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How ‘quack doctor’ saved 18 pupils after food poisoning in Osun school ....Spoilt eggs serve children allegedly responsible for crisis .... Allegation of food poisoning politically motivated, says govt Eighteen students of St James’s Primary School ‘B’, Owo-Ope, Osogbo developed complications after eating food provided by the state government under the free food scheme codenamed O’Meal on Monday. TOBA ADEDEJI reports on the intrigues provoked by the incident. On Monday, it was the hoot from a commercial bus that headed for the motor park to begin the day’s business that jolted Blessing Ojo, a single mother, from sleep at her residence in Owo-Ope area of Osogbo, Osun State capital. The petty trader and mother of three, who lived adjacent to St James Primary School ‘B’, embraced the day with another hope that things would get better. After attending to her basic house chores, including fetching water for her children to bath, the Bayelsa State returnee woke them up and got them dressed f...

 Nigerian student jailed in UK for terrorism threat A Perth Sheriff Court in the United Kingdom (UK) has sentenced Somtochukwu Okwuoha, a 26-year-old Master’s student at Dundee University, Scotland, to 40 months in prison. Okwuoha, according to the ruling by the Perth Sheriff Court will be deported after serving his jail term. The embattled Nigerian was remanded in custody last month after being found guilty  of seven charges by a jury. The charges  included  making terrorist threats against Dundee University.  The 26-year-old reportedly claimed he had enlisted a terrorist organisation, ISIS, to help bomb the university. He also told the university staff that he planned to target the city in a chemical attack.   “Your presence in the United Kingdom is not conducive to the public good, and I make a recommendation for your deportation in due course,” Sheriff William Wood told Okwuoha.  “You came to the UK in 2021 to attend a master’s degree at Dundee Uni...

3,413 inmates currently on death row, says NCoS boss The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) yesterday said no fewer than 3,413 inmates are on death row in various custodial centres across the country. According to the Service Public Relations Officer,  Abubakar Umar, the total number of inmates in the centres stood at 77,849 comprising 76,081 males and 1,768 females as at Monday, 18th of December, this year. Umar, who spoke with select newsmen at the Service Headquarters in Abuja on behalf of the Controller-General, Alhaji Haliru Nababa, said there were no recorded accounts of external aggressions and attacks on their facilities this year, attributing the development to deployment of surveillance and monitoring gadgets. He put the total number of awaiting trial inmates at 53,836, comprising 52,512 male and 1,324 female. “It could be observed that the number of Awaiting Trial Persons (ATP) in custody constitutes 69 percent of the total inmate population. “The high number of ATP is...

Two dead, five injured in Sagamu-Benin expressway fatal accident Two persons were confirmed dead while five others sustained varying degrees of injuries in an accident that occurred at J4 area on Sagamu-Benin expressway on Saturday. Spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, Mrs Florence Okpe, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Abeokuta. Okpe said that the incident, which occurred at 3.35 p.m., involved a Chevrolet SUV, marked WWW 75 MW and a truck, with registration number SRA 584 XB. She said that seven people were involved in the accident, comprising six men and one woman. The FRSC spokesperson noted that the accident was caused by speeding and road obstruction, adding that the SUV rammed into the stationary truck due to speeding. “The injured victims were rescued by a driver who was driving behind them. “The unnamed driver took the injured to the hospital for medical attention, while the corpses were deposited at the State General Hospital morgue in Ijebu-Ode ...

Lagos releases 60 trucks impounded by LASTMA The Lagos State Government has released over 60 trucks impounded by its Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) during a special operation on Friday. The trucks were impeding traffic flow on the Cele-Apapa/Tincan axis when they were impounded. This is contained in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi on Saturday. He said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu ordered the release of the trucks after a constructive meeting with truck associations. Osiyemi stated that a stern warning has been issued to the truck owners not to block the roads again. The commission said the move underscored government’s commitment to collaborate with stakeholders for the overall benefit of traffic management in the State. In his words: “However, following a constructive meeting with Truck Associations, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu in his magnanimity has ordered the release of the impounded trucks. “However, a stern w...

Osimhen signs new Napoli contract Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen has signed a new contract for his Napoli side as confirmed on Saturday. Sports journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed this development via his X account on Saturday. He wrote, “Victor Osimhen signs new deal at Napoli — confirmed. Documents also in place.” Earlier on Friday, Romano noted that “the agreement between Napoli and Victor Osimhen on new deal is 100% done and confirmed. According to him, Osimhen’s contract is until June 2026, there will be a huge salary rise for the Nigerian striker, a release clause has also been confirmed, and he is expected to stay in January.  

Kano police arrest couple for allegedly killing man owing N10m The men of the Kano State Police Command have arrested a couple, Dayyabu Abdullahi and Hasfat Surajo, for allegedly killing one Nafiu Hafiz, who owed them a sum of N10 million. Hafiz had promised to pay the money within ten months, which elapsed in October. He (Hafiz) reportedly pleaded for an extension till December, which he again failed to keep to. Speaking with The PUNCH on Friday, a friend of the deceased, Fatima Gambo, said when Hafiz couldn’t pay the couple N10 million he borrowed, he begged them for further extension, adding that the company he was executing a project for had not reimbursed him because the CEO had just celebrated two of his daughters’ wedding. “In the last attempt, on Wednesday that he went to solicit for further extension of his debt repayment, the wife of the man he owed allegedly stabbed him, but they kept his corpse in their house and at night called his father that their son went to the hospita...