News
Fire guts The Word Assembly Church in Ilorin
A raging fire, on Sunday evening, engulfed the auditorium and three offices of The Word Assembly Church in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The fire which reportedly started in the evening after the Sunday Service consumed the main auditorium and three of the six offices at the headquarters of the church located along Ajase-Ipo Road, Ilorin.
It was gathered that the fire caused severe damage to the church properties because of the late reporting of the incident to the state fire service and other security agencies in the state.
This was contained in a statement by Hassan Adekunle, Head of Media and Publicity of the State Fire Service.
Adekunle said, “On Sunday, September 3rd, 2023, at approximately 17:08 hours, the Kwara State Fire Service received an urgent call reporting a fire outbreak at The Word Assembly Headquarters along Ajase-Ipo Road in Ilorin, Kwara State. The distress call was made by one Mr. Akanni.
“The fire crew promptly responded to the call. Upon arrival at the scene, they found that a devastating inferno had already consumed the auditorium of the church due to the late call despite the significant damage caused by the fire. However, the firemen managed to contain the inferno and prevent it from spreading further.
“It’s worth noting that the materials used for the building construction were not fire-retardant, including aluminium roofing and plywood for the ceiling. These non-fire-resistant materials contributed to the rapid spread of the fire before the fire service’s arrival.”
Adekunle also said the fire not only affected the auditorium but also three out of the six offices.
“During the subsequent investigation into the cause of the outbreak, it was suspected to be a result of a power surge.
“At the scene of the incident, notable figures such as Alhaji AbdulRazaq Jiddah, the Senior Special Assistant to the Kwara Governor on Special Duties; and Prince Falade John Olumuyiwa, the Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, were present.
“Additionally, various security agencies, including the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps and the Federal Fire Service, provided support and assistance to reduce the damage done to property in the fire incident.”
The Fire Service put the total estimated property lost in the incident at N39.5Million while the total estimated property saved was N74.3Million.
“Therefore, Director, Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade Olumuyiwa strongly emphasized the importance of timely reporting of fire incidents by the general public,” the statement said.
Falade also urged members of the public to call the fire service promptly whenever a fire occurs, emphasizing that swift action is crucial for minimizing the extent of fire damage.
News
Police probe video of officer in altercation with elderly woman in Lagos
The Lagos police command says it has launched an investigation into a viral video of an officer involved in an altercation with an elderly woman.
POLICE COMMENCE INVESTIGATION INTO VIDEO OF POLICE OFFICER IN ALTERCATION WITH ELDERLY WOMAN
On Sunday, a video showing a police officer manhandling an elderly woman in her car began circulating on social media.
The officer was said to have demanded N250,000 from the woman which she refused to pay, before the altercation began.
Benjamin Hundeyin, the police spokesperson in Lagos, in a statement on Wednesday, condemned the action of the officer, noting that the inspector and his supervising deputy superintendent have been brought in for questioning.
Hundeyin said the incident took place in the Alagbado area of Lagos in the first week of September.
He assured the public that the investigation would be “swift, thorough and conclusive”.
“The command condemns the unprofessional conduct of the Inspector as it does not represent the ethics and operational standards of the Nigeria Police Force,” the statement reads.
“The command equally assures Lagosians that the investigation will be swift, thorough and conclusive.
“We will ensure that the officers are disciplined as appropriate, and members of the public are updated accordingly.”
News
EFCC besieged Kogi lodge to forcefully arrest Yahaya Bello, says his media office
The media office of Yahaya Bello has alleged that on Wednesday night, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) laid siege to the Kogi Government Lodge in Abuja, in a bid to forcefully arrest the former governor.
The claim comes hours after Bello’s media office said the ex-governor had honoured the anti-graft agency’s invitation.
The EFCC had immediately denied that Bello was in its custody, restating that the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain was still a wanted man.
However, Bello’s media office responded by saying the politician was not interrogated when he visited the EFCC office and was turned back.
“He was accompanied to the commission’s office by Gov Usman Ododo,” the media team had said.
‘THEY SHOT SPORADICALLY’
In a statement issued on Wednesday night, Ohiare Michael, director of the Yahaya Bello Media Office, said the operatives shot sporadically during the raid.
“It has come to our notice that people suspected to be operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, are currently around the Kogi Government Lodge, Asokoro in an attempt to forcefully arrest former Governor Yahaya Bello,” the statement reads.
“They were shooting sporadically.
“It was reported earlier that the former Governor went to the EFCC Office voluntarily, but the commission told him to leave and come at a later date, only to mount an attack on the Kogi Government facility in Asokoro.
“We want to place it on record that the EFCC should be held accountable if anything untoward happens to him.
“Tonight’s attack was needless as the former Governor made himself available to the EFCC in their office for interrogation.
“The EFCC had no question to ask Alhaji Yahaya Bello in the morning, but suddenly, they are out to arrest him.
“This action is condemnable. They have displayed the very reason many Nigerians believe they are fighting political battles instead of the mandate to fight corruption.
“This action reflects much more than a fight against corruption. We will keep Nigerians posted.”
News
Geological agency asks residents not to panic as earth tremors rock Abuja
The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) says there is no need for residents of the federal capital territory (FCT) to panic over recent earth tremors.
Residents of Mpape and Katampe communities in the FCT recently expressed fears following earth tremors that reportedly began on Saturday.
An earth tremor is a relatively small or short-lived movement of the earth’s surface. It is caused by the same forces that produce earthquakes.
In a statement on Wednesday, Olusegun Ige, NGSA director-general, said the agency monitored the tremors and found them to be low.
He added that the tremors do not pose any threats.
“The Monitoring Station (NGSA-5) at Katampe has been capturing several significant ground motions with high moment magnitudes (Mw) in the past five days, beginning from September 13, 2024 till date,” the statement reads.
“Only one mild event was recorded on September 13th. Six of these events were captured on the 14th of September, while over 21 events were captured on the 15th with higher intensities.
“More than twenty events were recorded on the 16th of September. The intensity and frequency of the tremor appear to increase from the 13th to 16th September. There are a few weak events recorded today, 17th September.
“Preliminary analysis of the waveforms showed that the sources of the ground motions are less than 5 km away from the monitoring station.
“NGSA team also visited the affected areas for on-the-spot assessments of the events. From the accounts of the residents of the affected areas, the observations by the NGSA team, and findings from earlier interpretations of the airborne geophysical data over the area and adjoining areas, the following conclusions were made:
“The tremors are a result of accumulated stress along the identified faults and released seismic energy, which may have traveled through associated fractures to areas where the tremors were felt around the FCT.
“There are multiple epicenters associated with the recent tremor. Most of the epicenters are located northeast of the NGSA-5 Seismic Station around Mpape axis, while a few are located southwest of the Station around Katampe axis.
“The intensities of the tremors are weak to light, ranging from III – IV on the Modified Mercalli Scale, and pose a very low level threat.”
The agency added that it is closely monitoring the situation.
“The residents of Mpape, Katampe, Maitama, and other areas where the tremors were felt are advised not to panic as the tremors can be generally described as low,” the statement adds.
“The Agency is keeping a close monitoring of the situation and will provide updates as may become necessary.
“The general public should also be aware that the NGSA Seismic Stations are being monitored in real time to ensure prompt alerts on any major event.”
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