ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Anambra State Sector Command, has confirmed a fatal lone road traffic crash that claimed the lives of three persons on Friday.

The incident occurred at about 10:30 a.m. near St. Jude Catholic Church, Adazi-Ani, along the Nnobi–Agulu–Awka Road.

According to the FRSC, the crash involved a Mercedes-Benz 608 commercial truck with registration number XB270NNL.

Initial investigation showed that the vehicle suffered a mechanical failure, caught fire, and the driver lost control.

The truck crashed into a roadside barricade, somersaulted, and trapped some occupants as it became engulfed in flames.

A press statement released by the Sector Public Education Officer, SRC Margaret B. Onabe, said a total of seven male occupants were involved. While three persons died on the spot, four others sustained serious injuries.

The statement said FRSC rescue personnel responded swiftly to a distress call received at 10:35 a.m. and immediately took control of traffic, diverted vehicles to the opposite lane, and arranged for the removal of the burnt truck from the roadway.

Reacting to the crash, the Sector Commander of the FRSC Anambra State Command, Corps Commander Bridget Asekhauno, expressed deep sympathy to the families of the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

She reaffirmed the Corps’ commitment to prompt emergency response and road safety enforcement.

Corps Commander Asekhauno urged motorists, especially commercial vehicle operators, to always ensure their vehicles are mechanically sound before embarking on any journey.

She advised against carrying flammable materials in unsafe conditions and called for regular vehicle maintenance to prevent mechanical failures.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognise and publish the names of the Kabiru Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Justice Salim Ibrahim, in a judgement delivered on Friday, held that the plaintiffs, led by the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, lacked the legal standing to institute the suit and consequently struck it out for want of jurisdiction.

The court upheld the preliminary objection filed by INEC and sustained similar objections raised by parties seeking to be joined in the suit, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to establish that INEC had recognised the purported Interim National Working Committee or that they had the authority to sue on behalf of the PDP.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Voting in the 2026 national election of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has begun hours after a delay caused by what the Electoral Committee of the NBA, ECNBA, described as a “coordinated cyberattack” on its e-voting platform.

The election was initially scheduled to begin at 12:00 AM WAT on Saturday.

—ECNBA: “Deliberate, coordinated and sustained cyberattack”—

In a memo to candidates, eligible voters, agents, and observers, the ECNBA apologised for the delay and said the attack was intended “to disrupt, sabotage, and undermine the integrity of the 2026 NBA National Electoral process.”

“The Committee is compelled to report that the ECNBA e-voting platform has been subjected to a deliberate, coordinated, and sustained cyberattack by external actors,” the memo stated.

The committee said its IT cybersecurity team, working with the Election Voting Service Provider, EVSP, activated security protocols and countermeasures to “repel the attack, neutralise the threat, and restore the integrity and availability of the platform.”

—Key advisories to members—

The ECNBA said:
– Voting had not commenced at the time of the memo and no votes were being accepted.
– The portal would reopen “as soon as the system is secured and restored.”
– Members should await further official communication before accessing the portal.
– The only official voting portal is: http://www.ecnbaovs.org.ng . Members were warned to disregard any other link as it “may be instruments of the same malicious campaign.”
– All candidates, agents, and observers were present at the designated monitoring centre, and the process continues under full Committee supervision.

The memo was signed by ECNBA 2026 Chairman, Aham Ejelam, SAN, and Secretary, Ibrahim Aliyu Nassarawa.

The committee also reaffirmed its commitment to delivering “a free, fair, transparent, and credible election, notwithstanding this criminal interference.”

—Voting now underway—

A few hours after the memo was issued, voting had started, according to media reports.