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Flood: Oyo govt reveals LGs on red alert
•asks residents to take precautionary measures seriously
The Oyo State Government, on Wednesday, urged residents of the state, especially those in flood-prone local government areas, to take precautionary measures in respect of the flood alert from the administration.
The state government, which spoke through the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Mrs Olubamiwo Adeosun, stated that every necessary step must be taken to avoid disaster.
According to her, to forestall flooding and its attendant effects, residents of the state, especially those in Ona Ara, Lagelu, Oyo East, Kajola, Egbeda, Ogbomoso South, Iseyin, Ibarapa North, Ibadan South-West, Ibadan North-West and Ibadan South-East Local Government Areas, are required to clear surrounding and street drain channels and avoid dumping wastes improperly.
“It is even of paramount importance that our people should take necessary precautions during heavy rainfall or in the event of flooding. People living in houses built along floodplains should relocate to safer places, avoid the use of low bridges and culverts when the rain is persistent, and whenever there is rainfall, people should avoid staying under high tension electricity installations,”she said.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the SSG as adding that residents must also ensure “that each household keeps a dustbin and patronizes government-approved waste disposal contractors, avoid building on floodplains, obtain building approvals from relevant statutory bodies before commencing building, among others.”
Mrs. Adeosun stated that as part of efforts to put an end to the menace of flooding in the state, the government has given its full backing to the total implementation of the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project, ( IUFMP), the state-owned flood risk mitigation project with funding and technical assistance from the World Bank.
She noted that the project has constructed ultramodern hydraulic structures at 17 locations in Ibadan as well as construction of extensive drains/adjoining roads to the structures, adding that the rehabilitation of the 78-year-old Eleyele Dam recently commissioned by the governor is also part of the efforts to contain flooding.
According to the SSG, the warning alert became imperative following the Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) and Seasonal Rainfall Predictions (SRP) released by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) respectively, which, she said, signposted the state among those prone to some extent of flooding in 2020.
She said: “Earlier this year, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) had released their Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) and Seasonal Rainfall Predictions (SRP) respectively, both of which pinpointed Oyo State among the states that are prone to some extent of flooding in the Year 2020. The reports went further to outline the specific local government areas likely to experience flooding, which in the case of Oyo State include Ona Ara, Lagelu, Oyo East, Kajola, Egbeda, Ogbomoso South, Iseyin, Ibarapa North, Ibadan South-West, Ibadan North-West, and Ibadan South-East.
“More recently in June 2020, a follow-up correspondence was done to the Office of His Excellency by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), charging our state to intensify its flood risk mitigating measures ahead of the predicted heavy downpours.
“The vulnerability of Ibadan and some other towns in Oyo State to river and urban flooding is induced by our towns’ topographic terrain; the problem of indiscriminate waste disposal and building of houses on flood plains.
“There is the tendency that the foregoing could even be aggravated by the universal menace of global warming and climate change.
“It is in the light of this that the government of the day in Oyo State has given its full backing to the full implementation of the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project, the state-owned flood risk mitigation project with funding and technical assistance from the World Bank.
“Under this Project, the highly capacious ultramodern hydraulic structures constructed at 17 different locations of the Ibadan Metropolis, complemented by the extensive drains and approach/adjoining roads to them, are already completed and functional, thus helping to rid those hitherto flood-ravaged areas of incessant flooding and the attendant calamities that came in its wake.
“On a larger scale, processing of the proposed channelization of major rivers and water channels in Ibadan under the IUFMP scheme, is at an advanced stage, with some of the works already awarded to reputable contractors. This implies that major water courses in Ibadan like Ona, Ogbere, Orogun, Kudeti, Agodi Channel, etc. will soon undergo major channelization which, when completed, would boost the runoff draining capacity of the city.
“Beyond the massive hydraulic interventions listed above, the Oyo State Government has revved up the machinery of averting the predicted flooding across all the cities, towns and villages of Oyo State. As we speak, a comprehensive Radio and Television campaign is running on some major channels in the state, the thrust of which message is to enjoin our people to clear neighbourhood drains, avoid improper waste dumping, shun building on waterways, move out of flood-prone areas, avoid wading into flooded spots, etc.
“Also, earlier today, a Multi Stakeholders’ Meeting was held in this same location to galvanize stakeholders from some of the identified LGAs, LCDAs, Communities, as well as relevant MDAs and other regulatory agencies on their roles and responsibilities towards this new charge. That way, we will be able to present a common front and jointly avert another crisis within a pandemic.
“May I now use the opportunity presented by this forum to charge our people, both individually and collectively, to take the flood advisories to heart and commit wholeheartedly to their messages. We are required now, more than ever before, to clear our surrounding and street drain channels, avoid dumping wastes improperly, ensure that each household keeps a dustbin and patronizes government-approved waste disposal contractors, avoid building on floodplains, obtain building approvals from relevant statutory bodies before commencing building, among others.
“It is even of paramount importance that our people should take necessary precautions during heavy rainfall or in the event of flooding. People living in houses built along floodplains should relocate to safer places, avoid the use of low bridges and culverts when the rain is persistent, and whenever there is rainfall, people should avoid staying under high tension electricity installations.
“As a responsible government, the Engr. Seyi Makinde administration cares about the safety of the lives and property of our citizens and would not want them to suffer avoidable losses.”
The government called on all media houses in the state, which it noted are critical stakeholders and co-partners for development, to make dissemination of warning messages on flooding part of their daily routine, to safeguard the state from calamities, saying “the situation at hand demands our proactive response and collaborative effort.”
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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