The Plateau State House of Assembly, on Thursday, approved N5.8bn for the conduct of the local government election in the state slated for October 9, 2024.

The approval by the House followed a communication from Governor Caleb Mutfwang, which was read at plenary by the Assembly Speaker, Gabriel Dewan.

The Speaker stated that the request was necessary as there was no budgetary allocation for the LG elections in the 2024 budget.

A member of the State Assembly, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak for the Assembly, confirmed the development to The PUNCH in Jos on Thursday.

The lawmaker said, “Governor Mutfwang, at Tuesday’s plenary, sought the House’s approval for N5.7bn as the 2024 supplementary, which was increased after upward review by the legislators.”

He continued, “The House leader, Joseph Bukar, presented the bill during our plenary. While soliciting the support of members for speedy passage, he said PLASIEC was running out of time in preparation for the election.”

“In their individual contributions, Hon. Kalamu Dal suggested a downward review of the budget size, while Hon. Daniel Nanbol urged for a critical review and deliberations. Afterwards, members approved a revised sum of N5.8bn, as opposed to the N5.7bn requested.”

The increase, as explained by Bukar, was due to an increase in security allocation for the election, from N2.7m to N4.2m. “So, that is what happened, and that is where we are at the moment regarding the forthcoming LG election,” the lawmaker concluded.

Security measures have been intensified in Enugu and Kwara states ahead of their Local Government elections scheduled for Saturday, September 21, 2024.

In Enugu State, the Police Command has pledged to ensure the safety of lives and properties during the elections.

However, the peace accord signing for the elections was marred by the absence of major parties like the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, and Labour Party.

Only representatives from the All Progressives Grand Alliance and Accord attended but chose not to sign the accord, citing the lack of participation from the leading parties.

Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, said all wards and flashpoints had been identified, and security personnel would be on high alert to prevent any disruptions.

The Chairman of the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission, Prof. Chris Ngwu, said the commission was fully prepared for the elections with the support of the state government in procuring necessary materials.

In Kwara State, security agencies have been actively coordinating to ensure a smooth electoral process.

Over 3,000 personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have been deployed across the state.

The Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission has completed arrangements for a trouble-free election.

Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, reported that a strategic meeting with heads of various security agencies, including the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, and others, had been held to ensure coordinated efforts for maintaining law and order.

The Commissioner of Police, Victor Olaiya, guaranteed maximum security for the election period.

The NSCDC Commandant, Dr. Umar Mohammed, announced the deployment of 3,000 personnel to various polling units and emphasised their role in preventing violence, ballot snatching, and other disruptions.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission, Telumun Tombowua, announced on Thursday that eight political parties will participate in the upcoming LG elections in the state, scheduled for October 5, 2024.

Addressing journalists in Makurdi, Tombowua said the election would be conducted fairly and transparently.

He emphasised that the law establishing the BSIEC does not permit the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation Machines for this election.

Regarding the APC, Tombowua confirmed that the National Working Committee of the party had requested the commission to work with the seven-man caretaker committee appointed to oversee party affairs in the state.

He noted that while 14 parties had initially shown interest, only eight completed the necessary processes and submitted their candidates.

Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have arrested seven suspected notorious oil thieves in Rivers State.

According to reports from the Headquarters of the Corps in Abuja, one of the suspects was a high profile person reputed for massive oil theft and vandalisation of pipelines in the Niger Delta region.

The Public Relations Officer of NSCDC in Abuja, Babawale Afolabi, attributed the arrest to crack operatives of the NSCDC’s Commandant General Special Intelligence Squad( CG’s SIS), saying the Squad acted on tip off to achieve the feat.

During the sting operation, one 43-year-old AbdulRauf Lawal and six others were arrested at Adobi Swampy Forest in Odagwa, Etche Local Government Area of the Rivers State, Babawale said in a statement.

He said the achievement was in continuation of the Corps’ resolve to salvage the nation’s economy from crude oil thieves.

Babawale said: “The CG’s Special Intelligence Squad acted on a tip-off and stormed the forest where the criminal elements had re-launched their nefarious operations of illegal oil bunkering by constructing a massive surface trampoline reservoir and loaded it with stolen crude oil that was syphoned from the installed well-head 10.

“In furtherance; these unscrupulous elements still mounted two separate local ovens inside the thick and swampy forest of Adobi community in Odagwa Town, Etche LGA of Rivers State.

“During the raid, the CG’s Special Intelligence Squad operatives were able to discover many surfaces of Tampauline reservoirs and local cooking ovens ladened with large quantities of stolen crude oil already syphoned through connection to an illegal refinery site around the Imo/Rivers 11 Flow Station in Adobi Swampy Forest at Odahwa Etche Local government area of Rivers State.

“In the course of the operation, a very notorious and most wanted pipeline vandal and oil thief was captured alongside six other suspects for their different levels of involvement in an offence of illegal dealings in petroleum products ranging from boiler, carrier, and buyer of the stolen crude oil”.

Besides Abdulrauf Lawal, ‘( the ring leader), and most wanted oil thief, others arrested are Okechukwu Princewill, Samuel Chukwuma Nwogu, Ndubuisi Emmanuel, Samuel Okon Ebong, and Happiness Monday.

Babawale listed items recovered from the scene  as large quantities of stolen crude oil filled inside the boat, a big wooden boat, many 6-inch industrial hoses that were used to illegally connect to the installed well-head, several instruments and tools abandoned inside the artisanal oil refining camp situated inside the swampy forest, and newly purchased drums.