The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, has condole with families of the victims of the fuel tanker fire which occurred at the Dikko junction in Niger state on Saturday, charging tanker operators to always adhere strictly to safety standards and observe due protocols in transloading fuel products.

In his reaction to the fuel tanker incident, according to a statement signed by the Public Education Officer, Assistant Corps Marshal Olusegun Ogungbemide, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), the Corps Marshal described the human losses to the inferno as disheartening and disastrous, warning that such incidents must never be allowed to happen again.

The Corps Marshal expressed worry that despite sustained enlightenment programs carried out by the Corps with the tanker drivers on the need to be safety conscious while transporting petroleum products due to their inflammable nature and the general public to stay away from scenes of tanker crashes, many people could still fall victims of the Saturday’s unfortunate tanker incident. While recalling that 73 burnt bodies have so far been recovered by the rescue teams for final burial as arranged by the Niger State Government, the Corps Marshal revealed that the FRSC teams have been directed to sustain the joint operations with other relevant stakeholders to ensure effective management of traffic at the scenes in order to prevent further incidents.

In the same vein, the accident investigation unit of the Corps will work in collaboration with other agencies to unravel the causes and proffer solutions that could address future occurrence. “Meanwhile, those that sustained various degrees of injury have been taken to different hospitals including Suleja General Hospital for further medical attention as normalcy has returned to the area with free movement of traffic,” the Corps Marshal stated.

Shehu Mohammed stressed the importance of inter-agency collaboration and robust engagement with members of the public including critical stakeholders to ensure that the nation does not witness this level of human losses again, especially when the incident could have been prevented by strict adherence to due diligence. “The nation was yet to recover from similar incident that occured in Jiagawa last year, and having to witness another incident of this magnitude at the beginning of the new year is painful and regrettable,” he further stated.

The Corps Marshal assures Nigerians that the FRSC will continue to work with the relevant stakeholders and members of the public to find lasting solutions to all road-based emergencies and called for involvement of all Nigerians in the joint efforts to ensure safety and security of lives and property of road travelers.

While praying God for repose of the souls of all those that lost their lives to the inferno, the Corps Marshal appeals for support to the families of the survivors in the various hospitals to ensure their quick recovery. He further commiserate with the people of Niger state and commended the prompt intervention of the Executive Governor of Niger State who was physically present at the scene.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revoked lands allocated to Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, his Bayelsa counterpart Douye Diri, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen.

The minister’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, said the withdrawal of the R-of-O for 568 allottees followed the expiration of a two-week grace period to pay their C-of-O bills.

He noted that of the 3,273 allottees initially given two weeks in October 2024 to pay their bills, 568 remained in default after an additional grace period expired on January 15.

Also affected are the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Ibrahim Hadejia; former governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, Senate Leader; Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Minority Leader; Abba Moro, Minister of State for Labour and Employment; Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Industry Trade and Investment; John Eno, Chairperson/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM); Abike Dabiri-Erewa; late Sports Minister Bala Kaoje; and Regina Akume, wife of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.

The fresh revocation comes three weeks after the initial withdrawal of 762 plots of land from their allottees.

Alleged gospel singer, Timileyin Ajayi, 32, has admitted to killing 24-year-old Salome Adaidu, a corps member serving in Abuja.

Ajayi, arrested on Sunday, January 12, while conveying Adaidu’s severed head to an unknown location, claimed jealousy and infidelity pushed him to commit the crime when the deceased visited his residence in New Karshi, Karu Local Government Area (LGA) of Nasarawa State.

According to a video shared by Channels TV, Ajayi while speaking during his parade at the Nasarawa State Police Command headquarters in Lafia, confessed to dismembering the deceased body after the murder.

Ajayi, who lives in the Pablana area, was caught around Angwan Bako near the Kaja Estate in the New Karu LGA when conveying the severed head of Salome to an undisclosed destination on a commercial motorcycle, popularly known as ‘okada’.

“Consequently, an angry mob descended on the suspect, and upon receipt of the information, the Commissioner of Police directed police personnel to move to the scene immediately.

“They raced to the scene and rescued the suspect from being lynched. The suspect was then taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment. A follow-up investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at the suspect’s residence, where the remains of the lady who was later identified as Eliojo Salomey, 24 years old of Yanyan, FCT, Abuja, and a serving corp member, were recovered,” the Nasarawa police spokesperson Nansel Ramhan, said in a statement sent to The ICIR in the evening of Monday, January 13.

According to the police report, Ajayi used a knife and machetes to kill and dismember her body, placing the parts in multiple polythene bags.

He was subsequently paraded at the Nasarawa State Police Command headquarters.

“I killed her because we don’t have each other all the time. It’s not something I planned. It happened on that day and it happened. Not that I had the plan in mind, she was cheating.

“She hides most of the things from me most times. I got to know from her phone. I saw her chats with other guys on the phone, that was why I decided (to kill her),” he said.

When asked if he regretted his actions, he said he had no regret as he explained that the victim must reap the consequence of her infidelity.

Source: ICIR