Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue, has declared Friday as a public holiday ahead of the local government election in the state.

The election is slated for Saturday, October 5, across the 23 LGAs of the state.

In a statement, Tersoo Kula, the governor’s chief press secretary, said the holiday will allow the electorate make trips to their respective LGAs to exercise their franchise.

The governor encouraged all eligible voters in Benue to participate in the election.

He also urged all public and private sector organisations to support the initiative by allowing employees to partake in the vote.

Alia asked citizens to prioritise peace and collaboration during the elections, reinforcing the need for unity and cooperation among all political parties involved.

State governments have been conducting LG elections following a supreme court judgment on financial autonomy for local councils.

Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, also declared Thursday and Friday as public holidays for the LG polls in his state.

Fubara said there will be strict restrictions on vehicular movement from midnight of Friday to 5pm on election day.

A federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Maitama has granted a N150 million bail to Darius Ishaku, former governor of Taraba state.

Ishaku was arraigned on Monday alongside Bello Yero, former permanent secretary, bureau for local government and chieftaincy affairs.

Both men are being prosecuted on a 15-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and conversion of public funds.

The defendants pleaded “not guilty” when all the charges were read to them.

At the court session on Thursday, the defendants’ respective counsels moved their bail applications.

Rotimi Jacobs, prosecution counsel, said he would not object since the defendants have been granted administrative bail.

Sylvanus Oriji, presiding judge, granted the bail application.

He held that the defendants must produce two sureties each in like sum. The two sureties must be responsible citizens of Nigeria and must be residents within the FCT, with verifiable office and residential addresses.

One of the sureties produced by each defendant must be a director in the civil service.

The defendants must not travel outside the country without the court’s permission and must deposit their travel documents to the court.

Ishaku, 70, was governor of Taraba from 2015 to 2023.

A video of a crossdresser being harassed and stripped in Abuja has surfaced on social media.

The footage, which has since gone viral, shows a group of people confronting the crossdresser in a public space at night over his choice of outfit.

In the video, the crossdresser attempts to walk away as the crowd follows him, hurling derogatory comments and making aggressive gestures.

The middle-aged man was stripped off in public before he was allowed to go with a warning not to wear such an outfit again.

Abuja crossdresser attacked and str!pped in public after being confronted by a group of people💔 pic.twitter.com/vWyvayyFjc

— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) October 2, 2024

The incident comes in light of the recent death of another Abuja crossdresser, known as Area Mama.

The crossdresser was found dead along the Katampe-Mabushi expressway in August.

Area Mama’s body was discovered in a pool of blood, with visible scratches and bruises, and his belongings scattered nearby.

Another video captured Area Mama shortly before his tragic demise, also clad in a similar outfit.