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Operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) attached to the Zaria Unit Command in Kaduna State have recovered and returned ₦3,727,500 in cash and valuables worth about ₦500,000 from the scene of a fatal road crash.

The accident occurred on Sunday, March 15, 2026, along the Zaria–Funtua Highway near Zaria Academy. It involved a Toyota Corolla and a Peugeot 806 carrying nine passengers.

A statement issued on Monday by the Corps Public Education Officer, Felicia Kalu, said one passenger died at the scene while eight others sustained varying degrees of injuries.

“Upon receiving the distress call, FRSC rescue teams responded swiftly, providing immediate first aid before evacuating the injured victims to the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika for urgent medical attention.

“During the rescue and post-crash clearance operation, the vigilant FRSC personnel discovered a large sum of money and other valuable items scattered across the crash site.

“Demonstrating exceptional discipline and moral courage, the officers carefully secured the ₦3,727,500 and safeguarded all recovered valuables, ensuring they were protected until they could be properly returned to their rightful owners,” the statement read.

The Zaria Unit Commander, Chief Route Commander Nasiru Falgore, formally handed over the recovered cash to the victims on Monday in the presence of their relatives and other witnesses.

Reacting, the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Shehu Mohammed, commended the officers for their integrity and professionalism.

He described the action as a reflection of the FRSC’s institutional values of honesty, accountability and service to humanity.

The Corps Marshal praised the Zaria operatives for upholding high standards of discipline and transparency, stressing that integrity remains central to all FRSC operations.

The beneficiaries expressed relief and appreciation, noting that the officers not only helped rescue the injured victims but also safeguarded their money at a critical moment.

They also pledged to promote road safety awareness and responsible driving within their communities.

The FRSC said the incident further demonstrates the corps’ commitment to professionalism, transparency and integrity in the discharge of its duties.

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The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has intensified efforts to curb the vandalisation of critical infrastructure projects executed across communities in the Niger Delta region.

The commission also expressed concern over the destruction of several completed and ongoing projects, describing the trend as discouraging and detrimental to development in the region.

As part of its response, the commission on Monday organised a one-day capacity-building programme for stakeholders in Rivers State on community ownership and protection of NDDC projects. The event, held in Port Harcourt, was organised by the Corporate Affairs Directorate of the NDDC and facilitated by Peace and Development Projects in collaboration with Bitood Nigeria Limited.

Speaking at the event, the Director of Rivers Operations at the commission, Okezie Ule, said the training was designed to equip participants with the knowledge required to safeguard projects executed in their communities.

Ule, who represented the Managing Director of the commission, Samuel Ogbuku, said the initiative had become necessary given the scale of projects currently being implemented across the region by the commission’s management.

According to him, the NDDC remains committed to executing people-oriented projects while also taking steps to protect completed and ongoing facilities.

“We have seen with dismay how many of our projects, even those strongly requested by the communities, are left to deteriorate. Vandals have targeted some of these projects, including valuable assets such as solar streetlights that illuminate many of our communities,” Ule said.

He cited instances where newly completed projects were vandalised shortly after commissioning, describing the development as a major setback to the commission’s development efforts.

“It is discouraging that funds are invested in critical infrastructure, particularly assets such as pathways and lighting systems, only for them to be vandalised,” he added.

Ule also warned individuals involved in vandalism to stay away from NDDC projects and urged community members to take responsibility for protecting facilities located within their areas.

Also speaking, the Rivers State representative on the commission’s board, Tony Okocha, described the training as essential for ensuring that projects executed by the NDDC are properly safeguarded.

Represented by his Special Assistant on Technical Matters, Chibuzor Kwelle, Okocha commended communities that have already taken steps to protect development projects in their areas.

He noted that several NDDC initiatives, particularly solar streetlight projects, have helped to reduce criminal activities in many communities.

Meanwhile, the Project Coordinator of Peace and Development Projects, Francis Abayomi, said the capacity-building programme was aimed at encouraging communities to take ownership of development projects provided for them.

He stressed that community participation in protecting infrastructure was essential to ensuring the sustainability and long-term impact of development efforts in the Niger Delta.

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Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court Abuja, has threatened to commit the lead defence lawyer to a politician and online publisher Omoyele Sowore, for contempt over rudeness in court.

For raising his voice in court, the judge ordered Sowore’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, to “come out and kneel down” in open court.

Other lawyers, however, quickly prevailed upon the judge to forgive their colleague.

Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly making false claims against the person of President Bola Tinubu by referring to him as “a criminal” in a post he made on his “X” and Facebook accounts.

The activist’s lawyer drew the ire of the judge when he raised his voice while making submissions in court, insisting that the date chosen by the court for the defence to open its case was not convenient for him.

Trouble started when, shortly after Abubakar concluded cross examination of the only prosecution witness.

The prosecuting lawyer announced the closure of the case and applied that the defence be called upon to open its case.

When asked by the judge when he planned to open his defence, Abubakar said the defendant would make a no-case submission and suggested that the court should adjourn till a date in July.

The prosecuting lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), objected and argued that it was part of the defence’s tactics intended to further delay proceedings.

He suggested that the case be given an accelerated hearing and be heard on a daily basis.

In his intervention, the judge regretted that, while the prosecution was swift in conducting its case, the defence spent four days cross-examining the prosecution’s only witness.

The judge said it was not feasible to hear the case on a daily basis, but directed parties to return on April 13 for the adoption of their final written addresses in respect of the no-case submission.

Whilst Sowore was addressing the judge from the witness box on how the proposed date might affect his party’s upcoming primaries, his lawyer also simultaneously began addressing the judge, narrating how his client was poised to wrest power from President Bola Tinubu.

“This court belongs to all of us. This court is not for some people alone. It belongs to all of us,” said Abubakar.

Attempts by the judge to make the lawyer lower his voice were unsuccessful.

At that point, Justice Umar bellowed, “If you shout in this court again, I will commit you for contempt. In fact, come here! Come and kneel down here!” pointing to a spot in front of the courtroom.

On realising the unsavoury turn of events, other lawyers, led by the only SAN in the courtroom, Akinlolu Kehinde, jumped to their feet and began begging the judge to forgive the aberrant lawyer.

While the lawyers were still upstanding begging, the judge pronounced that the case had been adjourned till April 13 for adoption, and rose for the day.

Earlier, when the case was called in the morning, Kehinde told the court that Sowore had a recording device with him in the dock.

He urged the court to direct that the device be taken from the defendant.

But Sowore denied being in possession of any recording device, adding that he only had with him his eye glasses, power bank, and phone.

Justice Umar recalled that the court had earlier made an order that the defendant should not bring any gadget with him while in the dock.

The judge then asked him to submit the items to his lawyers, which he handed to a court official, who transferred them to Sowore’s lawyer.

When asked to proceed with the case, Abubakar claimed to have only learnt about Monday’s sitting a few moments before the court’s session began.

He said he was not in court with the case file because he was in another court for a separate case. He then applied for a stand-down until 12:30 pm to enable him to retrieve the file from his office.

Although Kehinde objected, arguing that it was a ploy by the defence to further delay proceedings, the judge granted the stand down.

When proceedings resumed at about 1 p.m., Abubakar cross-examined the sole prosecution witness, Cyril Nosike (a DSS operative), for about two hours.

He also tendered copies of newspaper publications, some of which he later gave to the witness to read.