By Abimbola Bamgbose

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Tuesday commissioned the Professor Wole Soyinka–Laderin Train Station Road in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, with a pledge to inaugurate twenty additional roads as part of activities marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of the state.

Speaking at the inauguration of the 3.5-kilometre road, Governor Abiodun said his administration had, since inception, prioritised infrastructure development across the three senatorial districts, disclosing that no fewer than one thousand, six hundred kilometres of roads have been constructed and rehabilitated in the last six years.

The governor assured that his administration would remain focused and undistracted in delivering its campaign promises, adding that the ongoing reconstruction of the Lagos–Ota–Abeokuta Road would be completed by September.

He noted that sustained investment in road infrastructure has boosted the state’s economy, with Internally Generated Revenue growing from four billion naira in 2019 to over seventeen billion naira in 2025.

Governor Abiodun explained that the road was reconstructed to ease access to the train station, which records between one hundred thousand and one hundred and fifty thousand passengers daily travelling to Lagos, Abuja, and other parts of the country. He added that the road would also serve as an alternative route into the state and reduce pressure on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway.

The governor commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for sustained investments in rail and road infrastructure, which he said have strengthened national integration and economic growth, and urged residents to protect the road to ensure its durability.

In a welcome remark, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr Ade Akinsanya, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Lateef Yusuf, described the road as vital to connecting Ogun State to other parts of the country through the rail station.

Edited by Taiwo Akinola

The Lagos State Government has issued a warning to residents following reports of fuel scooping from a fallen tanker at the Tincan–Liverpool Bridge area of Apapa.

The warning came after a diesel tanker overturned on the bridge, inward Mile 2, causing fuel to spill and blocking traffic along the busy corridor.

In an urgent situation report on Monday, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, LASEMA, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed that the tanker was leaking fuel and that emergency responders had been deployed to the scene.

“Our attention has been brought to a fallen tanker at the above location, which is leaking fuel. All emergency responders have been activated and are en route to the location,” the statement read.

LASEMA cautioned members of the public against dangerous behaviour around the incident scene.

“Members of the public are urged to exercise EXTREME CAUTION to avoid any secondary incident from scooping product or lighting any flame near the area,” the agency warned.

Motorists were also advised to avoid the axis.

“Motorists are advised to take alternative routes. Disaster management plan has been activated. Updates to follow,” the statement added.

Videos circulating on social media showed residents scooping diesel from the fallen tanker despite the obvious risk.

Also reacting, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority confirmed that the tanker was loaded with diesel and that the spill was spreading on the bridge due to damage to the tank.

“There’s a fallen tanker loaded with diesel on top Liverpool Bridge inward Mile 2. The diesel is spreading on the bridge as a result of the damaged tank,” LASTMA said in a statement on its official X handle.

The authority said security agencies had been alerted and traffic diverted to reduce the risk to commuters.

“Men of Nigerian Police Force from Area B and other safety agencies have been swiftly notified. Traffic has been diverted to that other side of the bridge for safety measures,” the statement said.

LASTMA urged motorists to comply with traffic officials on ground.

“Please adhere strictly to all instructions from the traffic managers,” it added.

Authorities have continued to warn that scooping fuel from accident scenes poses serious risks, including fire outbreaks and loss of lives, as emergency agencies work to contain the situation at the bridge.

Punch / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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At least 39 people have died in a train collision in southern Spain and dozens more have been injured in the country’s worst rail crash in more than a decade, according to Spain’s Civil Guard.

Carriages on a Madrid-bound train derailed and crossed over to the opposite tracks, colliding with an oncoming train in Adamuz, near the city of Córdoba.

According to Andalusia’s emergency services four hundred passengers and staff were onboard both trains, the rail networks said. At least 73 people were taken to hospital, 24 of them seriously injured, including four children.

Spanish Transport Minister, Óscar Puente described the incident as “extremely strange” as officials launched an investigation.

All the railway experts consulted by the government “are extremely baffled by the accident”, Puente told reporters in Madrid.

Rail network operator Adif said the collision happened at 19:45 local time (18:45 GMT), about an hour after the train left Málaga heading to Madrid, when it derailed on a straight stretch of track.

The force of the crash pushed the carriages of the second train into an embankment, Puente said. He added that most of those killed and injured were in the front carriages of the second train, which was travelling from Madrid to Huelva.

The type of train involved in the crash was a Freccia 1000, which can reach top speeds of 400 km/h (250 mph), a spokesperson for the Italian rail company Ferrovie dello Stato told the Reuters news agency.

Rescue teams said the twisted wreckage of the trains made it difficult to recover people trapped inside the carriages.

Córdoba fire chief Francisco Carmona told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE: “We have even had to remove a dead person to be able to reach someone alive. It is hard, tricky work.”

Salvador Jimenez, a journalist with RTVE who was on one of the trains, said the impact felt like an “earthquake”.

“I was in the first carriage. There was a moment when it felt like an earthquake and the train had indeed derailed,” Jimenez said.

Footage from the scene appears to show some train carriages had tipped over on their sides. Rescue workers can be seen scaling the train to pull people out of the lopsided train doors and windows.

A Madrid-bound passenger, José, told public broadcaster Canal Sur: “There were people and screaming, calling for doctors.”

All rail services between Madrid and Andalusia were suspended following the accident and are expected to remain closed all day on Monday.

Iryo, a private rail company that operated the journey from Málaga, said around 300 passengers were on board the train that first derailed, while the other train operated by the state funded firm Renfe had around 100 passengers.

The official cause is not yet known. An investigation is not expected to determine what happened for at least a month, according to the transport minister.

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the country will endure a “night of deep pain”.

The mayor of Adamuz, Rafael Moreno, was one of the first people on the scene of the accident, describing it as “a nightmare”.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia said they were following news of the disaster “with great concern”.

“We extend our most heartfelt condolences to the relatives and loved ones of the dead, as well as our love and wishes for a swift recovery to the injured,” the royal palace said on X.

The emergency agency in the region of Andalusia urged any crash survivors to contact their families or post on social media that they are alive.

BBC / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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By Maxwell Oyekunle

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a long-wanted drug kingpin, Lekan Jimoh, popularly known as Kanmo-Kanmo, ending a 12-year manhunt over the killing of three NDLEA officers.

A statement by the NDLEA Director, Media & Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi  explained that tactical teams of the agency tracked and arrested the suspect on Friday, January 16, 2026, at his hideout in Owode, Ogun State, following credible intelligence.

Mr Babafemi said operatives recovered 69 kilogrammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, during the operation.

Jimoh had been on the run since June 15, 2014, when he mobilised armed thugs to attack NDLEA officers who attempted to arrest him at his enclave, leading to the killing of three officers, including Mr Rabiu Usman Kazaure.

He said a previous raid on the suspect’s residence in Ado-Odo, Ogun State, on August 12, 2023, led to the recovery of 1,922 kilogrammes of skunk, though he escaped at the time.

The property, used as a drug warehouse, has since been forfeited to the Federal Government following court proceedings.

Other NDLEA Arrests and Drug Seizures Nationwide

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives recorded multiple arrests and seizures across the country.

In Edo State, officers arrested a suspected drug trafficker, Isihor Edika, and seized 320 kilogrammes of skunk during a raid in Arokpa Forest, Owan West Local Government Area.

In the Federal Capital Territory, operatives arrested an online drug vendor, Yinka Agboola, with skunk and cannabis oil at her residence in Kaura District, Abuja, while another suspect, Tordue Pius Richard, was arrested with cocaine and cannabis at Abacha Estate.

In Lagos State, officers arrested two suspects in Mushin with 118.1 kilogrammes of skunk, while a warehouse in Enugu yielded 116 kilogrammes of the same substance.

NDLEA operatives in Delta State intercepted a vehicle along the Onitsha–Asaba Expressway and arrested two suspects with large quantities of tramadol, codeine syrup, diazepam, swinol, and Molly.

In Oyo State, operatives arrested two suspects in Ibadan with cannabis derivatives and synthetic drugs, while officers also recovered over 52,000 pills of tramadol and bromazepam from a store in the state capital.

In Kwara State, officers seized 387.4 kilogrammes of skunk from a residential building in Ilorin, while a joint operation at Apapa Port, Lagos, uncovered 157,519 bottles of codeine syrup in a container.

In Jigawa State, NDLEA operatives arrested an ex-convict, Gaddafi Ammani, and an accomplice, Ahmed Sani, with skunk and pills after the suspect attempted to escape and injured an officer during arrest.

Commending the operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), described the arrest of Jimoh as a victory for justice and a reminder that fugitives would eventually be brought to account.

Brigadier General Marwa said the arrest reaffirmed the agency’s resolve to honour the sacrifices of its fallen officers and sustain the fight against drug trafficking nationwide.

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