At least 90 people were reported dead after a petrol tanker exploded in Majiya Town, located in the Taura Local Government Area, on Tuesday.

Jigawa Police Spokesperson, Shi’isu Adam, confirmed this during an interview with reporters on Wednesday.

He further stated that 50 additional individuals had been admitted to the hospital, suffering from various injuries caused by the explosion.

“At about 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Majia Town, Taura local government area of Jigawa, the tanker driver lost control near Khadija University and it exploded.

“The driver left Kano and was heading to Nguru in Yobe. when the accident happened,” Adam said.

He added, “We are worried that in spite of police warning for people to steer clear from scenes of accidents involving fuel tankers, they still engage in such acts.

“People gathered around the accident scene, that is the reason for the mass casualty.”

The spokesperson stated that a mass burial for the victims is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

He mentioned that the injured are currently receiving treatment at Ringim General Hospital.

NAN

No fewer than 90 people were confirmed dead following a petrol tanker explosion in Majiya Town, Taura local government area of the state on Tuesday.

Mr Shi’isu Adam, police spokesperson in Jigawa, confirmed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.

He also said that 50 other people had been hospitalised for various degrees of injuries due to the explosion.

”At about 11:30 pm on Tuesday in Majia Town, Taura local government area of Jigawa, the tanker driver lost control near Khadija University and exploded.

“The driver left Kano and was heading to Nguru in Yobe. when the accident happened,” Adam said.

He said, “We are worried that in spite of police warnings for people to stay clear from scenes of accidents involving fuel tankers, they still engage in such acts.

”People gathered around the accident scene; that is the reason for the mass casualties”.

The spokesperson said that a mass burial of the victims will be held by 9 a.m. on Wednesday

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He added that the injured are receiving medical attention at the Ringim General hospital

The Lagos State Government has announced plans to flag off the first phase of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) made the announcement on Monday morning in a post it shared on its official X account.

According to the post, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu will flag off passenger operations of the first phase of the LRMT Red Line.

LAMATA added that the Red Line is the second rail system to become operational in less than two years in the state.

“The Red Line’s first phase is a 27-kilometre railroad from Oyingbo in Lagos to Agbada in Ogun State,” LAMATA explained.

It stated that there are eight stations at Oyingbo, Yaba, Mushin, Oshodi, Ikeja, Agege, Iju and Agbado.

The Managing Director of LAMATA, Abimbola Akinajo had announced in a statement released last Thursday, October 10 that full passenger operations on the LRMT Red Line would soon commence.

President Bola Tinubu had commissioned the infrastructure for the Red Line earlier this year and that was precisely on February 29.

Sanwo-Olu will lead his executive council members and other dignitaries at the passenger operations launch and ride with commuters on the first passenger trip.

Akinajo stated that train services will commence daily from Agbado at 6 a.m.

Consequently, the schedule for the train service has been adjusted with passenger movement commencing at 6:00 a.m from Agbado.

Previously, trips had started from Oyingbo at 9:00 a.m with the first train reaching Agbado at 10:07 a.m.

The adjusted timetable foreshadows upcoming commercial passenger operations commencing on Tuesday, October 15.

Akinajo explained that the new timetable was based on data gathered through a series of tests, including those for non-fee-paying passengers.

According to her, the new timetable gives priority to trips originating from Agbado, where riders live and work at Ikeja, Oshodi, and Lagos Island.

For passengers whose journeys terminate on Lagos Island, buses will be available at Oyingbo bus terminal for them to complete their journeys.

Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has argued that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should not be scrapped but rather strengthened to improve its effectiveness.

Fintiri made this statement in response to a lawsuit filed by 16 state governors at the Supreme Court, challenging the legality of the laws establishing the anti-graft agency.

Speaking on Channels TV’s ‘Hard Copy’ programme on Friday, Fintiri said, “For me, it is not the right time to abolish the EFCC, whether it was established rightly or wrongly. We need to make it work better. We need to remove the politics that sometimes leads to claims of witch-hunting.”

The governor also criticised the federal government’s practice of taking custody of funds recovered from state-level fund embezzlement, describing it as improper.

“I heard the Attorney General of Oyo State complaining after a court session that, even though funds are shared among the three tiers of government—federal, state, and local—the Federal Government often oversteps by questioning how states and local governments spend their money,” Fintiri said.

“Even when funds are appropriated, the Federal Government takes it into their treasury. I believe this practice should be discontinued.”

When asked about his potential involvement in the suit challenging the EFCC, Fintiri said he would consult with his Attorney General before deciding.

“I will take a look at the suit and review it with my Attorney General to determine whether we will join,” he stated.

The Enugu State has concluded plans to start taxing corpses in the mortuaries, according to news media, Coal City Connect (CCC).

To achieve this, the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service has issued a new directive implementing a mortuary tax.

“This taxation applies to corpses that are not buried within 24 hours of death,” CCC wrote on its official X account on Saturday as per a circular.

“The sum of ₦40 is to be paid daily by the owners of the corpse for each day it remains unburied.”

CCC added that mortuary attendants are instructed to ensure that payments are made before the collection of the corpse for burial and payments must be submitted to the state’s IGR account.

The introduction of this taxation is in line with Section 34 of the Birth, Deaths, and Burials Law Cap 15 of the Revised Laws of Enugu State 2004.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has certified the Lagos State Rail systems and granted operational licenses for the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue and Red Lines.

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) disclosed this in a statement on Saturday morning, adding that a significant milestone in Nigerian railway transportation has been recorded by the Lagos State Government.

The operational licences for the Blue and Red Lines were received by the Managing Director of LAMATA, Engr. Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo on behalf of the Lagos State Government.

“The NRC granted a three-year operational license for the Blue Line and a temporary six-month license for the Red Line,” the statement read.

LAMATA said the licences were issued following close to three years of successful assessment period of the infrastructure and operation of the Blue Line and testing of the pre-operational capacity of the Red Line.

The authority said the temporary license for the Red Line will be converted to a permanent license after further assessment of its full passenger operations.

The Managing Director of the NRC, Fidet Okhiria expressed his appreciation for LAMATA’s efforts to secure the licenses.

Okhiria emphasized the corporation’s desire to see the tracks occupied and voiced confidence in LAMATA’s success.

He also stated that this was the first time the corporation had permitted another entity to operate trains in Nigeria.

LAMATA MD, Akinajo after receiving the licenses commended the NRC team for their professionalism and intellectual engagement throughout the process.

The management and members of staff from the NRC and LAMATA as well as other key figures in the transportation sector attended the event.

According to the statement, the issuance of these licenses marks a significant step forward in developing Lagos’ rail transportation system and signifies a positive collaboration between LAMATA and the NRC.