A building of 25 shops has been gutted by fire in the early hours of Saturday in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.

According to the state fire service, the incident occurred at Adeta roundabout at about 02.39 hours.

A statement in Ilorin on Saturday by the spokesman of the service, Hassan Adekunle, said the firefighters, upon arrival, found a block of about 25 shops engulfed in flames.

“Thanks to the swift action and bravery of the Kwara State fire service officers, only three shops suffered damage, including a soft drinks and alcohol shop.

“Preliminary investigations indicated that the fire was caused by a power surge,” the statement disclosed.

The Director of the State Fire Service, Prince John Falade Olumuyiwa, expressed sympathy for the affected shop owners, offering prayers for the restoration of their losses.

He also urged the public to prioritize safety and ensure all electrical appliances are unplugged when not in use.

The newly emerged terror group known as Lakurawa, is reportedly offering as much as one million naira to young men in exchange for their allegiance.

This was made known on Saturday by Zagazola Makama, a Lake Chad Basin counterterrorism and insurgency expert, in a post on his X handle.

Makama disclosed that an impeccable source informed him that Lakurawa, allegedly composed of individuals from Mali, Chad, Libya, Niger, and Burkina Faso, was actively recruiting local youths in Sokoto through substantial financial incentives.

He stated that according to witnesses’ accounts, the financial lure is part of an aggressive recruitment campaign aimed at attracting followers to their cause.

The security expert said that Lakurawa, unlike traditional criminal gangs, reportedly adhere to extremist ideologies linked to the Khawarij sect, similar to the beliefs of Boko Haram.

Makama added: “Local sources suggest that they employ a combination of financial incentives and ideological influence to gain support among vulnerable communities.

“Beyond the recruitment, the Lakurawa reportedly confront and expel bandits and confiscate their cattle in areas under their control.

Watch video below:

https://twitter.com/ZagazOlaMakama/status/1855319733282758848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, has disclosed why President Bola Tinubu ordered the release of the 32 minors arraigned.

Fagbemi said Tinubu ordered that the charges against the minors be dropped because he has children and grand children.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, the AGF said there were suggestions that the minors be tried in a family court.

He maintained that no Nigerian law prevents the trial of minors.

Recall that the Nigerian government had arraigned 72 protesters for engaging in the nationwide EndBadGovernance protest.

Out of the 72 protesters, 32 were minors and they were arraigned before an Abuja Federal High Court on charges of treason.

But the Nigerian government had withdrawn the charges against the minors following an outcry by Nigerians.

Fagbemi said: “No law in this country says a minor cannot be tried, and I have also heard suggestions that they should go to a family court.

“But the President said, despite all this, ‘I have children, grandchildren,’ and that motivated his passion to release them.”