•Kara Bridge inward Mowe-Ibafo in the early hours of Friday, July 24

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) on Friday advised motorists travelling from Lagos towards Mowe, Ibafo and Ogun State to divert through Ogunnusi Road, River Valley, Agidingbi and Allen Avenue before reconnecting to their destinations through Maryland or Anthony.

LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare Oki, said that the alternative routes are to ease severe gridlock caused by multiple crashes involving articulated trucks on the Kara Bridge section of the Lagos -Ibadan Expressway.

Speaking to journalists at the accident scene, he said that the first crash occurred at about 12:05 a.m. when a trailer loaded with flour overturned on Kara Bridge while heading towards Mowe, blocking the carriageway and disrupting traffic.

He said that efforts by other motorists to avoid the obstruction triggered another collision involving about six vehicles, resulting in a complete traffic lockdown on the outbound section of the expressway.

Bakare Oki said the congestion stretched from Kara Bridge through Berger to the Secretariat axis, forcing the agency to immediately deploy personnel and recovery equipment to the scene.

• Mohammed Yusuf Amutu / Credit: Nigerian Army

The Nigerian Army has declared Private Mohammed Yusuf Amutu wanted over allegations that he sold military uniforms to terrorists and other criminal elements without authorisation.

The Army announced the development in a statement issued on Thursday by the Headquarters Nigerian Army Ordnance Corps (NAOC), revealing that the soldier, attached to the Nigerian Army Ordnance Kits Factory, had been absent from his duty post since June 3, 2026.

The statement, signed by the Assistant Director of Army Public Relations at the NAOC Headquarters, Major Oluwatope Dorcas Aluko, said that initial findings linked Amutu to the alleged illegal sale and distribution of military uniforms.

It stated that the appropriate military authorities had declared the soldier wanted and were working to locate and arrest him for further investigation.

The Army added that appropriate disciplinary action would be taken in line with military regulations if the allegations are proven

•Olatunji Disu

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has a special 14-day security operation to flush out criminal elements from identified flashpoints across Benue.

The vulnerable areas include Gbajimba, Agasha, Kwande, Agatu, Naka, Otukpo, Makurdi, Apa and other communities mapped for intensive surveillance.

Disu made the declaration the previous day during a town hall meeting on security in Makurdi, attended by Governor Hyacinth Alia, the Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, religious leaders, traditional rulers, security chiefs and other stakeholders.

The IGP described the security situation in Benue as a source of “sleepless nights” for both residents and security agencies.

He decried that the state, once renowned for peace and hospitality, had become engulfed by violence.

According to him, the crisis has evolved beyond farmer-herder clashes, with kidnappers, armed gangs and political interests aggravating the insecurity.

Disu urged youths not to allow themselves to be recruited by influential individuals to perpetrate violence, particularly during elections.