It was a narrow escape for 59 passengers on board an Abakaliki-bound luxury bus, on Good Friday night, when armed robbers attacked them at Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State and set the vehicle ablaze.

The dare-devil robbers had earlier stripped them of their belongings, and locked the vehicle from outside before torching it.

But, what would have been the most horrific robbery scene in recent time turned out not to be, as the passengers were said to have smashed the glass windows, and jumped out of the bus before it was completely consumed by the raging inferno.

The management of Ifesinachi Transport Nig. Ltd, confirmed, yesterday, that the attached bus belonged to the company, and that the vehicle took off from Maza Maza, Lagos, on Good Friday, en route Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

Speaking to newsmen, yesterday, the Managing Director/CEO of the company, Prince Emeka Mamah, said he was still in shock over “this new dimension to armed robbery, which is now accompanied by terrorism.”

Also, reacting to the incident, the National President of the Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria (ALBON), Mr. Nonso Ubajaka, bemoaned the rising cases of robberies and kidnapping targeted at the members’ vehicles on various routes lately.

“But, robbing and burning a luxury bus with 59 passengers on board is unprecedented. This is no longer robbery. It is terrorism,” Ubajaka said yesterday.

A passenger, who narrated the incident early, Saturday morning, in a video recording which showed parts of the bus still burning, confirmed that no life was lost, though some of them sustained injuries.

The passenger, who, like many other victims, lost his shirt and other belongings to the robbers, narrated: “This is the night bus (showing the charred remains of the 59-seater vehicle) in which we were travelling home for Easter, on Friday.

“The armed robbers attacked us at Ijebu Ode. They stripped us of our dresses and belongings and beat us mercilessly. They forced us back into the bus and set it ablaze. But, we are grateful to God that nobody was burnt to death, because we all managed to escape from the burning vehicle alive.

A former Police Public Relations Officer for Zone 2 and Lagos State Commands, CSP Dolapo Badmos Opeyemi, has offered to feed an elderly couple for one year.

She made the promise while sharing a video of the elderly couple seen arguing over food.

In the clip shared on her Instagram account on Sunday, the elderly woman was heard demanding money from her husband for food.

The elderly woman said, “Give me money to eat. I am hungry. Did you buy any land for me? Look at me? I built a shop there, it was destroyed. Give me money. I ‘m hungry. Give me money. That your wallet, bring it out.”

Reacting to the video, Opeyemi wrote, “I saw this video on Facebook, and I took my time to watch it keenly. After identifying the fact that this is not a skit or acting in any form, I couldn’t stop crying. These people are so elderly.

“They should be in the nonagenarian category. It breaks my heart to see them fighting over feeding! Just feeding? It’s believed that at this age, their children should be around them. Where are they? Anyways, the children’s whereabouts are not of concern here.

“My concern is that, please, I need anyone to help me locate them, or my representative will visit them. They surely need help. I want to feed them from my salary for one year. God help me.

“Anyone with useful information should please assist us in finding them….please I beg. My heart aches and won’t rest until I find them, please.”

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has detained a 35-year-old lady, Chidinma Chinenye Agbazue for attempting to export 20 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 10.70 kilograms concealed in African salad popularly called Abacha and dried vegetables to Doha, Qatar through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos state.

Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Babafemi said NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport working in partnership with men of the Department of State Security had on Thursday 28th March intercepted Chidinma, an outbound passenger from Lagos to Doha, on Qatar Airways during clearance of passengers at the screening point of terminal 11 of the MMIA.

He said preliminary investigation revealed that Chidinma was based in Qatar but returned to Nigeria last December for Christmas celebration.

According to the statement, she said preparatory to her return to Doha, she was lodged at Club Dice Hotel in Ikotun area of Lagos where the consignment was handed over to her for trafficking to the Arab country.

Babafemi also said two suspects: Monday Okeke and Chigozie Emeka were on Tuesday 26th March arrested by NDLEA operatives in Oniwaya, Yaba and Agege area of Lagos.

He said recovered from them were 842,560 pills of opioids especially tramadol in addition to 15 litres of codeine syrup and 596 grams of Molly.

The NDLEA spokesman said attempts by Okeke to bribe the NDLEA officers with N5 million cash was rebuffed while the money was documented as part of exhibits to prosecute the suspects in court.

He said in Bayelsa, and attempt by three suspects: Ebuka Eze, 31; Ugochukwu Okoro, 44; and Kingsley Uzim, 27, to smuggle opioids including codeine, molly, tramadol and diazepam weighing a total of 73.425 kilograms to the creeks in Southern Ijaw area of the state was thwarted on Wednesday 27th March by NDLEA operatives at Swali jetty, Yenagoa.

He said Ebuka and Ugochukwu were arrested at the jetty while Uzim was nabbed at Amasoma in a follow up operation.

The drugs were concealed in jumbo sacks and conveyed to the jetty in a tricycle, he said.

He added that while two suspects: Eniola Muyideen and Bankole Shuaib were arrested with 137 blocks of cannabis weighing 71kg during a raid at Orile Imo, Ogun state on Friday 29th March, NDLEA operatives in Taraba recovered 39,980 pills of tramadol from a suspect, Abubakar Mohammed, 33, in Lankaviri village, and another suspect, Apaji Vincent, 29, arrested in Wukari on Thursday 28th March with 131kg cannabis sativa.

The statement reads, “In Abia state, Nwachukwuu Chinedu, 28, was arrested on Friday 29th March at Akara Ahuba, Isikwuato LGA by NDLEA officers. Recovered from him include 46.65kg cannabis and different quantities of tramadol, methamphetamine and rohypnol as well as N71,500 monetary exhibit.

“At least, 127.5kg cannabis loaded in a Volkswagen Vento saloon car marked NTT 215 AA was recovered along Isua/Kabba road, Idoani area of Ose LGA, Ondo State, while a 30-year-old female suspect, Chinasa Christopher was arrested with 400 bottles of codeine syrup in Sabon Gari area of Kano.

“The owner of a consignment of illicit drugs intercepted along Zaria-Kano road, Bakura Goni was arrested at Mile 2 market in Lagos on Tuesday 26th March in a follow up operation and flown to Kano to face charges. The consignment consisting of cannabis and tramadol weighing 73.8kg was earlier seized in a truck conveying it from Lagos to Kano.

While 278kg of cannabis going to Idoani in Ondo state was recovered during a raid at Oloma-Okpe forest, Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo State, not less than 3,065.255kg of the same psychoactive substance was razed on two farms at Amahor waterside forest in Igueben area of the state where three suspects: James Thankgod; Wisdom James and Akpa Festus were arrested on Thursday 28th March.

“In the same vein, Commands across the country intensified their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy lectures in the past week. These include: Sensitisation lectures for students of Federal University of Technology, Ihiagwa, Owerri, Imo; students and teachers of Community Secondary School, Eyo-Abasi, Oron, Akwa Ibom; students and teachers of Oke Iragbiji Grammar School, Osun; commercial motorcycle riders in Oye Ekiti, Ekiti state; commercial motorcycle riders at Ankpa, Kogi state and Muslim faithful at Aliade Central Mosque, Aliade, Benue state.

“While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Lagos, Edo, Ogun, Kano, Abia, Bayelsa, Ondo, and Taraba Commands of the Agency for their balanced efforts in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) equally applauded their counterparts across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures.”

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga has alleged that Obidents, the supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate at the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, desperately want the government of President Bola Tinubu to fail.

Making this allegation during a podcast session with renowned broadcaster Seun Okinbaloye, the presidential spokesman further detailed that Obidients were happy when the country’s currency crashed against the dollar.

Naija News reports that Onanuga wondered why supporters of Peter Obi were suggesting that he won the presidential election after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) revealed that the Labour Party candidate emerged in third place at the poll behind Tinubu and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar.

He said, “Of course, it is very clear unless people are not acceptive, up till now, some are still writing that Bola Tinubu stole the presidency, and some people are saying that the man who came third actually won the election, and they are very unapologetic about that.

“How could somebody who came third how could he have won that election? You can even see when they were talking about the naira, some people were just happy that the naira was going downhill, and you can trace them, people who are saying so are members of the Obidient movement,”

When asked if he believed the Obidient movement wanted the Tinubu government to fail, Onanuga said, “Of course, it is clear.”

Nigerians are now required to pay N16,000 to correct their date of birth on the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) mobile application.

Naija News reports that the NIMC recently unveiled the charges that Nigerians must pay in order to update the information on their National Identification Number (NIN).

In a post via its official X handle over the weekend, NIMC revealed that a newly introduced mobile app allows users to change inaccurately registered names, dates of birth, and phone numbers.

The app and online platform enable users to sign up for the service. Following this, users are required to input their NIN, last name, and email address before accessing the data modification feature.

Initially, NIMC did not specify a fee for data modifications, but seven days later, in response to user complaints about technical issues with the mobile app, the commission announced varying fees for different self-service options to modify data such as name, age, date of birth, phone number, and email address linked to the NIN.

As it stands, to correct personal data on the NIMC App, you are required to pay the following fees:

N1,522.5 for Name Correction
N16,340 for Date of Birth Correction
N1,522.5 for Address Correction
N1,522.5 for Email Correction
See the post below:

Good news!!!

You no longer have to go to a NIN enrolment center to modify your NIN record.

You can modify your date of birth, name, address, email, and phone number on the NIMC SELF-SERVICE APP.

What are you waiting for??? pic.twitter.com/oQEQck2gi8

— NIMC (@nimc_ng) March 30, 2024

It is worth noting that the NIMC has previously released fee schedules for various services related to updating information on the NIN database.

In the year 2021, the NIMC disclosed that individuals would need to pay fees ranging from N5,000 to N15,000 for rectifying inaccurate data in the NIN database.

As stated by the then NIMC regional coordinator in Alausa, Lagos, Funmi Opensanwo, the charges differ based on the type of correction needed, such as name, address, card renewal or replacement, and date of birth.

Transgender people in the United States have received fresh backing as President Joe Biden officially designated Easter Sunday as the “Transgender Day of Visibility.”

This announcement was made on Saturday as the Biden administration reminds the people that the International Transgender Day of Visibility was established on March 31, 2009, and has since been observed annually on the same date.

Naija News understands that the day aims to pay tribute to transgender individuals and shed light on the ongoing discrimination they encounter.

Moreover, the White House has revealed that President Biden’s proclamation is supported by the principles outlined in the US Constitution.

“Now, therefore, I, Joseph R. Biden Jr., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.

“I call upon all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our nation and to work towards eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity,” Biden said in an announcement yesterday.

Naija News understands that the Biden administration has consistently prioritized LGBT activism since its establishment.

In a statement, President Biden proudly highlighted his appointments of transgender leaders within his administration and the lifting of the ban on transgender Americans serving openly in the military.

However, there have been instances in the past where transgender inclusivity events at the White House have faced unintended consequences.

The President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has advocated for a significant rebranding of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, suggesting the country be renamed ‘The United States of Nigeria.’

The proposal was made public through a statement by his Special Adviser on Industrialisation, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, following a lecture Adesina delivered where he received the 2024 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership.

In his lecture titled ‘Making a New Nigeria: Welfarist Policies and People-Centred Development,’ Adesina articulated his vision for a transformed national identity that reflects a more decentralized governance structure.

He argued that renaming the country would fundamentally shift the perception of the relationship between Nigeria’s states and the central government in Abuja.

According to Adesina, this new nomenclature would position the states as pivotal entities within the federation, with the central government playing a supportive rather than a domineering role.

He said, “We must be audacious! Instead of the Federal Government of Nigeria, we could think of the United States of Nigeria. The old would give way to the new.

“We would change the relational mindset between the states and Abuja: the fulcrum would be the states, while the centre would support them, not lord over them.

“With good governance, better accountability systems, and zero tolerance for corruption, more economically stronger constituent states would emerge! We would unleash massive wealth across the states. A New Nigeria would arise! To do so, we will need all of us, not some of us.

“From our forgotten rural villages to our boisterous and dynamic urban areas. From the sparks of desire in the eyes of our children to the lingering hope in the hearts of our youths.

“From the yearnings of our women and mothers and our men and fathers for a better tomorrow, and the desires of the old that our end would be better than our past. From the hardworking street vendors and small businesses to the largest business conglomerates, we must create a movement of hope.

“The achievement of economically viable entities and the viability of the national entity requires constitutional changes to devolve more economic and fiscal powers to the states or regions. The stronger the states or regions, the stronger the federated units.”

Adesina reiterated that to get out of the economic quagmire, there is a compelling need for the restructuring of Nigeria, saying restructuring should not be driven by political expediency but by economic and financial viability.

A former Deputy National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena, has alleged that the ruling party has failed Nigerians.

In an interview with Sunday Sun, Nabena lamented that the APC failed in its promises to Nigerians when it sought to take over power from the People’s Democratic Party in 2015.

According to Nabena, the current exchange rate under the administration of President Bola Tinubu confirms that the ruling party has failed.

The APC chieftain, reacting to the state of things under his party’s leadership, said, “Sincerely speaking, and if I should tell you the truth, based on the propaganda and the tension we gave the PDP, I thought that all our promises were supposed to have come to reality.

“If we base our judgment on the promises we gave Nigerians, I will say that we have really failed the country. We didn’t keep any part of the promises. For example, even the incumbent was part of the promise we gave to Nigerians in 2015 that we would make the exchange rate one dollar to one naira. The current exchange rate confirms that we have failed the country.

“Based on other indices and campaign promises we have failed to keep, I will admit that we have failed Nigerians, just like the PDP failed for the 16 years it was in charge, starting from 1999 to 2015. There is no difference between PDP and APC in terms of failing Nigeria.

“Yes, the current administration is still less than one year old, but we may have to wait to see if they can perform magic. My concern is that the same strong forces and elements against the government are all still there. They are the same people that feel that the government belongs to them. They are the same strong and greedy elements that feel that they must always be in the corridors of power.”

Several passengers aboard a Toyota Hi-Ace bus narrowly avoided death on Saturday evening, when an Iveco truck, heavily laden with bags of cattle horns, overturned and fell on their vehicle at the Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos State.

Naija News reports that the accident, which took place around 6:30 pm, was attributed to the truck driver’s reckless driving and excessive speeding.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyitolu, confirmed the incident.

He further detailed that LASEMA’s response team was quickly deployed to the scene from the Igando Base, arriving by 0603 hrs to facilitate road recovery efforts and ensure the normalization of traffic flow.

“Further investigation at the scene of the incident revealed that the accident occurred due to the truck driver’s reckless driving, which led to the truck falling sideways and hitting the Toyota Hi-Ace bus in the process,” Oke-Osanyitolu stated.

Despite the severity of the accident, he noted that the truck driver and his assistant fled the scene, and thankfully, no fatalities were reported.

Several passengers from the Hi-Ace bus sustained minor injuries in the collision and were transported to a nearby hospital for medical attention.

The emergency response teams undertook the task of transloading the cargo, consisting of bags of cattle horns, into another truck to clear the roadblock and resume the free flow of traffic.

Nollywood actor cum pastor, Yul Edochie, has contended that for many people, the main issue is not prayers but money.

Sharing his thoughts in a post via his Instagram page on Saturday, the actor urged his followers to go beyond prayers and provide practical aid instead.

According to Edochie, countless individuals face real-life challenges and need urgent help that extends beyond spiritual solace.

He wrote, “Many people don’t need prayers; they just need money. Give people money whenever you can. Lots of people need help.”

Meanwhile, Yul, who hosts online church services, posted on his social media timeline, emphasizing that not all deities are evil.

The actor advised his fans and followers against destroying shrines and deities.

He further commented that it was the Europeans who convinced individuals to perceive their traditions as evil, allowing them to forsake their cultural heritage and embrace European customs, which ultimately facilitated the practice of slavery.

The actor encouraged his fans to embrace their culture, noting that many deities also acknowledge God.

Yul wrote: “Stop burning shrines and deities. Not all deities are evil. Oyibo convinced us that all our ways are evil, so we could discard our ways & embrace theirs, making slavery easy.

“We need to wake up & start embracing our traditions. Many deities acknowledge God Almighty. Bringing them could bring you perpetual trouble. If you don’t understand something, leave it. If it’s not disturbing you, don’t disturb it.“