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FCTA vows fresh clampdown on criminal hideouts, illegal shanties
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has said it will sustain its onslaught on criminal hideouts and illegal shanties in Abuja, particularly in Area 1, Durumi Distrit, where the administration described security threats as “worrisome”.
The Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister of Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, made this known in a statement on Monday, adding that illegal shanties in Area 1, Duru I, will be “cleared very soon.”
According to the statement, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has set up a Stakeholders Committee made up of heads of security agencies, FCTA officials, civil society organisations, members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, and others, in a bid to ensure safety of Abuja residents.
“The ongoing onslaught on criminal hideouts in Abuja will continue. High level criminal activities such as robbery, carjacking, drug peddling and other heinous crimes with its attendant security implications to law abiding FCT residents cannot be allowed to continue,” the statement partly read.
Olayinka noted that the security agencies had previously arrested over 120 miscreants in the area, recovered seven stolen vehicles, 79 motorcycles, and 155 ATM cards, in an operation that lasted over three hours months ago, adding however, that the criminals had regrouped, and the shanties were back after previously being cleared.
“Three months ago, when security agencies carried out an operation in Area 1, Durumi, over 120 miscreants were arrested. Among those arrested in the operation that lasted over three hours were drug peddlers, one-chance operators, carjackers, and armed robbers.
“Seven stolen vehicles, and 79 stolen motorcycles were recovered, while 155 ATM cards were recovered. These ATM cards were those snatched from victims of one-chance operators, using the settlement as their base.
“Then, some of the shanties in Area 1, Durumi, were cleared. But today, the shanties are back, and the criminals have regrouped, making the area uninhabitable for law-abiding Nigerians. Consequently, the FCTA is already clearing shanties in the City Centre, and those in Area 1, Durumi will be cleared very soon,” the statement read.
Olayinka also noted that some of the shanties and makeshift houses were built on lands allocated over 20 years ago, disallowing allotees and even government agencies from making use of the lands.
News
ASCON To Be Rebranded “National School Of Government”
Situated at Topo, Badagry Lagos, President Tinubu said that the proposed institution would serve as a national centre for leadership development, policy delivery and executive capacity building.
President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve a bill seeking to repeal the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) Act and establish the National School of Government, Nigeria.
Situated at Topo, Badagry Lagos, President Tinubu said that the proposed institution would serve as a national centre for leadership development, policy delivery and executive capacity building.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the president’s letter transmitting the National School of Government Bill 2026 to the upper chamber during Wednesday plenary.
In the letter, Tinubu urged the Senate to give the proposed legislation expeditious consideration, stressing the need to establish a dedicated institution to strengthen leadership development and improve the capacity of public officials to deliver government policies.
The president invoked Section 58(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to formally transmit the bill to the Senate for legislative consideration.“Pursuant to Section 58 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, I forward herewith the National School of Government Bill 2026 for the kind consideration of the Senate,” Tinubu stated in the letter.
He expressed the hope that the lawmakers would give the bill the necessary attention and facilitate its consideration.
According to the president, the proposed institution would serve as a national centre for leadership development, policy delivery and executive capacity building.
News
Sanwo-Olu Appoints Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo, 5 Others as Perm Secs
Ogunbanwo brings nearly three decades of experience in public service, strategic communication, public relations and information management.
•Mr. Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has appointed Mr. Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo, Director of Public Affairs at the Lagos State Ministry of Health, as a Permanent Secretary in the State Public Service, alongside five other senior officers.
The five other senior officers appointed as Permanent Secretaries as conveyed by the Head of Service (HOS), Mr. Bode Agoro, in Circular Ref. No. CIR/HOS/’26/071, dated October 13, 2026, are Dr. Olawale Mahadiyu Adegbite, Director of Medical Services, Health Service Commission; Mrs. Folashade Aina Thomas-Orogan and Mr. Adebayo Mubashiru Haroun, both Directors, State Counsel at the Ministry of Justice.
The rest are Mrs. Olayinka Margret Oye-Bamgbose, Director of Administration and Human Resource at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and Mrs. Bilquees Toyin Adekoya, Principal/Director of Education at Education District VI.
The appointments, which take effect from October 13, 2026, were aimed at reinvigorating the State’s policy implementation apparatus and strengthening public service delivery.
Mr. Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo
Ogunbanwo brings nearly three decades of experience in public service, strategic communication, public relations and information management.
Before his appointment, Ogunbanwo served as Director of Public Affairs at the Ministry of Health and previously held the same position at the Ministry of Agriculture.
He also played key communication roles in Lagos State’s responses to public health emergencies, including Ebola, COVID-19, Lassa fever and diphtheria.
News
NAF Crash: Residents Fear Disease as Body Parts Foul Community River
Residents of Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State are grappling with a severe public health and environmental crisis following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42 aircraft into a swamp near the community.
The aircraft, on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos, crashed last Monday, killing all 25 people on board. Recovery efforts continue amid difficult swampy terrain, with large sections of the wreckage and human remains still unrecovered.
The traditional ruler of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, said residents have been battling an extremely offensive odour caused by decomposing human remains floating in the river. “The odour is extremely offensive. So many parts of the human body are floating around in the river. Some of the bodies have not been recovered. They have decomposed, and it is affecting everything,” he stated.
He warned that the river — the community’s main source of water for drinking, cooking and fishing — has been polluted by the remains and aviation fuel spillage. Residents can no longer safely use the water, raising fears of a disease outbreak.
Ondo State authorities confirmed they are assessing the environmental and public health impact, with plans for decontamination. Recovery teams, including the Navy, Air Force and emergency agencies, are intensifying efforts to retrieve remaining wreckage and remains.
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