By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit is making the metropolis difficult for criminal elements, as part of its zero-tolerance stance against environmental degradation, drug abuse, and criminality.

On Monday, the Lagos Taskforce intensified its routine enforcement operations across the aquatic state, arresting some street urchins, miscreants, suspected drug addicts and peddlers, illegal commercial motorcyclists (Okada riders), street traders, illegal ticket touts, and others.

These persons were apprehended by officials of the units at Ikate Bus Stop, Marwa Bus Stop, Muri Okunola Park in Victoria Island, Obalende Underbridge, Law School Junction, and other adjoining locations along the Lekki-Epe Expressway, where the presence of suspected criminals had become noticeable.

Items seized from 33 suspects arrested included substances believed to be Tramadol, Indian hemp, Colorado, marijuana, cannabis, as well as dangerous weapons and objects such as scissors and cutlasses.

In a statement, the Director of Public Affairs for the Lagos State Taskforce, Mr Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, said the chairman of the agency, Mr Adetayo Akerele, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), reiterated the unwavering resolve to make Lagos uninhabitable for criminal elements.

“There is no room for criminality in Lagos State. Those engaged in criminal activities should either desist or relocate. We remain committed to enforcing the laws of the State and ensuring that residents continue to enjoy a safe, secure, and orderly environment,” he stated.

Mr Akerele further charged officers to sustain the momentum of ongoing enforcement operations, urging them to intensify efforts in tackling criminality across the state, just as the organisation drastically reduced the menace of illegal Omotaku operations on Lagos roads.

Business Post gathered that all arrested suspects have been charged before the appropriate court in accordance with the provisions of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017 and the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018, where applicable.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

There are plans for Nigeria to begin to generate electricity from nuclear sources, the chief executive of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), Mr Anthony Godwin Ekedegwa, has revealed.

Mr Ekedegwa made this disclosure when he recently visited the acting Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Mr Umar Yusuf Girei, in Abuja.

He was at NIWA’s office to solicit the support of NIWA in achieving the numerous advantages of using nuclear energy technology in the country.

According to him, the partnership of critical stakeholders in Nigeria will position the country well in developing and maintaining its nuclear power plant.

The NAEC chief said Nigeria intends to begin the generation of electricity from nuclear sources instead of fossil-based power plants and hydro-based power plants, stressing that for Nigeria to develop, there is a need for the country to diversify its energy needs.

In his remarks, Mr Girei assured NAEC of his agency’s readiness to collaborate on the advancement of a nuclear power plant in Nigeria.

He promised the full support of NAEC for the success of a nuclear power plant in the country, saying that as the organisation saddled with the responsibility of regulating and developing Nigeria Inland Waterways, his entity is strategically positioned to play a critical role in the federal government’s quest for sustainable energy through the new technology.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee probing the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Olatunji Disu, to ensure the appearance of the agency’s alleged Director-General, Mr Adeniyi Adeyemi, before the panel on July 29, 2026.

Mr Adeyemi was recently arrested after a court directed the police to do so.

The lawmakers’ call came on Monday just as the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, said that his office declined a request by the PFIPC to open a Treasury Single Account (TSA), insisting that due diligence had not been completed.

Mr Ogunjimi, who spoke when he appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee, explained that though the council requested the opening of a TSA account, his office declined the request pending compliance with established due diligence requirements.

The PFIPC controversy began after the self-acclaimed director-general of the disputed agency, Mr Adeyemi, alleged during a presser that the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, demanded 48 per cent from its N27.3 billion take-off grant.

Mr Adeyemi had also alleged that the Chief of Staff received N400 million through a proxy and requested an additional N200 million to facilitate presidential approvals.

However, Mr Gbajabiamila denied the allegations in a statement on oath, maintaining that he had no personal, official or professional relationship with Mr Adeyemi. He also denied demanding or receiving any money, abusing his office or interfering with law enforcement agencies.

The Chief of Staff further denied any involvement in the alleged death of Mr Babatunde Tanimola, whom Mr Adeyemi claimed acted as an intermediary, as well as allegations linking him to an alleged assassination attempt on the defendant or interference with investigations by security agencies.

Following the allegations, President Bola Tinubu directed the ICPC to investigate the matter.

Also, Mr Gbajabiamila instituted a N15 billion defamation suit against the disputed DG at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

In the suit, he sought N10 billion in general damages, N5 billion in aggravated damages, N200 million as the cost of the action, and an order directing Mr Adeyemi to publish a retraction and apology in five national newspapers and across all social media platforms where the alleged defamatory statements were published.

Following the outrage generated by the issue, the House of Representatives inaugurated a 12-member ad hoc committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the disputed agency and the process through which it was included in the 2026 budget.

The committee is also investigating the alleged allocation of N1.3 billion to the agency in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The committee is chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, who assured Nigerians that the panel would conduct a thorough and impartial investigation.

Last week, the ICPC confirmed that it questioned Mr Gbajabiamila over the disputed PFIPC, but didn’t give further details on its next step.

During her appearance, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Esther Walson-Jack, said her office did not allocate office space at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja nor deploy staff to the PFIPC.

“The request for deployment of officers was received and noted for consideration. However, there was no deployment of officers by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to the council,” said Mr Walson-Jack.

The Head of Service also noted that “while there is speculation that the council occupied office space in the Federal Secretariat Phase Three,” her office could state categorically that it “did not allocate any office space to the PFIPC”.

Similarly, the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Mr Tanimu Yakubu, told the committee that no kobo appropriated for the disputed agency was spent.

Mr Yakubu maintained that while the National Assembly approved funds for the council, the statutory conditions required to release, pay, or spend the money were never met.

“The conclusion is firm. Not one kobo of the personnel provision could lawfully have been drawn, and not one kobo was drawn. The overhead provision never matured into a lawful cash release,” Yakubu said.

“The capital provision never matured into procurement or expenditure. The conditions required for spending were not met and were not close to being met. There is therefore no personnel expenditure to recover. The money never moved because the controls held.”