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FG blames fuel scarcity on smuggling, says over 1.6bn litres available

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The Federal Government has blamed cross-border smugglers for the persistent nationwide fuel scarcity.

It reassured Nigerians that the country has fuel of over 1.6 billion litres of sufficiency.

This was revealed in a statement released Friday by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NMDPRA Corporation Communications department.

“The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA wishes to reassure all Nigerians that there is a PMS sufficiency of over 1.6 billion litres as of 26th January 2023, both on land and marine.

“The current distribution hitch is heightened by activities of cross-border smugglers, who divert PMS meant for the Nigerian market to neighboring countries where PMS prices are significantly higher than Nigeria’s regulated price. We are engaging and collaborating with Nigeria Customs Services to address this issue”, the statement contained.

To solve the lingering fuel scarcity, the Commission said it would apply modest adjustments in the cost of product transportation to cater to the impact of high AGO prices on transporters while making special diesel provisions to marketers at a reduced price.

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It added that it would ensure the automation of products sales interface, the Emplacement of a monitoring system in collaboration with government security agencies for distribution to retail outlets, extended operating hours at the loading and depots and some selected filling stations; rehabilitation of critical fuel distribution road network through the federal government’s tax credit scheme by the NNPCL; regular stakeholders’ engagement, among others.

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Police parade 21 ‘Oodua nation agitators’ arrested over invasion of Oyo secretariat

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The Oyo state police command on Monday paraded 21 suspects arrested over the invasion of the state secretariat in Ibadan, the s capital.

 

On Saturday, security operatives arrested 16 “gunmen” suspected to be members of a group identified as Oodua nation agitators for invading the state secretariat.

 

The gunmen, who were said to be dressed in military camouflage, were subdued by security personnel.

 

The security personnel were able to arrest some of the gunmen while others took to their heels and were pursued into the nearby bushes.

 

Sources said the gunmen were heading to the Oyo state house of assembly premises located within the secretariat when they were repelled.

They were also said to have removed the Nigerian national flag in the secretariat and replaced it with the “Oodua nation flag”, before the intervention of the security personnel.

 

In a statement on Monday, the Oyo state police command said 21 “Yoruba Nation Agitators“ have been paraded in Ibadan.

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They were paraded alongside seized exhibits such as guns, ammunition, cutlasses, walkie-talkies, and other communication gadgets.

 

Adebola Hamzat, Oyo state commissioner of police, told journalists that the suspects would be charged with treasonable felony and terrorism.

 

He added that investigations are ongoing to unmask their sponsors, and other suspects still at large.

 

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Some of my ex-classmates now have 3 children each for terrorists, says freed Chibok girl

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Amina Nkeki, one of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls who escaped in 2016, says some of her former classmates still in captivity now have at least three children each for insurgents.

 

Nkeki spoke on Sunday when she featured on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television.

 

On April 14, 2014, terrorists stormed the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno state, and abducted about 276 girls.

 

Some of the girls have been released though the years, others commandeered their escape, while about 108 are still missing.

 

“Some of them are mothers of three children, four children. It’s not easy for them. I feel so sad because that place is not a good place for anyone,” Nkeki said.

 

Nkeki said the former schoolgirls are facing hunger, sickness and many other challenges of motherhood, in captivity.

 

‘WHY I MARRIED A TERRORIST’
Nkeki said she agreed to marry one of the insurgents while in captivity as an escape strategy.

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“For me, I married so that I will get freedom to go where I wanted and from there, I will escape,” she added.

 

“They (insurgents) told us that if we didn’t agree to marry them, we were going to be their slaves. So, because of that fear, some of us thought instead of being slaves, let’s get married.

 

“That’s how some people decided to get married. And some people took all the risk. Some of us got married that may be it will be a way for of escape, most especially a person like me.”

 

Nkeki also recounted how she escaped, saying it happened when the troops engaged the insurgents in a gun duel.

 

“I escaped when soldiers were in the forest to fight those Boko Haram people. They (insurgents) were running to the bush to hide and we (the hostages) also ran,” she said.

 

“After that, we went our own way. That was how we escaped but because of how big the bush was, we didn’t know our way. It took us one month plus before we came out (of the forest).”

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Nkeki, who regained freedom with a baby in her arms, is now a 200-level student of mass communication at a university in Yola, the Adamawa state capital.

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Police arrest man for killing 100-year-old mum over palm oil proceeds

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One Lukman Adejoju, resident of Kajola Village near Apomu in Osun State, has been arrested by operatives of the state police command for allegedly killing his mother, Aminat, who was said to be around 100 years old, following a dispute over proceeds of palm oil sold.

 

An eyewitness, simply identified as Rasaki, said that Lukman and the deceased hired a labourer who assisted them in selling some kegs of palm oil.

 

As the labourer wanted to remit the proceeds, the late Aminat reportedly insisted that the money should be paid to her, which infuriated the suspect.

 

He further said, “Residents of the village were all disappointed when we heard of the incident. The incident happened in Kajola village near Apomu on Saturday at about 4 p.m.

 

“We heard that Lukman who should be around 63 years old disagreed with his mother Aminat aged 100 years, over who should collect the proceeds from their palm oil plantation.

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“A labourer that was hired by the two of them wanted to remit proceeds of the sales but the mother insisted that she ought to receive it first. That led to a serious misunderstanding. Lukman attacked the woman and killed her.”

 

The eyewitness noted that the incident “led to tension and many security agents came here. Police, operatives of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and others all came here to douse the tension.”

 

Spokesperson for the NSCDC, Osun State Command, Kehinde Adeleke, said the suspect was arrested and taken to a police station in Apomu, adding that normalcy had returned to the village where the incident happened.

 

The Public Relations Officer, Osun State Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, on Sunday, said the suspect had been transferred to the command headquarters in Osogbo, the state capital, for further investigation.

 

Opalola said, “They were both going to farm when they disagreed. The suspect said he could not explain the spirit that possessed him. He admitted that he pushed the deceased who should be about 100 years old, and the woman fell and died.

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“He has been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department in the headquarters in Osogbo for further investigations.”

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