Metro
Gas flaring sacks over 100 villagers in Imo
Residents of the communities in Oguta local government area of Imo state said gas flaring has sacked over hundred households in the Oguta council area of the state.
The residents spoke in Owerri, on Wednesday while pleading for government interventions to end the dangers facing them as regards gas flaring in their communities.
They alleged that gas flaring started over four decades ago and that it has caused them severe health problems. Some of them said it breeds mosquitoes that inflict illnesses on their children and that the situation usually worsens anytime there is flood.
Others complained that because of the gas flaring activities that they usually experience hot weather even when it was supposed to be a cold weather.
Some of the affected communities mentioned were but not limited to Umundanike, Umunkwu, Umuosuma , Umunaraukwu, Umunkwocha, Ngegwu, Umutogwuma among others.
Speaking first, the President General Oguta Community Development Union, OCDU, Sir Uche Faith Iwuorisha JP, said: “Gas flaring is burning of gas that accompanies oil production. During the extraction of oil gas is released into the atmosphere is a kind of byproduct that could not be used. That fire that is burning is causing serious hazards. Both health hazards and environmental hazards. Including economic waste.
“It has not been easy with the oil communities especially people who live close to the location, they are the mostly endangered. You know government has regulation that is guiding the operation of these oil companies and gas flaring is illegal.
“What government should do to ameliorate the sufferings of the people like i understand in some countries cannot be entirely eliminated but it can be reduced. Because modern technology made us to know that some infrastructure can be put together and this gas that is being burnt can be converted and used to cook, generate energy for electricity.”
On the impact on the villagers, he said: “The people that badly affected relocated out of their communities. Because the gas flaring generates heat even if in the cool weather you feel very hot. It breeds mosquitoes. The air they breath is no longer clean. Because of the toxics that is mixed in the air. Honestly speaking, over a hundred households have been displaced and forced out of their communities because of the gas flaring. Even, it worsens during flooding. The people find it difficult to manage the situation.”
Adding her voice, a woman leader of Orodogwum community, in Oguta council area of Imo state, Mrs. Millicent Okwuosha, described gas flaring as a disaster and that “for over 59 years gas flaring has been a disaster to the environment and the farmlands, rivers and fish ponds have been destroyed by oil pollution and gas flaring. Gas flaring is dangerous to the heath especially women and children how do we survive.”
Adding his voice, the Founder and Executive Director Center For Rural Economic and Social Development CRESOD, Christian Okororie, narrated that; “We have 27 villages in Oguta community and all of the citizens are suffering from gas flaring . The hazardous emissions of gas since the exploration of oil and gas started since 1964 to date our air is polluted , water from the rain is filed with sooth , corrugated iron sheets are always corroded with black substances , the production of farm produce , fish , forest and wild life have been grossly affected by gas flaring.
“It is these and other health challenges that we face led to the campaign for #stopgasflaring which attracted the establishment of the Nigeria Gas Flaring Commercialisation Progect, NGFCP in 2018. Many companies have indicated interest in converting the gas flairing sites in Oguta community to commercial purposes not only to stop gas flairing but utilise it in establishing modular refineries, fertilizer blending plants and LPG plants .
“These are direct derivatives of commercialisation of the process. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, a subsidiary of NNPC PLC have started issuing licences to companies who applied to implement the gas flaring sites Commercialisation process, we at CREESOD implore the state government to pursue the matter of getting license for the company that scaled the first and second bidding process for Oguta Community gas flaring sites in other to commence operations as soon as possible.”
Some of the image makers of the oil companies were reached to know what they were doing to stop gas flaring in tje oil communities of Oguta, they pleaded not to be mentioned in the report adding that gas flaring matter would be addressed by their head offices.
The Commissioner of Imo state Ministry of Petroleum, Eugine Opara, was reached to get his reaction on what his ministry was doing to stop gas flaring in Imo oil communities he declined comment.
Also, the Managing Director of the Imo state oil Producing Areas Development Commission, ISOPADEC, Charles Orie, was contacted to know the effort of his commission to end gas flaring in oil communities of Imo state, but he did not comment on it.
VAN.
A pastor, whose identity has not yet been revealed, has vacated a property in an upscale estate after failing to pay rent for seven years.
The situation has gained attention online, with various details surfacing about the circumstances surrounding the eviction.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the pastor’s belongings being packed up and removed from the premises, sparking conversations about the implications of such a prolonged period without payment.
As the story unfolds, many are left wondering about the reasons behind this unusual situation and the pastor’s next steps.
Details of the incident were shared by @Kingleviconsult on the popular video-sharing platform, TikTok.
According to @Kingleviconsult, he was handed over the house to manage.
However, upon reviewing records, it was discovered that the tenant hadn’t paid rent for 7 years.
Sharing details about the incident, @Kingleviconsult revealed the landlady, based outside Nigeria, doesn’t keep thorough records of rent payments.
He further revealed that the tenant doesn’t respond to the landlady’s calls or messages.
In an update on the incident, the landlady is currently in Nigeria with her elder brother, who resides in China, while the tenant has vacated the premises.
According to him, he tried to avoid going to court and instead had a meeting with the tenant, who promised to pay the rent by August 2025.
”We had a meeting together and he said that by August this year 2025, he’s going to pay the outstanding rent and he’s going to settle the matter and he will pack out,” he stated in the now-viral TikTok video.
Meanwhile, details of the estate weren’t disclosed, with netizens sharing their thoughts and opinions.
Watch Video Below:
@kingleviconsult So I was handed a house to manage, and when I checked the records, I found out the tenant hadn’t paid rent for seven years… but wait till you hear how he left! #S#StorytimeR#RealEstateTikTokP#PropertyManagerLifeL#LandlordProblemsT#TenantDramaU#UnbelievableStoriesH#HouseStoryC#CrazyTenantsP#PropertyTokTrueStory
Gistreel
A Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Musa Dahiru, has ordered the remand of one Idris Kurma for allegedly killing his wife, Aisha Idris, following a disagreement over her refusal to grind groundnuts to make kuli-kuli.
Kuli-kuli is a popular delicacy made from roasted groundnuts that are spiced and then deep-fried into a flat, crunchy snack and enjoyed across Northern Nigeria.
The tragic incident reportedly occurred in Goda village, located in the Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State.
According to court proceedings, the suspect was arraigned on a one-count charge of culpable homicide, contrary to Section 221 of the Penal Code.
The prosecution counsel, Barrister Lamido Abba Soron Dinki, read the charge to the defendant during the hearing, but the defendant pleaded not guilty to the allegation.
Subsequently, Barrister Soron Dinki requested an adjournment to allow the prosecution to present its witnesses in the case.
Justice Dahiru granted the application and ordered the remand of the defendant in a correctional facility pending further hearing.
While the case was adjourned to December 12, 2025, for continuation.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured a five-year conviction of a former Managing Director of Bonghe Micro Finance Bank, Grace Karka, for her role in a N32m fraud, with an option of fine.
According to PUNCH Metro, in a statement by the EFCC on Thursday that the agency received a petition from the bank alleging that the defendant transferred N32m while she was the bank’s MD to an unknown account.
The statement noted that the petitioner said the fraudulent act was discovered during an audit of the bank’s account domiciled with a commercial bank.
She was subsequently arraigned before Justice Benjamin Lawan Manji of the Adamawa State High Court on counts of criminal conspiracy and cheating.
One of the charges read: “That you, Grace Andreas Karka and Prince Moses Batalu, between August 2020 and March 2021 in Yola, Adamawa State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did agree amongst yourselves to do an illegal act, to wit theft of N66,792,960.00 from Bonghe Micro Finance Bank Nigeria Limited (account number 2013668857 domiciled with First Bank Nigeria Limited) by dishonestly moving the said sum without necessary approval, contrary to Section 61(2) of the Adamawa State Penal Code Law 2018.”
According to the statement, the defendant was arraigned in November 2024, but she pleaded not guilty, which led to a full trial.
The EFCC said during the trial, the prosecutor presented witnesses and tendered several documents, while the defendant presented three witnesses.
Following the trial, the judge found the defendant guilty and sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment.
“Justice Manji, on October 17, 2025, while delivering judgment, said the prosecution proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted the defendant accordingly on counts one and two.
“The judge also sentenced Karka to five years’ imprisonment with an option of N3m each on counts one and two. The sentence is to run concurrently.
“In addition, the court ordered the convict to restitute the balance of N29,877,040 to the petitioner,” the statement added.
This is not the first time a former bank MD has been jailed for fraud.
In 2024, PUNCH Metro reported that a five-member panel of the Supreme Court upheld the conviction and six-year jail term slammed on a former MD of the now defunct Bank PHB, Francis Atuche, by the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division.
Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of a four-bedroom duplex with two sitting rooms and boys’ quarters in Lekki to the Federal Government after finding that it was used for illegal drug activities.
The judge, on Tuesday, ordered that the property located at Block 11, House 2, Mobolaji Johnson Estate, Lekki Phase 1, be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government following an application filed by counsel for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mr. Buhari Abdulahi.
Abdulahi told the court that the property belonged to a suspected drug baron currently resides in Canada, and was used as an operational base for trafficking Canadian Loud — a high-grade strain of cannabis sativa — into Nigeria.
“The property served as the operational base for Adebanjo’s illicit drug activities,” the NDLEA counsel said. “He purchased the house and used it to coordinate the storage, distribution, and sale of hard drugs smuggled into Nigeria from Canada.”
He informed the court that an interim forfeiture order had earlier been granted on March 20, 2024, and that, in compliance with the court’s directive, details of the property were published in the Daily Sun of May 20, 2024, and in the Vanguard of August 1, 2025, inviting any interested parties to contest the forfeiture.
“Despite the publications and adequate notice, no person or entity came forward to lay claim to the property or provide any explanation,” Abdulahi said, urging the court to grant a final forfeiture order.
He added that the application was brought under the NDLEA Act, which empowers the court to confiscate assets used in committing drug-related offences.
After reviewing the submissions and supporting documents, Justice Owoeye granted the final forfeiture order, describing the property and items within it as “instruments used in committing drug offences.”
“Having carefully examined the affidavit evidence and the unchallenged application by the NDLEA, this court hereby orders the final forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government of Nigeria,” the judge ruled.
According to an affidavit filed by Deputy Commander of Narcotics, Nasir Garba Bungudu, attached to the NDLEA’s Lagos Strategic Command, the agency had received intelligence in 2023 about a drug trafficking network smuggling Canadian Loud from Canada into Nigeria.
He said investigations traced the syndicate’s base to the Lekki property, which served as a warehouse and coordination centre for storage, financing, and distribution of the illicit drugs.
He said following weeks of surveillance, NDLEA operatives conducted a raid on February 5, 2023, during which they recovered 1.088 kilograms of Canadian Loud and arrested five suspects: Tijani Hakeem, Eric Makuo, Adaobi Fortune, Ahmed Jubril, and Ekwejunor Oritsematosan.
“Our investigation confirmed that the property was purchased and maintained with proceeds of drug trafficking,” Bungudu stated. “It was the central hub for the syndicate’s criminal operations.”
Four of the suspects were later convicted in Charge No. FHC/L/122C/2023 — FRN v. Tijani Oladapo Hakeem & 3 Ors after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges.
The fifth suspect, Ekwejunor Oritsematosan, is still facing trial alongside Femaffix Global Services Limited in Charge No. FHC/L/501C/2023 for offences linked to the same cartel.
NDLEA investigators also established that Adebanjo, identified as the ringleader, purchased the Lekki property to house his associates and manage the syndicate’s operations, allegedly using a firm to launder proceeds from the illicit trade.
“Since the property was sealed, neither Adebanjo — who remains at large — nor any representative has come forward to claim ownership or offer any explanation,” Bungudu added.
Justice Owoeye consequently ruled that the property and all items within it be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government as assets derived from, or used in, the commission of drug offences.
“The court is satisfied that due process has been followed,” Justice Owoeye declared. “Accordingly, the property and its contents are hereby forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
The Enugu State Government has confirmed the arrest of one Ozioma Okonkwo for allegedly defiling his two biological daughters, aged two and five.
Okonkwo, who is a native of Imo State residing in Enugu, was arrested on the night of Saturday, October 25, 2025, after a concerned citizen alerted authorities about the disturbing incident.
This was contained in a statement issued by the state Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development on Sunday.
According to the statement, the suspect is in police custody and will be charged in court once investigations are concluded.
The ministry also revealed that the two children have been admitted into a government-approved shelter, where they are receiving medical care and psychosocial support.
Their mother, described as deeply traumatised, will also undergo therapy under the supervision of the ministry’s social welfare and counselling team.
“The Enugu State Government commends the Nigeria Police Force for their swift and professional response, which led to the prompt arrest of the suspect,” the statement read.
Reaffirming its zero-tolerance policy on sexual and gender-based violence, the ministry warned that all offenders would face the full weight of the law.
The ministry also condemned the act, calling it “a heart-wrenching and unacceptable crime against innocence.”
The statement reads, “The Enugu State Government under the leadership of Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, remains unwavering in its commitment to protect every child and ensure that perpetrators of such evil acts are brought to justice.
“No child should ever have to endure such trauma, especially from those meant to provide care and protection.”
The government also thanked citizens for their vigilance and cooperation, urging continued support in efforts to safeguard the rights and dignity of women and children across the state.
In 2022, a father, Michake Ogbar, was sentenced to triple life imprisonment for defiling and raping his three daughters of age 10, 20, and 24 years.
Ogbar faced three counts bordering on defilement and rape, offences which violate Sections 137 and 258(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has predicted varying weather conditions, including dust haze and rainfall, across different parts of the country between Monday and Wednesday, urging residents to stay alert.
In its weather outlook released on Sunday in Abuja, NiMet projected slight dust haze with good visibility over Borno, Zamfara, northern Kaduna, Yobe, Jigawa, Kano, and Katsina States on Monday.
The agency added that isolated thunderstorms with light rain were likely in parts of Taraba and Adamawa States during the afternoon or evening hours on Monday.
NiMet forecast sunny skies with patches of clouds over the central region, with prospects of isolated thunderstorms and light rain in the FCT, Nasarawa, and Kogi States later in the day.
The statement read, “Cloudy conditions are expected in the southern region on Monday morning, with isolated thunderstorms and light rains over parts of Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.
“Later in the afternoon and evening, thunderstorms with moderate rainfall are anticipated in Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, Ondo, Osun, Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun, Edo, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.
“On Tuesday, NiMet forecast continued slight dust haze in good visibility over northern states, while Taraba and Adamawa may experience isolated thunderstorms and light rain throughout the day.
“Sunny skies with intermittent clouds are predicted in the central region, alongside chances of early morning thunderstorms in Benue and later moderate rain across FCT, Nasarawa, and Kogi States.”
NiMet also projected cloudy skies across the southern states, with moderate rainfall over Rivers, Cross River, Ebonyi, and Akwa Ibom in the morning, intensifying later in the day.
The agency warned of possible flooding in parts of Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Cross River States, urging local authorities to activate emergency response measures where necessary.
For Wednesday, NiMet anticipated sunny skies across the northern region, with isolated thunderstorms and light rain expected later in the day, particularly over parts of Taraba State.
“The central region will experience sunny skies with patches of clouds, while isolated thunderstorms with light rain are likely over Kogi and the Federal Capital Territory.
“In the south, cloudy conditions are expected in the morning, followed by thunderstorms with moderate rains later in the afternoon and evening across Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Delta, and Akwa Ibom,” it stated.
NiMet reiterated a high risk of flash floods, urging motorists to exercise caution when driving in rain and for authorities in vulnerable areas to implement flood response measures immediately.
The agency also advised individuals with asthma and respiratory conditions to limit outdoor exposure due to dust particles suspended in the atmosphere over the northern parts of the country.
Airline operators were urged to obtain airport-specific weather reports from NiMet for flight planning, while the public was encouraged to follow updates via the agency’s website and communication channels.
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