Justice Mohammed Umar struck out the suit following the notice of discontinuance filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, who was prosecuting the case.

The development is coming just a few hours after Justice Chizoba Orji of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, struck out a similar case bordering on alleged defamation.

In the suit at the FCT High Court, the senator was alleged to have defamed the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi Governor, Mr Yahaya Bello.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, her lawyers and the prosecuting team were all seated in court when the judge called the parties into the chamber where the notice of discontinuance was moved by prosecuting counsel, Aderonke Imana.

The senator’s lawyer, Mr Ehioge West-Idahosa, SAN, did not oppose the application.

West-Idahosa, however, urged the court to release all documents belonging to the defendant and her sureties.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was arraigned on June 30, on a six-count charge bordering on cybercrimes.

She was granted bail, following which Justice Umar adjourned the matter until September 22, 2025 for the commencement of trial.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/195/2025, was alleged to have transmitted false and injurious information via electronic means with the intention to malign, incite and endanger lives and breach public order.

The senator was alleged to have, while addressing a gathering on April 4 in Ihima in Kogi, accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of instructing ex-Gov. Yahaya Bello to have her killed in the state.

She was also alleged to have, in a television interview, repeated similar claims, to the effect that the Senate president and former governor plotted to kill her in Kogi.

The charge was brought under the Cybercrimes Prohibition, Prevention, etc (Amendment) Act 2024.

Reacting to the withdrawal of the two cases filed by the Federal Government against her, Akpoti-Uduaghan said that the cases were not part of those mentioned by the Senate President in church.

“I will like to mention for clarity that these cases do not form part of the cases the Senate President mentioned in church.

“As at today, he has not instructed his lawyers to discontinue several cases that he and his wife initiated.

“The withdrawal of these two federal government cases against me only proved what we had always known, which is that these cases were maliciously instigated by two individuals who used power to their advantage, to witchhunt an innocent person which is myself.

“But I will like to extend a sincere appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for standing with the truth and in his commitment to justice, ordered the discontinuance of these two cases.

“I have never doubted that Nigeria is a land of possibilities and that the truth somehow would always get one vindicated.”

She said that with the two cases off her neck, she could now rest and resume her legislative work fully.

“No matter how strong and tough one is, for a person like me that has never been invited by the police for anything and does not have any case of financial embezzlement or drug abuse to just be slammed simultaneously with two federal government cases, that was a whole lot.

“But they say whatever does not break you makes you stronger. I will say that I was actually toughened.

“It is not something I would want to experience, and I would not wish it for anybody.

“At the end of the day, justice prevailed,” she said.

Source: NAN

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The documents confirmed that they are currently employees of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, NNPCL, and Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, respectively.

Sirika alongside his daughter, Fatima and son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule and Al-Buraq Investment Limited are charged with N2.7 billion fraud before Justice Sylvanus Oriji.

Sirika, the EFCC alleged, abused his office as minister by conferring unfair advantage on Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, whose alter ego are his daughter and son-in-law, by using his position to influence the award of the contract for the apron extension at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1.4 billion.

This, the prosecution stated, is contrary to the provisions of Sections 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Section 17 (b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004 as well as Section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532 Acts of the Federal Capital Territory and punishable under the same sections.

The minister had pleaded not guilty to the charge.

At the resumed hearing, the prosecution presented its 10th and 11th witnesses (PW10 and PW11), to prove that both second and third defendants are currently on the staff list of both NNPCL and NUPRC respectively.

Testifying, the PW10, Gabriel Adaba, told the court while being led in his evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, that Sule was employed as a Regulatory Officer 1 on Grade Level 9 by the NUPRC on February 3, 2023.

Adaba, who is NUPRC’s Head, Licensing and Permit, told the court that as of the time of Sule’s employment by the commission, he (PW10) was the Head of Human Resources in the agency.

He said that in March 14, 2024, the EFCC requested the NUPRC to furnish it with Sule’s employment records.

“As Head, Human Resources, it was my responsibility to appear before the commission to do that. On that day, I was at EFCC to submit his (Sule’s) employment records,” he said.

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He added that prior to his employment by the NUPRC, Sule had worked with the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Agency, NNRA.

Under cross examination by counsel for Sirika and Al Buraq, Michael Numa, SAN, Adaba told the court that NUPRC did background checks on Sule in line with its Human Resources practices.

He, however, said the commission did not investigate individual employee’s private life, including their private holdings.

The witness further told the court that Sule was confirmed as a staff member of NUPRC on March 5, 2024, one year after his employment by the commission.

He added that he was not aware if Al Buraq was awarded any contracts by the commission.

While being cross examined by both counsel for Fatima and Sule, Efut Okoi and Sunusi Musa, SAN, respectively, the PW10 told the court that there were no records that Sule was found wanting at NNRA .

On his part, the PW11, Abidoye Babatunde, the Deputy Manager of Policy Compliance and Accountability with the NNPCL, told the court that in 2024 the EFCC requested information on Sirika’s daughter, Fatima.

He said that the company obliged the anti-graft agency with the request and forwarded the information requested with a covering letter.

According to the witness, Fatima was employed as a graduate trainee on February 14, 2020 by NNPCL.

He added while his employment was confirmed on May 4, 2021, adding that she was promoted to next grade level on January 1, 2023.

Under cross examination, the PW11 told the court that EFCC invited Fatima through the NNPCL.

He added that he was not told what she was being investigated for when he submitted the information demanded by the Commission as the Acting Deputy Manager, Employee Compensation and Performance.

The witness said that he was not privy to her private holding outside NNPCL, adding that the second defendant could not have been confirmed by NNPCL if she had not suitably performed.

After their testimonies, Justice Oriji adjourned until June 30 for continuation of hearing.

Source: NAN

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The NEITI FAAC Quarterly Review, released by NEITI on Tuesday in Abuja showed that the disbursements represented a historic high in revenue distribution and a 43 per cent increase, compared to previous years.

It attributed the surge in revenue disbursements to Federal Government’s sustained fiscal reform policies, especially the fuel subsidies removal and foreign adjustment exchange rate policies, which had continued to impact positively on oil revenue remittances.

Announcing the report, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, the Executive Secretary, NEITI, said the analysis were conducted against the backdrop of major fiscal reforms that reshaped the revenue landscape, particularly subsidy removal impacts on national and subnational finances.

“The report’s objective is to assess the sustainability of the federal and state governments’ borrowing to fund their projects and programmes, as well as the implications of natural resource dependence, particularly for states benefitting from the 13 per cent derivation revenue from oil, gas, and solid minerals.

“The analysis focused on crude oil revenue derivation states, as solid minerals continue to underperform despite their significant potential,” he said.

Orji said the federal received N4.95 trillion, state governments, N5.81 trillion, and local governments N3.77 trillion during the period.

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According to him, the total FAAC disbursements (including Derivation Revenue) is N15.26 trillion.

“The NEITI FAAC Quarterly Review showed that distribution to state governments in 2024 recorded the largest percentage increase of 62 per cent from N3.58 trillion in 2023, followed by local government councils with a 47 per cent increase.

“The Federal Government’s share rose by 24 per cent from N3.99 trillion in 2023 to N4.95 trillion in 2024.

“The report highlights that total FAAC allocations increased by 66.2 per cent from N9.18 trillion in 2022 to N10.9 trillion in 2023 and N15.26 trillion in 2024, with the most significant growth occurring between 2023 and 2024,” he said.

He said NEITI would continue to support the reforms with credible information and data.

Orji said the review called for adequate measures to manage and mitigate economic and other social risks associated reforms in transitional economies like Nigeria.

He outlined such risks to include, inflationary pressure, possible rise in debt servicing costs and fiscal uncertainties for states dependent on oil revenues.

He recommended that governments at all levels should take innovative actions to mitigate the impact of the economic challenges.

“The report also revealed that Lagos State received the highest allocation of N531.1 billion in 2024, followed by Delta (N450.4 billion) and Rivers (N349.9 billion).

“Conversely, Nasarawa State received the least allocation of N108.3 billion, followed by Ebonyi (N110 billion) and Ekiti (N111.9 billion).

“Furthermore, six states—Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Delta, and Kano—each received over N200 billion, collectively accounting for 33 per cent of total allocations to all states.

“While the six lowest-receiving states—Yobe, Gombe, Kwara, Ekiti, Ebonyi, and Nasarawa—accounted for only 11.5 per cent.

“The report revealed a major financial divide, with Lagos, Delta, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom—collectively receiving N1.49 trillion, over three times more than the combined total of the bottom four states—Kwara, Ekiti, Ebonyi, and Nasarawa—which received N442.4 billion.

“The review highlighted that total debt deductions for states’ foreign debts and other contractual obligations amounted to N800 billion, representing 12.3 per cent of total allocations to the 36 states, including derivation revenue,” he said.

He said Lagos State recorded the highest debt deduction of N164.7 billion, accounting for over 20 per cent of total deductions.

He said Kaduna State followed with N51.2 billion, while Rivers (N38.6 billion) and Bauchi (N37.2 billion) also recorded significant debt deductions.

He urged the government to sustain policy reform measures to encourage sustainable revenue growth and economic stability with priority attention focussed on job creation, poverty reduction and control of inflation on goods and services.

The NEITI FAAC Review reiterated the need for stakeholders to leverage the findings and data provided to hold all levels of government accountable for  effective management of public resources, especially revenues from the extractive industries.

Source: NAN

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Mr Ogbonnaya Orji, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, stated this on Monday in Abuja.

He spoke at the 2025 budget defence session organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream).

Orji revealed that NEITI was collaborating with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to recover the funds into government coffers.

The executive secretary noted that, according to the 2020 and 2021 reports, over $3.7 billion was recovered into government coffers as outstanding liabilities from companies operating in the sector.

He explained that NEITI was established to promote transparency and accountability in the Nigerian oil and gas, as well as the mining sector.

Orji said the agency had been allocated a budget of N6.5 billion for the 2025 financial year, comprising N2.220 billion for personnel, N1.722 billion for overhead, and N2.575 billion for capital projects.

Orji outlined some of the critical activities to be undertaken in the year.

They include conducting industry reports on the oil, gas, and mining sector, as well as fiscal allocation and statutory disbursement audits.

He added that research studies would be conducted on the actual volume of PMS consumed in Nigeria.

According to him, it will also indicate the economic impact of energy transition, and a national perception survey of EITI implementation in Nigeria.

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During the budget defence session, Rep. Kafilat Ogbara (APC-Lagos) emphasised the need for government agencies to ensure that their budget proposals complied with the specified line items.

She expressed concern over the N32 million allocated for meals in the 2025 budget, stating that it was excessive, especially during a time of economic hardship.

“Most of our agencies should ensure that what they are bringing as budget proposal must actually tally with the line item and the purpose why you want to use such funds.

“Let us not just see budget defence as, ‘the money is there and we should share it. So, let us see how to get our own share,’” she said.

Rep. Ademorin Kuye (APC-Lagos) also stressed the importance of considering the economic situation in the country when preparing the annual budget.

He noted that the public perceived the National Assembly as a rubber stamp that approved anything presented by government agencies.

The chairman of the committee, Rep. Alhassan Doguwa, faulted the language used in the budget preparation.

He also faulted the inclusion of the National Assembly as beneficiaries of the agency’s welfare package.

Doguwa emphasised that the committee’s primary concern was the welfare of the Nigerian people.

He said the agencies must be mindful of their expenditure of public resources.

“While I agree that the budget stops at our desk and you are just presenting a proposal, I will like to say that the economy is actually bad.

“The population of people for whom we are actually here are crying out. Agencies of government must be mindful of what they spend out of public resources on.

“All these proposals are going to be spent at the expense of the Nigerian people.

“Sometimes, we come to make presentations here that sounds funny and very insultive in the eyes of the people.

“Especially, when you say in your projection things like welfare package in form of ex-gratia, health insurance, welfare packages to staff and some critical stakeholders,” he said.

Doguwa, however, assured the committee’s readiness to support the agency in actualising its mandate.

“Your agency is a critical one and the legislature is appreciative of the work that you are doing,” he said.

Source: NAN

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The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in the state, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Tuesday in Onitsha.

Ikenga said that he was yet to confirm the incident.

“I have not confirmed the incident, but we have escalated it to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to get the necessary information,” the spokesman said.

When asked about the 24 hours patrol launched on August 4, 2023 by a Joint Task Force of Anambra and Delta State Police Command as part of efforts to make the bridge safe for road users, he said that the operation was still ongoing.

He, however, said that he was yet to confirm if the video was a recent development or not.

A yet-to-be-identified man was seen in a viral video narrating how some rail fittings connecting the Second Niger Bridge was allegedly removed by some suspected scavengers.

When contacted on the development, Mr Uche Orji, the Chief Press Secretary to the Minister of Works, David Umahi, simply said that security action had been taken and he was not ready to disclose further information.

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Also speaking, Anambra Commissioner for Information, Mr Paul Nwosu, said that the incident of the alleged vandalism on the 2nd Niger Bridge had been brought to the attention of the Highway Department of the Federal Ministry of Works.

According to him, that was not to say that the state government was not concerned about the theft of those iron.

“Police is aware of the theft; before now, there has been an indication of nefarious human being looking to make away with those things.

“There has been a patrol by policemen along the bridge, you know these people; you won’t know where they are hiding to know if patrol has passed before they attack.

“One thing about criminals is that they are also members of our society.

“They know where you have security presence and where you don’t; immediately they notice a kind of movement, they come out to do what they want to do.

“It’s not as if the security agencies are not on the alert, but just when it appears that they have moved to oversight in a different place, these thieves will strike.

“You know people who gather “condemned” iron, but this one is not a condemned iron, this one is not a disposed iron.

“These are irons that are actively in use, to make sure that people enjoy the brand new road that federal government put for us to enjoy, but security agencies particularly the police have been on patrol in that area,” he said.

The commissioner said that it had long been discovered that some thieves had been carrying out their nefarious activities on that bridge.

He said that a unit of mobile police would be stationed on the bridge to forestall future occurrence.

Source: NAN

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigned the former aviation minister, Hadi Sirika, before Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Maitama on a six- count amended charge.

Also arraigned are Sirika’s daughter, Fatima; Jalal Hamma and Al-Duraq Investment Ltd, for alleged abuse of office and fraudulent contracts award.

Delivering ruling in the case after their counsel had argued their bail application, and the prosecution did not object, Justice Oriji granted them bail.

“Bail is granted to each of the defendants 1st, 2nd and 3rd in sum of N100 million with two sureties.

“The sureties shall be responsible citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who are ordinarily resident in the Federal Capital Territory.

“Each surety shall have landed property within Abuja municipal area council covered by a valued certificate of occupancy issued by the FCT minister.

“The residential addresses of the sureties shall be verified by the Registrar of the court.

“The 1st to the 3rd defendants shall not travel out of the country while the charge is pending without the permission of the court .”

Justice Oriji added that if any of the three defendants were unable to fulfill the condition of the  bail, he or she shall be remanded in the Correctional service.

He then adjourned until June 10 for commencement of trial.

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Earlier, the details of the charges against them were reads as follows:

“That you HADI ABUBAKAR SIRIKA, while being the Minister of Aviation, between April, 2022 and March, 2023, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use your position to confer unfair advantage upon TIANAERO NIGERIA LIMITED whose alter ego, PROF. GABRIEL TILMANN is your Associate, by using your position to influence the award to them, the Consultancy contract for the Nigerian Air Start-up and extension of same for the sum of N1,326,731,470.97 (One Billion, Three Hundred and Twenty Six Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty One Thousand, Four Hundred and Seventy Naira, Ninety seven kobo Only) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under the same section.”

“That you HADI ABUBAKAR SIRIKA, while being the Minister of Aviation, on or about 18 August, 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use your position to confer unfair advantage upon AL BURAQ GLOBAL INVESTMENT LTD whose alter ego, FATIMA HADI SIRIKA and JALAL SULE HAMMA are your daughter and son-in-law respectively, by using your position to influence the award to them, the contract for the Apron Extension at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1,498,300,750.00 (One Billion, Four Hundred and Ninety-Eight Million, Three Hundred Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty Naira Only) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act. 2000 and punishable under the same section.

“That you HADI ABUBAKAR SIRIKA, while being the Minister of Aviation and in such capacity as a public officer on or about 18 August, 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court entrusted with certain property to wit the sum of N1,498,300,750.00 (One Billion, Four Hundred and Ninety-Eight Million, Three Hundred Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty Naira Only), committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property by being dishonestly connected with the illegal award of contract for the Apron Extension at Katsina Airport, to and for the benefit of AL BURAQ GLOBAL INVESTMENT LTD whose alter ego are FATIMA HADI SIRIKA and JALAL SULE HAΜΜΑ, your daughter and son-in-law respectively and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 315 of the Penal Code Act. Cap. 532. Acts of the Federal Capital Territory and punishable under the same section.

“That you HADI ABUBAKAR SIRIKA, while being the Minister of Aviation, FATIMA HADI SIRIKA while being a public servant and an employee of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. and JALAL SULE HAMMA while being a public servant and an employee of Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission on or about 18 August, 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly hold indirectly private interests in the contract for the Apron Extension at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1,498,300,750.00 (One Billion, Four Hundred and Ninety-Eight Million, Three Hundred Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty Naira Only) awarded to AL BURAQ GLOBAL INVESTMENT LTD whose alter ego are FATIMA HADI SIRIKA and JALAL SULE HAMMA, which contract was awarded on account of public service and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 12 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under the same section.

“That you FATIMA HADI SIRIKA, JALAL SULE HAMMA and AL BURAQ GLOBAL INVESTMENT LTD., between 2022 and 2023 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, had possession of an aggregate sum of N1,310,142,051.16 (One Billion, Three Hundred and Ten Million, One Hundred and Forty-Two Thousand, Fifty-one, Naira, Sixteen kobo Only) which sum you knew indirectly represented the proceeds of criminal conducts of HADI ABUBAKAR SIRIKA who was the Minister of Aviation at the time (to wit use of office or position for gratification in respect of the said amount), and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17 (b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004 and punishable under the same section.”

They, however, pleaded not guilty to charges preferred against them.

Earlier, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, appeared for the prosecution, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN for Sirika and Mahmoud Magaji, SAN for Fatima (2nd defendant).

Others are Sanusi Musa, SAN for Jalal Hamma (3rd defendant) and Michael Numa for Al-Duraq Investment Ltd (4th defendant).

Source: NAN

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This was disclosed by EITI’s Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Bady Baldé, during a visit by an EITI delegation to the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC Ltd, Mr Mele Kyari, in Abuja on Thursday.

Baldé who said the delegation’s visit was to communicate the group’s findings in its recent global assessment to the company said NNPC Ltd. fared very well among companies in the same category, adding that only Equinox of Norway fared better than NNPC Ltd. in the assessment.

He, however, said there was still room for NNPC Ltd to improve, stressing that compliance with global EITI standards would help boost the company’s credibility.

The EITI boss also urged NNPC Ltd to remain engaged to play an active role in its Nigerian unit, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Kyari highlighted some of the key changes in the operations of the NNPC Ltd since its transformation into a commercially focused limited liability company in 2021.

READ ALSO: Gunmen abduct Oyo State PMS chairman

He acknowledged that the NNPC Ltd.’s partnership with EITI/NEITI had made it a much more reliable company.

He, however, expressed disappointment with NEITI for going public with its report that NNPC Ltd failed to remit some monies into the Federation Account instead of seeking clarification on any perceived gap in its assessment.

He explained that NNPC Ltd was holding no public funds back and that what NEITI reported as non-remittance was what was due to the company as payment for taking the burden of fuel subsidy on behalf of the federal government.

He disclosed that NNPC Ltd would have released its Audited Financial Statement, AFS, for 2022 since June 2023 but could not do so because it had no substantive Board of Directors at that time, adding that the AFS would be published on the company’s website in the next few days.

On his part, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, called for the reconstitution of the NNPC/NEITI Joint Committee on Reconciliation, stressing that the committee could help in straightening out any grey areas.

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The Vice Chancellor, UniAbuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’allah, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during the award ceremony for researchers and authors.

Na’allah said that the 2023 grant of over N3 billion was a significant improvement compared to the N1 billion that was won in 2022.

The vice-chancellor urged those leading in research to share their experiences with others, adding that they should support one another in order to bring in more researchers.

“When you hear information on grant, share it around so more people can participate, this will help the university produce more grant winning researchers.

“There is no world class university if there are no world scholars; we must continue to show this nation that a world class university is achievable and we have achieved it.

“We have made over N3 billion in research grants this year; we are making a mark and we are determined as a university that whatever it will take we must move forward.’’

He said there was need for scholars to invest in research because they were the things needed to solve the problems facing the nation today.

The vice chancellor urged more scholars to apply for grants.

“What gives you joy as a scholar is research grants you get from outside; you have to keep working on getting a grant until you succeed,’’ he said.

Na’allah called on scholars to think of how to solve the problems of Nigeria such as insecurity, bad leadership among others through their research work.

He said that the university was taking the lead in resolving the problem of leadership, adding that the university would soon establish youth leadership clinic.

READ ALSO: 158 students bag First Class as OAU holds 47th convocation

He said that this clinic would help to train young people and prepare them to take over the leadership of Nigeria.

The don assured the researchers that the university would not disappoint them as they continued to put the university on the map through this research grant.

He advised authors to ensure that originality was their main focus, adding that they should be innovative and create new words in their works.

Under the researchers’ cadre, seven persons won gold, two silver and 45 bronze while in the authors cadre, eight persons won gold, nine silver and 27 bronze.

Earlier, the Director, UniAbuja Centre for Sponsored Projects, CSP, Prof. Obiageli Nnodu, said the centre was introduced in 2020 by the vice chancellor.

Nnodu, while appreciating the vice chancellor, said that the centre which started small, had grown into something big.

She said the researcher category was bringing extra income, adding that researcher income was adding significantly to the revenue of the university.

One of the awardees, Dr Dike Orji, on behalf of other awardees, appreciated the vice chancellor and the university for their support to all scholars and researchers.

Orji said the recipients would continue to put in their best to see that the university grew in terms of research.

Source: NAN

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An eye witness, Mrs Uche Muoneke, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that the accident occurred when two men attempted to take control of the steering of a Toyota Sienna car from its driver.

The eye witness also said that one of the men was in the Nigeria Police uniform, while the other was said to be a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, official.

She said that the men were dragging the steering of the car with the driver of a private car when the accident occurred.

“The incident happened as a police officer was dragging the steering with the driver of a privately-owned Sienna car into Baywale Street, Balogun bus stop, Ago.

“I saw the officer as he dragged the car steering with the driver who refused to stop.

“He dragged the steering with the driver till the car hit a Keke (commercial tricycle) driver carrying a pregnant woman with her two children.

“That was how the woman, her two children, the police officer and the keke driver lost their lives this morning (Tuesday).

“The victims were crushed by the car after which some other police officers rushed to the scene and started shooting sporadically,” she said.

Another eye witness, Sunday Orji, said that the police officers started firing tear gas to prevent people from coming near the scene of the accident.

Orji told NAN that other commercial tricycle drivers plying the route staged a protest over the incident.

He also said that the husband of the pregnant woman fainted on sighting the blood-soaked bodies of his wife and children.

Spokesperson of the Police Command in Lagos, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the incident, said that investigation into the incident had commenced.

Hundeyin could, however, not confirm the number of persons involved in the accident as well as those who lost their lives as at the time of filing this report, although he said that the situation had been put under control.

The incident resulted in heavy human and vehicular traffic around Ago Palace Way and its environ.

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Its national president, Dr Innocent Orji, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja, via a Whatsapp message to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.

According to him, a review will be made in two weeks.

He said “we just suspended the strike. Work to resume by 8 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday, August 12).

“We will review progress made in two weeks.”

This comes after series of interventions by various stakeholders for the association to either embark on the industrial action in the first place or to suspend it earlier.

To avert the industrial action, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, on July 24 urged the resident doctors to suspend the strike.

Abbas made the call at a meeting between the leadership of the House and NARD in Abuja.

He said, “I would urge you to suspend the industrial action while we intervene, and seek your understanding of the fact that a new administration just came on board.”

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He added that the administration was still in the process of settling down as ministers had yet to assume office.

Also, in addition to the strike, the association had planned to stage protests and picket tertiary health institutions and the Federal Ministry of Health.

However, following the intervention of the Presidency and the Senate President, the protests were suspended.

Members of the association embarked on indefinite strike to press home their demands.

The demands include the immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund, MRTF, immediate release of the circular on one-for-one replacement and payment of skipping arrears.

Others are upward review of Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS, in line with full salary restoration to the 2014 value of CONMESS and payment of the arrears of consequential adjustment of minimum wage to omitted doctors.

Also demanded was the reversal of the downgrading of the membership certificate by Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN.

The association also demanded the payment of MRTF, new hazard allowance, skipping and implementation of corrected CONMESS in state tertiary health institutions and payment of omitted hazard allowance arrears.

Source: NAN

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