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Babura Gas Explosion: Community Leader Exonerates Customs, Blames Driver’s Negligence, Arrogance

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Babura Gas Explosion: Community Leader Exonerates Customs, Blames Driver’s Negligence, Arrogance

Babura Gas Explosion: Community Leader Exonerates Customs, Blames Driver’s Negligence, Arrogance

The Chairman, Youth Action for Peace Development in Nigeria (YAPDIN), Alhaji Muhammadu Usman, has absolved men and officers of the Federal Operations Unit of the Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) Hilux 12 of the Nigeria Customs Service, Jigawa State axis of a false report that gunshots were the cause of the gas explosion in Babura community, Babura Local government area of the state.

Setting the records straight, Usman said Nigerian Customs Services is a highly professional paramilitary with dedicated and efficient men and officers with duties to safeguarding Nigeria borders and will not indulge in any activities capable of denting the image of the service or whatsoever.

He described as misstatement mushrooms media reports that the inferno caused by gas explosion at Babura community of around Nigeria/Niger Republic Border was due to gunshots by officers of the Customs Service, “this is very far from the truth.”

The gas explosion which occurred at exact 2109hrs on Monday, 12th September, 2022 was unfortunate, avoidable and tragic.

As an eye-witness, Alhaji Usman clarified the misrepresentation flying round, confirmed he resides at about 120metres to the scene of the explosion, operatives of Hilux 12 of the Joint Border Patrol Team have no connection with the incident, no gunshot by officers of Nigerian Customs at any intervals.
His words; “there was no gunshot but a fallen gas cylinder exploded which sparked remaining cylinders inside the vehicle to exploded. The driver’s negligence and unprofessionalism were responsible for the explosion.

Alhaji Usman further explained that “there was a gas leakage among some of the gas cylinders this driver was conveying. Residents and passer-by were calling the driver’s attention in order to avert any form of fire outbreak but all efforts fell deaf to the driver’s ear.

“I’d earlier thought that the driver may be conscious of the fact that the vehicle pose danger if he had stopped at that spot and willing to push the vehicle to a more safer location or out of the crowded areas but only to saw the said driver jumped off the vehicle and run away.

“At first, one of the cylinders fell off and exploded while the vehicle continued in motion up till about 40 meters and diverted, enter the drainage along the road. At this stage, the vehicle entered dish which sparked the remaining gas cylinders inside the vehicle started exploding one after the other. The inferno would have been averted if the driver had been more professional.” Alhaji Usman clarified.

He said reports by social media commentators that the explosion were caused by shooting by operatives of JBPT Hilux 12 was baseless and misleading adding that reports that many lives were lost in the inferno was another falsehood, “some shops were touched by the fire.

Usman urged the people to fact check information through a reliable source before spreading falsification capable of inciting hate.

Babura Gas Explosion: Community Leader Exonerates Customs, Blames Driver’s Negligence, Arrogance

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Crime

NDLEA intercepts cocaine in Saudi-bound religious books

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NDLEA intercepts cocaine in Saudi-bound religious books

By: Michael Mike

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a shipment of cocaine concealed in 20 sets of religious books going to Saudi Arabia.

The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday said the cocaine consignment consisting of 20 parcels with a total weight of 500 grammes and buried in the pages of the religious books was uncovered at a courier company in Lagos last Tuesday when NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) were searching through export cargos going to Saudi Arabia at the logistics firm.

Babafemi said at another courier company same day, NDLEA officers intercepted five parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 2.8 kilogrammes hidden in a carton coming from the United States of America.

In Kano, a 22-year-old alleged supplier of illicit substances to bandits, Muhammad Mohammed, has been arrested by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bichi – Kano road while heading to Katsina with 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection tied to his thigh and private part with Sellotape.

He was intercepted on Sunday 13th April, while another suspect, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, 43, was nabbed same day at Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa, Kano with 68 blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 30 kilogrammes.

He said not less than 557.2 kilogrammes of skunk, 5.6 kilogrammes of methamphetamine and 29.8 grammes of heroin were recovered from a house along Major General Isaiah Alllison Street, Opolo, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state where four suspects were arrested when NDLEA operatives raided the premises last Wednesday

Babafemi said the four suspects arrested during the raid include: Sarimiye Suwa, 46; Roland Prosper, 34; Sarimiye Tare, 45; and Fidelis Ugbesla, 46, while a total of 1,100 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered from a delivery van with the driver, Ismail Abdullahi arrested in Surulere area of Lagos last Thursday.

In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives last Friday raided the hideout of a suspect, Ike Ani, 30, in Zaria, where no fewer than 31,950 pills of tramadol 225mg and diazepam were recovered, and in Kebbi, along Bagudo road on the same day a vehicle loaded with bags of charcoal coming from Malabil, Benin Republic was intercepted, when the vehicle was search, 97 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in the sacks of charcoal was recovered.

. Three suspects: Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28, were arrested in connection with the seizure.

A 48-year-old Okafor Marcel was nabbed with 11.5 kilogrammes skunk at Abatete, Anambra state while NDLEA operatives in Osogbo, Osun state last Tuesday arrested Ajala Mercy, 27, with 43 litres of skushi, a mixture of black currant, cannabis and opioids recovered from her room at Dada estate, Halleluyah area of the state capital.

Babafemi said two cannabis farms in Egbeta forest, Ovia North East LGA, Edo state were raided by NDLEA operatives who destroyed 3,717.8625 kilogrammes of the psychoactive plant on 1.487145 hectares and recovered 136.5 kilogrammes of processed cannabis.

At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, a suspect Basorun Kayode, 40, who has been at large for two years was arrested by NDLEA officers in connection with the seizure of 107 kilogrammes Loud imported from Canada in 2023, while another suspect, Dauda Yakubu who distributes illicit drugs within the seaport community was arrested by a team of operatives last Monday.

The spokesman said the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA commands equally continued across the country in the past week.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of DOGI, Kano, Lagos, Kaduna, Kebbi, Osun, Zone 13, Edo and Tin-can commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.

NDLEA intercepts cocaine in Saudi-bound religious books

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Fire Guts Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, Borno

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Fire Guts Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, Borno

By: Zagazola Makama

A devastating fire broke out at the Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno Local Government Area (LGA) on April 19, 2025, destroying approximately one hundred thatch and makeshift houses.

Eye witnesses said that the fire started at around 1040hrs and rapidly spread across the settlement, burning household items, foodstuffs, and other valuable properties to ashes.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and the value of the property destroyed is still being assessed.

Humanitarian officials were immediately deployed to the scene to maintain crowd control and prevent looting, while firefighters, alongside camp residents, worked tirelessly to extinguish the flames.
Fortunately, no casualties or loss of life were reported.

Fire Guts Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, Borno

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Terrorists Snatch Vehicle in Monguno, Borno

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Terrorists Snatch Vehicle in Monguno, Borno

By: Zagazola Makama

Armed assailants suspected to be members of ISWAP/Boko Haram attacked and snatched a vehicle in Monguno Local Government Area (LGA) on April 18, 2025, at about 1400hrs.

Saleh Haun, a resident of the Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, reported that while he was at the Gumnari Bush Area in Monguno, four armed gunmen, riding on two motorcycles, accosted him.

The assailants, at gunpoint, seized his white Toyota Land Cruiser, before fleeing with the vehicle to an unknown location.

A Military Forward Operating Base (FOB) has been alerted, and efforts are underway to to track the assailant and recover the stolen vehicle.

Terrorists Snatch Vehicle in Monguno, Borno

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