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COVID-19: Oyo govt vows to secure boundaries to halt interstate movement
Oyo State government, on Tuesday, expressed its readiness to halt the influx of people into the state from other states of the federation to further prevent the spread COVID-19.
The Information and Risk Communication Subcommittee of the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force stated this during a sensitization campaign in border towns within the five local governments in Ogbomoso land.
The state’s Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, who led the campaign team told border town residents that the government was determined to stop the influx defiant Nigerians who have been violating the nationwide restriction on interstate movement.
A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the Commissioner as saying that the state government would leave no stone unturned to ensure that its border towns were effectively secured.
The team, according to the statement, embarked on house-to-house sensitization of residents of various communities in Ogbomosoland, on how to prevent the novel Coronavirus.
The Committee noted that observing hygienic practices, physical distancing and avoiding harbouring travellers from other countries or neighbouring states without first reporting them to the government authorities were important steps towards guarding against the virus.
Olatubosun and his team members, who monitored interstate lockdown compliance at Oki, Oko, Otee and Ijado towns, which share boundaries with Osun and Kwara states respectively, decried the low level of compliance with the interstate lockdown directive in the communities.
He also admonished the residents of the respective communities to cooperate with the security personnel in manning the borders, adding that the Oyo state government would take all necessary measures to block all the illegal boundary routes that motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians were plying to enter Oyo State from Osun, Kwara states and the international borders.
He also called on the government of Osun and Kwara states to put strict measures in place at their respective borders as a way of enforcing total compliance with the interstate movement restriction directive.
Earlier, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Surulere Local Government Area, Mr. Salawu Olayinka, briefed the commissioner and the subcommittee members on the challenges facing his personnel at the border posts in the area.
According to Olayinka, residents of the border communities were not cooperating with the security personnel, saying “they are in the habit of threatening our men whenever we resist violation of the border closure.
“In fact, they have created footpaths in the bushes around here as escape routes where people from Ejigbo in Osun State enters Oyo State,” he stated.
Speaking at the palaces of the Alapa of Oki town, Professor John Akintola and the Oloko of Oko town, Dr. Solomon Akinola, Olatubosun sought the cooperation of the traditional rulers to prevail on their subjects to abide with the movement restriction at the borders.
The commissioner further urged the traditional rulers to deploy local hunters to the illegal routes created in the border communities, as a way of enhancing the job of the conventional security operatives that were manning major boundary borders.
According to the Commissioner, as of May 10, Oyo State had recorded 64 cases of COVID-19, and seven of the cases were from Ogbomoso zone.
“Five out of the seven cases were from here – Surulere LG, so our people should take the issue of coronavirus serious by obeying all guidelines put in place by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde, to contain and curb the spread of COVID-19 in the state.”
He intimated the residents to take their personal hygiene serious, abide with physical distancing, regular hand washing with soap, use of sanitizers and facemasks in public places, while also imploring the residents of the various border towns and villages not to hesitate to report to government the arrival of any person into their respective communities.
“Do not receive any visitor during this period, even if your son or daughter living outside this community arrives now, quickly report him or her, so that such individual can be quarantined for 14 days to know maybe he or she has been infected or not.
“Coronavirus is real and we should all be conscious of our environment now and report to government if strangers arrive your communities,” he said.
In their separate responses, the royal fathers commended the administration of Governor Makinde for its proactive measures in combating the spread of COVID-19 across the state, promising to continue supporting all government efforts at curbing the spread of the virus in their respective communities.
Facemasks and hand sanitisers were given to the traditional rulers for onward distribution to their respective subjects, while Olatubosun also distributed facemasks to residents on the streets of Oko, Oki, Ijado and Otee towns.
Residents of the Hotoro area of Kano were thrown into panic after a woman allegedly set her co-wife and two children ablaze in a late-night domestic attack.
The incident occurred on Monday night in the Mai Allo area of Hotoro, leaving four persons with varying degrees of burns.
The victims — a 28-year-old woman and her two children aged seven and three — are currently receiving treatment at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala and Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital.
Their father, who reportedly sustained injuries while attempting to rescue the victims from the inferno, is also undergoing treatment.
A relative of the family informed that they received a distress call around 3am informing them that the woman, her husband and the children had been set ablaze.
According to the source, the victim had spent less than two weeks in her matrimonial home before the attack occurred.
“She is about 28 years old. The children are from her previous marriage. They are stepchildren to the husband, who works as a tricycle rider,” the relative added.
Residents of the area described the incident as horrifying and called on security agencies to ensure justice was served.
“We are shocked by what happened. This kind of violence has no place in our community,” a resident said.
The suspect has since been taken into custody at the Mariri Police Division.
As of the time of filing this report, the Kano State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
Crime & Court
UNIBEN killing: Edo security squad arrests 12 suspected cultists, seals initiation centres
Security operatives in Edo State have arrested 12 suspected cultists and sealed two apartments allegedly used as initiation centres during coordinated raids across parts of Benin City following the killing of a young man near the gate of the University of Benin.
The operation, code-named “Operation Flush Out Cultists and Kidnappers,” was carried out by the state’s Special Security Squad after the killing recorded on Sunday, May 10, 2026.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Patrick Ebojele.
According to the statement, the Chief Security Officer and Principal Security Officer to the governor led the raids conducted in Ekosodin, Isihor, Old Road off S&T Barracks, Airport Road, 19th Street Ugbowo, Ogba-Evbuodia and Evbuomore Quarters, all in Benin City.
Spokesman for the security squad, Noah Idemudia, alleged that some youth leaders within communities in the state were aiding violent crimes and harbouring criminal elements.
He said intelligence reports indicated that sophisticated weapons used in deadly attacks were often traced to communities across the state.
“Reports reaching us indicate that some persons are allegedly harbouring criminals. Intelligence reports also suggest that sophisticated weapons used in deadly attacks on citizens are allegedly sourced from communities.
“The governor is warning community leaders to maintain peace in their various communities and ensure that no unlicensed weapons are found in their possession, as they will be held liable and treated as criminals,” Idemudia said.
He, however, clarified that the 12 suspects arrested were not directly linked to the killing near the university gate.
According to him, the suspects were allegedly identified as members of different cult groups after security operatives reportedly discovered symbols, signs and other incriminating materials on them during the raids.
Idemudia added that the suspects had been handed over to the Anti-Cultism Unit of the Nigeria Police Force for profiling and further investigation.
Speaking on the properties sealed during the operation, he said one of the apartments was allegedly being used as a cult initiation centre.
He explained that operatives came under attack while attempting to arrest suspects at the location, forcing authorities to seal the premises and invite the property owner for questioning.
He added that another apartment raided allegedly contained shrines and fetish items scattered across several rooms, which investigators suspect were being used for initiation into different confraternities.
According to him, the owner of the property had also been invited for questioning by security agencies.
“The governor has warned those sponsoring cultism and violent killings in the state to desist immediately.
“Anyone found aiding criminality in Edo State will face the full weight of the law, as the state will no longer be conducive for criminal elements,” Idemudia added.
He also warned against unlawful gatherings, alleging that some cult groups were planning anniversary celebrations across the state.
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday convicted and sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to a cumulative 75 years imprisonment in absentia over a ₦33.8bn money laundering scandal linked to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
The trial judge, Justice James Omotosho, found Mamman guilty on all 12 counts bordering on conspiracy and money laundering filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The judge ruled that the prison terms would run consecutively, bringing the total sentence to 75 years.
Justice Omotosho held that Mamman deliberately absented himself from court on the day of judgment and during the previous adjourned sitting in a bid to frustrate the administration of justice.
He agreed with counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 empowered the court to proceed with sentencing despite the defendant’s absence.
The court consequently sentenced the former minister to seven years imprisonment each on Counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 without an option of fine.
Mamman was also sentenced to three years imprisonment on Count 4 with an option of a ₦10m fine, and two years imprisonment on Count 5 without an option of fine.
Justice Omotosho further ordered that the sentence would commence from the date of Mamman’s arrest since he was convicted in absentia.
The judge directed security agencies within and outside Nigeria, including Interpol, to arrest the convict wherever he is found and hand him over to the Nigerian Correctional Service to serve his jail term.
The court also ordered the final forfeiture of two Abuja properties linked to the former minister, alongside various sums recovered in different currencies by anti-graft agencies.
In addition, the court ordered Mamman to refund the outstanding balance from the ₦22bn already traced to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects out of the ₦33.8bn allegedly diverted.
The conviction followed a lengthy trial instituted by the EFCC, which accused Mamman of conspiring with ministry officials and private companies to divert funds earmarked for the two power projects.
Mamman was arraigned on July 11, 2024 on a 12-count charge and pleaded not guilty.
During the trial, the EFCC called 17 witnesses and tendered 43 exhibits to support its case.
Following the close of the prosecution’s case, the former minister filed a no-case submission on November 19, 2025, contending that the EFCC had failed to establish sufficient evidence against him.
However, Justice Omotosho, in a ruling delivered on December 11, 2025, dismissed the application and held that the prosecution had established a prima facie case requiring the defendant to open his defence.
The matter was subsequently adjourned for continuation of defence before Wednesday’s judgment brought the proceedings to a close.
The case, regarded as one of the most significant corruption convictions in recent years, stemmed from Mamman’s arrest and detention by the EFCC on May 10, 2021.
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