News

Ekiti 2018: Fayose Shuts Down State for Olusola

Published

8 years ago

July 6, 2018

Eric

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Thursday shut down Ekiti for the mega rally and official presentation of party’s flag to his deputy and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prof. Kolapo Olusola.

Olusola received the party’s flag from the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus.

At the event, former Vice- President Abubakar Atiku said the PDP was on a rescue mission in Nigeria.

He said, “The people of Ekiti, I have known you since 1992, all the projects completed which took Ekiti to a higher level have been done by the PDP alone. PDP guarantees you good hospital, road, infrastructure, education and many other dividends of democracy.

“It is time for you to ensure that this administration continues because that is the key to development. What we are doing is a rescue mission; we will bring back peace, security and prosperity of this country. Make sure you vote and stay there till the results are announced.”

Fayose had declared Thursday as a public holiday for workers in the state.

Addressing the mammoth crowd, Secondus said, “By the glory of God, Ekiti people are very peaceful and we can see the clear demonstration of love for Fayose and the incoming governor, Olusola. You won’t vote for herdsmen’s attacks and killings.

“We believe Ekiti state is full of people with the highest level of manpower and professors. Our youths are very strong, innovative and resourceful and not lazy, they are leaders of tomorrow.

“APC is broken; I am here with the National Working Committee of the PDP to appreciate you for standing for the PDP. As you can see, Fayose has worked for Ekiti and the evidence is all over in the infrastructure development, education and economic advancement.

“All PDP states are witnessing great developments, these are not so in the APC. PDP is winning and moving forward to rescue our country from economic, and security collapse and all the inhuman treatments meted out by the APC.

“You can see killings in all states, Zamfara, Plateau, and other states. APC leaders are not God, we refuse to be intimidated by them. It is their style to put fear in people but we refuse to fear.”

Fayose said he won’t receive President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday because he had not done any project in Ekiti to deserve that.

He also berated the Federal Government for allegedly closing the Akure Airport at a time the PDP leaders were coming into the state for the rally.

“I want to condemn the Federal Government for the act, it is shameful for whoever has done that. That’s not patriotic; it is shameful.

“If you vote for the APC, God forbid, you are voting for Boko Haram and herdsmen attacks. Fayemi is our customer, 16 – 0 is loading.”

Fayose urged the PDP members and supporters to shun violence but to use their votes to defend their rights.

At the event were Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), Ben Ayande (Cross-River), Darius Ishaku (Taraba), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) while Seriake Dickson was represented by his deputy, John Jona.

The list also included former governors: Otunba Gbenga Daniel (Ogun), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Peter Obi (Anambra) and Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna) as well the Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Walin Jibril, and members of the National Working Committee, among others.

Leaders of ethnic groups, student unions in Ekiti, Okada riders, road transport unions and National Union of Local Government Employees also attended the event.

Makarfi, who is the PDP former National Caretaker Committee Chairman, said he was happy seeing “PDP family giving APC government sleepless nights.”

Secondus said, “We are experiencing civil war because of killings. Buhari and APC are behind it. PDP will rescue this nation from them. APC is shattered, ask Fayemi, on which of the APC factions’ platform is he contesting. We have the best candidate for Ekiti.”

Olusola promised to sustain legacies of Fayose and improve on it.

“I assure you of adequate security, healthcare, excellent infrastructure, civil service, education enterprises, and exemplary leadership among others.

“Ours is a divine agenda. It is a divine mission with divine agenda it cannot be conquered by APC.”

The Punch

News

Gunmen Kill Driver, Abduct Passengers on Benin-Ore Expressway

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2026

Eric

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have attacked a commercial bus operated by GUO Transport along the Benn-Ore expressway, killing the driver and abducting several passengers in what underscores Nigeria’s deepening insecurity on major highways.

Reports indicate that the assailants ambushed the South East-bound vehicle, opened fire on the driver, who died at the scene, and subsequently whisked away passengers to an unknown destination.

The incident is believed to have occurred along a notorious stretch of the highway linking the South-West to the South-South, long plagued by banditry and abductions.

While official confirmation from security agencies is expected, local sources and a circulating video showed that passengers might have forcefully been taken into nearby forests, a tactic commonly employed by kidnapping syndicates operating along the corridor. Similar attacks in the past have involved mass abductions, with victims later released after ransom payments.

News

Police Retirees Block Aso Rock Gate, Demand Action on Pension Scheme

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2026

Eric

Some retirees of the Nigeria Police Force under the aegis of the Police Retired Officers Forum of Nigeria (PROF) have staged a protest at the Presidential Villa in Abuja demanding President Bola Tinubu sign the Police Exit Bill passed by the National Assembly in December 2025.

The bill seeks to withdraw the Nigeria Police Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme.

The protesters, under the scorching sun, walked from the Three Arms Zone in Abuja through the street in front of the Police Headquarters.

They carried placards with various inscriptions, in addition to the Nigerian flag and the flag of the Nigeria Police Force.

Led by its National Coordinator, CSP Raphael Irowainu, the protesters described the retention of the NPF in the Contributory Pension Scheme as fraudulent and illegal.

They also said the CPS is inhumane and obnoxious.

According to them, the protest seeks to prevail on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give assent to the Police Exit Bill passed by the National Assembly on 4th December 2025 and transmitted to the President on 16th March 2026.

They said that when signed into law, the Act will totally exempt the police from what they called a “slavery and untimely death-inducing pension scheme.”

The protesters, accompanied by some of their spouses and children, also blocked Gate 8 leading into the Presidential Villa, causing obstruction to vehicular movement.

Efforts by Villa security personnel to dissuade them from the protest proved abortive as they insisted on seeing the President.

They laid their mats in front of the gate, singing songs of solidarity, while some of them lay on the floor.

As of the time of filing this report, no one from the Villa had addressed the protesters.

CSP Irowainu said that their main purpose is to prevail on President Tinubu to sign the bill exiting the Nigeria Police Force from the CPS, which he said has been passed and transmitted to him by the National Assembly.

He lamented that while other security agencies in the country such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, SSS and others have all been exited from the scheme, the police remain trapped in it.

“Our major aim here is to prevail on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sign our bill—the bill exiting the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme—passed by the National Assembly on 4th December 2025 and transmitted to him on 16th March, 2026, into law, nothing more than that.

“The soldiers have been exited, the SSS has been exited, the Air Force has been exited, the Navy has been exited, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has been exited. The police, who are the father of them all, are trapped in this obnoxious Contributory Pension Scheme,” CSP Irowainu said.

It is not the first time retired officers are staging a protest over the CPS. In July last year, they demonstrated at the National Assembly to demand their removal from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

The demonstrators, mostly elderly, stood in the rain holding placards and chanting anti-government songs.

Some of the retired police officers also besieged the Force Headquarters in Abuja to protest against the CPS.

Addressing the protesters at the time, the then Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, said the welfare of retired police officers was being addressed, but that the exit of the Force from the Contributory Pension Scheme was not something that could be implemented immediately.

He, however, advised the leaders of the protest to refrain from spreading misinformation, stressing that the Force could not abandon its own.

News

IGP Disu Orders Ban on Illegal Checkpoints Nationwide

Published

3 weeks ago

April 13, 2026

Eric

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has issued a sweeping directive to Commissioners of Police nationwide, ordering an immediate end to extortion, illegal checkpoints, harassment of citizens and other misconducts.

He declared that restoring public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force is now a top operational priority.

The order was contained in a signal to members of the police management team including Commissioners of Police (CP) and other operational commanders.

In the marching order, the IGP acknowledged the deep mistrust many Nigerians feel toward officers, describing it as “painful” and unacceptable.

He said citizens now fear encounters with the police as much as they fear criminals, warning that such a reputation cannot continue under his leadership.

According to him, the directive marks the beginning of a determined effort to rebuild discipline within the police and re-establish its legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

The order specifically outlawed the routine collection of money from motorists on highways, the operation of unauthorised checkpoints, and the practice of arresting citizens and forcing them to withdraw cash from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or Point of Sale (PoS) devices.

The IGP also condemned the use of officers for private duties in homes and businesses, describing such deployments as abuse of authority and a violation of existing presidential directives on VIP protection.

Officers were further directed to comply strictly with approved dress codes, remain clean-shaven and adhere to established uniform regulations.

The police boss warned that harassment of citizens in any form would no longer be tolerated, stressing that the Nigerian public is not the enemy of the Force but the reason for its existence. At the same time, he assured officers that the institution would equally defend them against intimidation or disrespect from members of the public, noting that the dignity of the uniform must be protected on both sides.

Holding command leaders directly accountable, the IGP said Commissioners of Police would henceforth be responsible for misconduct within their jurisdictions.

He ordered them to demonstrate measurable improvements in discipline within seven days or face formal queries and possible transfers where lapses persist.

He emphasised that supervisory failure would no longer be ignored at any level of leadership. To ensure compliance, the directive introduced new oversight measures, including independent monitoring of field operations and public reporting channels through which citizens can lodge complaints directly with Force Headquarters.

A Citizens Commendation System will also be established to recognise officers who demonstrate professionalism, with monthly honours to be drawn from public nominations across commands.

Describing the directive as a decisive turning point, the police chief said Nigerians have grown weary of promises and now expect visible change. He ordered all commanders to brief personnel under their authority within 72 hours and confirm compliance in writing, declaring that the process of cleaning up the Force has begun and will be sustained until public trust is restored.