News
Sanwo-Olu, Ambode Hold Talks Over ‘Future Of Lagos’
The cord of consanguinity within the All Progressives Congress (APC) family in Lagos State seems to be waxing strong with the refreshing sight of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his immediate predecessor Akinwunmi Ambode.
The two men beamed with pleasing teeth-opening smiles after a meeting on Monday.
“Today, I welcomed my brother and predecessor, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, back to Lagos House on a courtesy visit,” an elated Sanwo-Olu captioned social media photos of himself and his predecessor.
“Our conversation centred around the future of Lagos and building on the solid foundation already in place. I value his perspective as we all work together to ensure that Lagos remains on the path of growth and development.”
Monday’s meeting came over one year after Sanwo-Olu and Ambode met publicly at a reception organised in honour of President Bola Tinubu at the Lagos House in the Marina area of the state in June 2023.
It was the first time Sanwo-Olu, Ambode and another ex-Lagos governor Babatunde Fashola met in over four years since the wind of internal wrangling slapped the ruling political class in the state.
How It All StartedSince Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, Ambode is the only former governor of the state who was in office for a single term.
Tinubu was governor between 1999 and 2007 before he handed over to Fashola who was in office from 2007 to 2015 and later Nigeria’s Minister of Works and Housing between 2015 and 2023.
Ambode took over in 2015 but lost his re-election at the APC primary in the 2019 electioneering process due to intra-party squabbles as APC strongman in Lagos (Tinubu) was reported to have favoured the incumbent governor (Sanwo-Olu), over Ambode.
Since he ended his single term in 2019, Ambode has not been seen at political or social functions with his predecessors – Tinubu and Fashola. He has also not been seen at events with the incumbent governor.
The former governor has also been reticent at the few times he was pictured at APC events at the national level like in May 2021 when he was appointed the deputy chairman of the South-West sub-committee of the Contact and Strategy Committee of the ruling party.
There were reports that Ambode would contest the party’s governorship ticket with Sanwo-Olu at the primary in May 2022. Rather, his ally, Wale Oluwo, threw his hat in the ring but lost to Sanwo-Olu.
Unlike Fashola and Sanwo-Olu, Ambode did not publicly endorse Tinubu’s 2023 presidential ambition.
Ambode also did not make any comment on Tinubu’s victory after the polls. However, there were hints of reconciliation when Sanwo-Olu attended Ambode’s 60th birthday party in Lagos on June 14, 2023.
An angry mob has set a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus on fire after it reportedly crushed a commercial motorcyclist to death at Ogolonto Bus Stop along Ikorodu Road in Lagos State.
The incident occurred on Friday, October 16, 2026. Eyewitness accounts and social media reports indicate that the motorcyclist was riding alone along the restricted BRT lane when the collision happened. He died at the scene.
Enraged residents and youths then attacked the bus driver and set the vehicle ablaze. Police officers and officials of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), who were nearby, intervened promptly and rescued the driver unharmed.
The identity of the deceased motorcyclist and the exact circumstances of the crash had not been officially confirmed at the time of filing this report. It was also unclear whether any arrests had been made in connection with the burning of the bus.
News
ARISE News Wins Seven Honours At Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Awards
The awards recognised the network’s achievements in television journalism and programming, with ARISE News winning the Best TV Channel (Viewer’s Choice) category.
• ARISE News Anchor and host of What’s Trending Ojy Okpe was named Best Newscaster (TV – Female)
ARISE News has emerged as one of the major winners at the just ended Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Awards (NBMA).
ARISE News won seven honours across television broadcasting, news reporting, presentation and production during the ceremony.
The awards recognised the network’s achievements in television journalism and programming, with ARISE News winning the Best TV Channel (Viewer’s Choice) category.
The network’s flagship breakfast programme, The Morning Show, also won the Best TV Talk Show award, further strengthening its recognition in television broadcasting.
ARISE News Anchor and host of What’s Trending Ojy Okpe was named Best Newscaster (TV – Female).
Rufai Oseni was named Nigerian Broadcaster of the Year (Male), while Vimbai Mutinhiri-Ekpeyong received the Nigerian Broadcaster of the Year (Female) award.
The recognition extended to the network’s newsroom, with Ovieteme George winning Best TV News Reporter (Male) for his contributions to television news reporting.
Behind the camera, Sam Adeyemi received the Best Camera Operator/Cinematographer award, recognising his work in television production and visual storytelling.
News
Meta removes 3.7 million accounts in West Africa scam crackdown
The joint operation led to 28 arrests, identified more than 30 suspected scam centres and rescued 117 people allegedly trafficked and forced to work in scam compounds in Ghana.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has removed more than 3.7 million Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages and groups linked to suspected scam networks operating in West Africa.
The joint operation led to 28 arrests, identified more than 30 suspected scam centres and rescued 117 people allegedly trafficked and forced to work in scam compounds in Ghana.
The company announced the crackdown in a statement on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. It involved 14 technology companies and law enforcement agencies from 10 countries.
The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency coordinated the operation with the US Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies. Nigerian authorities were involved.
Other countries included Ghana, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India.Tech companies that took part included Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Coinbase, Starlink and Adobe.
Meta said the partnership let participants share intelligence across digital platforms, countries and financial systems to identify criminal networks.
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