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Stampedes over food: IGP warns against unorganised sharing of palliatives
The inspector-general of police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, has warned against l unorganised distribution of palliatives and relief items during this festive period, following the recent incidents that have led to the death of dozens of Nigerians.
The IGP gave the warning in a statement issued by the force’s public relations officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Saturday, December 21.
He said the avoidable incidents were worrisome and called for urgent concerns to save the lives of Nigerians, especially the vulnerable youths and elderly.
He said the warning followed “a series of tragic incidents that highlighted the urgent need for a more structured and effective approach to delivering aid to vulnerable communities and members of the public in general.”
Egbetokun recalled that on December 18, a tragic incident occurred in Ibadan, Oyo State, where a stampede at a children’s fun fair resulted in the deaths of at least 35 children and left many others critically injured.
In the early hours of today, Saturday, December 21, another tragedy struck at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, in Abuja during the distribution of food items to vulnerable and elderly individuals.
About 10 persons died in the stampede, leaving many others injured.
A similar incident also occurred at Okija, Ihiala Local Government, Anambra State, at a palliative distribution set up by a philanthropist identified as Obi Jackson.
It led to the death of several individuals and three persons were confirmed dead while many injured were taken to various hospitals for adequate treatment, the IGP said.
Egbetokun said the Nigeria Police Force was concerned about the dangers posed to public safety during these “unorganised distributions” and funfairs set up by groups, individuals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including the potential for stampedes and other incidents that could endanger lives.
He blamed the avoidable incidents on the lack of a well-defined plan for distributing palliatives, leading to long lines and unnecessary confrontations among citizens seeking assistance.
As a result, the IGP urged government officials, community leaders, and non-governmental organisations to work collaboratively towards establishing a comprehensive and organised framework for distributing palliatives.
He warned groups and organisers of similar events to ensure the involvement of security agencies as negligence on their part would be criminal and would not be overlooked, as provided for in Section 196 of the Penal Code and Section 344 of the Criminal Code, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
News
BUNKERING: Army, Tantita Security Arrest Truck Laden with Illegally Extracted Crude Oil in Delta
A joint team comprising officers of the 181 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Oleh, and personnel from Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd. has arrested a vacuum truck involved in illegal crude oil extraction at Well 3, Olomoro, in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State.
According to reports, the truck, which previously belonged to Engr. Daniel Omoyibo, also known as Damotech, was gifted to the driver, Mr. Matthew Ojomikre, who is currently being detained at the Forward Operating Base (FOB), 181 Battalion, Oleh.
Upon interrogation, the driver confessed that his company had been contracted by Heritage Energy Operational Services Ltd. to evacuate sludge from Well 3, Olomoro. However, he was unable to provide any formal approvals or documentation authorizing the activity, as was previously the norm.
Until recently, Heritage Energy Operational Services Ltd. had consistently provided crude and condensate trucking permits to officers of the Nigerian Army and Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd. for proper monitoring from the loading point to the discharge location.
Officers of Tantita Security Services, in collaboration with a team from Heritage and the Nigerian Army, have collected samples from the vacuum truck for laboratory testing and analysis.
The preliminary confessional statement from the driver indicates that he illegally collected crude oil from Well 3 under the pretense of evacuating sludge from the wellheads.
Authorities have reported that the same truck has previously been involved in unauthorized crude oil evacuations within the Isoko axis.
The driver, the truck, and its contents remain in custody at the 181 Battalion Base in Oleh for further interrogation and possible prosecution.
The Universal Basic Education Commission on Tuesday announced plans to introduce a new template for disbursing counterpart funds under the Universal Basic Education programme.
This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary of the commission, Aisha Garba, during an interactive workshop with State Universal Basic Education Boards in Abuja.
Garba explained that the Federal Government, through UBEC, had recently restructured the delivery of basic education nationwide to align with four strategic pillars aimed at improving access and quality across states and the Federal Capital Territory.
She identified the pillars as expanding access to basic education, especially for rural and underserved populations; enhancing the quality of teaching and learning nationwide; strengthening accountability and the effective use of education financing; and optimising monitoring and institutional systems for quality service delivery.
She said, “The Hope Education Project of the present administration is a performance-for-reward initiative designed to support states that judiciously utilise resources in line with these four pillars.”
She added that the new approach had made it necessary to develop fresh templates that will guide SUBEBs in preparing work plans to access UBE intervention funds under the framework of the Hope Education Project.
Also speaking at the event, UBEC’s Deputy Executive Secretary for General Services, Tunde Ajibulu, described the workshop as timely and essential.
He stressed that the realignment of basic education delivery made the introduction of the new templates crucial.
“We expect you, as implementers of basic education in your respective states, to contribute positively and help develop workable templates,” Ajibulu said.
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