The vehicle veered off course and forcefully collided with unsuspecting bystanders.

“In a disturbing turn of events, the driver and conductor fled the scene immediately following the accident, abandoning the victims and vehicle,” he said.

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He said operatives of LASTMA responded expeditiously, extracting the deceased, who was pinned beneath the bus, and rendered immediate assistance to the injured.

He added that all the three victims were swiftly conveyed to the General Hospital in Isolo for urgent medical intervention.

“Throughout the rescue effort, officers of the Ejigbo Police Division provided critical security reinforcement to ensure a smooth operation.

“The accident vehicle has since been transferred to the Police by LASTMA personnel for comprehensive investigation,” he said.

Bakare-Oki conveyed his profound condolences to the bereaved family and extended heartfelt wishes for the swift recovery of the injured parties.

He implored motorists to conscientiously observe stipulated speed limits and to prioritise regular vehicular maintenance, particularly of braking systems to avert avoidable disasters on our roads.

“LASTMA remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding lives and property on Lagos roads, and continues to place a premium on swift emergency response and road user safety.

“The public is strongly encouraged to report incidents of traffic infractions, vehicular breakdowns, emergencies, or road accidents through LASTMA’s dedicated Toll-Free Hotline: 080000527862 (0800-00-LASTMA),” he said.

 

Bus accident in Lagos claims one life, injures two; driver, conductor fee scene

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