For the third time in one week, the national grid collapsed again on Saturday. Power generation went off on Saturday morning around 8:16. Recall that the grid tripped off on Monday and on Tuesday when it was being restored. Our correspondent’s checks confirmed that power generation was 3,042 megawatts at 8 am and peaked at 3,968MW at 7 am. However, generation dropped to 47MW as of 9 am. Allocation to power distribution companies stood at 0.00MW at the time of filing this report. The cause of the collapse could not be ascertained at the moment as the Transmission Company of Nigeria could not be reached. More to follow…

Saturday 19 October 2024 APC may postpone NEC meeting to 2025 Concern over CNG explosions as FG begins probe Libya-based Nigerians recount ordeals after S’Eagles 20-hour airport detention Blackout in Kano, Kaduna as vandals destroy electricity towers Edo govt, Okpebholo want smooth transition Soldiers kill 96 terrorists, arrest commander Jigawa tanker fire: Families mourn loved ones as death toll hits 170 Kebbi shuts health college over student rampage FBN Holdings gets new GMD Fubara approves N85,000 minimum wage for Rivers workers Abure not working for APC, LP replies NLC AfDB To Establish $100m Investment Bank For Nigerian Youths ‘This Is A National Celebration,’ Obasanjo, Sultan, Others Hail Gowon At 90 Enugu Govt Demolishes Kidnappers Stronghold NNPCL, Chevron Announce Oil Discovery In Niger Delta Lagos DPO slumps, dies in office Abuja national mosque gets first Igbo Imam Kenyan court suspends impeachment of deputy president ‘Office invasion’: DSS files N5.5bn defamation suit against SERAP Obi Knocks Tinubu For Extending Leave, Sending Shettima To Sweden IGP Egbetokun frowns at cases of Police misconduct PDP crisis: Intrigues deepen as Damagum digs in Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

A federal high court in Abuja has warned Adeola Ajayi, the director-general (DG) of the Department of State Services (DSS), against disobeying court-ordered visitation for Nnamdi Kanu. Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been in DSS custody since he was re-arrested in Kenya and extradited to Nigeria in 2021. He has been standing trial on a seven-count charge bordering on treasonable felony. Kanu’s legal team has severally accused the DSS of not allowing its members to have access to the IPOB leader. The court had ordered the DSS to always grant Kanu access to his lawyers — not exceeding five persons on every visiting day. On Friday, the registrar of the federal high court in Abuja issued “form 48 notice of consequences of disobedience to the order of court” against DSS director-general. The notice warned the DSS boss that he would be guilty of contempt of court and would be liable to imprisonment if he disobeyed the court-ordered visitations. “Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in this order (see overleaf) — by allowing the applicant’s counsel to conduct the court-ordered visitations with the applicant on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays — you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison,” the notice reads. KANU’S LAWYERS THREATEN TO SUE AJAYI In a statement on Friday, Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to the IPOB leader, said if Ajayi disobeyed the court order, the defence team would file contempt charges against him. “This notice is necessitated by the repeated disobedience of the court-ordered visitation of Mazi Kanu by the newly appointed Director-General of the State Security Services (Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi), who has, for almost a month, not allowed Mazi Kanu’s lawyers to visit him,” the statement reads. “To be clear, this notice is a quasi-criminal judicial process that forewarns any person disobeying a court order of the penal consequences of such misconduct. ‘Therefore, if the Director-General of DSS persists on this ignoble path, he will leave us with no other option than to commence vigorous contempt proceedings against him.”

As much as $41 billion in World Bank climate finance is unaccounted for, according to Oxfam International. In a report released on Thursday, Oxfam revealed that an audit of the World Bank’s climate finance activities from 2017-2023 found that between $21 billion and $41 billion in climate finance was not tracked from the time projects were approved to their completion. The report reads: “There is no clear public record showing where this money went or how it was used, which makes any assessment of its impacts impossible. “It also remains unclear whether these funds were even spent on climate-related initiatives intended to help low- and middle-income countries protect people from the impacts of the climate crisis and invest in clean energy Our findings show that for each World Bank project, the average deviation between budgeted amounts and expenditures lies between 26% and 43%. “This means that, on average, any World Bank project that has reported a share of climate finance for mitigation and/or adaptation at the approval stage can be expected to have ultimately delivered an amount that differs from what was planned by between 26% and 43%.” The report also noted that the true impact of the projects carried out by the World Bank cannot be evaluated due to lack of assessment methods. It reads: “Across the portfolio of World Bank climate finance projects between 2017 and 2023, the total value of such deviation between budgeted and actual expenditures lies between US$24.28 billion and US$41.32 billion. “This large pool of finance could include the funding of new climate actions as well as the defunding of other climate actions. “Overall, however, the impact of this amount is unknown, as there is simply no assessment of how this climate finance was allocated or reallocated as projects were executed.”. According to head of Oxfam International’s Washington DC office, Kate Donald, the issue is not merely a bureaucratic oversight but a serious breach of trust capable of derailing the progress anticipated at this year’s Conference of the Parties (COP). Donald said: “The Bank is quick to brag about its climate finance billions — but these numbers are based on what it plans to spend, not on what it actually spends once a project gets rolling. “This is like asking your doctor to assess your diet only by looking at your grocery list, without ever checking what actually ends up in your fridge. Climate finance is scarce, and yes, we know it’s hard to deliver. But not tracking how or where the money actually gets spent? “That’s not just some bureaucratic oversight — it’s a fundamental breach of trust that risks derailing the progress we need to make at COP this year. The Bank needs to act like our future depends on tackling the climate crisis, because it does.” He explained that the investigation uncovered how challenging and painstaking it was to obtain even basic information about how the World Bank is utilising climate finance. He said: “We had to sift through layers of complex and incomplete reports, and even then, the data was full of gaps and inconsistencies. “The fact that this information is so hard to access and understand is alarming — it shouldn’t take a team of professional researchers to figure out how billions of dollars meant for climate action are being spent. “This should be transparent and accessible to everyone, most importantly communities who are meant to benefit from climate finance.”

Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Ijanikin Police Station, Lagos State Police Command, CSP Bolaji Olugbenga, is dead. The DPO was said to have slumped in the office and died before he could be rushed to a hospital on Thursday night. Dinosaurs Spine at Hang Dong, Ta Xua, Son La seen from above adThe news of his death has thrown the officers attached to the station into mourning. A police officer from the Division, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the body of the officer had been moved to a mortuary. “He slumped in the office on Thursday and was quickly rushed to the hospital. But sadly, we lost him,” he said. The state police command has yet to issue a statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report. Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You. Breaking NEWS: Nigerians can now earn US Dollars. Earning $15,000 (₦25 million naira) Monthly as a Nigerian is no longer complicated.

’ Operatives of the Kano State Hisbah command have arrested Jigawa State Commissioner of Special Duties, Auwal Danladi Sankara, for allegedly committing adultery with a married woman. An Hisbah official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the Commissioner was caught following a complaint lodged before the command and other security outfits by the husband, Nasir Bulama who resides in Kano. The source said the operatives swung into action and carried out intense surveillance leading to the arrest of the Commissioner. According to the source, “The husband, Nasir Bulama told us that he is suspecting the commissioner of having an affair with his wife and mother of his two children. “We launched a surveillance exercise and Thursday night we caught them after they entered an uncompleted building belonging to the commissioner. After our operatives knocked at the door, he came out with his gateman asking who was it while she was sitting inside the vehicle. “Upon seeing our operatives and her husband, she switched on the car and attempted to break away and run which in the process she hit the wall and drove back, hitting the gate also. “After the attempt to run and subsequent damaging of the vehicle, she then met two other vehicles blocking the way that necessitated her to stop. “The commissioner had confessed to have had an affair with the woman at least three times,” the source said. The Hisbah source however said the command will upon completion of investigation charge them to Court. Meanwhile, the Hisbah Director General, Abba Sufi has confirmed the arrest and detention of the Jigawa State Commissioner of Special Duties, Auwal Danladi Sankara. Sufi confirmed the arrest of Sankara with a married woman, Tasleem Baba Nabegu in an uncompleted building. The Director General, Sufi said, “We have been having problems with Sankara because he is operating illicit drug Centers in the name of Hotels with Prostitution and drug addiction activities”. Sufi added that they are prosecuting Auwalu Sankara on Monday at a competent Court of Laws.

In furtherance of its war against kidnapping and criminality in Enugu State, the state government has yet again reduced to rubbles, a kidnappers’ den at Nike in Enugu East LGA of the state. The twin semi-detached bungalows located at Nokpa, near Alulu, Nike had been serially used to house kidnap victims pending their ransom payment and were demolished in line with Section 315 (Second Amendment) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 30, Laws of Enugu State, according to the state government. Enugu govt demolishes kidnappers stronghold pic.twitter.com/emWSrsczzG — Vanguard Newspapers (@vanguardngrnews) October 18, 2024Briefing newsmen after the operation on Friday, Chairman of the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, Hon. Uche Anya, reiterated Governor Peter Mbah’s determination to wipe out every vestige of kidnappers and violent criminals in the state, insisting that “this is an open warfare and will not stop until we wipe out the criminal elements.” “On 27th of September, at about 7 pm, this gang of hardened criminals abducted one Chibuoke Charles and Mr. Emma Okeke around the Federal University of Allied Health Sciences (formerly Federal School of Dental Technology and Therapy), Trans Ekulu, Enugu, and took them to this den. They were able to get ransom for one, and hoped to get a ransom of N40m from the other victim. “Their hit team disappeared to their stronghold in Imo State, not knowing that the security agencies were on their trail. Thank God for the sophisticated security infrastructure that Governor Mbah has procured for the state and thanks to the brilliance and bravery of the police crack squad. The gang was overpowered and arrested. They took the crack team to this notorious den. “Members of their gang guarding the kidnap victim opened fire on rescue team, but were equally overpowered and neutralised in the process of rescuing the victim. This happened on 29th of September. “Three automatic rifles in addition to other dangerous weapons, fetish objects, and hard drugs were recovered from them. So, even their charms failed them. “This is yet another warning to all criminals in the state to relocate or meet their doom because this administration is determined to go all the way to secure the lives and property of Ndi Enugu. “This is also another warning that the government will not spare any property used for kidnapping, armed robbery, and the likes in Enugu. The Governor Mbah Administration will not allow you to enjoy your proceeds of crimes in Enugu State. The government will not only hunt you down, but also demolish the property involved in line with the provisions of relevant laws of the state, particularly Section 315 (Second Amendment) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 30, Laws of Enugu State. “Let me remind the landlords that the onus is on them to do their due diligence before accepting any tenants. They should also be watchful to know what goes on in their property. If they see something, they should say something immediately because the government will not entertain any excuses,” Anya stated.

A 24-year-old man, identified as Dada Adesonye, has committed suicide by hanging in the Afami area of Imasayi, Yewa North Local Government Area, Ogun State. It was gathered that Adesonye was found dead after reportedly hanging himself on a tree. Confirming the incident, spokesperson of the State Police command, Omolola Odutola, said the suicide was reported at about 8:27 am by an employee at Dangote Cement Transport in Ibese, Afami Road. Odutola stated that on investigation, no sign of violence was observed on the victim’s body, and the corpse has been released to the family for burial. She said, “On October 18, 2024, at approximately 08:27 am, the Divisional Police Officer reported a suspected suicide incident. An assistant at Dangote Cement Transport in Ibese informed the Dangote Police Post that he discovered a lifeless body around 8:10 am. “Upon investigation, photographs were taken, revealing no signs of violence on the body. Personal items found in the deceased’s pockets included a payment card, a key holder, an earbud, and N2,000. The police have since released the body to the family for burial.” Odutola noted that further information would be made available to the public and urged families to monitor their loved ones amid rising youth suicides.